ADAM: THE GOOD NEWS

Have you heard of Adam, the father of the human race? It’s said that his house in heaven is one of the most heavily guarded. Why? Because every human being in heaven wants to have a go at him!

Now, I’m obviously being facetious about the heavenly security, but it’s not news that Adam is one of the most disliked Bible personalities.

 “It’s ALL Adam’s fault”

“Adam brought this suffering on us”

“If only Adam had just controlled himself...”

“I can’t believe I’m being punished for ANOTHER man’s sin.”

Etc.

These lines echo the sentiments many of us have of Adam.

The man Adam is unique in human history because he’s the only one whose descendants reap – in a literal, direct way – the consequences of his actions.

1Co 15:22  succinctly states, “IN ADAM ALL DIE”. And Rom 5:12 says it even more clearly, “Adam sinned, and that sin brought death into the world. Now everyone has sinned, and so everyone must die;” (CEV).

This feels a lot like gross injustice at first glance. Why should I be punished for another man’s sins?

But people who say that forget that they are already sinners in their own right, Adam or not, (“all have sinned”); and will still go to Hell if God judged them as them (and not as Adam).

This is the good news of the Gospel, because Jesus Christ came to Earth as “the last Adam” (1Co 15:45)! And “as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive” (1Co 15:22).

As Adam, Jesus too was unique in that His ‘descendants’, (those who put their trust in His substitutionary sacrifice on the Cross), are automatically sentenced to ‘suffer’ the consequences of His actions: which was total, complete sinlessness and obedience to God.

Wow! The bad news of Adam is now the good news.

O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who has known the mind of the Lord? or who has been his counsellor?... For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory forever. (Rom 11:33-36)

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN

EXPECT GOOD THIINGS

There’re 2 ways to look at life: Job’s way or Paul’s way.

Job saw life as a string of unending troubles; He said in Job 14:1 that “Life is short and sorrowful for every living soul;” (CEV). With such a pessimistic outlook of life, it’s unlikely Job ever enjoyed his wealth and abundance.

Paul, on the other hand, declares that “All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Rom 8:28).

This is why, regardless of the challenges perturbing him, he was always on the lookout for the opportunity God was opening for him through those trials.

This should be our outlook on life as well. As long as you’re a child of God, know that the sum total of your life is greatness.

If we allow the Devil to keep us fixated on the ills and evils in our life, we’ll never be conscious – and grateful – of the workings of God in us.

But whether we realise it or not, God is constantly working great things for, in and through us. It’s just that we’re often too blind to see it.

As we saw in the lives of Ruth and Esther, no bad incident of the enemy upon you will be allowed to go unpunished!

Therefore, Beloved,

When you see evil, expect the good.

When you see heartbreak, expect comfort.

When you see loss, expect restoration.

When you see darkness, know that your light is about to break forth explosively on every side.

Expect good things, therefore, in the midst of the present evil. For that is certainly true of you as God’s child.

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN

ESTHER: BAD NEWS? WHAT BAD NEWS?

Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages are come. – 1Co 10:11 

The Bible book of Esther is unique because it’s the only one that doesn’t mention “God” throughout its pages. However, it’s impossible to read through Esther without seeing the hand of God at work at every corner you turn.

Every bad news in Esther turned out to be actually good news for God’s people.

*If Esther wasn’t an orphan, she wouldn’t have been raised by Mordecai, a palace official!

*If Vashti, the Queen had not put the whole womenfolk in peril by her rebuff of the King, there wouldn’t have been a vacancy for Esther.

*If the King had not forgotten to reward Mordecai’s loyalty, there wouldn’t have been anything for Mordecai to take advantage of when he really needed the king’s favour.

*If Haman, the second-in-command of the empire had not hated Mordecai, Mordecai would have remained a lowly palace slave all his life.

*If Haman had not extended his hatred of Mordecai to ALL Jews in the realm, the eventual victory would have just been a family affair. But because all Jews were to be exterminated, all Jews were exonerated and honoured, to the point of non-Jews PRETENDING to be Jews (Est 8:17).

*Indeed, if none of the calamities, sorrows and near-death perils had befallen Mordecai, he wouldn’t have attained the highest rank by any Jew in ancient history – higher than even Daniel ever was!

So, is this why Esther is a book of the Bible? To tell us about the exploits of two Jews in a foreign land?  NO!

Rom 15:4 says For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

Yes, Beloved, Esther was written for you to have hope. I pray, therefore, that Every ‘bad’ news in your life be turned around for good in the name of Jesus. As you yield your pains and disappointments to the Almighty this season, receive supernatural turnarounds in Jesus’ name. 

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN

ORPAH AND RUTH: A CONTRAST IN TRAGEDY

The woman Ruth is one of the more recognisable women in the Bible. As the great grandmother of King David and thus an ancestress of the Messiah, Ruth holds a revered position with the Jewish people. This is in spite of her pagan Moabite heritage.

When we read about the grass-to-grace story of Ruth, we celebrate her devotion, her loyalty and her piety. But in doing this, we often forget that all this would not have been possible had she not experienced the tragedy of losing her husband, and brother-in-law in her homeland... exactly like another Moabitess – Orpah.

Throughout scriptures, we see examples of people who were greatly blessed, NOT in spite of their tragedies, but seemingly because of them. In other words, when you look back at their life, you’re tempted to feel the trouble was all part of God’s plans in the first place.

But that’s just how good God is in transforming our tragedies to triumph.

Yes, we live in a fallen world, with the consequences of Adam’s sin on the one hand, and satanic inflictions on the other. Death, diseases and devastation is a reality for all of us; and we face setbacks and sorrow every day. But our attitude towards this reality will determine whether we end up as Orpah or as Ruth.

The scorching sun of life shines on everyone. But as a Believer, you live in this world with an advantage: you serve a God who specialises in turning tragedy into triumph, pain into praise, and tests into testimonies.

In one of Paul’s most popular writings, he says, We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. – Rom 8:28

Beloved, do you realise that that current challenge of yours could end up being a defining aspect of your life testimony? When calamities come and tragedies fall, don’t clam up and turn away from God; open your hands and your heart and say, “This mess is all I have, do your thing God”.

I injure you to give your troubles to God, and that “light affliction, which is but for a moment”, will work for you a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory through Christ Jesus, (2Co 4:17).

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN

THE BAD NEWS IS THE GOOD NEWS

You’re probably familiar with the real-life scenario where someone comes to you and says, “I have good news, and bad news; which do you want to hear first?”

Many persons would say, “Give me the bad news first”. (Because it is psychologically easier to handle bad news when you know that at least, you’ll still hear something good after it).

When the person tells you the bad news, though you’ll naturally feel disheartened and sad; you’ll quickly then ask, “And what is the good news?”

Now, imagine with me that after you ask that, the person’s face brightens up with a big smile and they declare, “Well, the bad news IS the good news”.

Sounds crazy, right?

But think about that for a moment.

Life: I’ve got bad news for you: you’ve just been laid off.

You: Oh No, and what’s the good news?”

Life: That is also the good news!”

Life: Your application has just been declined”

You: Seriously? And what’s the good news?”

Life: That WAS the good news.

You may place your current condition in the above dialogue and it could still be true... if you allow God to take over the situation.

Sounds like cold comfort? A psychological gimmick? No!

God’s in charge of human history. Ps. 75:7 says, “God is the judge: He puts down one, and sets up another.” Paul writes in Eph 1:11 that “God always does what He plans, (CEV).

Your life is not the sum of random events and happenstances, your life is the result of a thought and agenda of God. And because we emphatically know that His plans towards us are plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for, (Jer 29:11 GNB), we can be sure that every evil can ultimately be turned for good.

All God needs, is your faith and your cooperation. I implore you to take that option today; we have ample scriptural examples and assurances, that that will surely lead you to success and fulfilment in the end.

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN 

THE FIRST JOHN 3:16

John 3:16 is undoubtedly the most familiar verse in the Bible. Perhaps because it seems to best summarise the gospel message in one sentence. It tells about the love the Father has for the entire world by sending His only begotten Son to save us from destruction. That’s what the Christmas message is all about.

But on this eve of Christmas Eve, I’d like to point our attention to another John 3:16, the first John 3:16 as a matter of fact.

“By this perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” – 1Jn 3:16.

OK, I admit I was a tad wily with the title, but in this season of festivities and merriment it’s important we do not lose sight of the people around us. In john 3:16 the Father gave, and in 1John 3:16 we’re enjoined to give as well – even up to our lives.

Christmas is the commemoration of the greatest gift of all; given even though undeserved, unexpected and unasked. In our own little ways this season, let’s try to duplicate that gesture.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

May the joy of this season be yours now, and ever.

AMEN

GREG ELKAN.

“THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS” (a retelling of the classic)

‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the town,

Not a creature was stirring, none uttered a sound.

The children were sleeping, tucked neatly in bed.

The cattle, ruminating, sat still in their shed.

The woman was heavy, her companion weak,

Poor Mary and Joseph had travelled for weeks,

They’d come from the city to small Bethlehem,

With young Mary gravid with the Saviour of men.

They trudged through the village, knocked door after door,

But all inns said “filled-up”, they wouldn’t take more.

Poor Joseph and Mary, had nowhere to turn

So right there in a manger, young Jesus was born.

The heavens tore open, bright lights filled the sky,

And shepherds a-herding looked up to see why.

“They’re Angels!” they shouted, and panicked in fear,

For ‘tis was unusual for God to come near.

“Do fear not, o shepherds”, the angels proclaimed,

“For ‘tis for your persons this vision is aimed.”

“We bring you good tidings of great joy to all:”,

“Your Saviour, Messiah, is born in a stall”.

So singing and jumping, the shepherds they ran,

To worship and honour, their LORD come as man!

And when they had seen Him, they made known abroad

The wonderful tale of Messiah their Lord.

It’s been two millennia, (and sixteen for sure),

But now is your moment to live it once more.

We may not be shepherds, or shearers of wool,

But right in your hand is the ultimate tool

By twitter, or Facebook, or this Whatsapp Group even,

We can tell of the birth of the Master of Heaven.

Do create your own message, or maybe this share:

“Blessed Christmas to everyone, and a Happy New year!!!”

GREG ELKAN💝💝💝

BETTER WATCH OUT: SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN

Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. – Php 4:5

 “You better be nice now, you don’t want to end up in Santa’s ‘Naughty’ list, now do you?”

Christmas is not just the season of the Christkindl (the Christ child), it’s also the season of Kriss Kringle (i.e. Santa Claus). Whether you call him Saint Nicholas, Père Noël, Julenisse, or simply Father Christmas, he’s still the same person: the one who’s supposedly responsible for the gifts children are to receive this season… if they are NICE.

The song, “Santa Claus is coming to town” aptly summarizes the philosophy surrounding Santa, and also gives us a reflection of our common moral belief system.

You better watch out

You better not cry

Better not pout

I'm telling you why

Santa Claus is coming to town

Hmm!

Replace “Santa Claus” in the above verse with “Jesus Christ” and it begins to sound familiar, doesn’t it?

However, we don’t worship Santa, and Santa didn’t die on the Cross for us, yet we somehow project the “Santa” iconography unto Christ.

He's making a list

And checking it twice;

He's gonna find out

Who's naughty or nice…

That’s “Santa” by the way, not Jesus; but many would not know the difference.

He sees you when you're sleeping

He knows when you're awake

He knows if you've been bad or good

So be good for goodness sake!

Again, that’s “Santa,” not Jesus.

The spirit of piousness based on fear and not love permeates the church today. But the image of Jesus up in heaven with pen and clipboard in his hands monitoring all your movements is not biblical.

Heb 10:12 says, “But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God.”

No Santa, we’re not “good for goodness sake!” We’re good because we’ve been given the gift of NO CONDEMNATION.  “We love him, because he first loved us.” (1Jn 4:19).

In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. – 1Jn 4:10.

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN

SHOULD CHRISTIANS CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS?

Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. – Eph 5:16

Let’s face it, Jesus was not born on December 25. Nobody can seriously say He was. It’s kind of an open secret that the Catholic Church around 400 A.D. chose the day as the day for the Feast of the Nativity in order to give Christian meaning to existing pagan rituals, (many pagan cultures had festivals that revolved around the winter solstice, which occurred near December 25).

Of course, we now see from the perspective of historical hindsight that the Catholic Church’s hope to draw pagans into its religion by allowing them to continue their revelry while simultaneously honouring Jesus failed woefully. It only eventually turned the church into another pagan religion.

Now, some contend that pagan origins or not, the “Mass of Christ” has come to symbolise something greater and spiritually richer. Others, however, insist that we cannot ignore its Christ-less roots, especially considering that its celebration seems to emphasise all the Christian faith positively shuns: carnality, sensuality and crass commercialism.

I believe a better perspective on Christmas can be gotten from another, more overtly pagan, holiday: HALLOWEEN.

Halloween, the visibly demon-themed holiday in which children dressed as witches, vampires and demons knock on doors begging for candy used to irk me in no small measure (despite the fact that it’s not practiced in Nigeria). I felt it was the act of the highest spiritual insensitivity for Christians to smile at ‘witches’ knocking on their doors.

I was sobered up, however, when one American pastor pointed out that Halloween is just about the only time unbelieving children come to you on their own. You spend the whole year trying to get to them: with fliers, fancy church programs, Christian TV, etc. But on this unique day, all you have to do is sit down while they line up to your door! Now, why on earth would any Christian want to pass such an opportunity up?

If the children know you to give out the BEST candies every year, regardless of what you tell them they will still come back next year – and they’ll spread the word around too! But if we get all grumpy about the theme and place a large “WE DON’T TRICK-OR-TREAT HERE” sign on our doors, we lose an invaluable opportunity to witness to the world.

So let’s be realistic, the world has always been carnal, sensual, and hedonistic, and will always have occasions of revelry. The Yuletide, however, is the only time of year when you can mention Jesus’ coming to earth over and over again without irritating them.

If we leave them alone to celebrate Christmas and lock ourselves up during this season, we miss a precious time window of slipping into their ears eternal truths that they really need to hear: that God is not mad at them, but loved them enough to send His Son to earth to die for their sins.

Just my thoughts.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN

💬 IT’S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR

For unto us a child is born... – Isa 9:6.

It’s that time of year again.

I’m talking about stuffed stockings, evergreen trees, carols, greeting cards, cantatas, nativity plays, family get-togethers, jingle bells, fat men in red suits, ho-ho-ho’s...

Yes, it’s Christmastime, and as the popular song puts it, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year.”

Or Not.

Unfortunately, Christmas is known to be also a most traumatic time for some families and individuals. It’s a statistical reality that suicide rates jump high during the Yuletide, and psychologists suspect it’s because of the very reasons cited above.

The financial burden takes its toll on breadwinners. The loneliness and lovelessness that single/separated persons deal with every day is accentuated even further during this ‘family’ season.

What is Christmas anyway?

“Why,” someone would exclaim, “‘Tis the Mass of Christ: the season when we commemorate the virgin birth of Jesus, the Saviour of the world.”

But as we all know, things can get so slippery during this period, that we miss the point altogether. While it is good to get the whole family together at least once a year, let’s not forget that “Christmas” by definition is not for the family but for Christ! It’s NOT your birthday; (and even if you were born December 25, I doubt the whole world is going all agog because of you).

It’s CHRITS’s mass.

So in the midst of the shopping (which is never enough) and in the midst of the decorations (which are never satisfactory), lets learn to be comfortable with what and who we have.

If the heat of the season starts getting literal, we need to stand back and reset our priorities.  

Let it be the season of //JOY to the world//, not stress to your life.

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN💖💖💖

GRACE IS FOR THE UNDERDOG…AND THE LION

...there is no new thing under the sun. – Ecc 1:9

 “My grace is sufficient for you: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. – 2Co 12:9

The principle of grace runs through all of the Bible narrative. Time after time, we see God deliberately lifting up the social outcast, the totally renegade, or the biologically unqualified to achieve great feats for Him.

Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were all non-firstborns in their respective families; but they were singled out for superlative inheritance; so was the younger of every pair of twins mentioned in scripture. 

This is usually so that it would be evident to all where the source of the strength came from. The Almighty always delights in lifting up “the poor out of the dust”, and “the beggar from the rubbish”, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory (1Sa 2:8).

This is the spirit of Grace: qualifying the unqualified. That’s why the Apostle Paul says he’d most gladly boast in his weaknesses, “that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2Co 12:9) “for when I am weak, then am I strong.” (2Co 12:10).

This is not saying we shouldn’t labour or improve on ourselves, but to make sure we always place our expectations on God’s grace and not on our efforts.

If you feel you’re a graduate, know that there’s a Masters degree holder out there who is still jobless. If you feel you’ve read a thousand books, know that there’re others who’ve read even more.

Take David, for example. He was not as ‘unqualified’ for the throne as we often put him. He was, after all, “a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a handsome person, and the LORD is with him”, (1Sa 16:18).

The difference between him and his firstborn elder brother Eliab, (whom the LORD explicitly rejected) was that he never looked on any of those virtues as a REASON for his promotion.

Beloved, is your current skillset looking unimpressive? Congratulations, that’s the kind of material that Grace likes to work with. Is your CV loaded enough to make a Doctor of Quantum Physics blush? Don’t place your confidence in it.

Ps 104:21 says, “The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their food from God.”

Yes, they strut about in the jungle and ROAR as they’re endowed to… but ultimately, they expect the food to come from God, not the roaring.

Grace to you in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN

SIN AND GRACE

There’s more to grace than just the forgiveness of sins. Though Grace primarily means that God’s no longer imputing sins to the Believer; using Grace as just that is like using a 335,600-dollar Bentley Mulsanne car as an audio CD player. Yes, if you insert a CD into its stereo system it’ll play your music out for you, but surely it can do more than that, (much, much more in fact).

Grace doesn’t just grant the forgiveness of sins, it gives the Believer power over sin, in the direct sense of the word. Grace is more than a legal term of justification, it is an active spiritual power that can radically transform anyone – if allowed to.

This is one of the revelations the Apostle Paul had of the Gospel. He said in Rom 6:14 that the reason why sin cannot have dominion over you is because “you are not under the law, BUT UNDER GRACE”.

In the same vein, Sin is more than an act of transgression but a spiritual force! In the very first mention of Sin in Scripture, we find it, not as an act, but as an intelligent, aggressive marauder. (Gen 4:7). This is why Christians  who fight sin through self-will and strict regimens find themselves mentally exhausted and spiritually constipated.

But Grace triumphs where self-will fails. Many Believers try to overcome their ‘besetting’ sins through strong will, and when they fall, then they run to Grace for mercy.

That, in itself, is indicative of why they keep failing. We’re supposed to “grow IN grace”, not visit it occasionally. The Christian life was never designed to be lived independent of grace. Grace is the soil we’re to “grow in”.

Beloved, God did not call you into Christianity and then ask you to fight that sin on your own; or to succumb to it and take it as the reality of your life. You can, and will, live a victorious life over sin... by His Grace.

May “Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord”. (2Pe 1:2).

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN 

“FINISHED!” MEANS FINISHED

When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up his spirit. – John 19:30

Mat 27:50 makes us to understand that Jesus didn’t just say, It is finished, He actually cried it out “with a loud voice”. It was the very last thing He declared before He gave up the ghost. Furthermore, in the Greek, what He declared was just one word: FINISHED!

“TELEO” (from ‘telos’) means “to end, to complete, conclude, or discharge (a debt). It means to accomplish, make an end, expire, finish.

“Telos” was also a commercial idiom in those days that meant “the debt has been PAID IN FULL.”

Therefore, this, the very last of the last words of Christ on the Cross, gives us an emphatic statement of the paradigm of the New Testament. Everything is paid for in full and FINISHED.

Jesus Christ satisfied every requirement of God on your behalf. There is no miracle you need that you do not qualify for. There is no mercy you ask for that requires additional sacrifice or penitence. God is not ‘thinking twice’ about your case.

“It is finished!” means exactly that. You don’t need to bring any other thing to the table. Other religions and cults say you must add something else: an offering, a pilgrimage, a sacrifice, some penitence, etc. But “finished” means finished.

As you read the last paragraph, you most likely assumed I was referring to the salvation experience. However, are we not guilty of applying these same rules with respect to ‘lesser’ miracles? Like breakthroughs, healing, financial turnarounds, marital settlement, etc.?

* When we tell an aging spinster to “sow a seed that will provoke Heaven so that she’ll marry this year”, we’re implying that it’s not finished.

* When we tell a Born Again Believer that some ancestral curses are still hanging in their lives, we’re implying that it’s not finished.

* When we imply that the anointing can only be attained at great personal cost, we’re implying that it’s not finished.

Let us please show reverence to what Jesus did for us at the Cross.

Do you have a current challenge? Fear not, Beloved, only believe! It is finished!

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN 

THE NEW PARADIGM

In speaking of a “new” covenant, he has made the first one obsolete, and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear. – Heb 8:13 (ISV)

In the English Bible, the word “covenant” and “testament” are both translated from the same Greek word (diatheke). When our Lord called His blood, the “blood of the new testament” (Mt 26:28), He wasn’t referring to the Books of Matthew to Revelation. He was talking about the new covenant God was about to make with mankind.

Similarly, when the Bible uses the phrase, “Old Testament” it is not referring to the books of Genesis to Malachi but to the covenant Jehovah made with the Israelites on Mount Sinai.

These 2 testaments are polar opposites of each other, and a clear understanding of their differences is vital if a Believer is to live victoriously.

The Old Testament paradigm can be summarised in one sentence: “If you do your part, then God will do His part”. (Dt 11:13, 15:5, 28:1; Ex 15:26; Lv 26:3-13). While the “New Testament”, can be summarised as: “If you believe God has done your part then God will do His part”. (Act 16:31).

This difference is so subtle, that a Believer can be living under the New Covenant but operating under the Old paradigm. In the Old, they DO IN ORDER TO GET. In the New, we DO BECAUSE HAVE ALREADY GOTTEN. 

Take eternal life, for example. In Lk 10:25-28, a man asked Jesus, what he should do to “inherit eternal life” In response our Lord told him to do what was in the law: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind...”

This, of course, is impossible. You can claim to love the Lord, but “with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind”? How long you you even keep that perfect love up?

However, under the New Covenant, when the Philippian jailer asked, “what must I do to be saved?” Paul replied, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved,” (Act 16:30,31).

The key phrase there is “Jesus Christ”; He’s the only one who can, – and who actually did – love the LORD with all His heart, and soul, and strength, and mind”.

This is the principle on which every other blessing in the New Covenant is received. We believe that God’s highest requirements have been met COMPLETELY by Jesus on our behalf, and therefore receive the attendant blessing by faith.

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN  

GRACE: DON’T TALK BAD ABOUT MAMA

For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. – Eph 2:8

Men, even the most misogynistic and bigoted of them, will not allow any man to trash talk their mother. They may allow or even participate in disparaging comments about womenkind; but they draw the line when it comes to their own Momma!

Antagonism to the teaching of GRACE has been on the rise recently; mostly in reaction to its resurgence into mainstream church doctrine. Books have been published, dedicated websites have been set up, and even certain ‘ministries’ have been incorporated to attack any message, minister or ministry that overtly aligns itself with the teaching of ‘Grace’.

While attack on any aspect of the Gospel is naturally to be expected of this world, unfortunately, many Believers also join in this foray. They echo the world’s belittling of the doctrine of Grace with various catchall labels like, “easy-believism”, “hyper-grace churches”, “You-Can-Sin-Anyway-You-Want doctrine”, etc.

This is unfortunate, considering these sincere saints are attacking the very foundation of their faith and eternal destiny.

The Bible categorically states that we are saved by GRACE! (Eph 2:8). While important dogmata like Faith, Prayer, Holiness, Wisdom, are vital to Christian growth, without Grace, all of these will be completely ineffective.

The Gospel that we preach IS a declaration of Grace (Act 20:24; 20:32). This is what uniquely distinguishes Christianity from other Faiths. If we sideline or try to minimise this important foundation of our faith, we risk being no more than just another religion on earth.

My prayer is that the Father, “the God of all grace”, make us “strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus”; through the help of the Holy Spirit – “the Spirit of Grace” – in Jesus’ Name; (1Pet 5:10; 2Ti 2:1; Heb 10:29).

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN

RAHAB: A TYPE OF CHRIST

Rahab gives us a lucid example of what it means to be “saved by faith”. She’s the archetypal gentile: an alien from the commonwealth of Israel, and a stranger from the covenants of promise, who through faith became an heir of Abraham!

But Rahab is not just typical of us sinners, she’s also a type of Christ in the Old Testament. Like Christ, she was able to bring sweeping salvation to any who would come under her shelter.

When the walls of Jericho crumbled, Joshua gave a command to the 2 spies, “You made a promise to the prostitute. So go to her house and bring her out and ALL THOSE WHO ARE WITH HER.”

So the two men went into the house and brought out Rahab, her father, mother, brothers, all her family, AND ALL THOSE WHO WERE WITH HER. They put all the people in A SAFE PLACE OUTSIDE THE CAMP of Israel. (Jos 6:22-23 ERV)

Imagine with me the reaction the 2 spies would have had if they barged into Rahab’s house that day and found 50 persons instead of an expected 20 or so?  How about a hundred? How about one thousand?

It wouldn’t have mattered. Joshua, the commander-in-chief had commanded them to spare, “ALL THOSE WHO ARE WITH HER.”

What if, among the scared persons huddled in her room, they had found an Indian man, a Latino woman, a Chinese boy and a black African baby! Rahab couldn’t possibly expect them to believe these were her family members too, could she?

But it wouldn’t have mattered either; the command said, “all those who are WITH HER”.

Note that the people in Rahab’s house were never quizzed or interrogated. They were never questioned about their past deeds and behaviours. All they needed to do was come under the shelter of Rahab and their lives would be spared.

This is the salvation message in graphic form. This is the paradigm of the New Covenant.

For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.  – Rom 10:12

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. – Rom 10:13

Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. – Heb 4:16 

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN

THE AUDACITY OF FAITH

au•dac•i•ty [aw dassitee] noun: willingness to challenge assumptions or conventions or tackle something difficult or dangerous (Encarta Dictionary).

The prostitute Rahab didn’t simply ask that her life be spared by the Israelites,

She said to the 2 spies, “...Give me a solemn pledge that you will spare the lives of my Father, Mother, Brothers, Sisters, and ALL WHO BELONG TO THEM, and rescue us from death.” – Josh 2:12,13 (NET).

To put this in perspective, realise that they haven’t even agreed to spare her life yet. If it was a covenant Jew who was making these demands, it may have even been thinkable; but here was a prostitute; whom the Israelites had a divine order to kill, reeling off a laundry list of people she wanted to be spared from judgment, as well!

How dare she do that? Because she had faith. That is why scripture holds her in high esteem; this was a woman who knew that forgiveness means qualification and boldness.

A GREAT DRAWBACK TO THE POWER OF FAITH IS A SENSE OF UNWORTHINESS.

Many of us would dare not express our desires to God because we feel we’re not worthy enough. We say to ourselves, “What have I done to deserve this? Have I been faithful enough, diligent enough, or prayerful enough?”

If it were today, we would say Rahab doesn’t have the moral right to make such a demand. Maybe that’s why she got what she wanted – and why we’re still struggling with ours. All Rahab knew was that as long as the God of Israel is concerned, anything is ask-able. 

Here’s God command to you, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt: OPEN YOUR MOUTH WIDE, and I will fill it.” (Ps 81:10)

Note the basis for your boldness: “I am the LORD who brought you out of Egypt”.

Rom 8:32  states, “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?”

Beloved, please know today that as a child of God, you have His  explicit permission to ask for whatever you need... no matter how bold, audacious or unprecedented it may seem.

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN

THE FAITH OF RAHAB

It was faith that kept the prostitute Rahab from being killed with those who disobeyed God... – Heb 11:31 (GNB).

Rahab is one of just 2 women of the 16 “Elders” listed in Hebrews 11, the so-called “Faith Hall of Fame”. This is a big deal considering her heritage. Here was a hated Canaanite being set forth as an exemplary “elder” for the Hebrews to emulate!

Her name is listed at the expense of the Hebrew matriarchs Rebecca, Rachael and Leah, or even spiritual giants like Miriam, Deborah or Hannah. She stands there paired with Sarah, the mother of the Jews!

The Holy Spirit clearly holds a high opinion of this woman’s faith. This is because she had a high opinion of what the God of Israel could do.

What you believe alone is an indication of your opinion of God.

Sometimes, we let our circumstances, knowledge and experience determine what is and is not possible. Beloved, I challenge you to believe God for that impossible thing today.

But how do we distinguish faith from foolish expectations? Can one say, “God, I believe I can fly like a bird, after all, you said with You all things are possible”? obviously that’s a stupid prayer... unless you find yourself ejected out of a plane with no parachute to aid your landing.

It is the need, NOT the request, that determines the legitimacy. That’s why Joshua could ask that the Sun should stay still.

Note that “impossible” is a subjective term. When Rahab, a rank pagan Canaanite, asked to be part of the covenant of Abraham, it seemed like an audacious, difficult request. But unknown to both her and the 2 spies, not only was it very, very possible, it was eventually going to be the norm, through Jesus Christ, (Rom 4:16,17; Gal 3:14,16; Eph 2:214; Gen 22:18; Act 2:39).

What you call “impossible” may actually be something normal eventually. Don’t let your limited knowledge keep you from asking for the best – REMEMBER SAUL (1Sam 9:15-19).

I dare you, therefore, to believe God, like Rahab, to let nothing limit what you can ask for.

For With God Nothing Shall Be Impossible. (Lk 1:37)

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN

ARE YOU READY FOR YOUR MIRACLE?

By faith Rahab the prostitute escaped the destruction of the disobedient, because she welcomed the spies in peace. – Heb 11:31 (NET).

People say that Opportunity only knocks once. The truth is, some life-changing miracles do not even knock at all!

The Sun didn’t rise from the west the day that Rahab met the two Israelite spies. The birds weren’t particularly cheerful, neither did the flowers ‘sing’ to indicate that that day was going to end with eternity-altering drama.

But from the way she reacted when the two Israelite spies walked into her house, it was clear she was well ahead of them in preparation. Evidently, Rahab was not your typical harlot, and her words help us see how she was prepared in advance.

 “I know the LORD will give you this land... We've heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea in front of you when you left Egypt.... When we heard about it, we lost heart... Josh. 2:9-11 (GW)

Rahab had evidently been hearing a lot about the exploits of the Israelites right from the parting of the Red Sea. For 40 years she had been hearing and thinking about it. And one day, against all odds, the people she had been hearing and thinking about walked into her room!

What You Continually Meditate On Will Eventually ‘Present’ Itself To You.

A man who is always thinking of adultery will get the opportunity one day; and a ‘Saul’ who is always thinking of a kingdom (even though Israel never had a king) will meet a ‘Samuel’ one day  (1Sam 9:15-19).

The way Rahab that responded when she met the spies, you’d think they gave her advance notice of their coming. She was concise, explicit and direct with her demand: she wanted to be part of the “commonwealth of Israel”.

Beloved, the miracle you keep thinking (meditating) and hearing (testimonies, messages, etc.) about will one day ‘present’ itself to you.

Will it meet you speechless, unprepared and confused? Or will it meet you like Rahab: ever ready to take hold of the opportunity as soon as it shows itself.

May the latter be your portion in Jesus’ name.

AMEN.

GREG ELKAN

SEEING RED: LIFE LESSONS FROM RAHAB

 [From Joshua chapters 2 and 6].

This is what you must do. When we invade your land, tie THIS RED CORD to the window... – Jos 2:18 (GNB).

Rahab, the story of how a Canaanite woman moved from the Red-light district of the debauched city of Jericho to becoming an ancestor of Jesus the Messiah, has inspired, fascinated and disturbed many for thousands of years.

It's INSPIRING because of its heart-warming core; FASCINATING because of its intrigues and gratifying end; but even more than these, DISTURBING because of its raw, unvarnished depiction of a woman who would eventually be an ancestress of the promised MESSIAH.

There are Jews who still disagree that Rahab was actually a prostitute; and even one theologian wrote that it is “extremely incredible” that she would have become who she was if she had been a harlot. However, people who speak like this betray a limited knowledge of the saving power of God’s love.

Rahab shows us that, as far as God’s grace is concerned, there is no limit to how high you can go, or how low you can come from.

The Church, right from its earliest days, has been populated with transformations like hers. When Paul was listing the calibre of people that got converted into the Corinthian church, he mentioned fornicators, idolaters, homosexuals, thieves, drunkards, slanderers, and swindlers! (1Co 6:9-11).

Satan has deceived many into believing that they're beyond redemption because their sins are either just too great or just too many. To those people, Rahab is a shining example of what can happen if you let God’s unconditional mercy take over your life.

Even Believers, too, fall into this trap when they believe God can never FULLY forgive them for certain sins they committed. They believe that God may accept them into Heaven, but because of their failures, He’s given up on them and will no longer bless them or fulfil His promises.

Beloved, if Rahab could press through in spite of her failings to achieve what many Hebrew women could only dream of, how much more you living in the New Covenant under the Blood of Jesus.

Stand up today and receive God’s unmerited forgiveness. God will still do great things THROUGH and FOR you because of the sacrifice of His Son Jesus.

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN 

THE REASON and THE RESPONSE

Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called the children of God. – 1Jn 3:1.

The Incarnation is undoubtedly a mystery, and not just in Paul’s sense of the word. Think about it: God Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth, taking on the form of lowly human flesh. The implications are so eternally profound, it’s mind-boggling!

And why did God do it? Because He loves you!

When God gave you Jesus, He gave you His ALL. We often highlight that Jesus is God’s beloved Son, in whom He is well pleased, (Mt 3:17). But have you considered that He was willing to give that said beloved Son up for YOU? (Jn 3:16).

 “But God has shown us how much he loves us – it was while we were still sinners that Christ died for us!” (Rom 5:8 GNB)

But God's mercy is so abundant, and his love for us is so great, that while we were spiritually dead in our disobedience he brought us to life with Christ. It is by God's grace that you have been saved. (Eph 2:4 ,5 GNB)

You are the especial object of God’s love, and you may never be able to comprehend, grasp, fully assimilate, or fathom just how much you mean to Him. This is why Paul in Eph 3:14-19 says his earnest prayer is for you to “have the power to understand the greatness of Christ's love – how wide, how long, how high, and how deep that love is.” (ERV)

All through this week, we have been reminding ourselves on the full import of the Incarnation. The Devil will always try to make you feel unloved or maybe just tolerated by God. He wouldn’t want you to know that you’re highly precious and valuable in God’s sight.

Because when you know that, your spiritual life will change. 1Jn 4:19 says, “We love him, BECAUSE he first loved us.”

Beloved, I beseech you, regardless of those “light afflictions”, (which are but for a moment), to never lose sight of what God, in Christ, has done for you.

 “Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” Jud 1:21.

“May the Lord always be on your heart... because you’re always on His.”

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN

THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF JESUS IS FOR YOU

Most people today, even liberal/secular scholars, would readily attest to the moral probity of the man Jesus while He was on Earth.

But Jesus was more than just morally upright, He was SINLESS.

1Pe 2:22 says He “did no sin”, 2Co 5:21 affirms He “knew no sin”, and 1Jn 3:5 declares “in Him is no sin”. He was “in all points tempted like we are, yet without sin;” (Heb 4:15).

This is a great testimony...until you consider that Jesus is actually God in the flesh, (Jn 1:1,14; 1Tim 3:16). Of course, He would be sinless.

But why did God come all the way down to perfectly obey His own laws? To show off? Or was it, as some teachings claim, to set an example for us to follow? No!

The POINT of His righteousness, was to take upon Himself the consequence of our SIN, and to give us His RIGHTEOUSNESS.

 “For Christ also has once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God,” (1Pe 3:18).

 “For he has made him, who knew no sin, to be sin for us; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him,” (2Co 5:21).

 “Who his own self bore our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness, (1Pe 2:24).

(See also Is 53:5-10; Rm 3:22-26; 5:19; 8:3; 1Co 1:30;  Php 3:9; etc.).

I know we always say Jesus took away our sins; but we need to complete that sentence. He didn’t just take away our sins, He then gave us His righteousness. The whole point of Jesus being righteousness as Man was FOR YOUR SAKE.

Beloved, as a Born Again Believer, God is not simply pretending that you’re righteous (even though in reality you’re not). NO! He didn’t pretend to punish Jesus on the Cross when Jesus took your sins in His body; Christ bore the full brunt of God’s wrath because of you. Therefore, your righteousness is not a pretend one; it is real, it is Jesus’ righteousness.

Halleluyah!!! Take a moment to thank Him for that every day.

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN

THE WEALTH OF JESUS IS FOR YOU

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that you through his poverty might be rich. – 2Co 8:9.

Jesus is God, He owns the “cattle upon the thousand hills”, (Ps 50:10). In Rev

5:11-14, John talks of seeing “millions and millions” (CEV) of angels, along with every creature in Heaven and Earth worshipping Him.

So I find it absurd to hear teachings that try to claim that Jesus was never poor as a man, (citing things like the kind of clothes He wore, the type of donkey He rode, etc.). They miss the point totally; that’s like praising superman for flying first-class.

The Apostle Paul declares that a good way to understand the grace of God is to consider the Incarnation: “though he was rich”, yet for your sakes he became poor...”.

If Christ had been born in the best hospital and lived in the most luxurious home on Earth, He’d still have been wretchedly poor compared to what He had before.

And here comes the good news: He became poor, “that you through his poverty might be rich”. What a glorious substitution.

 “But Bro Greg, I’m so broke right now; it seems they forgot to jot down my bank account details when my name was written in the Book of Life at my salvation.”

Beloved, if you want to know what you got at salvation then look at what Christ gave up for your sake! It wasn’t a fat bank account or a beach house on the Caribbean. It was “power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing” (Rev 5:12).

If you find that incredible then you can understand Paul’s incapability to properly communicate to us the extent of what we have “in Christ”. In Eph 1:15-19, he says he prays continuously for the church to be able to understand “the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe.”

 

Beloved, the wealth of Christ has been made available to you. Your entire lifetime is too short to discover all of it, not to talk of exhausting it. Do not allow the Devil to keep you so enmeshed in one want after another that you don’t look up to see that your God shall supply all your need “according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Php 4:19).

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN