FRIENDS IN LOW PLACES (Pt. 5)

 Enemy Facts #4

YOUR ENEMY IS ‘ANOINTED’ TO TAKE YOU TO THE TOP

I’m talking about real enemies. Not the petty ones we talked about in Part 2.

We all need friends, love and companionship. However, you need to understand that there is a limit to what they can do for you, even with their best of intentions. There is a certain height in your destiny that you will be unable to attain, (or will attain much slower) if you have ONLY friends in your life.

For proof, look to scripture:

What would happen to Joseph’s dreams if he was the darling of all his brothers? They would all be in Palestine hugging each other when the Great Famine came.

Goliath may have looked like a menace to Israel, but David needed him to be able to enter the national spotlight.

Mordecai’s enemy, Haman, handed him untold wealth, power and authority much beyond what His own cousin Queen Esther of Persia could ever have secured for him.

Daniel’s position as a high-ranking Babylonian official could only take his friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego that high (Dan 2:49); but they needed a fiery furnace experience to receive direct kingly promotion (Dan 3:30).

And what would have happened to Jesus’s destiny of dying on the Cross if it had been left in the hands of Peter, James and John? Maybe we’d still be here today. No wonder Jesus called Judas his “Friend” (Mt 26:50).

Don’t be sacred of having enemies, just pray you have the right ones. Let them keep doing what they’re doing. They are only taking you to the top. In the end, you’ll say to them like Joseph did, “But as for you, you thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good” (Gen 50:20).

Let’s wrap up this series with one of our LORD’s admonitions:

 “You have heard that it was said, 'Love your friends, hate your enemies.' But now I tell you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” Mt 5:43-44 (GNB)

Need we say more?

AMEN

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

GREG ELKAN

FRIENDS IN LOW PLACES (Pt. 4)

 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is fine saith the Lord.

Enemy Facts #3

YOUR ENEMY SEES YOU FROM A UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE

This is a fact that we can easily miss. When your friends and family members look at you, they see your strengths; when your enemy looks at you, they only see your weaknesses. Yes, by definition, they are spoilsports, and they may insult you about imagined flaws, but be certain that they’re rightly positioned to notice your weakness more than anyone else.

Nobody understands the weakness of a football team better than the coach of the opposing team does. Some large corporations hire consultants to come point out the weaknesses and flaws of their firm. Your enemy does the same thing for you free-of-charge, and they put their whole effort to it. The problem is that they don’t submit their findings to us in thick, fat dossiers, (and most definitely do not follow it up with a list of “recommendations”).

I once wrote a short piece for publication and sent it to not less than two dozen friends to proofread for me. NONE OF THEM (including me, I admit) saw a particular grammatical error that made me say the exact opposite of what I meant.  If it were a scoffer that picked that piece up, his eyes would have LOCKED ON to that error immediately.

I am not saying you should succumb to constant introspection and lose sleep over EVERYTHING your detractors says about your work, but don’t be too quick to dismiss their biased ‘observations’.

Remember, only your enemy can tell you that your mouth stinks; they may mean you ill, but at least they say what your friends know all along but were too polite to tell you.

Have enemies? Don’t sulk, thank God for them.

(BTW, if you noticed the "vengeance is FINE" in the opening text, that doesn't mean you're my enemy, it just means you're OBSERVANT)

AMEN

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

GREG ELKAN

FRIENDS IN LOW PLACES (Pt. 3)

 Enemy Facts #2

YOUR ENEMIES BRING OUT WHAT’S DEEP INSIDE YOU

Yesterday, we learnt to think twice about who we decide to consider our enemies. However, some of us would admit that that doesn’t really make us feel any better. There are still some persons that just seem to know how to crawl into our skins. We’re constantly irked by them and really wish we could do without them.

You hang around your friends, church members, etc. and you feel so super-spiritual; but these persons (pests?) just bring out the worst of us. They know the right buttons to push, the right way to step on our toes, the right way to ‘rub it in’, etc.

Well, maybe you should pause and think about it for a while. They bring out the “worst in us”; they didn’t CREATE the worst in us, they only bring it out. I think they deserve some applause for that because it is clear that they make us acknowledge the negative parts of us that we never knew (or admitted) existed.

Here’s an analogy:

What happens if you haul a stone straight into a building? You’ll get different responses. You may hear dog barking, people shouting, or (if you live in my neighbourhood), several more stones hauled back in your direction.  That means your stone made whatever was inside the house to reveal itself.

If you do not own a dog, no matter how much stones are flung into your house, no barking will be heard.

We detest our enemies so much because they draw out what is deep inside us. They show us that, despite our perceived saintliness, that we are capable of anger, disgust, frustration, jealousy, malice, even hatred. A Christian could go about looking sweet, singing angelic hymns throughout the day and looking holy enough for Mother Theresa to blush... until they meet their enemy. Then their halo slips off and, like a werewolf exposed to moonlight, another part of them comes up.

Sometimes it may be something as subtle as envy, (if you have someone who always try to remind you that they are better, richer, more beautiful, more successful, etc. you’ll understand).

So, the next time you feel like “twisting that woman’s dirty mouth”, (and she deserves it too, I agree); pause and reflect to yourself what that impulse says about the current state of your heart. Do it now, or else one day the ‘dog’ will bark at an embarrassing and inopportune moment, and you’ll be needing to make explanations to those who hold you in high esteem.

Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Ps 139:23, 24.

For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. 1Co 11:31.

Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled. Heb 12:15.

AMEN

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

GREG ELKAN

FRIENDS IN LOW PLACES (Pt. 2)

 Enemy Facts #1

THE SIZE OF YOUR ENEMY IS INDICATIVE OF YOUR POSITION.

Imagine you losing a brawl with the an undisputed heavyweight champion like Tyson Fury or Mike Tyson. Ground-breaking, innit? Not really. In fact, it’d be a PR disaster for the boxing champ.

Why? Because you’re not in their category, and that assault on you by the heavyweight has automatically brought him down to your level.

In 2Samuel 16:5-13 we read of a certain peasant who took it upon himself to “continually” curse King David and throw stones at him. David’s mighty men proposed decapitating the peasant but David knew better than that. After all, he himself was once just a lowly shepherd boy who became a warrior because an experienced Philistine champ (Goliath) made the mistake of fighting him.

You eventually attain the status of your enemy, upwards or downwards.

The man Haman (of “Haman Must Die” fame) was the Vizier of the vast Persian Empire about 2500 years ago. He was the Prime Minister, the 2IC with immense power and wealth. Yet he decided to make a lowly “gateman” his enemy; and for the pettiest of reasons at that. He invested his resources and energy on destroying Mordecai; and in the end Mordecai took up Haman’s position and Haman’s property (Est. 8:1,2)!

Are you a heavyweight that has a bantamweight for an opponent? (“bantam” is a type of fowl, You know). Are you being petty? Losing sleep over trivialities that wouldn’t matter 10 years from now (not to talk of eternity)?

If you speak against Her Majesty, The Queen of England today, she’s not going go to rush Twitter and cuss you out in return. There is a reason for that.

1Pe 2:9 says we are a “royal priesthood”; Eph 2:6 says that we are seated “in heavenly places in Christ Jesus”; and Rev 5:10 says Christ has “made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

Carry some sense of divine dignity around you; not every thing or every one is worth your energy and time.

AMEN

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

GREG ELKAN

Friends in Low Places

Greetings Brethren and welcome to the Word for Today. This week, we’ll be talking about the last persons we usually want to talk about: OUR ENEMIES.

Yes, everyone has them, even Christians. Some Believers claim they have none; yet spend hours praying for said non-existent enemies to “DIE! DIE!! DIE!!!”

All the same, enemies are real and are here to stay with us; it’s no use denying their existence. Even if you’re the world’s greatest pacifist, someone would still find a reason to make you their enemy; even if it’s for breathing their air!

And what’s more, it may even be something to BOAST about!

 “Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.”

(Jn. 15:20)

Our Lord Jesus had enemies; and He promised His servants will have the same experience. (Therefore, being enemy-less doesn’t speak too well of your discipleship status).

If you have enemies:

Detractors,

People who just cannot see eye-to-eye with you,

People who seem to have enough energy and spare time to attack you, your person and your work,

etc.

Then congratulations! You are in good company.

Here’s a far from exhaustive list of your biblical heroes:

Abel, Abraham, Daniel, David, Elijah, Esther, Ezra, Isaac, Jacob, Job, John the Baptist, John the Beloved, Joseph, Joshua, Mordecai, Nehemiah, Paul, Peter, Samuel, Samuel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego...Jesus

What do they all have in common? You’ve guessed it already, enemies.

As a matter of fact, some of them would have been lost in historical obscurity had they not been attacked by an enemy.

“We have all these great people around us as examples. Their lives tell us what faith means. So we, too, should run the race that is before us and never quit…

We must never stop looking to Jesus. He is the leader of our faith, and he is the one who makes our faith complete. He suffered death on a cross. But he accepted the shame of the cross as if it were nothing because of the joy he could see waiting for him. And now he is sitting at the right side of God's throne”.

-Heb 12:1-2 (ERV)

We’ll go into more details about the positives of having such ‘friends’ in our life from tomorrow. But for now, let’s ponder on Hebrews 12:1-2 and know that whatever antagonism we may be facing, will end up for our good.

AMEN

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

GREG ELKAN

HAIL MARY (Part 5)

Throughout this week, we’ve been looking at numerous attributes that Mary possessed that made her excellently fulfil her ministry; attributes that will also help us fulfil our, if we follow her footsteps.

Today, because of space constraint, we’ll end the series with just one more.

#5- RESPONSIBILITY

There is a certain responsibility that comes with raising God’s baby.

Yesterday we made a little reference to the duality that Mary had to handle while dealing with Jesus.

·         He was boy and her saviour.

·         Her offspring and her creator

·         She gave him life, which he gave her in the first place

·         Etc.

But she handled it all well.

Every mother I know claims that their baby is a “pweety wittle angel”, (even after they smash YOUR iPhone to the ground in a temper tantrum); but only Mary had an absolutely well-behaved child.

How did she treat this perfect Angel(maker?)? Did she smoulder him to the extent that he had no identity?

No!

He spent so much time in the carpenter shed that he was known as “the son of the carpenter”. She treated him so no different from his siblings that they were the last to believe he was unique when he finally went public.

As a child, she took care of him at his most vulnerable. She shielded him from the elements, and also from the sword of those who would seek to destroy him.

Brothers and Sisters, how are we handling God’s project right now?

Dear SIR, have you turned your calling into a ‘god’ that must be worshiped at the detriment of everything else? Are your children and spouse suffering neglect because of “the work of the ministry”?

Or Dear MA’AM, are you now so spiritual with God’s work that all nights are spent in ‘prayer’ while the ‘carnal’ husband has to sleep alone? You’re just a “WOMAN of God”, but Mary could claim to be “MOTHER of”, yet Joseph didn’t get to be reminded of that every 12 minutes. She never stopped him from asking Jesus to work with him. She held a complete balance of it all.

She was perfectly responsible as a parent.

Of course, his being perfectly obedient did help make the work easier. That, and the loads of GOLD that the magi brought with them at his birth. We usually say they were “THREE wise men” but they were so numerous that not just Herod but “All Jerusalem” knew when they arrived (Matt 2:1-3,11)!

Being the mother of Jesus does come with its own privileges. J

AMEN.

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

GREG ELKAN

HAIL MARY (Part 4)

Greetings Brethren,

So far, we have seen the subtle but essential attributes that Mary, the only one to whom the title “Godmother” has a literal meaning, had that made God consider her worthy of such a huge task. Now we’ll go further to see the attributes which God saw in her to trust that she’d be able to see the assignment through.

#4-EMOTIONAL STABILITY

“But Mary KEPT ALL THESE THINGS, and pondered [them] in her heart”.

“And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother ... yea, a sword shall pierce through your own soul also”, (Lk 2:19,34,35).

Mary may have been one ‘sweet, little girl’, but she was not the type to go down under strain.

It’s always important for us to remember that this was a REAL girl living in a REAL word. The unique circumstances surrounding her pregnancy would only have become public knowledge AFTER Jesus’s ascension. So for a long time, (if not all her life), Mary had to endure the image that she got pregnant outside of wedlock. Her friends would deride her as a rank hypocrite, and older women would wag their heads whenever she passed by.

“But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.”

She never tried to defend herself, she handled the great changes in her life pretty maturely. She didn’t run to her mother or her neighbours to cry out her tale of wonders (woes?); she didn’t even tell Joseph about it. Only Elizabeth was told, and that was by instruction.

Brothers and Sisters, doing God’s work will have some consequences. You won’t always be able to defend your actions, or answer back at critics. A group of persons may gang up against you, someone may make a scathing remark about your work, or people may start calling you names. It doesn’t matter, as long as you’re doing what God asked you to do, keep doing it.

They may attack you, even if what you’re doing is for their own benefit, don’t fret, “Wisdom is justified by all her children. (Lk 7:35).

Mary was strong enough to handle it all, even physically.

She gave birth, while still a physical virgin, all by herself except for an inexperienced carpenter standing by her side.

If you think that was hard, think about what she had to go through at the Crucifixion, (remember “Passion of the Christ” movie?). The absolute viciousness and torture on Jesus’s body would have ruptured the heart of any onlooker. But it wasn’t just her saviour that was been brutalised there, that was also her Baby. (Not many persons can even handle this sort of duality).

Nevertheless, she knew it was all for a reason. She took the pain as it was, and 3 days later, all her life’s work was justified.

AMEN

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

GREG ELKAN

HAIL MARY (Part 3)

Greetings Brethren,

Today we’re continuing from our study of the attributes that enabled Mary, the biological mother of Jesus to fulfil her ministry excellently.

Yesterday we saw that the faith in Mary was a strong factor in why God would choose her over others. Well, here’s another one:

#3-SHE WAS GROUNDED IN THE SCRIPTURES

If Mary hadn’t gone to visit Elizabeth we probably wouldn’t have known the kind of person she was in her heart.  Take a while to read her response to Elizabeth’s salutation in (Luke 1:46-55); it’s quite revealing. Her response was one long monologue of praise, prophecy, history and psalmody.

Those are not the words of a teenage girl who only reads Psalm 23 and “the Lord’s Prayer’ twice a day. Recall that this was a spontaneous response; those things were already in her mind all these while. It shows that though she was surprised that the Angel Gabriel appeared to HER (and not to anyone else), she wasn’t surprised at WHAT he was talking about in Lk 1:30-33. She knew exactly who the ‘MESSIAH’ was and what His mission was to be. She and God were on the same page on that one.

She didn’t reply Gabriel, “Oh sir, I know you’re from God and all, and I really don’t want to be rude or anything, but... WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?"

No! She had been thinking about this all the while; and when she said, “be it unto me according to your word” she knew exactly what that implied.

Brethren, the vocabulary that God uses to speak to us is His written word. There is no prophecy, no ‘word of knowledge’, no ‘rhema’ or ‘revelation’, etc. that will come to us that would be alien to what is ALREADY in the Bible. So, if we’re not scripturally literate, His words to our spirit will either be unintelligible or will be limited in the amount of information they carries.

Her feat is all the more remarkable when we remind ourselves that this was a teenage girl talking here.

Mary was a woman of faith, she was also a woman of the word.

AMEN

We’ll continue on these thoughts tomorrow.

More Blessings Await you today, you’ll not miss them in Jesus Name.

GREG ELKAN

HAIL MARY (Part 2)

Greetings Brethren,

Yesterday we saw how Satan has effectively smeared the reputation of Mary, the biological mother of Jesus by making her an object of worship and veneration. As a result of this, Protestants, for fear of falling into the same error, have unwittingly made her the she-who-must-not-be-named character of the Bible.

However, that approach will only be playing into the devil’s hands. Mary was, and still is, one of the most remarkable persons who ever lived. We have nothing to gain by dismissing her achievement as ‘nothing wonderful’; anyone whom God can risk His entire salvation plan with has to have SOMETHING special.

Yet “there is no respect of persons with God” (Rom 2:11). Mary was as much a person like anyone of us. Mothering the saviour was her destiny; you and I have ours. So it’ll be profitable for us if we study her life and see the attributes she possessed that saw her through fulfilling her extremely unique assignment.

We’ll restrict ourselves to the first 2 attributes today, beginning with the most obvious of them all:

#1- PURITY

Well, she’s not called “VIRGIN Mary” for nothing.

However, this purity is only an outward reflection of her inward heart. While we know that virginity is a key factor in the Messiah’s maternity, it wasn’t ONLY her virginity that made her to be chosen. We sometimes forget that the average unmarried teenage Jewish girl back then in 1^st century Palestine would been a virgin, including the sinful ones. So it was not the culture-imposed chastity that qualified her but the purity in her heart that reflected on the outside.

#2-FAITH

This is one area the BVM really stands out. It is hard to underestimate the level of faith required to accept to be/do what has never ever been done by any person in all of human history. This is more than raising the dead, this is bringing out life from nothing. It’ll be difficult to imagine how you would react if you were Mary; difficult because you ALREADY know now that it is possible.

So, what is your own God-given vision? Do you still doubt that it can come to pass? Mary had NO previous testimony to rely on, no example to hold unto, etc. Yet she believed.

If Mary could, you, too, can. “For with God nothing shall be impossible” (Lk 1:37).

And it’s not just the miraculous conception that Mary needed faith for. It takes faith to believe that of all the (seemingly better and more qualified) females on earth, God had decided to choose her.

Many of us are quick to disqualify ourselves when God calls. Mary could have complained that she was too weak, too timid, too rural, not living in Bethlehem, already engaged to a man, not the best mother-material, have poor communication skills, not educated, etc.

She didn’t. Instead her response was, “I am the Lord’s servant! Let it happen as you have said.” Lk 1:38 (CEV).

If you were God, isn’t that the kind of person you would want to use?

Where is your faith? God is looking for that simple “YES SIR”/”OK SIR” kind of faith. Not the “Yeah, BUT”/”I Believe, BUT” type.

Heb. 11:6 says without faith it is impossible to PLEASE God. And in Luke 1:30 (ERV), The angel said to her, “Don't be afraid, Mary, because God is VERY PLEASED with you”.

Brothers and Sisters, FAITH endears us to God and brings about His blessings in every area of our life.

“And blessed is she that BELIEVED: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord”, (Luke 1:45).

AMEN

More Blessings Await you today, you’ll not miss them in Jesus Name.

GREG ELKAN

HAIL MARY (Part 1)

Greetings Brethren and welcome to the Word for Today. This week, as implied in the title, our focus will be on Mary the mother of Jesus, the Blessed Virgin Mary (BVM).

The topic of the BVM is taboo among Protestant ministries even though they will not admit it. Most are not even conscious of the bias they have against her; but when you consider the amount of time that they spend preaching on ‘the obedience of Sarah’, ‘lessons from Ruth’, or ‘the faith of Hannah’ to the time spent talking about Mary you’ll see what I mean. Come to think of it, there are more messages about ‘Mary and Martha’ than about the BVM!

You’ll have to forgive the Protestants for this attitude though; centuries of inordinate veneration of the woman God used to bring Jesus to earth has driven us to the other extreme. We take the centrality of Jesus to our salvation very seriously, and hearing Mary being called things like “Mother of God”, “Ark of the New Covenant”, “the New Eve”, etc. only causes us to cringe.

So it seems essentially avoiding or minimizing the BVM is the way we cope with this theological trauma.

However, Mary is one of the best examples of biblical characters who can teach us not just obedience but also how to fulfil our God-given destinies. We have a lot to learn from her. But unfortunately, before we start, we must first address the ‘elephant in the room’ about Mary.

7 THINGS MARY IS/WAS NOT

#1. Mary is not GOD’S MOTHER

Yes, the baby she mothered was God in the flesh, but logic can be a pitfall when we take it too far. When she DIED, her assignment stopped there. (See Jn 1:3,10; Col 1:16).

#2. Mary was not SINLESS

Rom 3:23 says “All have sinned” and Gal 3:22 (WNT) declares that “ALL MANKIND are the PRISONERS OF SIN...”. Even Mary herself called God her saviour (Lk 1:46); only sinners need a saviour.

#3. Mary was not BORN OF A VIRGIN

There’re 2 doctrines that are misconstrued by the average protestant, the 1^st is “Immaculate Conception”.

Immaculate Conception is “the doctrine that the Virgin Mary's soul was free from the stain of original sin from the moment of her soul's conception. The term does not, contrary to popular belief, refer to the conception of Jesus Christ.” (Encarta®).

We know of course, from #2 above that this is not possible.

#4. Mary was not PERPETUALLY A VIRGIN

Sex within marriage is not a sin. Mary’s virginity was connected to the birth of Jesus alone. After that, she was free to live her normal life with her husband. The Bible explicitly clarifies this: “but did not have marital relations with her UNTIL she gave birth to a son, whom he named Jesus. (Mat 1:25 NET).

We may wrest scriptures around and claim that all Jesus’ declared siblings were only cousins, but at the heart of those arguments is the idea that sex in itself is sin.

#5. Mary’s Body is NOT IN HEAVEN

The 2^nd misconstrued doctrine by Protestants is “ASSUMPTION”. Many think it refers to the bodily ascension of Jesus into heaven as written in Acts 1:9, etc. Actually, it is a doctrine that states that that after her death, the body of the BVM was taken into heaven and reunited with her soul!

#6. Mary is not IN HEAVEN CRYING FOR CATHOLICS

This one is for us Protestants.

I have heard it severally that some persons went to heaven and saw the BVM crying to God and distancing herself from the virtual idolatry that has been created around her persona by the Church.

Well, it’s rather odd to assume that Mary has any idea of what people have made of her. She’s in heaven enjoying eternal bliss with her LORD. It really won’t be heaven if one gets daily updates of the sad goings-on here on earth don’t you think.

#7.

I think 6 is enough.

Tomorrow we’ll begin our lessons from the foot of Mary (cringe, Protestants, cringe). But for now, one lesson we have learnt from the above is that deviating from what is written in the Bible to Traditions of Men will only lead to more and more heresy, blasphemy and error.

“A man, having separated himself, seeks his own desire, and rages against all sound wisdom”. – Pro 18:1

AMEN

More Blessings Await you today, you’ll not miss them in Jesus Name.

GREG ELKAN

WHAT’S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE? (Part 5)

Greetings Brethren, and welcome to the last part of What’s Wrong With This Picture?

Thanks and God bless you for all the various feedbacks and comments.

Throughout this week, we have been meditating on some popular but scripturally incorrect images on the web.

However, in my research on these images, I discovered that there are actually a lot of images out there that do exactly what ART is supposed to do in the first place: INSPIRE.

So what’s wrong with this picture?

Well, NOTHING!

This picture well captures the essence of Christian art. It even took me a while to fully get the message it was passing across.

It’s imaginative, conceptual, thought-provoking  and  most of all, inspiring.

I won’t be able to itemise all that’s right with this picture, so I’m throwing this open to the house.

Share what you think about this image, or if you have your own inspiring faith-based art that has inspired you, share with it us using the hash tag #WRWTP (What’s Right With This Picture?) so we can also be blessed by it.

Thanks once again, and God bless.

AMEN

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

GREG ELKAN

WHAT’S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE? (Part 4)

I smiled guiltily the first time I saw this image. It was as though the artist could see into my heart. I admit to this because many years ago, I really, really, really wished this was what happened at the Cross. I wasn’t comfortable with the humiliation, shame and pain that Jesus had to go through in the hands of those vile Roman soldiers and Jewish leaders.

When the High Priest asked that Paul be smitten he got a terse, acidic reply from the Apostle, (Acts 21:1-3);

When King Jeroboam merely assayed to arrest a prophet his arm froze dead (1Kg 13:1-4);

Yet my Lord was spat upon, slapped, flogged, mocked and crucified. And nothing happened.

In my childish mind, I had actually fantasized about this Cross-breaking Jesus: after he has been scourged mocked and crucified, just when they though they’ve given Him the most public of all humiliation, they hear a...

CRACK!!!

Centurion: What was that?

Soldier (stammering): It’s, it’s the cross sir.

Centurion: The cross what?

Soldier: The cross, the man has broken his cross!

(camera pans from centurion to the Christ on the Cross, all muscularly pumped up; he slowly descends to the ground – Iron Man levitating style... and crouches (picture the iconic crouching image of Arnold Schwarzenegger in the Terminator movies);

There’s confusion everywhere: the soldiers are running around, the women are screaming and pointing at the silent Christ, the Pharisees and High Priest are struck with fear knowing that they have gone too far this time;

Jesus rises and looks around at them all:

“Thou dareth crucify Me?” He thunders;

“Dost thou know who I am? I AM the Son of the Living God! NOBODY can touch me!

Then, partly out of madness and partly out of fear, the soldiers rush in on Jesus. Screaming defiantly with weapons raised, they descend on Him; hundreds and hundreds of them...

The battle will be EPIC!

Jesus Christ the SUPERMAN, Jesus the faster-than-FLASH, more-powerful-than-HULK, more-awesome-than-THOR Christ; against all the Roman soldiers.

It would have been an awesome battle...

 “AND YOU WILL STILL BE DEAD IN YOUR SINS TODAY AND DESTINED FOR HELL”, Said a voice in my spirit, abruptly cutting my fantasy short.

“That is exactly what Satan wanted Him to do when he instigated the people around Him to provoke Him with mockery and jeering” (Mat 27:39-49).

“He wanted Him to get down from the Cross because that would have been his (Satan’s) way of doing things.”

“Satan’s way is all about

·         proving a POINT,

·         SHOWing them

·         telling THEM

·         etc.

MY way, on the other hand, is always LOVE”.

“Allowing myself to be crucified may look foolish and weak, but 1Cor 1:25 says, the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men”.

I felt terrible about my fantasy after that Divine rebuke; because it seemed that it was I now who was making mockery of God’s weakness.

I turned back to the Cross…

CRACK!!!

What was that?

It’s the heart of Jesus, broken in sorrow for me: “Father, forgive him; for he knows not what he does”. (Lk 23:34)

Use this moment to thank Jesus, for obeying the Father’s will to the very last. If He didn’t, we wouldn’t be here today.

AMEN

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

GREG ELKAN

WHAT’S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE? (Part 3)

Greetings Brethren, and welcome to our 3^rd instalment of What’s Wrong With This Picture?

I’m not talking about these pictures because I feel we’re directly guilty of them; I only use them as a talking point for us to address fundamental problems in our collective belief systems that creates loopholes for the enemy.

In today’s picture, we have Satan and Jesus, Again!

On the left is Satan, arms akimbo, jeeringly taunting the Christ; on the right is Jesus, peaceful and calm, confident of the actions of His “followers”.

First of all, we have already established in Part 1 of this series that the devil is too small to have these kinds of conversations with God. Secondly, Jesus does not have a Facebook account, so to “follow” Him there doesn’t grant anyone access to Heaven.

There’re dozens of images like these on Social Media based on the same theme:

If you’re truly a child of God, you will “Like” this, or “share” this or “follow”, etc.

If you don’t do any of the specified actions, then you’re not a Believer, you don’t have “time for God”, or more directly (as in our subject for today), you’re a “Satan Follower”.  

The antics of this image are summed up in one word: MANIPULATION!

I was filled with anger when I saw this; but unfortunately, we as ministers sometimes use these same tactics to blackmail our members into doing what we want them to do.

We established yesterday that the work of the Kingdom is a mandate on every believer, but sometimes I hear Job’s accusing voice asking me as a fundraising minister, “Will you speak wickedly on God’s behalf? Will you speak deceitfully for him?” (Job 13:7 NET)

I tuned to a Christian channel one day and heard a Man of God commanding me to “Go to the Phone NOW! Delay is disobedience”. I was really rattled by that approach. I came to hear the word of God from you and be blessed and all I get is condemnation and judgment for every time I spend looking at you instead of going to the phone. (It also seems like you don’t want my brain to analyse what you just asked me to do).

Most blessed is that pastor whose members are so established in Christ that they are “Rooted and built up in Him, and established in the faith”; converts who are not easily “tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness,” (Col 2:7; Eph 4:14).

Brethren, Heb. 13:9 says, “It is a good thing that the heart be established with grace”.

God’s children will do more out of genuine love for Him than out of fear or emotional blackmailing.

The average Christian now feels as though God was more in love with them when they were stark sinners than now that they’re His children. He would willingly die for them then; but now He wouldn’t raise a finger to solve their problems if they didn’t “act”, “serve”, “sow”, etc.

Before we judge Mr. Tirmah, let’s check our ways; and establish ourselves in “the love of Christ, which passes knowledge” so that “we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve Him without fear”(Eph 3:14-21; Luk 1:74).

AMEN

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

GREG ELKAN

WHAT’S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE? (Part 2)

What does it take to “reject the spirit of death”?

A Psalm?

A Prayer?

A 100 Naira/week Phone Subscription?

Our picture for today is a screenshot of a marketing SMS I received several months ago. I must obviously cherish things like these for me to take the time to keep a screenshot of it for this long. Yes, I do. Because messages like these show me that the world is learning a thing or two from the church.

There’re 2 things this image show but I’ll restrict today’s thoughts to one, i.e. THE COMMERCIALISATION OF THE BLESSINGS OF GOD.

For years we have allowed ministers to use this antic and forgiven them because we can ‘see’ that they’re using the money to spread the Gospel around the world. We didn’t realise that those were seeds that will eventually yield evil fruits.

They asked us to sow 91 dollars to “Activate Psalm 91 Divine Protection”, we kept quiet.

They said we should “Sow To Release An Angel Into Your Situation”, we said it was at least for the gospel’s sake.

They asked us to give $112 to receive “the blessings of Psalm 112” We kept mum.

Now THE WORLD is asking us to pay N100 to “reject the spirit of death” and we want to complain.

I have screenshots as well of all I just mentioned above (and for some strange reason, PSALM 1 is never considered a blessing Psalm).

Every Christian must give their time and money to the expansion of the Kingdom of God; but please we’re not giving to earn God’s blessings that are outlined in the Bible. The angel assigned to guard me will not BACK DOWN because I didn’t “sow a seed”. That’s preposterous.

Brothers and Sisters, Paul says in 1Co 14:20 that “in malice be children, but in understanding be men”.

The Bible says in Prov. 3:1,2, “Do not forget my teachings, and keep my commands in mind, because THEY WILL BRING YOU LONG LIFE, good years, and peace”.

Ps 91:16 says “With long life will I satisfy him, (God’s child), and show him my salvation.

Eph 1:3 says “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has BLESSED US (past tense) with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

Pro 10:22 (ERV) says, “It is the LORD'S blessing that brings wealth”.

N100 (or its equivalent) may not be much to you, but every time you subscribe to these things you betray a false understanding of your relationship and standing with Christ.

You are the “apple of His eye” (Zc 2:8) before, during, and after you received that text.

AMEN

More (unmerited) Favours await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus Name.

GREG ELKAN

WHAT’S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE? (Part 1)

The phrase, “What’s wrong with this picture?” is an idiomatic expression stated when there is an apparent oddity or unfairness in what has just been said. This week, however, we’ll be using it in the literal sense of the word. We’ll be looking at popular faith-related images or screenshots and deducting biblical lessons from them.

Our first picture is one that has inspired, (and misled) countless millions around the world.

The above image is probably an artist’s conceptualisation of the ‘eternal’ battle between GOOD and EVIL: Satan on the left side, Jesus on the right, both locked in an arm wrestling match to see who would overcome.

So what’s wrong with this picture?

While this picture is what Satan would have us believe is the reality of the spirit world, it SUBTLY places him on the same level with Jesus. Even though he loses (as many internet commentators conclude) he’ll just be a sort of “second among equals”.

So, let’s state this as categorically as possible: SATAN IS NOT JESUS’ EQUAL!!!

They do not arm-wrestle behind our backs, they do not engage in banters, quarrels, or any such like.  Satan is a created being just like any of the other beasts, seraphs, cherubs, angels, etc. in heaven. Rebellion did not automatically confer on him the power to arm-wrestle God.

Even Satan’s so-called “War in Heaven” of Rev 12:7 was NOT with God but with Michael and co. Satan is not Jesus’ equal. Here’s a passage from Rev 20:1-2

“And I saw AN ANGEL come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, who is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years”.

Not ‘Jesus’, not even ‘Archangel Michael’, but “an angel”, just one of the ranks, was sent to bungle him. Even that does not automatically make him that “angel”s equal!

Jesus is the creator of ALL things;

“Things in heaven and on earth, seen and not seen – all spiritual rulers, lords, powers, and authorities. Everything was made through him and for him”.  (Col 1:16 ERV)

Jesus is not seated on a pub stool contesting with Satan; He is seated in Heaven, “FAR ABOVE all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come” (Eph 1:21).  

Not trying to put a guilt load on us or anything but the disrespect of this picture wouldn’t have been thinkable if God had not come down in the flesh to rescue us from the bondage of sin.

Yes, He came as the man Jesus and took on Himself our just punishment so that He can win the victory over Satan FOR US, (not for Himself), Now WE are seated “in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Eph 2:6).

That means this picture is not just untrue of Christ, it is also untrue of the ‘weakest’ Born-Again Christian.

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge”.  Hos 4:6.

“My people have gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge”.  Isa 5:13

“By knowledge the righteous will be delivered”.  Pro 11:9 (NET)

AMEN

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

GREG ELKAN

THIS  IS A PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT

 Greetings Brethren and welcome to “The Word For Today”. God bless you all for the various feedbacks, I’m grateful to God that they have been a blessing.

In Psalms 2:7, the psalmist says,

“I will declare the decree: the LORD has said unto me, You are my Son; this day have I begotten you”.

We weren’t there when God told him this; neither, it would seem, is it our business what God told him. However, reading the previous verses show that he has been under several attacks and assaults from various quarters. The “kings of the earth” have been raging and plotting wicked schemes against him.

When adversity struck, he got up and made a PSA (Public Service Announcement).

Believe it or not, if you sit down and think well you’ll realise that there are specific things that God has said to you in the past that you have forgotten. Whether it is a particular scripture that ‘stood out’ while you were reading, a prophecy/’ word of knowledge’ from a minister, or simply straight into your spirit from God, each one of us has at least one WORD that is absolutely unique to us from God Himself.

Like our psalmist above, that word may lie dormant until adversity arises. That is when you need to tell those circumstances what “the LORD has said to (you)”.

2 Co 4:13 (GNB) says

The scripture says, "I spoke because I believed." In the same spirit of faith we also speak because we believe”.

If the psalmist could speak, so can you, too. Declare the decree.

Maybe you are being harassed on every side by one conflict, challenge, need, etc. it’s time to talk back to them and tell them something.

The Easy-to-Read Version of that verse says, “Let me tell you about the LORD'S agreement...” When you, a child of the King of Kings, preface a statement to the devil like that, he knows he’s in for trouble.

So this is the word for today:

“Make clear the Lord's decision...” (BBE)

“Tell the promise that the LORD made to (you)...” (CEV)

“Announce what the LORD has declared...” (GNB)

When you do that, you’re estimating God’s word over the situation and contrary circumstance; and like that psalm says at the end, you will be blessed for putting your trust in God. (Ps 2:12)

AMEN.

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

GREG ELKAN

ABOUT  TEMPTATIONS (Part 4)

 “And he took THE CUP, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink you all of it; For this is my blood of the new covenant, WHICH IS SHED FOR MANY FOR THE REMISSION OF SINS”. (Mt 26:27, 28).

As a child, I used to think “betrayal” was a bigger sin than “denial”. Why? Because Peter DENIED Jesus and still remained an apostle, but Judas BETRAYED Him and went to Hell. However, when you come to think of it, Peter’s denial IS betrayal of the Christ and of the great relationship they had had for over 3 years. He didn’t just flat out deny Jesus, he SWORE to God he had never known Him! (Mt 26:72).

Our concern today is about an important phrase Jesus said about the cup hours earlier during the Last Supper (Mt26:27, 28). I’ll repeat it in several translations for you to see the import:

(GNB) “Drink it, ALL OF YOU ...”

(MSG) “Drink this, ALL OF YOU...”

(NET)  “Drink from it, ALL OF YOU...”

(NLT) “EACH OF YOU drink from it”

The cup represented His blood which would be shed for the forgiveness of sins, and the number of those who were to partake of that cup was “ALL”. Including James, and Co. who would all in the next few hours desert Him; including Peter who would eventually deny Him with an oath; ...  and yes, including Judas Iscariot who Satan would use in the subsequent minutes.

“All” means ALL.

But Judas made the fatal mistake that many do today: he felt his sin was unforgivable.

There is a legitimate remorse for sin; but what one does about that is very important. The devil that tempted you in the first place is very much alive and well; and while you feel you are FINISHED the devil thinks he hasn’t (Selah).

After Judas sinned he

1. Repented: “Then Judas... when he saw that he was condemned, repented...” (Mat 27:3)

2. Restituted: “... and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, (ibid)

3. And punished himself: “And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged HIMSELF.  (Mat 27:5)

That last move was where it all went wrong. His counterpart in Jesus-backstabbing, Peter, was also remorseful (Mat 26:75); however, he remembered Jesus’s words about remission of sins (see Act 10:43) and threw himself at God’s mercy rather than inflict upon himself some supposed judgement.

Brethren, we don’t hang ourselves like Judas today, but every time you expect bad things to happen because you failed, or apologize AGAIN to God whenever something good is taken from you (i.e. seeing it as a result of “that sin”), etc. you are taking the Judas approach. That is a dangerous mindset, and the devil will surely exploit it to the fullest.

AMEN.

 “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputes not iniquity”. (Psa 32:1-2)

“Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices”. (2Co 2:11)

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

GREG ELKAN

ABOUT  TEMPTATIONS (Part 3)

“Rejoice not against me, O my enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me”.  (Mic 7:8)

When Satan set out to make a mess of God’s anointed man Samson, God (with Samson’s cooperation) turned it round and made Samson an example of faith, much to the devil’s chagrin.

God always has a way to make the devil shut up; it’s our job to cooperate with Him rather than let the devil try to have the final say.

The story of David and Bathsheba is one of the most scandalous in scripture; scandalous not just on David’s side but also on God’s side. Out of all of David’s 19 odd sons, God chose Jedidiah, a product of David and Bathsheba and the 10^th born son, to be King!

This little fact caused a big stir in a Bible Study that I attended several years ago. A member took issues with this act of God and went as far as to insinuate that God was practically endorsing the adultery of David and Bathsheba. (The pastor, unfortunately, took this personal and went on to shout and threaten curses on the member for casting aspersions on God).

Scandalous, innit?

Most people would not even be familiar with that said “King Jedidiah”. But I guess they would know him by his more popular name, SOLOMON. “Jedidiah” was God’s personal name for him.

To the best of my knowledge, Solomon is the only normal (i.e. not by prophecy) child in scripture that God named. Like a loving grandmother who hears her daughter has given birth to a baby, the Almighty sent His own name through a prophet to the parents of the baby (2Sa 12:24-25). 

And, yes, Jedidiah means “Beloved of Jehovah”!

Scandalous?

Maybe. But I believe that, just like with Samson’s story of  yesterday, God was trying to send a message to Satan:

“If you try to mess up the life of my children, I’ll bless them so much you’ll wish you didn’t.”

‘Jedidiah’ went on to be the richest king of all time with a kingdom greater than even his father’s.

Our LORD Jesus was not just the descendant of David through His adopted father Joseph (royal line leading up to King Solomon); he was physically descended from David by blood through Mary, (Lk 1:31,32; 3:23-38). King David had at least 8 wives. The Virgin Mary could have been a descendant of any of their sons; but Bible chronology tells us she came from David through a certain son called Nathan. Nathan was the son of Bathsheba! AGAIN.

I guess you already see the picture.

When the devil causes you to fall, your duty is to run back to your Heavenly Father’s arms to receive His unconditional forgiveness purchased by the blood of His Son Jesus.

But know this for sure, the devil will not have the last laugh over your life in Jesus name. Who knows, the LORD might even use your life to send a reply back to the devil... by blessing you scandalously.

AMEN.

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

GREG ELKAN

ABOUT  TEMPTATIONS (Part 2)

“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!” (Rom 11:33).

When Potiphar’s wife asked Joseph to lie with her, the devil in her that was instigating the strange lust wanted to eclipse Joseph’s destiny. He wanted to truncate not just the young man’s life but also the extended salvation plan that God had in store for the Jewish race.

This was not the first time, and this would not be his last. Many centuries later, he tried it again with a certain Israelite judge named SAMSON. This time, he succeeded.

Or so it seemed.

Sometimes, God has a way of messing up the devil’s mess.

If Satan had looked at Samson’s life after Delilah, he must have really thought he had him there. He didn’t just tempt Samson; he actually succeeded and got him blinded, literally. But clearly, GOD AND SAMSON had other things in mind. Samson turned around in the end and wiped out a great deal of the devil’s people in the process.  The plan to push Samson into oblivion didn’t succeed because, clearly, his story is set in scriptures for all eternity.

However, it is not simply the fact that Samson is mentioned in the Bible that’s the big issue here, but WHERE he is mentioned. Samson is mentioned in the book of Judges, and also somewhere in the New Testament; in Hebrews chapter 11, OF ALL PLACES!

Hebrews 11 is a listing by the Holy Spirit of the names of great people of faith that are worth emulating. He mentioned Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joseph... and in the end, He said, “And what shall I say more? For the time would fail me to tell of ... SAMSON”.

I can imagine the devil’s heart skipping a beat the first time he saw that.

SAMSON?

Satan really went to great lengths to bring Samson down. He probably assigned special demons for his case. We know Delilah was not just any prostitute; she was, for all purposes and intents, a hired assassin. If that’s what we see in the physical we can infer even more was going on in the spiritual realm.

“And all that effort for what?” (Says the devil), “To have his name listed among the spiritual giants of the Old Testament?”

Hebrews 11:32 is probably one of the most frustrating verse for the devil.

If you are blessed, you are blessed. The devil CANNOT have the final say in your destiny. When he thinks he has done his worst, then comes God to do His best. Never let the devil trick you into thinking he has destroyed your destiny; (he doesn’t know it anyway, he just has an idea).

Do not let him deceive you into believing you have sinned beyond recovery, or that you have really disappointed God this time, (it’s impossible to ‘disappoint’ an omniscient being in the first place).

Be like Samson, believe and know that God still loves you and will receive you back. God will turn every mess into something so beautiful, the devil will have to bang his head on the nearest wall.

Remember Hebrews 11:32!

AMEN.

We’ll continue on these thoughts tomorrow.

More Blessings Await you today, you’ll not miss them in Jesus Name.

GREG ELKAN