JONAH’S GOD II

“...for I knew that you are a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and you relent from the destruction.” Jon 4:2

Jonah is the most missionary book in the Old Testament. It portrays a side of Jehovah that was alien to the average Israelite of that day. Quite typical of human nature, the Israelites had taken the symbolic sacrificial system instituted by Moses and have, over centuries, converted it to a religion in itself; at the same time presuming themselves as the only people worthy of God’s love.

They got so embroiled in the bloods and the grains, the rules and regulations, the prohibitions et al, that they forgot the true nature of the God they were serving.

Yet in that same Old Covenant YAHWEH describes Himself as, “The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth” (Ex 34:6).

The Psalmist said of Him, “For you, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive; and abundant in mercy unto all them that call upon you... full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in mercy and truth” (Ps 86:5,15).

Unlike his contemporaries, Jonah knew something about God’s heartbeat. In our opening text, he explains that he avoided Nineveh, not because he was afraid to die, but because he knew that if they repented of their wicked deeds of idolatry, bloodshed and plunder, YAHWEH would forgive them; even if said wickedness was against His people Israel. (Jon 4:2)

This was a radically different perspective of Israel’s God. Yet this was what He was all along, (Mal 3:6). This was the God that men like Abraham, Moses and David worshipped; this was Jonah’s God.

Even in the Church today, many are still yet to meet this God. They run away from Him and dread coming close because of their filthiness and unworthiness.

They have a picture of an austere and unsmiling God who is out to get them for their sins. But God, who at many times and in various manners spoke in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Has in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, (Heb 1:1,2). And the picture we get of Him from His Son is of a loving father who is “longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance”. (Lk 15:11-32; 2Pe 3:9).

Have you met Jonah’s God, or are you still running away?

AMEN.

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

GREG ELKAN

JONAH’S GOD

“And he said unto them, I am a Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, who has made the sea and the dry land.” Jon 1:9

The rebellious prophet Jonah thought to flee from obeying God’s command to him to go to Nineveh and boarded a ship headed as far away as possible: to Tarshish, in Spain. 

When God caused a storm to threaten to destroy his ship, everyone in the ship but Jonah called to their ‘god’ to save them. This of course was to no avail until it was discovered that Jonah’s God was the cause of the storm.

We notice that, when he was confronted, Jonah introduced his God as “The God of heaven, who has made the sea and the dry land.”

Jonah was in essence saying that this God is not some local deity that is worshipped by a small nation in one corner of Palestine. No, this God is the God of ALL. Don’t call Him my God, because He is your God as well.

In this 21^st century world of scientific breakthrough and enlightened reasoning, touting one’s persuasion as “agnostic” or “atheist” is increasingly becoming popular and rejecting the existence of a ‘Creator’ is seen as a mark of intellectual sophistication.

Today, belief in an intelligent designer to the cosmos (as opposed to chance evolution) is synonymous to bigotry, archaism and scientific illiteracy. Indeed, any attempt to push one belief system at the exclusion of another is considered insular and intolerant. Especially if it is Christianity, which, the erudite scholars would be glad to tell you, was founded on mythology, superstitions and outright fabrications.

However, when we go out to evangelize, we’re not trying to push our idea of ‘God’ down other people’s throats. We’re actually, and literally, talking to them about their God and about their Creator.

It is somewhat naïve and childish for a man to suppose that skilful and systematic disproof of the existence of a Creator makes said Creator to vanish out of existence. We will all stand before our Maker one day... whether we believe in Him or not.

Jonah clearly understood this power and sovereignty of God over all of nature and all of humanity and spoke accordingly! The heathen sailors of his ship (and, subsequently, the idolatrous Ninevites) exhibited some intelligence that the intellectuals of this generation need to imitate: when confronted with a message from your Creator, acknowledge it and don’t presume you can wish it away.

 “Again, he limits a certain day, saying in David, Today, after so long a time; as it is said, Today if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts”. (Heb 4:7)

 “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men”; (2Co 5:11)

AMEN.

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

GREG ELKAN

JONAH: THE BOOK, THE MAN, THE STORY

“Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying...” – Jon 1:1-

To say that the book of Jonah is unique, even among the books of the Bible, would not be an overstatement. For a so-called Minor Prophet, his story is quite popular. Many a Christian may look at you cluelessly if you ask them about the contents of the book of Nahum, or Zephaniah. But even atheists will attest to being familiar with “Jonah”.

It’s a book of ironies and contradictions.

It’s supposedly a prophetic book, yet it has only one prophetic message; and even that consists of just five words (3:4).

In books like Jeremiah and Ezekiel, the prophet obeys God’s orders and goes to prophecy to God’s disobedient people. In Jonah, this is reversed. The prophet is disobedient and his audience, who aren’t even God’s covenant people, are penitent.  

In this book, idolatrous sailors are religious and seek God’s intervention, while the Hebrew prophet is rebellious and flees from God.

The eponymous author is not any less unusual.

For an Old Covenant prophet, he demonstrates a familiarity and knowledge of Jehovah that was way ahead of his times.

Some believers say that they prayed to God and He refused to answer them; in Jonah, it is the LORD who is talking to Jonah while the weird prophet refuses to answer. His book even ends with a question mark! Who ends a book with a question mark?

Yet despite all of these strangeness, (or maybe because of it), the book of Jonah remains one of the most moving books of the Old Testament. It’s a book worth reading over and over again.

Like Ecclesiastes, it seems to pride itself in its ability to shock its message into the reader: the message of the universal love of God for all mankind. Of God not being a respecter of persons. And of the certainty of God’s forgiveness to anyone whatsoever that comes to Him.

And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that hears say, Come. And let him that is thirsty come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. (Rev 22:17)

 

AMEN.

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

GREG ELKAN

THE ALMIGHTY OBEY-ER? (Prayer Pt5)

Prayer and Faith are Siamese twins. It’s essentially impossible to have one without expressing the other. Unfortunately, because of that close kinship, they’re both susceptible to the same kind of diseases: the properties that make them virtues, also make them vices.

David said in Ps. 38:25 that, “For in you, O LORD, do I hope: you will hear, O Lord my God.”

I believe the wording of this prayer of faith is a good portrayal of the attitude a believer should hold when praying.

Many of us Pentecostals and Charismatics have turned God into a jukebox that will play the desired music as long as you insert the right amount of coins. It may be in the form of “I believe it, that settles it”, or other said gimmicks that we do to ostensibly ‘cage’ God or put Him in a corner, (if you don’t do this God, that means your word is not true”), etc.

There’s this general teaching of ours that, if you pray to God and nothing happens, then “give a sacrificial seed”, and if nothing still happens, “Praise and dance around Him for 10 hours”, and if nothing happens...

This picture of an Almighty God who can, but WON’T until you throw something His way is beginning to look more like the exacting idols the missionaries asked my forefathers to stop worshipping centuries ago.

Like the power inherent in faith, things happen when we pray. But that does not make God our personal Santa Claus or Genie, waiting on us to grant our each and every wish.

He is still “the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only has immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man has seen, nor can see...” (1Ti 6:15-16).

Prayer doesn’t make God our puppet, prayer is a request, a plea to Him to interfere into our realm to change things to the way He wants them to be in the first place(Mt 6:10).

That is why I admire David’s wisdom when he cried, “For in you, O LORD, do I hope: you will hear, O Lord my God.”

As much as he was making an imperative request, he still addressed God in 3 different ways that alludes to His total power and sovereignty: LORD, Lord and God.

To a devout Jew as David, those were heavy terms. YHWH (the self-existent and eternal one), Adonai (Master, Owner, Lord), and Elohim (God, the covenant creator of all things).

Whenever we pray in faith like David in this psalm, lets make sure the gravity of his choice of words do not get lost in translation.

AMEN.

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

GREG ELKAN

PRAY WITHOUT SEIZING? (Prayer Pt4)

You must have heard the phrase, “prayer doesn’t change God, it only changes you”. I’m always cautious when I hear ‘godly’ statements that were not actually stated by God.

Statements like these thrive because they contain partial truths. We know that prayer doesn’t change God, (even though many still believe the purpose of prayer is to make God ‘change his mind’, as if that will be a good thing (see Jer 29:11)). We also know that persons who pray extensively do change over time. But reducing prayer to simply a mystical metamorphosing mechanism is like saying the purpose of rain is to ‘clean people up’.

Throughout scriptures, when people prayed, they prayed so that things would happen. Whether it be David, Abraham, Isaac, Moses, Samuel or the rest of the prophets; whenever they prayed to heaven they expected to see change on earth.

The psalmist in Ps 65:2 calls God “thou that hearest prayer...” When we pray just for the sake of it, without expecting anything specific to happen, we may be trying to play it safe, fearing lest we be disappointed.

But our Lord said, “I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” (Lk 11:9)

Going through the motions of prayer daily without expecting anything to happen but feeling religious nonetheless isn’t doing you a favour and isn’t giving glory to God either.

God’s not going to slap you for asking ‘too much,’ in fact, James says we should ask because God is “generous and enjoys giving to everyone”  (Jas 1:5 ERV).

He did qualify this statement however. He said “But when you ask God, you must believe. Don't doubt him. Whoever doubts is like a wave in the sea that is blown up and down by the wind. People like that are thinking two different things at the same time. They can never decide what to do. So they should not think they will receive anything from the Lord.” (Jas 1:6-7 ERV)

Yesterday, we said it’s good to Pray Without Ceasing, today we’re saying it’s not good to Pray Without Seizing. When you go to the Throne Room of God to make a petition, you must seize it before coming back. God’s not going to toss your answer back at your head on your way down. So if you’re not holding it on your way down, you’re not holding it!

 Our Lord explains it better,

Therefore I say unto you, whatever things you desire, when you pray, believe that you will receive them, and you shall have them. – Mar 11:24.

AMEN.

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

GREG ELKAN

PRAY WITHOUT CEASING (Prayer Pt3)

Never stop praying. – 1 Thess 5:17 (NLT) 

How do spiders know which areas of a house have the least traffic? We only seem to find cobwebs under tables, high up in ceiling corners, behind the oven, and all other such places that are usually not disturbed throughout a day.

I used to wonder how the spiders in my kitchen could tell, from among the pots there, which one has been used in the last few days and which one has not. Because, for some strange reason, I only find cobwebs in pots that have not been used for weeks.

I discovered later that the spider really can’t tell which pot is a regular and which one is a relic. It simply spins its web on them all. I realized that I do not see webs on my regular pots because I keep rinsing them away obliviously.

The same is true of dust. Dust doesn’t just settle on old Bibles and spoilt VCRs; dust settles on everything: the newspaper, the baby’s new toy – even you! The reason why you’re not covered in white film or threads of web is because you keep moving yourself around.

The same is true in the supernatural realm. That is why Paul tells us to “pray without ceasing”. You may not realise it, but your regular prayer life is constantly cleaning up negative things around you that would have eventually manifested if they kept accumulating through prayerlessness.

Someone once told me, “pray, so that you will not pray.” It sounded illogical, but I understood the message. Why spend all-nights in praying and days in fasting over problems that wouldn’t have gained momentum if you had simply kept a daily time of prayer?

Beloved, theologians have read that injunction of Apostle Paul in 1Thess. 5:17 and have debated what he could possibly have meant by that. Maybe it’s the fault of our modern translations.

In the Greek, Paul literally wrote, “proseuchomai adialeiptos adialeiptos”

In case you’re wondering, it means “pray without ceasing

AMEN.

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

GREG ELKAN

THE SNARE OF ‘LONG’ PRAYERS (Prayer Pt2)

Be not rash with your mouth, and let not your heart be hasty to utter anything before God: for God is in heaven, and you upon earth: therefore let your words be few. – Ecc 5:2 

Every spiritual exercise, whether Bible reading, or fasting, or even evangelism always has the potential of been corrupted by fleshly philosophy. The same is even more so with prayer, especially because it seems to be a common denominator of all religions. And if a believer isn’t careful, they may unconsciously carry human thinking into Biblical prayer.

Prayer is not a thing that we do to make God ‘happy’ with us. Neither are we doing Him a favour by praying.

It may come as a surprise to some that God is not particularly fond of people who pray long, for the sake of praying long. Prayer is not a monologue of a petitioner eloquently rapping out a list of requests. Christian Prayer is fellowship with God. It is, in essence, a dialogue.

Prayer is like a phone conversation. If we’re not careful, we sometimes lose consciousness that there is actually Someone at the other end of the conversation line. There’re long phone conversations, and there’re brief ones. And even as human beings, it doesn’t take long for us to know when a phone call is being extended for the sake of it; (like when the phone company gives people “6 FREE hours from now till midnight).

Our Lord says to people who pray long, for the sake of praying long, that they should not “think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.” (Mt 6:7).

Remember, there’s nothing we’re praying about that God doesn’t know already, (Mt 6:8). There’s a difference between Notification and Discussion. Now a discussion with your creator can drag long as you worship Him, thank Him, bless Him, and express your feelings about the problem...

But thinking of longer and more eloquent ways of saying the same thing while glancing regularly at the clock to see how well you have done will only be making hollow a very hallowed process.

Someone on the other end of the line is actually giving you His full and unreserved attention; it’ll help to actually pay attention to what you’re saying... and how you’re saying it.

When you hold such approach to prayer, you may end up spending more time than you bargained for. Thankfully, unlike your phone conversations, you’re not being billed for the time spent.

AMEN.

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

THE MYSTERY OF PRAYER

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

What is Prayer really? A comic dictionary defined prayer as a request (by a confessedly unworthy petitioner) that the laws of the universe be annulled in his/her behalf.

Lisa Simpson (of The Simpsons fame) saw prayer as “the last resort of the scoundrel”.

Derisive as these definitions may sound, they express one of the mysteries and obstacles of prayer: “Why Would God Bend the Laws of Nature to Favour One Person?”

This is one area that Atheists hold against Christianity. To them, it’d be unfair for a ‘God’ to suspend His own laws at the request of one creature.

I do not know all the answers to that; but I’m not about to allow that to hinder me from partaking of one of the blessed means of supernatural succour in this wicked world.

Take, for example, this strange phrase at the end of the Lord’s Prayer:

“...And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil”. Lk 11:4

Whatever happened to the accountability of man (on one hand) and the impartiality of God (on the other)?

It is scandalous enough to ask God not to make YOU fall into temptation. (Some would contend that if you have enough sense to make that prayer, then you have enough sense to stay out of trouble); but to ask Him to deliver you from evil at the same time seems to be stretching it too far. Evil is a part of this fallen world, why should you ask to be exempted?

However, I didn’t cook up those words in a moment of puerile selfishness; it’s our Lord Himself that gave them to me. He actually prefaced them with, “After this manner therefore pray...” (Mat 6:9).

I therefore have TWO options:

Look at prayer as something for weaklings, and decide to slug it out in life in whatever way I can.

Or look at prayer as a means to get divine succour to go through life in this in this fallen and evil world.

Which is yours?

AMEN.

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

GREG ELKAN

ABOUT THIS ‘FAITH’ THING (Pt 5)

The Power of Faith is actually God’s Power

Most Christians know this of course, (even though some, incredibly, think faith is a ‘force’ in the Universe that even God uses to get things done). However, we tend to forget this truism when we put too much strain on our faith.

We keep asking ourselves, “Is my faith strong enough?” “Is my faith big enough?” “Can I really believe God for this?” etc.

Beloved, why worry about the power of your faith if it’s not your faith that is going to do the work? Jesus said, “If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you shall say unto this mountain, Remove from here to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you” – Mat 17:20.

The mustard seed was the smallest seed known to the Jewish people. If you feel your faith could really be smaller than that, then you’ve really achieved something special. It’s not your faith that will move the mountain, it’s the God that that puny faith is directed to that will do it.

Again, back to the salvation experience for an analogy. In the deliverance from the killing of the firstborns in the 10^th Egyptian plague (Ex 11:4-7, which is a picture of salvation), Moses asked the Israelites to smear the blood of a lamb on their doorposts.

 “For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he sees the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not allow the destroyer to come in unto your houses to slay you”. – Exo 12:23.

So what about those Israelites who were scared whether their act of faith was sufficient enough? What would happen to a woman whose heart leapt when she heard the wailings coming from other buildings that night?

Did the LORD say, “You have enough faith to smear the blood, but your faith is not strong like Daniel’s in the lions’ Den, or like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego’s in the fiery furnace; see how you’re shaking under your bed, you don’t even trust Me, I’m coming in now”.

No! All He wanted to see was the basic act of faith placed in Him by smearing the blood. Beloved, we don’t have to squint, groan, or “concentrate all our energies” on our faith for it to work; we’re meant to concentrate our attention and focus on Jesus instead. After all, it is He who is doing the miracle and not the faith.

Heb 12:2 says we must keep our eyes on Jesus, “the author and finisher of faith”; the beginning and ending of faith; the whole ‘point’ of this faith thing.

Yes, like Simon Peter in Mat 14:23-31, let us keep looking unto Jesus, even in the midst of the storm. When you do, you’ll find yourself doing impossible things that only Jesus can do... like walking on water.

AMEN.

Thank you all for the encouraging feedbacks; God bless you in Jesus Name.

GREG ELKAN

ABOUT THIS ‘FAITH’ THING (Pt 4)

What is Faith?

FAITH IS ACCEPTANCE OF WHAT HAS ALREADY BEEN MADE AVAILABLE

Find does not “bind” God to act on our behalf. When we operate with that mindset, we become like the new-born baby who assumes (because of the cause-effect pattern he notices) that it is his cry that binds his mother to come feed him.

The babe doesn’t know that it’s his mother’s love for him that influences the result of the cry and not the cry itself.

The salvation experience is our best portrait of what faith really is. Eph 2:8  states that “For by grace are you saved through faith...”

We are not saved by faith. We are saved by the grace of God, (see Rom 3:24; Tit 3:7). The salvation didn’t come because we prayed the sinner’s prayer. The salvation was made available by Christ on the Cross long before we were even born. But at a point in time, we believed the gospel message and that faith made the saving power of the Cross AVAILABLE to us.

Paul in Eph 1:3 says that God has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. Peter said in 2Pt 1:3 that God’s divine power has given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness... and also, with respect to healing, he said by Christ’s stripes we were healed (1Pt 2:24).

When we understand that what we are having faith for was ALREADY on God’s mind and ALREADY been provided for, our prayer language will be more gratitude and less legalese.

We’ll not be quoting scriptures to God like a lawyer stating precedential cases to compel the judge to act in his favour.  Instead, we’ll be like the Psalmist in Ps 119:162 who says, “How happy I am because of your promises – as happy as someone who finds rich treasure. (GNB)

Faith therefore is the discovery of what has ALREADY been provided in Christ, and our subsequent request for its appropriation in our lives.

“But what about specifics?” Someone may ask, “What if what I need is not part of what was provided for me?”

That statement, beloved, is an indictment both of the omniscience and of the love of the Father towards us. If we spend time in the Word guided by God’s Spirit, He’ll help us to know the things that are freely given to us of God. (1Co 2:12).

Faith becomes much stronger when it’s based on what we clearly know is available for the asking.

AMEN.

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

GREG ELKAN

ABOUT THIS ‘FAITH’ THING (Pt 3)

Faith Requires a Subject

Hebrews 11:1 says that “faith is the substance of things hoped for...”

We cannot say we have faith, when we aren’t expecting anything in particular. Our Heavenly Father requires something to work with. When some persons pray, they pray generic prayers because they do not want to be disappointed. Like the 11 disciples of Jesus in the storm, they consider it ‘safe’ to stay in the boat rather than attempt to “walk on water” (as Peter did) because they may sink. However, they forget that are ALREADY sinking in the boat, walking on water or not.  

Human wisdom says, “He that expects nothing shall not be disappointed”, but divine wisdom says, “Ask and you shall receive”.

The 4 lepers in 2 Kings 7 asked, “why sit here until we die?”

Even our Lord in John 16:24 said that “Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.”

Beloved, the overwhelming evidence shows that Heaven expects you to take that ‘risk’ to walk out to the Lord, walking on water.

I dare you to have a HOPE today; for “hope maketh not ashamed” (Rom 5:5)

Turn you to the stronghold, you prisoners of hope: even today do I declare that I will restore double unto you. – Zec 9:12.

AMEN.

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

GREG ELKAN

ABOUT THIS ‘FAITH’ THING (Pt 2)

I do not presume the topic of faith can be covered in four short posts, but the intent this week is to present an outline of biblical faith, like the apostle Peter wrote, “to put you always in remembrance of these things, though you know them, and are established in the present truth.” (2Pe 1:12).

What is Faith? 1

FAITH IS BELIEF IN WHAT GOD HAS SAID.

Faith, at its most basic level simply means “belief”.

There’re different kinds of faith. There’s faith in oneself, faith in science, faith in government, and of course, faith in various deities (which constitute the world religions or “faiths”).

But our Lord qualified ours when he said in Mark 11:22 that we should, “Have faith God”.

This means we should have “the faith of God”, or we should have the God kind/type of faith. (This doesn’t imply God Himself has faith; it only qualifies the object of our faith: where our faith should be directed to).

Rom 10:17 say, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Outside of what God has said, faith becomes no more than wishful thinking.

All of God’s will is in the Bible, and sometimes while we study His word, the Holy Spirit draws our attention to particular promises and provisions. These are the areas that faith covers.

Faith grants tremendous power and supernatural abilities to the believer; Jesus Himself said in Mk 11:23,24 that, “That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be removed, and be cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he said shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he said.

Therefore I say unto you, whatever things you desire, when you pray, believe that you will receive them, and you shall have them.”

This is a powerful statement; however, unlike in other parts of scripture where it is only implied, He prefaced this statement by saying it is only possible with the God-Kind of faith. (Mk 11:22).

This means that, just like an insurance policy, there’re things that (biblical) faith covers, and there’re things it doesn’t.  

Our confidence in prayer therefore comes by constant studying of the Word of God through the help of the Holy Spirit; for 1Co 2:12 says, we have received Him “that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.”

AMEN.

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

GREG ELKAN

ABOUT THIS ‘FAITH’ THING (Pt 1)

Jesus said unto him, If you can believe, all things are possible to him that believes.  – Mk 9:23

 “Faith, as simple as it is, is very complex; yet faith, as complex as it is, is very simple” - Anon.

When we think of lexicographers, people who write and edit dictionaries, we generally think of them having to define ‘big’ words like eminentissimo, or limn or pulchritude. But what would you have written if you were asked to define “water”, or “the”, or “person”.

See what I mean? The majority of the words in a dictionary are common words that “everybody” knows, yet few can clearly define without resorting to pointing, or simply saying, “You know what I mean”.

Spiritually, this is even truer for one of the most important principles of Christianity: FAITH.

Every Believer has a basic idea of what faith is, but when pressed further, they’ll admit they aren’t absolutely sure what real faith is.

“But I Believe, Don’t I?”

This uncertainty comes out of experiences of life and not necessarily out of intellectual or scriptural ignorance.

They know what the Bible calls faith. But because they did what the Bible prescribed and did not get what the Bible predicted, they become unsure of it all.

Like the father of the lunatic child that Jesus spoke the words in our opening verse to, (Mk 9:23), they have a problem understanding Jesus’ claim that they do not “believe”.

If the man didn’t “believe”, he wouldn’t have brought his sick son to be healed in the first place.

If he didn’t “believe”, he wouldn’t have waited patiently while the disciples did their best.

If he didn’t “believe”, he wouldn’t be standing there in front of Jesus talking about his son.

Yet Jesus said, “If you can believe”. Clearly, both of them have different definitions of “believe”.

If you find yourself in such a situation, do imitate the rather smart response of the man:

And immediately the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.” (Mk 9:24)

INTERPRETATION: “I think I have faith, but just in case I don’t, LORD please don’t let it stop you from helping me”

AMEN.

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

GREG ELKAN

UPDATED

And he said unto them, When I sent you without purse, and bag, and sandals, lacked you anything?... But now, he that has a purse, let him take it, and likewise his bag: and he that has no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one. Luk 22:35-36

In Luke 9:3, the Lord had instructed His disciples to “Take nothing for your journey, neither staff, nor bag, neither bread, neither money; neither have two coats apiece”.  He repeated the same injunction in Luke 10:4. But now, after a space of not more than 3 years, He reverses those same instructions.

This is an important lesson for us to note. There is no set mode of carrying out the work of God; and it is erroneous – and sometimes dangerous – to apply old instructions to new situations.  A church, ministry, or even an individual believer will quickly go redundant in the hand of God if they keep insisting on Yesterday’s Instructions or Yesterday’s Success Pattern for Today’s Challenges.

We see an analogy in the Old Testament when the Israelite army were always victorious no matter the size of the enemy nation because they fought by specific divine instructions on warfare strategies. In the episodes where they got presumptuous and just relied on past tactics, they were roundly defeated.

This is probably why they severally referred to God as Jehovah Sabaoth, (Yehovah tsebaoth) which means LORD of the Hosts or as the NLT renders it, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

As sons of God today, as workers in His vineyard, as soldiers in His army, we need to be constantly updated with the current orders from our Commander in Chief; or else, we would miss out of His direction and purpose for us.

To keep updated, we need to be led, now and always, by His Spirit.  “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.”  (Rom 8:14)

AMEN.

Thank you all for the encouraging feedbacks; God bless you. Next week, we’ll revisit a much talked-about topic in the body of Christ today.

GREG ELKAN

GRATITUDE

Jesus said, “Ten men were healed; where are the other nine? This man is not even one of our people. Is he the only one who came back to give praise to God?” Luk 17:17-18 (ERV)

This popular story about the cleansing of the 10 lepers had me puzzled, (and a little scared) for a while.

I found it scary because the 9 lepers were found guilty of disobeying an unstated command. Because it was clear from our Lord’s reaction that when He asked them to “Go”, He expected them to return.

However, even without an uttered command to come back, returning to say “thank you” is supposed to be the natural action to such a life-transforming miracle. This is the part that I found puzzling.

Leprosy back then was a devastating condition that meant separation from the entire society and even implied divine judgment.

Yet these 9 Jews got healed and simply went home.

It then occurred to me that maybe that was the reason, they were Jews.

Divine Healing was part of their heritage. Right from their inauguration as a nation, the LORD had promised to distinguish them from the other nations by keeping them disease-free (Ex 15:26; 23:25; Deu 7:15; Ps 103:3; Is 33:24, etc.)

They were Jews, it was already embarrassing that were leprous, just like the foreigner.

So, the foreigner might have found the cleansing of his skin a totally awe-inspiring experience, but for the other 9 Jews, it wasn’t the strangest thing in their history.

After all, if Jesus was claiming to be their Messiah, then he was only fulfilling his role by healing them, (and about time too!) Indeed, the big deal wasn’t the healing but the long delay.

But because the foreigner had no access to the Jewish heritage, he sincerely appreciated the divine gesture and came back to acknowledge it.

This was the lesson I got. We can get too used to the supernatural grace of God, that, if we’re not careful we can begin to take His presence, His grace, and His manifestations for granted.

Therefore, let’s practice thanking God not just for the spectacular and overtly miraculous; but also for the most mundane and everyday things in our lives. You will find out that, like Jesus to the Samaritan leper, He was actually expecting you to do that all along.

AMEN.

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

GREG ELKAN

DISQUALIFYING OURSELVES II (Simplicity 3)

O foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ has been openly set forth, crucified among you? - Gal 3:1

Yesterday, we observed how we may unconsciously be limiting God and disqualifying ourselves from receiving the desires of our heart. Today, we’ll look at how we’re disqualifying each other from simple access to Heaven’s bounties.

Have you observed the language of the testimonies we hear in church nowadays? Getting increasingly rarer are the testimonies we used to hear when all the healed person would say is, “it was just the grace of God”, “oh Jesus, why have you loved me so”, etc.

Nay, rather, today’s testimonies are a recap of personal accomplishments: “I had this persistent problem, then I believed”...

“I gave”, “I sowed”, “I served”, “I prayed”, “I fasted”, “I danced”, “I held God to his word”. I [fill in the blank].

What we now hear is what they did to qualify for the miracle. What we’re no longer hearing is what God did for them because of HIS grace. The summary of their testimony seems to be that they did their part, therefore God had to do his.

Harmless as this new mentality is, it effectively disqualifies many of God’s people.

If you “fasted for 7 days” to get your healing, what hope does that offer the sister who’s sick with an ulcer?

If you “spent 7 days and 7 nights in the church” to receive your financial breakthrough, how repeatable is that miracle to a poor brother who is managing 3 jobs at once to make ends meet? 

Apostle Paul’s anger rings through from the 1st century to us today:

“People of Galatia... Are you that stupid? Did you begin in a spiritual way only to end up doing things in a human way?

Does God supply you with the Spirit and work miracles among you through your own efforts or through believing what you heard?”

– Gal 3:1,3,5 (GW)

Colossians 2:6 says, As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him.

We didn’t “hold unto God till he had no choice” to get our salvation; and Paul is also telling us today that “God gives you His Spirit and works miracles among you because you heard the message about Jesus and believed it.”  – Gal 3:5 (ERV)

After all’s been said and done, that is what is responsible for the miracles. May we always remember that, and continuously give thanks to God for His “unspeakable gift”.

AMEN.

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

GREG ELKAN

DISQUALIFYING OURSELVES (Simplicity 2)

The Salvation miracle is by far the greatest of all and the most costly to God. The process of Salvation is so deep and profound that it’ll take the rest of one’s lifetime to fathom its implications and depth. However, I find it interesting that there’s hardly any believer who fully understood all these things before they gave their life to Christ.

No true evangelist would tell a sinner that they cannot really be saved until they fully comprehend the spiritual, theological and soteriologic truths behind Christ’s work on the Cross. We were all ignorant of these things back then, yet we still got saved.

So how is it when it comes to other areas of life, we insist God will not intervene unless we know ALL the principles involved?

Check out the typical sample of teachings we feed ourselves:

 “12 Steps To Your Healing”

 “5 Things You Must Do To Receive Your Miracle”

 “7 Irrefutable Keys To Divine Prosperity”

 “8 Reasons Why Your Faith Will Not Work”

ETC.

When we bombard ourselves with so many “steps”, we inadvertently barricade ourselves into a self-imposed classroom where we remain unqualified of any of God’s blessings because we have not ‘graduated’ yet.

Agreed, the Theologian’s job is to attempt to express the content of faith as a coherent body of propositions; but ‘theology’ can (and to a large extent have) unwittingly make receiving from God look like a complex process.

The people who received from God in scriptures did not follow some convoluted, sophisticated regimen to obtain their miracles. Most of the time, it was just simple Faith, (which nowadays is not so simple anymore).

Brethren, these things need not be so. “Ask”, Jesus says, “and you shall receive”. (Mt 7:7).

If that sounds too simple, remember that simplicity is God’s way of making His bounties accessible to all.

A Tale of Two Askers (Mark 5:22-43, Mat 8:5-13)

Jairus was a Jewish leader whose daughter was sick. When he approached Jesus, he requested Him to come to the house and lay His hands first before his daughter could be healed.

Compare Jairus’ long process with the ‘instant miracle’ request of the ‘ignorant’ Roman Centurion who considered Jairus’ process as superfluous and even disrespectful to request of Christ.

Interestingly, Jesus acted to each one ACCORDING to their expectations of Him.

Beloved, are you unconsciously limiting your miracle? Your salvation miracle looked pretty straightforward. Why limit God with this other one?

AMEN.

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

GREG ELKAN

JUST LIKE THAT?

But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. - 2Co 11:3

One of the biggest stumbling blocks of the Christian plan of salvation is its professed simplicity. On the surface, it looks too simple a solution for too complex a problem.

Question: Sirs, what must I do to be saved?

Answer: Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved. (Act 16:30,31)

Just like that?

I should just believe and ALL my sins will be forgiven, I’ll be translated from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of Christ, I’ll receive a new spirit and my name will be written in the book of life?

Well... when you put it THAT way, it does look a little too simple, doesn’t it?

But what is the alternative? Check this out,

A report several years ago on the state of the HIV/AIDS scourge in Africa revealed that if the cure to AIDS were drinking a glass of clean water every day, MILLIONS of Africans would still perish.

This of course is wishful thinking. HIV today has no cure, and the antiretroviral therapy to manage the virus is a complex cocktail of very expensive drugs. Even when provided free by donor agencies, bureaucracy, corruption and inefficiency still makes it hard for the drugs to trickle down to them.

Yet, research findings indicate that if the solution to this scourge is reduced to the simplest level, millions would still perish.

Yet, HIV/AIDS is nothing compared to an eternity in Hell in payment for one’s transgression against God. Not everyone has access to clean water, but everyone can believe.

 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that BELIEVES (Rom 1:16)

 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever BELIEVES in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (Jn 3:16)

The next time we’re tempted to think the salvation process is TOO simple, remember the implications if it was made any harder.

 “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift”. 2Co 9:15

AMEN.

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

GREG ELKAN

FULFILLING PURPOSE (Pt. 5)

Solomon’s Tip #8: Speediness, And  Greediness, Kills

Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues without right.  – Pr 16:8

Learn to put the brakes on. Great plans are noble, but Ambitions have been known to get all Frankensteinish and kill their maker. If you want to fulfil God’s Purpose for your life, then learn to walk in HIS timeframe and don’t expect Him to walk in yours. Setting an age by which they will “rule the world” or “explode on the international scene” has destroyed many  brilliant and promising destinies.

You cannot walk with God with impatience.

He that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent. Pro 28:20

He that hastens to be rich has an evil eye Pro 28:22

Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathers by labour shall increase. Pro 13:11

For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not delay. Hab 2:3

That’s it, and now for the final tip

Solomon’s Tip #9: With God, Your Glorious Destiny is Sure

A man's heart plans his way: but the LORD directs his steps.  – Pr 16:9

The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delights in his way. Ps 37:23

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. Rom 8:14

A purpose-full life and destiny is the accumulations of daily obedience to the leading of the Spirit. Great destinies only look picture-perfect in retrospect. You don’t have to fret about “God’s will” or “God’s Purpose”, or “What is my Destiny” as long as you are constantly walking in faith. Solomon says JEHOVAH Himself will direct your steps.  

Whether in marriage, in ministry, in business, or even in national matters – a lifestyle of constant partnership with God will lead you to make decisions that will all accumulate into a glorious and inimitable destiny.

You’re making the plans. He’s directing the steps.

AMEN.

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

GREG ELKAN

FULFILLING PURPOSE (Pt. 4)

 Solomon’s Tip #6: Sin Will Mar the Process

By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.  – Pr 16:6

There’s an oft-repeated quote that holds a great lesson for us all: “Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay”.

Sinning is like dumping poison up the stream that you will drink from later downstream.

We can safely assume that a drunken, serial-murdering, wife-beating sadist isn’t fulfilling the Purpose of God for his life; but what makes us not so sure about other not-so-overt sins? We established yesterday that the true essence of a man’s Purpose is God’s glory. It is therefore, ironic that some people resort to sinning in order to fulfil said Purpose.

A little lie here, a bit of compromise there, etc. won’t do any harm, they suppose. But little sins are like minor degree changes in the flight trajectory of a plane. A pilot once noted that every single degree you fly off course will make you miss your target landing spot by 92 feet for every mile you fly. A single degree error could land you in the ocean or in a massive metropolis instead of the destination airport.

Any person who has tried preaching to an old person knows too well what ‘one degree of error’ can do if given enough time. We tend to get entrenched into whatever we feel is right more and more as age accumulates and the tender conscience we once possessed as children become calloused with time.

Even some Believers do not see anything wrong with exam malpractice, or changing ones date of birth, etc. as long as it’s meant to take you further in life. Well, they will take you further all right... further from God’s will for your Destiny that is.

Solomon’s Tip #7: With God, Your Enemies Have You Covered

When a man's ways please the LORD, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.  – Pr 16:7

Throughout last week we dwelt on the positives of having Enemies in our life. It may be important to point out that these special persons are blessings to only those IN CHRIST, (those whose ways pleases the LORD). To a destiny not being orchestrated by God, an enemy is exactly that: an ENEMY.

We’ll conclude this series tomorrow.

AMEN

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

GREG ELKAN

FULFILLING PURPOSE (Pt. 3)

 Solomon’s Tip #8: Speediness, And  Greediness, Kills

Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues without right.  – Pr 16:8

Learn to put the brakes on. Great plans are noble, but Ambitions have been known to get all Frankensteinish and kill their maker.

If you want to fulfil God’s Purpose for your life, then learn to walk in HIS timetable and don’t expect Him to walk in yours.

There's a subtle line between setting a Life-Goal and putting a time by which you will reap the rewards of all of your life's labours, (the age where you must "hammer"). One will create discipline and focus; the other will create avenues for anxiety and temptation.

You cannot walk with God with impatience.

He that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent. Pro 28:20

He that hastens to be rich has an evil eye Pro 28:22

Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathers by labour shall increase. Pro 13:11

For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not delay. Hab 2:3

That’s it, and now for the final tip

Solomon’s Tip #9: With God, Your Glorious Destiny is Sure

A man's heart plans his way: but the LORD directs his steps.  – Pr 16:9

The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delights in his way. Ps 37:23

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. Rom 8:14

A purpose-full life and destiny is the accumulation of daily obedience to the leading of the Spirit. Great destinies only look picture-perfect in retrospect. You don’t have to fret about “God’s will” or “God’s Purpose”, or “What is my Destiny” as long as you are constantly walking in faith. Solomon says JEHOVAH Himself will direct your steps. 

Whether in marriage, in ministry, in business, or even in national matters – a lifestyle of constant partnership with God will lead you to make decisions that will all accumulate into a glorious and inimitable destiny.

YOUR plans + HIS steps = GLORIOUS DESTINY.

AMEN.

Thank you all for the encouraging feedbacks; God bless you.

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

GREG ELKAN

FULFILLING PURPOSE (Pt. 2)

 Solomon’s Tip #1: It’s Already In You

The preparations – plans, inclinations – of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD. – Pro 16:1 (KJV Easy-Read)

The KJV is probably unique in its rendering of this verse. Most translations contrast the two phrases with a “but” (which is non-existent in the original text); however, the KJV explains that the LORD is in charge of BOTH the preparations (Hebrew, ‘mental dispositions’) and its reply.

This means that my natural propensities, inclinations, partialities, predilections, etc. are indicators of my Purpose in life.

You’re ‘wired’ differently for a reason. Don’t ignore it.

There’re things you can do with unusual aplomb that others struggle to achieve; don’t try to hide it in the name of “humility”.

There’re things you love doing so much that you would gladly do for free, whereas others grumble about it even though they are paid obscenely for it; pause and reflect on them for a while.

Have you ever wondered how people could be so casual about something that makes your blood boil?

Do people think you’re weird because of something you’re crazy about?

We have all these uniqueness in us and yet somehow we expect our Purpose to be something totally far out from it. It rarely is.

Note: When we talk about passion, we’re not referring to avid love for Mexican Telenovas, comfy sofas, etc., I don’t think sleeping all day is a type of Destiny. Which brings us to the next point.

Solomon’s Tip #2: Question Why It’s In You

You may think everything you do is right, but the LORD judges your motives. – Pro 16:2 (GNB)

Not everything you want to do in your heart is automatically from God.

Ambition is a noble soil, on which evil seeds thrive

Be honest with yourself and analyse your desires, dreams and aspirations. WHY do you really want to do or be that?

Some persons join the military because they want respect. Others seek to be Pastors because they need a platform for controlling people. Some are passionate about a particular profession because they want to indulge in a hidden lust. And an even greater bulk will pursue just anything that will bring ‘the money’ home.

So, how do we balance these two?

Solomon’s Tip #3: Tell HIM About It

Put your works into the hands of the Lord, and your purposes will be made certain. – Pro 16:3 BBE)

Great destinies don’t come because the people knew exactly what they were doing. Their lives only look picture-perfect because we look at it with the perspective of hindsight.

By all means, pursue the things that are in your heart, but talk to God about them first, (see Pro 3:5-7).

Sometimes, our greatest successes cannot be traced directly to our passions; but as long as you commit your ways to God, your thoughts, not necessarily your ways (see KJV) will be established.

AMEN

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

GREG ELKAN