It is Finished

For we who have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, they shall not enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. – Heb 4:3.

Our Lord told the Apostle John in Rev 1:8, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending... the Almighty.”

God does not exist in time, he lives outside of it. Just as light and darkness are both the same to Him (Ps 139:12), so is the past, present and future. Our anchor verse today states that, all the works were finished “from the foundation of the world.”

The moment God gives you a word, it’s already done. Your job is to agree with it in faith for it to come to pass in your life. His promise and prophecy to you concerning your destiny may sound too far-fetched and impossible, but if you let Him, He’ll do great things in you.

He declares through  the prophet Isaiah saying, “Who was able to make all this happen? Who controlled the lives of everyone from the beginning? I, the LORD, am the one. I was here at the beginning, and I will be here when all things are finished.” (Is. 41:4 ERV)

He was there at the beginning of your life; He’s the one who codified all your uniqueness and peculiarities, all your dreams, aspirations and goals. Granted, you may have wandered away from His plan; you may have strayed left and right off His middle way outlined for you. But you’re still on track; the fact that you’re reading this is good indication that God is not done with His plan for your life yet. Don’t feel you’ve lost too much opportunities and blown too many chances, God doesn’t act that way.

Moses started his ministry at 80, at least that’s what he thought. But when he began in earnest he realised, all the events of his life leading up to that point: the education in Pharaoh’s palace, the rough life in the wilderness, the uniqueness of his identity and upbringing, all were preparing him for his unique task and destiny all along.

Beloved, do not give up on your God-given dream. If He said it, it’s because He has seen – from His perspective out of time – that you can make it. Everything is perfectly aligned and poised  for your success.

You will win. He requires you, therefore, to believe and enter into His rest. Live with the knowledge that you have won; because even before you were born, all the works were finished... “from the foundation of the world.”

AMEN.

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

GREG ELKAN

A Sense of Purpose

Now we know that for those who love God all things are working together for good – for those, I mean, whom with deliberate purpose He has called. – Rom 8:28 (WNT)

What do these three men: Joseph, Daniel and Mordecai have in common? It’s an uncanny sense of Purpose. They were men who suffered shame and cruel mistreatment, but were nonetheless persuaded that all must be for a reason.

Joseph was a beloved son of his father when he was suddenly betrayed and sold into slavery by his own brothers! Even as a faithful slave he was lied against and sent to prison, and betrayed there again!

Beloved, we read about Joseph’s story with the perspective of historical hindsight and fail to imagine what it would have been like to live his kind of life. He had the perfect ingredients for lifelong bitterness and hatred, yet he never succumbed to it.

Daniel was a member of the royal house in Judah, when all of a sudden he was thrust into slavery and forced to work in the courts of the king of Babylon. The psalmist who wrote the popular, “By the rivers of Babylon”, has one of the most bitter statements ever to be found in scripture about his captors: “People of Babylon, blessed is the one who pays you back... Blessed is the one who grabs your little children and smashes them against a rock.” (Ps 137:8,9 GW). Do we find this spirit in Daniel? No, rather we see him cooperating with, and assisting the king. And he did so for 3 (probably 5) more heathen kings!

Mordecai was also of royal blood (Saul’s lineage), but found himself a practical ‘gateman’ of the Persian king at the palace in Susa. But rather than seek the downfall of this enslaving empire, he actually thwarted a plot to assassinate the king!

These three men had the opportunity to be bitter about their circumstances. They had good reason to believe that God had abandoned them, yet they held an attitude that showed they understood that nothing can happen – good or bad – if it wasn’t going to lead to the fulfilment of God’s purpose for His people.

Joseph declared to his brothers, “ But as for you, you thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save many people alive” (Gen 50:20). And how about Mordecai’s classic words to his cousin, Queen Esther,  “who knows whether you are come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Est 4:14)

Beloved, without a sense of purpose, this life can be bitter, cruel and seemingly pointless at times. But as long as you’re a child of God, you need to be absolutely persuaded that no matter where you are right now, no matter the adverse circumstance you’re facing, everything will add up to God’s ultimate plan for you, your family, and His people, the Church.

AMEN.

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

GREG ELKAN

Bad Miracles and Good Problems

But solid food belongs to them that... have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil – Heb 5:14.

Here’s an uncomfortable truth: You can be promoted OUT of your place of favour. If a Believer is to live a purposeful, Spirit-led life, He or she must know that not every GOOD they see is automatically GOD.

Take Joseph in Egypt, for example. Though as a slave he remained faithful to whoever his master was, his heart desire was to go back home to his father. And when he got the opportunity, (an audience with a high-ranking palace official), he begged that a word in his favour be put to the Pharaoh for him, (Gen 40:12-14). But he never go his ‘miracle’.

He was looking forward to embracing his father once again; he must have imagined how he would give his ‘testimony’ in church. Yes! They would have a thanksgiving. His aged father with his long flowing robe would lead the thanksgiving procession; there would be singing, dancing and clapping: the beloved son that was sold as a slave was miraculously freed; God has done it...

NO! God had NOT done it. If Joseph had been freed by Pharaoh it would have been Joseph’s scheming, not God’s intervention. But thank God Joseph was a true son of destiny. Because God had great plans for him, he REMAINED in prison for another two full years!

Ps 105:18,19 states that they  hurt Joseph’s feet with fetters and laid him in irons... Until the time that his word came. Beloved, when the ‘Word’ of your glory comes, may it find where you’re supposed to be.

Note that it wasn’t wrong of Joseph to seek freedom from the prison; neither is it wrong for you to look for promotion in your workplace, or vie for a bigger position, or struggle to get a more comfortable life for you and your family. But the point is to always defer to God’s will. Let God have the final say.

So,

If the job comes, it’s good; if it doesn’t come, it’s still good.

If she says “YES”, it’s good; if she breaks your heart, it’s still good.

If the visa application is approved, it’s good; if it’s denied, it’s still good.

If the healing comes, it’s good; if it tarries, it’s still good...

As long as you’re a child of God, you must live with the complete knowledge that EVERYTHING is working together for good, (Rom 8:28). Don’t panic, don’t fret; YOUR STORY WILL END IN GLORY.

AMEN.

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

GREG ELKAN

What’s The Plan?

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. – Rom 8:28.

Eph 1:11 describes God as the One who “...works all things after the counsel of his own will”. Nothing ever catches God by surprise. Some theologians have opined that somehow God made it impossible for Him to know whether Adam would disobey Him in the Garden or not! But not only is that explanation of the Fall childish, it ignores the truths of verses like 1Pe 1:20 and  Rev 13:8 which explain that the Lamb was slain “from the foundation of the world”.

God always has a plan. He never said, “Oh my, what am I going to do now?” He already knew Adam was going to fall, and He already had a plan for that: the Cross.

But think about that for a moment. If something as calamitous and far-reaching as the Fall was already planned for, what about that sudden misfortune of yours? While I’m not trying to diminish your loss, you would agree that it isn’t anywhere near as catastrophic as Adam and Eve’s loss of Eden.

So, if God had a plan for the Fall, I believe He also has a plan for your ‘sudden’ calamity as well. Whether it’s a job loss, a sudden change of health, an unplanned attack, or whatever sudden pain we’re going through right now, as much as you feel the pain or loss, have the faith to look up and say, “So, what’s the plan LORD?

You don’t to wallow in self-pity or wail like the people in the world who have no hope, God has a plan to put the devil to shame in your life. Just as the devil realised the mistake of crucifying Jesus (1Cor 2:8), God can turn your loss and pain around so dramatically, that it’ll make the Devil think twice before afflicting you again.

There’s always a plan Beloved, let’s stay in faith with God and let Him work it out for us. And I can assure you, it will end up in your glory. Like the saying goes, “When you’re down to nothing, God is up to something”; may that be your portion in Jesus’ name.

AMEN.

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

GREG ELKAN

INTENTIONAL

In Christ we were also chosen... according to the purpose of the one who does everything according to the intention of his will,” – Eph 1:11 (ISV).

Lately, I’ve been increasingly hearing the word, “Intentional” being used as a substantive adjective for God; and I think the hit single of that same title by

American Gospel music sensation, Travis Greene, has a lot to do with that.

Lexically, “Intentional” means “deliberate, planned, calculated, or purposeful”. In this sense, God is truly the most “intentional” of all. He is always deliberate, planned, calculated, and purposeful in all His ways.

When you look at the current state of the world, you may be tempted to feel that God has lost control. When we see corruption, violence and godlessness all around, we may think, “Surely the Devil has taken over”. But, that’s only because we’re taking a look at only a small portion of the world’s timeline.

Thrice, in Dan chapter 4 alone, Daniel emphasises that “the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men,” (Dan 4:17,25,32)

           

When you look back through the history of the Old Testament, especially with respect to the  preservation of His covenant people, Israel, and the promised Messiah, which was to come through them, you will see that in spite of all the tragedies, the failures, the mistakes of the characters, and the “It-repented-Me”s, of God etc. everything was so perfectly aligned and clockwork that it fits like the plot of a bestselling thriller novel.

Indeed, one of the main criticisms by sceptics of Old Testament history is that its narratives sound too neat and convenient to have been real. They would rather opine that the entire work was nothing more than the product of post-exilic scholars, writing many centuries after the events were supposed to have taken place; than to believe it to be a mosaic of different authors separated from each other both in time and in space.

God was very Intentional back then, and He’s very Intentional even today, (Heb.13:8); if He was the Master-coordinator back then, He surely is still the Chief Director today. He’s not just still in charge of the affairs of the world, but He’s deliberately, purposefully and intentionally overseeing your life as well. He’s controlling every tragedy and triumph, every fortune and fortuity, every good, bad and unremarkable event... everything is working out to fulfil His will in your life.

And know Beloved, that they are all working together for good, not evil. Your story is going to end in GLORY; your story is going to end in PEACE.

AMEN.

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

GREG ELKAN

YOU HAVE FIRST CLASS RIGHTEOUSNESS

...and this is his name by which he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. – Jer 23:6

When I was young, I used to be enthralled by ‘Deliverance Confession’ stories of how former agents of darkness would seek to destroy Christians. There’re those they declare “untouchable” – big, well-known men of God, or certain “very holy” Christians who are always surrounded by “a clothing of light.” I always wanted to be untouchable like them, too.

I was fervent in prayers, strove to live holy, and was diligent in church work.     Then one day I realised that the whole motivation of my spiritual exercises was not to please the Father, or to be more like Jesus, but to be “untouchable” by the powers of darkness. Something was very wrong with my motivation.

I got up and told the Devil, “Devil, My spiritual life does not revolve around YOU! It revolves around Jesus. I will not spend my whole waking hours thinking of how to avoid your traps or bind your demons; I will spend my whole day fellowshipping with the Holy Spirit.

“And by the way, about that ‘clothing of light’ thing? I just realised that I’ve been an ‘Untouchable’ all this while. My righteousness is sooo perfect, its blinding to demonic eyes. You’re not going to work me up into trying to get what I already have!”

And that was my greatest deliverance session.

It is vitally and supremely important for you to know that as a Born Again Believer, your righteousness is Jesus’ Righteousness, (2Cor 5:21). It doesn’t come in different shades, levels or ranks. You carry the untouchableness of Jesus.

When people read that God loved Jesus perfectly, they miss the whole point. Jesus is the Beloved, and YOU are “Accepted in the Beloved” (Eph 1:6). You’re INSIDE of Jesus!

If you allow the Devil compare your righteousness with some “Man of God” somewhere, he’ll end up deceiving you into believing you’re not “Holy” enough to withstand his attacks.

But see Isaiah 54:17; I know it’s a popular quotation, but actually check out the last words of the verse.

No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, AND THEIR RIGHTEOUSNESS IS OF ME, says the LORD.

AMEN.

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

GREG ELKAN

RIGHTEOUSNESS SHOULD BE CONFESSED

But the righteousness which is of faith speaks thus... – Rom 10:6

The church today is all-abuzz about faith. People are “believing God” for healing, cars, promotion, houses and ‘the good life’. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with that; but it should be noted that the original Believers concentrated all their faith on righteousness and not on things. In other words, they Believed to be Righteous, not to be Rich!

Which was a rather smart move. Because Jesus said “Seek you first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Mt 6:33). When you have the ‘righteousness’ issue settled, every other thing will be a walkover. However, we see today, Christians exerting much spiritual energy on ephemera.

Paradoxically, not only is the confession of righteousness the very last thing they would do, it’s also something they frown upon.

*If you’re sick, they would tell you to confess that you’re healed,

*If you’re broke, you’ll be asked to declare yourself rich,

*When everything around you is falling apart, they’ll forbid you from declaring what you see; instead, you’re advised to “say what you want to see”.

Yet for some reason, we find it odd to declare, at the very point of our moral failures, that we’re the righteous of God in Christ.

It may sound like hypocrisy, but that’s only if you’re saying it to others. However, when it’s a declaration to yourself, it becomes an affirmation of who you are; when you, as a Born Again Believer confess that you’re righteous in Christ, you’re declaring the incongruity between your true nature and your actions.

It’s not because you’re claiming you did no wrong, It’s because you’re confessing what you want to see in our life.

Righteous people don’t lust, Righteous people don’t lie, Righteous people don’t harbour anger and hate. When you keep confessing your righteousness in Christ Jesus, you’re reminding yourself of who you really are.

Words have power, and the word of God even more so. The same power that transforms your body as you keep confessing health, that transforms your finances as you keep confessing abundance, etc. that same power is more than available to empower you to live above every besetting sin as you keep confessing your right-standing with God.

Keep saying it, yes it may get the devil irritated, but therein lies your victory.

AMEN.

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

GREG ELKAN

RIGHTEOUSNESS IS BY FAITH

For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; – Rom 10:10

Paul tells us in Rom 10:5,6 that there’re 2 types of righteousness: righteousness by obedience to some set laws, and righteousness by faith. He then proceeds to point out the superiority of the latter.

The link between faith and righteousness is something many Believers take for granted. We read the phrase, “righteousness which is by faith” everywhere in the New Testament and gloss over it like just another churchy phrase.

But our right-standing is really by faith. “The Just (the righteous, the blameless, the lawful) shall live by his faith” (Hab 2:4). Trying to do right in order to be righteous is placing the cart before the horse, and will leave you perpetually seeking after righteousness, (because every time you fail, you get to start all over again).

The Bible, on the other hand, says for you to obtain right-standing with God you must place your faith in the Cross. Rom 3:25 aptly summarises this principle:

God sent Christ to be our sacrifice. Christ offered His life’s blood, so that by faith in Him we could come to God... (CEV)

“Faith” does not take on a new, obscure meaning when it comes to righteousness; it retains its regular meaning. It means you become righteous by BELIEVING.

It is not based on your emotions, on your feeling, or even on the devil’s opinion, but on faith. This is the way the great heroes of the Bible obtained their right-standing with God.

We may already be familiar with Abraham being made righteous by his faith, but long before him, Heb 11: 7 tells us that Noah, also, “received from God the righteousness that comes by faith.” (GNB)

Indeed, in the summary of their exploits in faith, it says that “through faith they subdued kingdoms and “worked righteousness...” (Heb 11:33).

Yes, that’s how they ‘worked it’ back then, but today, it seems we have it reversed. Beloved, for you to live righteous, you must first BE righteous. It is your righteousness – imparted unto you by faith – that enables you to live a holy life, and not the other way round.

AMEN.

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

GREG ELKAN

THE PATH TO RIGHTEOUSNESS

And of him are you in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption. – 1Co 1:30

In Romans chapter 10, the Apostle Paul succinctly outlines the problem of his Jewish brethren with respect to the Mosaic law:

 “For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.  For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. (Rom 10:2,3).

Paraphrasing the 3^rd verse using our high jump analogy, Paul was essentially saying, For they being ignorant of the 100-foot bar, and going about to establish their own 8-foot bar, have not submitted themselves to admitting the un-scalability of the 100-foot bar of God. (Rom 10:2,3).

The whole point of the Law was to reveal mankind’s powerlessness to reach God’s standard. Nevertheless, the Jews, missing the whole point, kept trying to follow it. They failed repeatedly, (each time heaping on themselves the attendant curses for each violation), but kept at it nonetheless.  

No one – Moses, the giver of the Laws included – was ever able to fulfil the Law. But even if they theoretically could, it would still be a far cry from God’s standard; (Mt 5:20). Only the Messiah, could fulfil both the spirit and letter of the Law. This, in fact, was the whole point of the Law in the first place. Speaking on, Paul says, “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believes.” (Rom 10:4).

Gal 3:24 says, “Therefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. once you find yourself depending on Christ and not your own effort to attain right-standing before God, then the Law has achieved its aim.

On the Cross, the righteous Jesus took upon Himself the punishment for our sins, that we may in exchange, take on His perfect righteousness; (2Cor 5:21).

This is the given path for attaining God’s righteousness. I once read a post that said, “You can preach, speak in tongues, pray, fast, cast out devils, etc. and still go to Hell; but you can’t live a holy life and go to Hell.” However, I’m afraid that if by “live a holy life” we mean simply “not committing bad things,” then I’m afraid we’ll still end up in Hell! (1Jn 1:8,10).

The righteousness that Jesus confers is our ONLY ticket to Heaven. If we preach and emphasise this truth, we’ll spare many churchgoers from having the shock of a lifetime on Judgment Day.

AMEN.

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

GREG ELKAN

HOW RIGHTEOUSNESS ARE YOU?

There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside Thee; – 1Sa 2:2

Are you righteous? If yes, how righteous are you? The dictionary meaning of ‘righteous’ is “always behaving according to a religious or moral code.” Does that then make the Dalai Lama righteous? What about Mother Theresa? Or a Hasidic Jew maybe? They are each strict observers of a “moral and religious code”, aren’t they?

The singular difference between biblical Christianity and other world religions is its acknowledgment of the infinite holiness of God and its frank admittance of the impossibility of Man to reach it.

To use a high jump analogy, God’s standard is a 100-foot horizontal pole, obviously impossible for any human to clear. But religion creates its own bar, somewhere around 8 feet, (moral laws, rules, rituals, regulations, ceremonies, prayers, etc.) that can be jumped by only the most athletic of men. Religion then creates a platform that celebrates such extreme athleticism – the jumping of their 8-foot pole. Fixated on this manmade standard, the people are kept ignorant of the REAL pole looming a hundred feet high above all of them.

This is “Religion” in a nutshell; and until we confront this reality, we will not understand biblical righteousness.

To read the Mosaic Laws as outlined in Exodus through Deuteronomy and exclaim that God’s standards are too difficult is to miss the point completely. Those are not God’s standards, they are just a rudimentary and vague hint of His actual holiness and standards.

Only Jesus truly understood God’s perfect holiness; and that was why He declared that except our righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, we shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven, (Mt 5:20).

This is very important, because it places God’s standards where it should be. God will not reduce His standard from “impossible” to “very difficult and hard”. And if your philosophy and mindset of Holiness/Righteousness is of a lifestyle that though “very difficult and hard”, but still doable with discipline and dedication, you may want to reconsider your definition of righteousness; because you may have unwittingly lowered the bar... to somewhere around 8 feet.

AMEN.

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

GREG ELKAN

FREEDOM FROM A RELIGIOUS SPIRIT

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

The reason why we have religion – empty, external ceremonies and rituals – in the Church is because there is religion in each of us. The reason why there’s hypocrisy and carnality all around us because it resides in us, too.

Think about it. Why do people prophesy only in ‘King James’ English? Why do people say “bless you”, “bless you” to brethren that they gossip about at home? And speaking of our speaking, are our private prayers as high-sounding  and expressive as our private prayers?

The snares of religiosity are so all around us that it’d take the grace of God to evade them all. Yes, we need GRACE, literally, to effectively walk this walk.

Grace is the opposite of Religion. Religion is all about what man does for God, Grace is about what God DID (in Christ Jesus) for us. Religion rewards Man for performing certain acts, Grace gives all the glory to God.

When Religion prays for 3 hours, it wants to brag about it; when Grace prays for 5 hours, it is overwhelmed at what the Spirit can do through a willing heart. When Religion evangelises, it expects God to bless it in turn; when Grace comes from Village Outreach it declares “We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.” (Lk 17:10).

When Religion abstains from sin, it expects God to reward it for that; Grace is humbled that a rank sinner could be found worthy to live out the life of Christ in the flesh.

Religion looks at a drunken fornicator and scoffs. Grace remembers its former predilections and exclaims, “There – but for the grace of God – go I”.

Beloved, as long as we remain on this side of Heaven, the temptation to fall into Religion will always remain. The solution is not to stop praying, fasting, evangelizing, giving large offerings or living holy; the solution rather is to be continuously conscious of the grace of God at work in us.

Therefore, my beloved... work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

For it is God who works in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.(Php 2:12,3).

AMEN.

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

GREG ELKAN

CONFRONTING THE PHARISEE IN THE MIRROR

Remember therefore from where you are fallen, and repent, – Rev 2:5

Would you be offended if you were called a “Pharisee”? Guess what, the lexical meaning of “Pharisee” is “someone who follows the scriptures and wants to live in a constant state of purity”!

The term “Pharisees” literally means “those who are separate”.  However, it has come to mean people who are “self-righteous, hypocritical, or sanctimonious” (Encarta Dictionary).

How is it possible that the Pharisees, a group of common Jews so concerned about the degeneration of the worship of Yahweh that they stirred up a national revival for piety; who were so passionate about the scriptures that they created local centres for its exclusive reading and study, (‘Synagogues’); who were so given to prayer that they punctiliously kept to designated prayer times... could end up being one of the major adversaries of Christ?

The answer is simple. They allowed themselves to slip into self-righteous religiosity.

If we’re honest with ourselves, we’ll see that there’s a ‘Pharisee’ in each of us.

Whenever you hear yourself always complaining about “that sister’s dressing”, “that brother’s hairstyle”, “that chorister’s pride”, “that pastor’s arrogance”...  then it’s time to rush to the nearest bathroom mirror and confront the Pharisee that’s beginning to take shape.

Whenever we start thinking only our church members will go to heaven, or start feeling ‘spiritual’ after reading our Bibles; when we stop feeling uncomfortable telling someone we’re fasting, or don’t mind letting slip how many hours we spend in prayers; then know for sure that the ‘Pharisee thing’ is knocking at the door.

Beloved, the faith-walk is akin to walking on a tight rope. In avoiding one error, we become susceptible to the converse sin. In confronting iniquity, we could become self-righteous; in countering wastefulness we could become stingy, etc.

This is why we need to be always conscious of grace. Whenever we see an iniquitous, prayerless or carnal Christian, before we get sanctimonious, let’s consider that, (as the reformer, John Bradford is attributed to have said), “there – but for the grace of God – go I”

AMEN.

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

GREG ELKAN

THE RELIGION OF ATHEISM

The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God. – Ps 10:4

In increasing numbers, especially in ‘civilised’ Western cultures, people are beginning to identify themselves as non-religious or atheistic. It has become a mark of intellectual sophistication to assert one does not believe in angels, demons, heaven, hell, spirits... God.

Intellectual Atheists, as opposed to forced  atheists (e.g. those in communist countries) or suffering atheists (those who, as a result of sever personal loss, lose faith in God altogether), categorically deny the existence of God.

Ironically, this is something atheists and God share in common – each does not believe in the existence of the other! If you think it’s difficult to prove to atheists that God exists, you have an even more uphill task proving to God that atheists exist! Why? Because as the creator of all men, He made sure we all possess a form of god-consciousness.

This is why there’re no natural atheists. There’re remote cultures all over the world – people living in islands or in the middle of impregnable mountains and inhospitable forests, cut-off from the rest of humanity. Yet none are atheistic. There’re no people groups who have not heard about God, only those who have not heard about what He has done for them in Christ.

If ignorance is not an excuse before the law, it will be less of an excuse before God on Judgement Day. “Because”, says Paul, “what may be known about Him is plain to their inmost consciousness; for He Himself has made it plain to them.” (Rom 1:19 WNT).

It takes repeated liberalist indoctrination (and no small amount of self heart hardening) to get to full denial of the existence of a Creator/Judge.

Admittedly, confronting atheists can be intimidating because of its ‘intellectual’ foundations. But when we see it for exactly what it is – just another veneer masking the gaping God-shaped hole in the atheist’s heart – we will be able to minster to them just like anybody else.

We would also spend less time and energy trying to ‘prove’ that God exists to them, and more time witnessing what God has done for them in Christ Jesus.

AMEN.

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

GREG ELKAN