Christmas: God Moved First

But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth his Son, – Gal 4:4

I know we say it all the time, but the Bible doesn’t really say that we can move God by our Faith, does it? It does say that faith pleases Him (Heb 11:6), and our Lord was impressed when Gentiles exhibited it (Mt 8:10; 15:28), but to say that it moves Him is misleading. The last time I checked, it was the MOUNTAIN that faith was supposed to move, not God, (Mt 17:20; 21:21).

Stop thinking you’re going to move God with your “audacious” faith. Before you ever thought of that prayer point, that miracle, that need… before you even got Born Again, God has already moved and provided it for you. That’s an implication of the Christmas Story: God was the first to move.

The “Messiah” wasn’t Israel’s idea, it was God’s. Salvation wasn’t man’s request, it was God’s provision. Adam never asked for an atoning sacrifice, and you never needed to tell God you needed deliverance from sin, the solution was made available before your saw the need.

That big prayer request of yours may require bold and audacious faith to you, but it isn’t bold and audacious for God. Not just because He’s Almighty and can do anything; but because, well, He thought of it first. It’d be absurd if Adam was trying to use faith to make God give him a wife, when it was God that noticed he needed one.

Beloved, whether it’s a baby or a business, your marriage or your ministry, etc. know that we’re not trying to get anything from God, He’s the one offering His gifts to us.

Even the faith for the miracle is a gift from Him. When we stop seeing our faith as a way to make God do something, and instead see it as a key given to us by Him with which we can access all of His graciously-provided bounties, we’ll stop trying to move Him and move the mountains instead.

“If God didn't hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn't gladly and freely do for us?” – Rom 8:32  (MSG)

May the blessings of God be upon you and yours this Christmas, and always.

AMEN.

GREG ELKAN

Christmas Faith Lesson: It May Not Look Like It

...wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. – Lk 2:12

Lk 2:21-39 tells us of two different persons – a man (Simeon) and an old woman (Anna) – who had both been waiting and praying for the coming of the Messiah prophesised centuries ago. For Simeon, it was even prophesied that he would not see death before he saw Yahweh’s Messiah! So we can imagine his excitement when the Holy Spirit told him one day to go to the Temple because the Messiah child was going to be there.

Note, however, that the baby Simeon handled at the Temple was exactly that – a baby. There was no Harry-Potter like scar on his forehead, no hint of lightening in his eyes, no electricity cursing through your body as you lifted him up… no nothing. If Simeon had let go of the baby, it wouldn’t have executed a perfect backflip and landed on its feet. No. Jesus would have smacked his head on the hard Temple pavement and pierced the air with crying.

Alternately, put yourself in Anna’s shoes. Decades of fasting and praying, only to be shown a baby. “Great! It’s a fine, chubby boy. Now what?”

Beloved, the beginning of your miracle may not look like it. The prophesied ministry, the dream marriage, the envisioned business enterprise, etc. may not arrive spectacularly. The picture you saw so vividly in your heart may not look like what you’re seeing in your hand: you were expecting to see God in the flesh, but what you see is just flesh – and a rather vulnerable one at that.

Others may have had a faith-boost to help them. The shepherds in the field wouldn’t have had a problem believing that Jesus was the Messiah; not after all that spectacular display and angelic fanfare. But most of the time, we find ourselves like Simeon and Anna; having nothing to hold on to except God’s sure Word, and a blob of bouncy flesh.

This is where we can learn from them. They didn’t act disappointed; instead they both rejoiced and celebrated the baby as the fulfilment of the prophecy. Your miracle has already started, Beloved. Like the babe in a manger, it need not look spectacular; or even miraculous (Simeon and Ana were unaware the babe was virgin-born), but it is it. Celebrate and believe in the little currently in your hand, and see the great and powerful things that will follow.

AMEN.

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

GREG ELKAN

What You Need To Conceive Your Miracle

“So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground”; – Mar 4:26

When Mary reminded the Angel Gabriel that she was a virgin and thus unable to give birth to this “Jesus” that he talked about, he replied that she’ll conceive because the Holy Spirit shall come upon her. However, Scripture gives us no record that anything dramatic happened to Mary after the angel left; all we do know was that a few weeks later she was walking around with a bump, (Lk 1:35;41). That means that, for all practical purposes, a baby started forming inside Mary the moment she believed what the angel said!

In explaining the Parable of the Sower much later in Lk 8:11, Jesus said “The seed is the word of God…” Even the Apostle Peter in 1Pt 1:23 compared the word of God to an incorruptible “seed”. What happened to Mary literally is what happens to us metaphorically; the faith for your miracle comes when the seed of the Word of God is planted in your heart; because “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom 10:17).

An expectation for a miracle that was not provoked or instigated by exposure to God’s Word is probably just daydreaming or fantasy. It’s God’s will that everyone lives a good life (Jn 10:10); but your good life is not my good life, so your prayer point cannot be my prayer point. It’s under the atmosphere of the word of God that our faith is provoked to specifically believe for “the things that are freely given to us of God” (1Co 2:12).

And just as a woman mustn’t expose herself to just about any man in the physical, you mustn’t expose your heart to just about any “word”. Real, God-inspired miracles are only birthed in an atmosphere of faith-filled, grace-based words of the New Covenant.

So, Beloved, “Let the word of CHRIST dwell in you richly” (Col 3:16); read the word daily, listen to good messages, read grace-filled books and devotionals, etc... and watch your spiritual life birth a miracle that’ll be just as spectacular (at least for your level) as a virgin giving birth to a baby.

AMEN.

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

GREG ELKAN

What Christmas Teaches About Faith

...has He spoken, and shall He not make it good? – Num 23:19

Admittedly, the Christmas story is full of wonderful metaphors and rich symbolism. And among the myriad of lessons that we can draw from it is one that’s most profound: the lesson of faith.

Faith is vital to life. As Believers, everything that pertains to life and godliness has been provided for us in Christ (Eph 1:3; 2Pe 1:3,4); all we have to do is receive it by faith. Each one of us has something that we’re believing God for; a life-transforming miracle that we expect to happen in our life based on a scriptural revelation, a word of knowledge, a prophecy, etc.

Whatever it is, you need faith to birth that miracle; that’s why the Christmas story is inspiring and encouraging. Because if there’s one thing it tells us, it’s that God keeps to His word.

It started with the promise to Eve in Eden, then through Moses, David, Isaiah and the prophets. For years, the Israelites heard and heard the prophecy that a Messiah was going to come to deliver them from their enemies. Judges came and left, kings came and left, prophets came and left; as a matter of fact, there was even no prophetic voice for 400 years before Angel Gabriel came.

And just like that, a virgin girl in one small town conceived, and a 4,000-year-in-the-making prophecy began to unfold.

Beloved, you may be going through a period of silence right now. It may look as if nothing is happening. You may feel as though God has reneged on His promise to you. But like the open-eyed prophet, Balaam, declared “God is not like people. He tells no lies. He is not like humans. He doesn’t change his mind. When he says something, he does it. When he makes a promise, he keeps it,” (Num 23:19 GW).

Go back to your prayer closet today and pray about that long sought after miracle, for as sure as the first Christmas, it will surely come to pass.

AMEN.

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

GREG ELKAN

The (Not) True Meaning of Christmas

“For this purpose the Son of God was manifested...” – 1Jn 3:8

It’s Christmas Season again! Time for carols and cantatas, hymns and hollies, plastic doves and mistletoes, rice cookies and roast Turkeys… No, right?

We’re all aware of the perennial debate Christians hold over the blatant commercialisation of the festival that’s supposed to commemorate the birth of Christ and how it’s been turned into a merchandising pretext. We can’t also pretend to be ignorant of the attempt to secularise the Christmas holiday (literally “Holy Day” in Old English) into an inoffensive, politically correct end-of-year festival.

Nevertheless, aren’t some of our counters in reminding people of the “True meaning” of Christmas just as scripturally incorrect and  spiritually effete? How many times have you heard people say that Christmas is about “giving”? Or about “selfless love”, or about “family”, or about “caring for the downtrodden of society”, etc.? The Bible never said any of those things. That’s like saying your father sent you to school to demonstrate paternal responsibility, or to show parental love, etc. If you asked him, he’d more than likely tell you he sent you to school to get you EDUCATED, period! Whatever mushy reasons you take away from his actions is left to you.

Similarly, if we asked our Father (the One in Heaven this time), to tell us the reason why Jesus was born two thousand years ago, would He reply that it was to exemplify “human love and sacrifice”?

NO! He would say to us what the angel Gabriel said to Mary, the Christ Child was born to save us from our SINS! (Mat 1:21).

Granted, that probably wouldn’t earn you cheers at the office End-of-Year Dinner, but it does help for us to at least be aware of the distinction between a moral derivative lesson from and the “Real meaning of” CHRISTMAS.

AMEN.

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

GREG ELKAN 

Beyond Love

...but of Power, and of Love, and of a Sound mind – 2Ti 1:7

God’s expression of power is bounded by His nature of Love. Nevertheless, His acts of Love are similarly only within the parameters of His Wisdom.

God’s love is perfect. It’s not our touchy-feely, mushy-gooey kind. When God acts in love, it is based on His Wisdom. Pr. 8:22-33 talks about God and “Wisdom”; it tells how “wisdom” was there right from the very foundations of the world. Wisdom is the principal (in Hebrew, literally “first”) thing (Pr 4:7). Before anything was created, there was wisdom. Wisdom is what dictates the expressions of Love. People who say, “If God is love why is there a Hell?” miss this part.

As Believer’s, our kind of love must be God’s kind, the kind instigated and coordinated by His wisdom. When we read the synoptic Gospels, we get the impression that Jesus – powerful “Son of God” that He was – just strolled around town healing anyone he saw and doing miracles indiscriminately. But John’s Gospel shows us that there was a deliberateness and selectivity to His miracles; (e.g. He visited the Temple severally but didn’t heal the lame man of Acts 3 even though scriptures say that man was there every day). Even the “feeding of the 5,000”, John points out, was more for a strategic reason than just compassion (Jn 6:4).

Beloved, there’s more to love than feeding the poor or opening orphanages. If we’re to be efficient stewards of God’s resources and effective channels of His love to the World, then our acts of love must go beyond human sentiments.

Even the most altruistic expression of human love is tainted. However, Believers who act according to God’s perfect love – who are directed and influenced by the wisdom of the Holy Spirit – will find their work and life to be focused, effective, and Heaven-sanctioned (Rom 8:6,7).

As you imitate His “godliness”, may you experience greater and more glorious dimensions of His blessings than you’ve ever seen.

AMEN.

Have a Blessed weekend.

GREG ELKAN

The 3 ‘Levels’ of God

Paul, in 2Tim 1:7, told Timothy that God’s Spirit that he had was not of fear but of “Power, of Love, and of a Sound Mind (good judgment or wisdom).” These three virtues have been presented as three progressive levels of God’s nature. You can look at it as 3 concentric circles with “Power” in the centre, surrounded by the circle of “Love”, which is also surrounded by “Wisdom”.

When people talk about “God”, all they think about is POWER. Think of any movie where the character all of a sudden gets to be God, what do they do? They pull up cars and mansions out of thin air; they disappear and appear at will, they listen in on people’s thoughts and smirk, etc.

However, there’s more to God than Power. If God’s just 'power' we would all have been heaps of ash by now (have you offended God lately?). 1Jn 4:8 says “God is love.” His interaction with us is not based on power. When He came to Earth as a man, He could have broken through the clouds, Giant hammer in hand and eyes blazing with lightning – Thor-style. But He didn’t. Instead, He placed Himself in the womb of a village girl, and grew up among us – wooing, pleading, reasoning. This is the true nature of God.

Elijah the prophet had God’s Spirit in him, but he settled for Power instead of love and called down fire on his would-be arresters. However, when Jesus’ disciples asked Him to do same to the Samaritans, He rebuked them, and said, “You know not what manner of Spirit you are of.” (2Ki 1:10-14; Lk 9:54,15).

This is a very vital lesson for those of us who minister in the office of a Prophet, or who are gifted with the power gifts, or generally every Believer anointed of God. The anointing of the Holy Spirit is not just power. When King Jeroboam raised his hands against an unnamed prophet, his hands became paralyzed; however, at Jesus' trial, a common soldier didn’t just raise his hands against Jesus but actually slapped Him! (1Ki 13:4; John 18:22). What happened to that soldier? NOTHING!

The anointing in that OT prophet is nothing compared to the one in Christ, yet Jesus' higher demonstration of the anointing is lacking today. Beloved, take your imitation of God to the next level; “Do as God does. After all, you are His dear children” (Eph 5:1 CEV).

AMEN.

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

GREG ELKAN 

Imitating His Trustfulness

Love never gives up; and its faith, hope, and patience never fail.

 – 1Cor 13:7 (GNB)

If I were Jesus, having spent over three years of my precious lifetime pouring myself into my 12 trusted disciples, I’d be pretty panicky at the prospect of my legacy if on the day of my death one of them betrays me, another denies me and the rest all scamper like scared rats at my arrest. These are the men that are to continue my work? These are supposed to be the pillars of the Church?

All those days and nights of parable preaching, unbelievable signs and miracles, exemplary lifestyle and leadership training... only to be abandoned when it matters most. They scuttled because some temple guards came for me, what’s going to happen when they come for them?

From this angle, we can forgive feminist conspiracy theorists who claim that after the resurrection, it was Mary Magdalene, the one who went seeking for Jesus’ body – not Peter, who had quickly returned back to his fishing – that Jesus commissioned to lead the Church. At least that fits more with the Gospel narrative...

From a human perspective that is.

But Jesus reveals a part of God’s nature that, though difficult to follow, is worth emulating – TRUST. In spite of what the disciples did, He still trusted them with the task of leading the Church, and the fact that we’re Believers today, two millennia later, shows they did a pretty good job of it.

He trusted Abraham, a pagan idol worshiper,

He trusted Moses, a runaway murderer,

He trusted Paul, the chief persecutor of His Church,

He trusted Peter, James and John...

He trusted YOU.

Beloved, we mustn’t be quick to give up on those under our tutelage or leadership: our children, our employees, our members... They mustn’t hold the impression that an axe is hovering over their head, ready to drop at the slightest blunder. Knowing that they have your trust will surely boost their confidence. It doesn’t mean they’ll now be willing to lay down their lives for your cause like the disciples of Jesus did for His, but you’ll certainly be better of for it.

AMEN.

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

GREG ELKAN 

Imitating His Humbleness

Be you therefore followers of God, as dear children – Eph 5:1

Many will find it odd that God, awesome as He is, is being termed "humble"; which is somewhat ironic, considering that what they call “awesome” is only the muted expression of His true majesty!

The psalmists, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit give several insights and hints into the sheer grandness of God. Ps 99:2 says, “The LORD is... high above all the people,;” and 113:6 (CEV) says, “He looks down to see the heavens and the earth”!

God’s greater than Earth, along with its star and all the other hosts of stars in their inconceivably plethoric quantities. God’s also greater than all of the heavens; not just the seraphs, cherubs and the angelic hosts, but heaven itself.

The heavens are glorious, but His glory is exalted above them, (Ps 148:13). And as one theologian puts it, “His exaltation enhances His condescension”. That a God of such magnificence should concern Himself with lowly (and unceasingly impudent) creatures like us is a mystery of epic proportions.

Even the angels, who enjoy greater glimpses of God’s greatness, do not have the intimacy and elevation that humans enjoy in our interaction with Him. So the next time you’re tempted to consider a certain man or woman as beneath your status, think of the mighty God who scandalously humbled Himself to come to your level.

Movies, (like the Hollywood blockbuster, Bruce Almighty), that try to show the impossibility of a man being God use tropes like listening to millions of prayers simultaneously or being at several places at once; however, I believe one of the more inimitable nature of God is His willingness to condescend to the level of the lowliest of the low.

This is a nature of God that we His children must all display. While the people of the world pride themselves in statuses and grasp at any form of prestige or exclusivity that they find, we must develop a reputation for humbleness; for our willingness to reach out and be with anybody – no matter how low in life they are...

That we may be the children of our Father, which is in Heaven (Mt 5:45).

AMEN.

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

GREG ELKAN

Partakers of His Divine Nature

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. – Mt 5:48

We often contrast “Godliness” with “Worldliness” in our sermons. Nevertheless, if “worldliness” means “living like the world”, doesn’t that mean “godliness” means “living like God”? Precisely how does one even presume to live like God? How does one imitate Inimitability Himself?

God’s more glorious than a thousand suns and more majestic than a thousand sunsets. God’s the One whom Paul described as “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).

His might is immeasurable and His glory ineffable. There’re no words big enough to describe His Bigness and no songs sweet enough to express His sweetness. To be like God is to be one word: “PERFECT”, which is impossible.

But isn’t that’s exactly what our Lord demanded of us in His Sermon on the Mount? (Mt 5:48). The context of that injunction, however, shows that what Christ expected of us is not a replication of God’s power and awesomeness, but of God’s nature: His love, His patience, His mercy, etc.

The moment we believed in Christ we became sons of God, possessors of His divine nature and character (Jn 1:12; 2Pt 1:4). Hence godliness is the only natural expression for us. This is why you must endeavour, in all your dealings with the world, that you’re displaying God’s nature to them; as Christ said, “That you may be the children of your Father who is in heaven” (Mt 5:45).

AMEN.

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

GREG ELKAN

The Vengeful, Sadistic ‘God’ of Christians

God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. – 1Jn 1:5

We do not have sufficient knowledge to understand the complex spiritual mysteries that necessitate the existence of an eternal Hell. But, one thing we do know for sure is that it was created for the Devil and his angels, not for us, and that God is not willing that any should go there (Mt 25:41; 2Pt 3:9).

But Satan, trying to make the most of his damnable fate, has spun his own narrative around Hell. Thanks to centuries of his ‘Fake Revelation’ machinery, rather than being his place of incarceration, Hell’s now known to be his Torture HQ. He’s turned the story round, and now he’s the one who tortures people and he’s the one who holds the prerogative of sending people to Hell, not God. People now fear the Devil more than they fear God (Mt 10:28).

And for those who do acknowledge that God’s in charge of Hell, he’s got a counter-narrative too. To them, God’s been portrayed as sadistic and vengeful. A God who sentences people to eternal torture for the flimsiest of reasons, (like not paying a tithe), and who’s created unique sophisticated torture chambers of unimaginable horrors for each type of sin; (tortures too horrendous for me to repeat in this devotional). Pause, dearly Beloved, and think; is your knowledge of the experience of sinners in Hell from the Bible?

This enduring image of a cruel, merciless ‘God’ – crafted by ‘Fake Revelations’ and perpetuated by unwitting Christians and preachers – is what is keeping many people (especially atheists) away from the Church today.

We need to wrest the Infernal narrative back from the hands of the Devil and his mendacious proxies. We need to spread the TRUE message of the Gospel across the globe, so that everybody – regardless of their social status or standing – should know that God’s not out to get them, but that on the contrary He’s gone ALL-OUT to save them. He’s sent His Son to take on Himself their just punishment; so that once purged from their iniquities, they can now spend an eternity with Him in glory and ineffable bliss.

AMEN.

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

GREG ELKAN

The Myth of Dualism

I am the LORD, and there is none else, – Is 45:5

Dualism is the religious/philosophical principle that two opposed and antagonistic forces of good and evil are in control of this world. This philosophy is found in Zoroastrianism and in many native religions.

In Eastern religions, it’s typified by the combination of YIN (darkness, negativity, femininity) and YANG (light, heat, motivation, masculinity). These two forces are said to be opposite and complementary and are thought to exist in varying proportions in all things. The Yin-Yang symbol, (an example is the circle at the centre of the South Korean flag), depicts this supposed Good/Evil inter-relationship.

Unfortunately, many have transferred this principle into Christianity. They’ve created a worldview with God on one side and the Devil on the other. But Nothing could be further from the truth. The conflict depicted in scripture is not between Satan and God but between Satan and Man! The battle in Genesis 3 was between two creations – Adam and Satan, with God as their judge. The notion of Satan being opposite to God isn’t from scripture.

Far from depicting two equally opposing forces, we see the Bible reference Christ virtually on every page, yet has only scant references to Satan, (it mentions “Isaac” more times than Satan/Devil/Serpent/etc. combined)!

If we’re to be bluntly honest, much of what we think we know about demons, Hell Fire and the kingdom of darkness come from extra-biblical sources; like Dante Alighieri’s Inferno and John Milton’s Paradise Lost (with updated insertions from modern day “Deliverance” Testimonies). Theologians, for example, are still not agreed on where demons come from or even what they are.

This manifest understating of the Devil and his world is deliberate, and we would do well to follow the Bible’s cue. Satan is always after attention; but Jesus, Paul and the Early believers never gave it to him (Mk 1:25,34; Lk 4:41; Act 16:16-18).

Beloved, let Christ be the centre of our lives: our devotion, our confession, our prayer and our message. It’s the knowledge of Christ that saves, not of the Devil. And as we look to Christ, we’ll be changed into His image by His Spirit.

AMEN.

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

GREG ELKAN

Confronting Hell’s PR

And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, except Jesus only. – Mat 17:8

Satan has a thriving and effective PR department; its purpose is not to represent the Devil in the world, but to re-present him to the world; to give him a new look, a new persona, a facelift of sorts.

Image is everything to the Devil. He may be completely defeated and vanquished, but like his daughter, Jezebel, who chose to put makeup on even as her executioner approached (2Ki 9:30), his appearance is important to him.

Every year, his Dept of Information, (under the auspices of the Ministry of Infernal Affairs), keeps rolling out books, movies, visions, prophecies, messages, etc. that give their own version and side of spiritual reality.

This is why a distinguishing feature of Hell-inspired testimonies is the portrayal of immense power of demons over believers. After listening to a so-called “deliverance” confession, you feel more vulnerable than ever before; all of a sudden you now see demons everywhere; and every man of God that doesn’t mention Hell does so because he gets his powers from there. (Paul, the handkerchief miracle worker of Acts 19:12, obviously falls into this category).  

Deliverance testimonies now do to us what documentaries from “declassified” or “leaked” documents of the U.S. Pentagon are meant to do to the Russians: scare them into non-confrontation.

“We have you surrounded”, “We have so many spy satellites we need satellites to keep track of them”, we almost nuked you 20 years ago and changed our mind – but were too lazy to dismantle the rig”...

When Hell PR’s in charge of a testimony, little mention is made of the host of angels around a Believer; out of sight will be the overwhelming power of Resurrection on the Christian; up front and centre rather will be sophisticated demonic operations, complex rituals, terrible sprites and amazing creatures.

Beloved, it’s high time we weighed testimonies, visions and prophecies based on the edifying value of their content. They all must be about, centred on, and focused on Christ and His finished work on the Cross. Because as Rev 19:10 tells us, “the testimony of Jesus IS the spirit of prophecy.”

AMEN.

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

GREG ELKAN

A Divine Revelation of Heresy

God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar. – Rom 3:4

Throughout Church History, we’ve had genuine revelations and visions given to us by the Spirit to encourage and edify the Body. However, for each genuine prophecy there’re several bogus, Satan-inspired lies that seek to undermine the legitimacy of the Word of God and the Finished work of Christ.

Why do these lies thrive in Churches and among Christian circles? Because we either tolerate them or are reluctant to confront them because they talk about Hell, Heaven, or Holiness.

We find it hard to believe that people could lie through their teeth about God; or that Jesus could allow a demon to impersonate Him and speak in His name; or assume that it’s counterproductive for Satan to warn people about Hell.

Isn’t it interesting that though Paul prophesied deceptions in the Endtimes and also that Satan disguises himself as an “Angel of Light” (2Co 11:14; 1Tim 4:1) yet we don’t see this ‘Angel’ in the Church today? Is it possible that we missed him because he calls himself “Jesus” and has been appearing in visions to people all over the world?

Why should we confront every 'divine' revelation? 

-          Because there is no other “Divine” revelation other than the Bible (Rev 22:18),

-          Because we’re commanded in scripture to judge all things (1Th 5:21),

-          Because accepting a patently unbiblical revelation opens the door to satanic manipulation and doctrinal error in the Church (2Co 2:11),

-          Because we’re to look to the Word, not “revelations” to know the will of God (2Tim 3:16),

-          Because scripture itself is sufficient for the purpose of evangelism (2Tim 3:16),

-          Because Jesus Himself placed little value in their ability to change people (Luk 16:3),

-          Because these are the Last Days we were warned about in scripture (1Tim 4:1).

Beloved, 1Jn 4:1 says we should, “believe not every spirit, but test the spirits whether they are of God”.

When we maintain the practice of holding up every "Revelation" to the Word of God, we'll save both ourselves and also them that hear us (1Ti 4:16)

AMEN.

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

GREG ELKAN 

The Infernal Propaganda Machine

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. – 2Ti 3:1

We live in the age of information; the age of Google search engine, of “Facebook Live”... and of FAKE news. The audacity and impact of ‘Fake News’ today is nothing short of overwhelming. It has taken over the entire Internet and hardly a day passes without you receiving a ‘Fake News’ article on WhatsApp or Facebook. From bogus cures for cancer, to unfounded claims of the “7 Black presidents before Obama”, to posts about the deleterious effects of drinking cold water.

And while we’re at that, ‘Bishop Oyedepo’ and Pastors ‘Kumuyi’ and ‘Adeboye’ (with the occasional input from ‘Joyce Meyer’) never cease to send us lurid, salacious revelations and visions of Heaven, Hell, the Rapture, etc. just for you to forward to all of your contacts, lest you be considered a bonafide child of Satan.

‘Fake News’ and its religious cousin, ‘Fake Revelations’, are more than just harmless pranks by people preying on the fear, ignorance and prejudices of others; they’re marks of a demonic spirit of lies and falsehood being unleashed on the world today.

God is a God of Truth, (Dt 32:4; Ps 31:5); Jesus IS Truth and was full of Truth (Jn 14:6; 1:14); and the Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of Truth (Jn 14:17). The Devil, on the other hand, is not just a liar but the father of it; Jesus says when the Devil lies, “he speaks his native language” (Jn 8:44 NIV).

Therefore, when someone sits down in his room sending out “evangelism posts and prophecies” in the name of ‘Kumuyi’, expecting you to “share after you type ‘Amen’”, you can tell which spirit is indwelling that person.

Beloved, these are the Last Days of which the Apostle Paul warned about (1Tim 4:1). Many are “giving heed to deceitful spirits, and doctrines of demons” and calling it evangelism. We’re being inundated with lies all over that it’s hard to believe anything anymore; which is actually the object of it all: our Faith.

So, let’s be aware of this infernal propaganda machine, and guard our hearts with all diligence; for out of it (our hearts) are the issues of life. (Pro 4:23).

AMEN.

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

GREG ELKAN 

As Products of Grace

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. – Mat 5:7

Ruth exists only in Ruth. She’s mentioned nowhere else in scripture outside of her eponymous book... Except, of course, in Matthew, (Mt 1:5).

Considering that Matthew wrote his Gospel originally for Jews, it’s strange that he chose to include women in his list since Jews generally do not include women in their genealogies. And even stranger, instead of listing great Jewish matriarchs like Sarah, Rebecca or Rachael, all the listed women were gentile! Tamar, Rahab and Ruth were non-Jews; and the fourth, Bathsheba, was married to a Hittite and may even have been a gentile herself since her name had a Canaanite origin.

Far from concealing these despicables in Jesus’ bloodline, Matthew deliberately brings them to the fore in the outset of his Gospel; to emphasise that EVERYONE has a chance under God’s grace.

He should know, since he himself is a product of grace. Before Jesus chose him, Matthew was a tax collector, a profession so despicable that members were completely ostracized by the Jews from all religious and social events. To the Jews, “Tax collector” and “sinner” was one and the same thing (Lk 7:34; 15:1-2). Yet, by grace and grace alone, this tax collector’s name is eternally embedded in the foundation of the New Jerusalem in Heaven, (Rev 21:14)

This is why we can understand Boaz’s favour towards Ruth, a gentile woman living among Jews. Considering that he, too, was a product of grace – in the literal sense of the word.

Boaz was the son of Salmon, a Hebrew leader, and Rahab – the famed Canaanite harlot of Joshua 2! We wouldn’t have known this interesting fact but for our friend Matthew who points out in his genealogy that, “...Nahshon begat Salmon; And Salmon begat Boaz OF RAHAB” (Mat 1:4,5).

This is how it’s meant to be; products of grace should be the first to show it to others. When we’re conscious that we’re forgiven much, we’ll find ourselves being more gracious to others. The world should see that spirit of grace and mercy in us, and our actions should show glimpses of God’s love to them. As Products of Grace, let’s be conduits of grace to the hurting world around us. And the “God of all grace” will surely bless us as we do so in Jesus’ name.

AMEN.

GREG ELKAN