The Open Love Letter

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; – Col 3:16

We all typically say that the Bible is God’s final and complete revelation to humankind. In other words, God’s not going to say anything “new” outside of what’s written in Scripture. But think about the implication of that statement for a while. That means God’s personal message to you – all He has said and will ever say to you – is out there in the open for everyone to see; available in a billion copies and a thousand languages. That’s as comfortable as the general public going through your private emails every day.

But this is where, to those who have spent time with it, the supernatural nature of the Bible comes into play. Because the pages just seem to ‘speak’ only to the person reading it.

Does this then mean that the Bible contains esoteric, hidden codes lying just beneath the surface; only visible to those with secret knowledge? Is Psalm 23, when fully deconstructed with the mystical ‘eye’, actually a detailed description of the identity of your future wife (complete with eye colour, blood type and email address)?

NO.

The Revelation we get from the Word of God comes from our relationship with God Himself not calculation. Like notes exchanged between lovers, the import of each word is tied to their collective experience together.

People who resort to Gematria or other weird forms of word and number analysis in order to extract revelation from scripture only betray their distance from the Author of Scripture. The message of Christ is characterised by its simplicity. Complex, convoluted scriptural deductions, on the other hand, are hallmarks of the Deceiver (2Co 11:3).

So, pick up the Bible – God’s billet-doux to you and read it for yourself. As long as you’re His Sheep, you will hear His voice speaking through the pages to you directly and personally.

AMEN.

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

Read It For Yourself

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; – Col 3:16

Any Believer who has conscientiously read through the Bible will admit that there’re certain areas in the Bible that their pastor has never preached on, and most likely will never preach. This isn’t because those areas contain hot-potato, contentious doctrines, but because they quite frankly don’t have broad enough relevance to warrant a full blown sermon to a whole congregation.

There’re times, when reading the Bible, that you find a message so directly relevant and apposite to you and your situation that you have no doubt that that word was meant for you. Nevertheless, such Bible “lessons” may not be something a preacher would want to devote a 60-minute sermon to; not only because it’d be a real chore to stretch such a single thread of thought out in a homily but because it’s significance and relevance will probably be lost to most of the persons in his congregation.

Other times, a truth is skipped because its message is so basic that it’ll border on insulting the intelligence of the audience to mention it. For example, that Jesus spoke to Mary audibly may be an important message in somebody’s personal study but a preacher who tries to make a message out of that will come across as either theologically desperate, or homiletically unimaginative.

Restaurants typically only serve meals that cater to the broadest section of the eating public; however you’ll agree that the real magic of food – the part where it’s more than a sum of all the constituting ingredients – can only be found in the home kitchen. In the same vein, the real sparkle of Scripture – that part that makes it so beautiful, so powerful, so life-transforming and relevant – is usually only discovered when you’ve made it a habit to read it for yourself.

AMEN.

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

Let It be “Richly”

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; – Col 3:16

It’s almost impossible for a Believer living in the free world today to be without the Word of God. Apart from the regular doses of sermons from the pastor, we have Bible Studies lessons, Sunday school classes, etc. Outside of church we still hear the word on the radio, on dedicated Christian channels, on the Internet and on Social Media (including our beloved WhatsApp).

But the preponderance of the word around us does not automatically mean we’re feeding healthily. Just as a toddler cannot be sustained perpetually by mama’s milk alone, we cannot leave our spiritual nourishment to publicly-distributed messages.

The Apostle Paul tells us in Col 3:16 that the Word should dwell in us “RICHLY”. That means our hearts should be so full of it that it becomes its defining characteristic.

So, eat the Word for yourself daily. Lay it thick, gorge on it, and make sure you’re fully stuffed with it. And as you do, your progress will appear to all (1Ti 4:15).

AMEN.

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

NPP: Revisiting “Justification”

“The fundamental doctrinal tenets of Christianity, namely that Christ is God ‘born in the flesh’, that his sacrificial death atones for the sins of humankind, and that his resurrection from the dead guarantees eternal life to all who believe, can be traced back to Paul – not to Jesus”. –  Prof. James D. Tabor

“(It’s) legal fiction… Righteousness is not an object, a substance or a gas which can be passed across the courtroom.” – N. T. Wright

It’s amazing the amount of Believers, even leaders, who have no proper understanding of the most basic element of their Faith – Justification. They’ll go for seminars on Wealth Creation, stock books on Success, and even boast of being well-versed on the doctrine of Prayer. But they have no grounding on the very foundation on which every other spiritual endeavour stands on.

What is Justification?

Justification is the English translation of the Greek, dik-ah'-yo-sis. It’s a patently forensic, legal term that refers to total, absolute acquittal: it’s a judicial proclamation of “Not guilty as charged”.

This legal aspect – one that Satan’s agents (as evidenced from our two opening quotes) seem so interested in attacking – is vital. When a criminal is acquitted in a court of law by a judge, his acquittal is not based on his feelings or emotions. Much more importantly, it’s not based on the opinion of the court bailiff. Once you’re acquitted you are acquitted. 

Contrary to what some Bible teachers say, Justification does not mean God deals with the Believer “JUST AS IF” he or she has no sin, (that’s using English puns to teach doctrine). Justification means God deals with the Believer BECAUSE they have no sin!

Justification is not a parent overlooking a child’s error; it’s a Righteous Judge identifying the real object of punishment – CHRIST. As 2Co 5:21 says, God made Jesus, “who knew no sin, to be sin for us; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” There’s only one sinner in God’s courtroom.

As we round up this week’s discourse on “Following the Fire”, let’s thank the non-believing Prof. Tabor for helping us crystalize (in his words) “The fundamental doctrinal tenets of Christianity”:

Christ is God ‘born in the flesh’. || His sacrificial death atones for the sins of humankind. || And His Resurrection guarantees eternal life to all who believe,”

HALLELUJAH!!!

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

About the “New Perspective on Paul” (NPP)

This is the man, that teaches all men everywhere against the people, and the law, and this place. – Acts 21:28

After Christ, Paul’s undoubtedly the 2nd most influential person in Christianity. So it’s only natural, in a culture where it’s become self-defeating to attack Jesus directly, that he bears the brunt of the various attacks on Christianity.

Today, Jewish, Muslim and secular/humanist scholars (three groups that normally do not see eye to eye) have formed a united front of sustained, systematic attack on the person, motives and philosophy of Paul.

This attack, one that aims to review Paul and his teachings, is broadly termed “The New Perspective on Paul (NPP).” The NPP is a growing branch of scholarship that maintains that what we call “Christianity” today, is not the product of Jesus and His original disciples but is the invention of Saul of Tarsus, a converted Pharisee that brought in his own philosophies to turn the Faith into an apocalyptic religion unrecognisable to the original adherents.

At the core of the NPP is either the refutation of Paul’s doctrine of justification by Grace alone through Faith alone (and NOT by Works). Or the claim that Christians have misunderstood what Paul meant by those terms. Nevertheless, contrary to what its name implies, there’s nothing “New” about the NPP. The NPP is only a modern, scholarly re-presentation of the sustained attack on Paul that started right from his moment of conversion.

As seen above, the major proponents of the NPP are not your typical Believers; yet many Christians, even Pastors, are gradually acquiescing to the this attempt to dismantle the very foundation of our Faith.

Why are people outside the Church at the front of the war against the doctrine of Justification? Because Justification is the ONLY way sinful Man can be saved. Satan knows that if he can introduce an added requirement for salvation – in whatever guise – our hope of eternal salvation is lost. Christianity will then join the ranks of other world religions: teaching morality and hoping it’ll be good enough on Judgment Day.

But Paul – the real Paul of scripture, not the intellectually gratifying phantom they talk about – is unbending on this issue. He insists that God’s righteousness is revealed by and only through FAITH. Because “as it is written, THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH” (Rom 1:16,17). 

AMEN.

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

Shooting the Messenger: John and His Odd Gospel

This disciple was an eyewitness of these things and wrote them down... – John 21:24 (GW)

The Apostle John is responsible for 5 New Testament books – his Gospel, 3 epistles and the Apocalypse (book of Revelation).  Evidently the youngest of the Twelve, he was dear to Jesus’ heart, and to ours – apparently. We call him “the Beloved Disciple” or simply “John the Beloved”.  “John” is also the second most popular name in Christendom, and in 1923, a whopping 5% of all babies born in the U.S. were named “John”!

Critics of Christianity, however, do not share this sentimental, romanticised view of John. His Gospel is so loathed that it’s mostly dismissed as a source document in academic quests for the historical Jesus. This is quite revealing considering that John provides us with rich historical information about Jesus and 1st century Palestine that the other Gospels do not. For example, it’s because of John –and only John – that we know Jesus’ ministry lasted for at least 3 years.

The Gospel of John is unique in its clear portrayal of the divinity of Christ, its strong emphasis on the availability of eternal life and security to Believers, here and now, and its extended passages on the Person of the Holy Spirit.

By Following the Fire you can see from the above why the world would try to discredit him. They would rather have us see Jesus as a charismatic Rabbi who was prosecuted by the authorities for his radical, revolutionary “Kingdom” message than as God come in human flesh to die for man’s sins.

To their chagrin, John’s Gospel contains no parables, few kingdom teachings and no pronouncement stories. They want us to see a Jesus who was executed for preaching universal love, John shows us a Jesus who could not be arrested by armed soldiers but willingly laid down His life for the Sheep. They wanted another great Teacher, John gives them the only Way!

This is why he’s hated. Uncomfortable with the Message, they decide to shoot the Messenger. But John’s Gospel is only odious to those who hate the Truth; for us who believe, however, he provides us comfort, hope and eternal assurance (Jn 3:19-20; 5:24).

AMEN.

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

The Twin Villains of Christianity

They abhor him that speaks uprightly. – Amos 5:10

It’s no longer fashionable to attack Jesus. The days when scholars distinguish themselves by their diatribe against the “founder” of Christianity seem to be over. Islamic clerics and scholars are increasingly emphasising the distinguished status the Quran accords al-Masih (Arabic “Messiah”); and remind us that Jesus is “the most mentioned person in the Quran”. Secular humanists in the meanwhile are freely admitting the foolishness of denying that Jesus ever existed or that he was a great charismatic teacher.

The attack on Christianity has now been shifted from Christ, to the founding Christians – those who allegedly changed the glorious, revolutionary message of Christ into an utterly objectionable religious movement. Critics of Christianity have taken the Mahatma Gandhi approach to the problem: “There is nothing wrong with Christianity, the trouble is with you Christians”; (or, “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians”).

At the fore of the list of hated original Believers are the apostles John and Paul. The writings of these two men form the core of Christian theology. Paul gives us the most systematic delineation of “Justification by Faith” and John is responsible for our clearest understanding of the divinity of Jesus, the summary of the Gospel message, and the exclusivity of our Faith (Rom 4-8; Jn 1:1; 3:16; 14:6).

It’s no wonder then why the “fire” of the world (the ad hominem attacks, the refutations, the slander, etc.) is always trained on them. If we remove their books from scripture, what we'll have left is just another nice religion; a Christianity of rites, rituals, hymns, prayers and teachings on morality… but one that has no power to save the soul or regenerate the spirit.

So take the hint, Beloved, and “Follow the Fire”: for you to know what Christianity is all about, you need to be grounded in the writings of John and Paul.

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

Follow the Fire

Why do the nations rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? – Ps 2:1

In Gen 3:15, the LORD prophesied that an offspring of Eve (the Messiah) shall destroy the Serpent. But how can one identify this “seed of the woman” out of the millions and billions of people that eventually descended from Eve? One way of identifying Him is through a method I call, “Following the Fire”.

Using this method, all one needs to do is observe the people group, or family that are suffering the most vicious, recurring attack on their existence.

From the inexplicable barrenness of the biologically unrelated wives of the Patriarchs; to the ordered killing of all Hebrew infant males in Egypt; to the enforced mixed breeding of the Northern Kingdom of Israel with other races by the Assyrians; down to King Herod’s massacre of all boys two years and below in an attempt to get just one child… it’s easy to follow the fire of the attacks of the Serpent to identify where the Messiah will likely emerge from.

This method is also very useful when you want to identify key, most vital doctrines of the Bible. All you have to do is “Follow the Fire” of attacks on scripture. Wherever the attack is focused on, the more likely it contains something fundamental to faith.  

When it comes to the doctrine of the Trinity, for example, the attack is always focused on the Son (how many books against the Holy Spirit have you seen?). When it’s the life of Jesus, the cannonade is generally trained on the Crucifixion. (The Secularists love His parables and the Muslims adore His miraculous life… but say He died and rose again, and the smiles disappear).

“Following the Fire” can be a very fulfilling exercise; because it means the Devil has done all the thematic background study of the Bible for you and has highlighted the “Essential Areas” for you to focus your time on.

So from now, whenever you see a particular verse, Bible character or doctrine attracting an unusual amount of press among people who are clearly not Believers, you know you really need to pause and look at it/them more closely again. Chances are, you’ll discover a treasure trove of revelation that the Enemy is trying to discredit long before you stumbled on it.

AMEN.

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

An Oft-Disregarded Reason For Prophecy

...that you by them might war a good warfare. – 1Ti 1:18

There’s a paradox that we often miss about genuine, Bible-based prophecies; which is that Doom prophecies are actually good news and Feel-good prophecies are, well, you’ll understand.

There’s a purpose for every prophecy. In the Old Testament, when God says, “You’re dead”, it usually means “I don’t want you to die” (hence the advance notice). For example, Abimelech, the pagan king that hijacked Sarah, was told those very words, yet survived and was even prayed for by Abraham (Gen 20).

Tacitly implied in every biblical prophecy of doom is a glimmer of hope that the sensitive listener’s meant to grasp. Hezekiah (who Prophet Isaiah expressly told was going to die, 2Ki 20:1-11) and the Ninevites (who Jonah prophesied would be overthrown in 40 days, Jon 3) both understood this principle of divine prophecy and lived well beyond the prophesied deadlines.

Eli the Priest, (who’s expected to know better), missed this aspect of doom prophecy and told God to do what He promised to do (and as expected, the prophesied evils all came to pass, 1Sam 3:11-18).

On the flipside, biblical positive prophecies are not necessarily meant to make us feel good, but, as Paul tells Timothy in anchor verse, meant to  arm us with weapons with which we might “war a good warfare” (1Tim 1:18). When God tells you it’s going to be a sunny day, you need to be aware that it’s probably because the enemy has dark clouds planed for you.

So what do you do when you receive a positive word from God? You keep repeating and affirming it no matter what contrary situation arises. Use those New Year prophecies, prayers, confessions and affirmations you’ve loaded up to fight. Maintain your confession through the year. As the GNB renders 1Tim 1:18, “Use those words as weapons in order to fight well.” And as Paul said in Act 27:25, the year shall be even as it was prophesied to you.

AMEN.

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

It’s What YOU Say!

What sayest thou of thyself? – John 1:22

Mat 21:21-22 states, “If YOU shall say unto this mountain, ‘Be  removed, and be cast into the sea’; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever YOU shall ask in prayer, believing, YOU shall receive.”

This verse seems to remind us that the manifestations in your life depends on around what YOU say, and not what someone else says.

We’ve previously outlined the limitedness of a Pastor’s or Man of God’s declarations over your life. Firstly, because under the New Testament, we all share the same priesthood before God; but much more importantly, as a free moral agent, no man can impose their wishes on your life. The key to receiving the blessings in those prayers is the “AMEN” we say at the end of it. We’re effectively saying, “So be it”, or “I approve what was just said”. It’s what YOU say that Jesus said will come to pass, not what THEY say.

Why is this point important? Because when other people say negative things about us we sometimes panic as though their mere proclamations are final. Experts and professionals may have given you gloomy news; but our Lord said you’re going to have what YOU say, not what they say. Unfortunately, however, we often give those negative statements our tacit “Amen” when we either agree with them or panic at their words (since we ‘know’ they’re right).

Beloved, when the angelic being came to Daniel in Babylon, he said “I am come because of YOUR words.” (Dan 10:12). Yes, God knows what the doctor said, or what the Financial Times economic forecast said, or what that Child Safety expert said, etc. but what YOU say is what He’s concerned about.

Declare God’s Word over your life. Like Abraham, do not stagger at God’s promises through unbelief, but be strong in faith, (Rom 4:19,20) “And all things, whatsoever YOU shall ask in prayer, believing, YOU shall receive.”

AMEN.

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

Bring Out Your LEGO Set

All things are lawful for me, but all things edify not. – 1Co 10:23

Mark 11:23, the oft-quoted verse on faith, has the act of speaking appearing FOUR times:  “For verily I SAY unto you, 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.

These four occurrences of “SAY” are actually two separate words in the Greek: LEGO and EPO. EPO relates closely to our English “speak” or “say”, but LEGO is much more interesting. It means to “lay” forth or relate your words in a systematic or orderly way, (as opposed to just random talk or yakking).

LEGO, in case the term sounds familiar to you, is also the name of the line of plastic construction toys that consists of colourful interlocking plastic bricks. Lego pieces can be assembled and connected in many ways to construct objects; vehicles, buildings, working robots, etc. Anything created can then be taken apart again, and the pieces used to make other objects. (LEGO is also, incidentally, the current “World's most powerful brand”).

Now, although the Greek word LEGO has no relation to the toy LEGO (the latter's name is Danish for “play well”), it’s hard to ignore the appositeness of that word to our faith life. Just as the LEGO toy consists of little building blocks which are fitted together to make structures, our LEGO words – the systematically arranged or declared words we speak in our life – determine the edifices we’ll end up with in life.

This goes beyond not lying, cussing or gossiping; Paul says in 1Co 10:23, “All things are lawful for me, but all things do not EDIFY”. The last word there (from which we get “Edifice”) in the Greek means “to BUILD UP”. Even a child playing with a LEGO set quickly learns that there’s a proper way to attach the bricks if anything constructive is to be achieved. Similarly, we must learn to be conscious and deliberate with our words – LEGOing, as opposed to yakking – because the things we say regularly have spiritual significance.

We each have a LEGO set handed over to us, our mouths; and what we make of it is left to us. Some would end up with a heap of coloured plastic blocks lying at their feet at the end of the day; while others would have a beautiful edifice of a life – constructed out of the deliberate, love-based and faith-filled words that they speak around them every day.

SELAH.

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

The Miracle is in YOUR Mouth

There’s an interesting faith lesson to learn from Eugene Peterson’s rendition of Rom 10:6-8. It states, “Trusting God to shape the right living in us is a different story… The word that saves is right here, as near as the tongue in your mouth, as close as the heart in your chest. It’s the word of faith that welcomes God to go to work and set things right for us. This is the core of our preaching.” – Rom 10:6-8 (MSG)

“The word that saves is right here…”

I believe in Anointing Services and Miracle Vigils; there’s also a place for the laying on of hands by a Man of God or receiving prophetic declarations. But when it comes to your miracle, when it comes to (as Peterson puts it) “trusting God to shape the right living in us”, the scriptures clearly explains it’s not something that is out there, but something that’s with you, “as near as the tongue in your mouth”.

You must speak what you want in your life and not expect others to do it for you. Prayers and fastings are good, but what you’re saying is important. Anointing oils and kerchiefs are great, but nothing trumps what you’re saying.

Your general words, what you’re sayING  – at the office, at dinner, to your friends, etc. – shape your life more than what you say at prayer times and confessions, etc. because they’re better indicators of the state of your heart.

Beloved, as the year begins in earnest and the festivity spirit wears out, you’ll need to watch out for the temptation to start confessing negative words about the state of the economy, your health, your job, your family, etc. God was well aware of those issues before you entered the year and reiterating them in your life is not the solution.

The word that should come out of your mouth is “the word that saves”:, Again as Peterson puts it, “It’s THE WORD OF FAITH that welcomes God to go to work and set things right for us.” (Rom 10:6-8 MSG)

AMEN.

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

A Year of Good Things

…let us hold fast our confession [of faith in Him]. – Heb 4:14 (AMP)

Greetings Beloved, and a Happy New Years to you.

I congratulate you for making it to yet another year of hope, potential, and prosperity. I am persuaded that this year is going to be the year for you. It’s not going to come and go, you’ll not have to rationalise your achievements. You’ll not barely survive, this year you will thrive and soar. This year will produce bountiful harvests for you in Jesus’ name!

I declare Amos 9:13 over your life: “Things are going to happen so fast your head will swim, one thing fast on the heels of the other. You won't be able to keep up. Everything will be happening at once – and everywhere you look, blessings! Blessings like wine pouring off the mountains and hills.” (MSG).

Amen and Amen.

Beloved, begin the year by saying the right words – God’s word – over your life. And as the year proceeds continue to say God’s words over your life. Your faith isn’t exhibited in the confession, it’s exhibited in the continuation of your confession. Through thick or thin, hot or cold, rain or shine… regardless of the external circumstance, make it your goal to maintain your confession. And like the boy Samuel, (1Sa 3:19), your word will not fall to the ground in Jesus name.

Happy New Year once again, from my heart to yours.

I’m honoured by your commitment to this devotional, and my prayer is that it continues to be a blessing to you and yours in Jesus name.

GREG ELKAN