Why we can't earn righteousness !

(Galatians 3:1 ) ‘O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?’
 
Paul was so overwhelmed that the Galatians had rejected the grace of Christ for legalism, he was saying that they must be crazy. The Jerusalem Bible says, “Are you people in Galatia mad?” Paul was making no attempt to be polite. He was making it clear that their actions were insane. At best, legalism is stupid, and at worst, it’s crazy.

Paul was saying that the Galatians’ actions defied logic. There had to be demonic deception involved to turn them from the grace of Christ to legalism. The Living Bible says, “What magician has hypnotized you and cast an evil spell upon you?”This was Paul “taking off the gloves.” He was blasting these people with all he had, leaving no room for compromise. He was doing this because he loved them. Many people would not agree with Paul’s harshness, but there’s a time for tough love. Confrontation should never be relished, but it should not always be avoided either. There are some heaven-and-hell issues that need to be pressed, regardless of the outcome. Paul viewed legalism as one of those issues.

Paul had depicted the atonement of Christ so vividly to the Galatians that it was as if they were present at His crucifixion. How could they turn from the message that Christ paid it all to a message that put the burden of salvation on their backs?If we truly understand the message of the cross, then we understand grace. Jesus didn’t just make a token sacrifice for us. He paid it all. There’s no sacrifice that we can make that will add to or replace the sacrifice of Christ. Preaching that our own holiness is required to receive from God is voiding the sacrifice of Christ (Galatians 2:21).

Therefore, Paul was saying that anyone who has had a clear presentation of the Gospel of Christ, as these Galatians had, and then turns away from that grace back to works  is foolish and deceived by the devil.He was the one who shared the Gospel with these Galatians. He knew they received the Spirit by grace, because that’s how he ministered it to them. Here, he reminded them of that in chapter 2. The obvious answer to this question is that faith alone produced the dramatic change in them. If they started by faith, how could they be so forgetful to think that they had to earn the favor of God?

Colosians 2:6 says, “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him.” That means if you were saved by grace through faith (Eph 2:8), then that’s the way you should continue to walk with the Lord. Yet it is a common mistake for people who come to the Lord “Just as I am, without one plea” to fall back into the deception that they have to be holy enough for the Lord to answer their prayers. That’s inconsistent, and it’s what Paul was pointing out here.

We often extend grace to the drunks or prostitutes who are not born again. We tell them of God’s love and how He wants to help them. But let them get born again and then sin again, and the very people who told them how much God loved them before they were saved will now damn them to hell for the slightest infraction. If that was really the way things were, those sinners would be better off to wait until their last breaths to receive salvation so that God would keep loving them. That is not the gospel. We are not saved by grace then maintained by works (see Galatians 2:16).It takes a radical revelation of the Gospel of grace to abandon faith in the works of the Law. God’s standard of righteousness is the righteousness of God alone.

Feel free to contact us; to let us know of your decision to follow Christ, we shall be glad to hear from you.Plus, we shall send you a free salvation package to help you begin your journey with Jesus.

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Gifted Divine Christian Ministries

P.0.BOX 28894 Kampala,Uganda

www.gifteddivineministries.wordpress.com

www.gifteddivine.blogspot.com

Confidence in God’s Care And Love

 Psalms 23:1  ¶ The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2  He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3  He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4  Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5  Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

"The Lord is my shepherd." In these words, the believer is taught to express his satisfaction in the care of the great Pastor of the universe, the Redeemer and Preserver of men. With joy he reflects that he has a shepherd, and that shepherd is Jehovah. A flock of sheep, gentle and harmless, feeding in verdant pastures, under the care of a skillful, watchful, and tender shepherd, forms an emblem of believers brought back to the Shepherd of their souls. 

The greatest abundance is but a dry pasture to a wicked man, who relishes in it only what pleases the senses; but to a godly man, who by faith tastes the goodness of God in all his enjoyments, though he has but little of the world, it is a green pasture. The Lord gives quiet and contentment in the mind, whatever the lot is. Are we blessed with the green pastures of the ordinances, let us not think it enough to pass through them, but let us abide in them. The consolations of the Holy Spirit are the still waters by which the saints are led; the streams which flow from the Fountain of living waters. 

Those only are led by the still waters of comfort, who walk in the paths of righteousness. The way of duty is the truly pleasant way. The work of righteousness in peace. In these paths we cannot walk, unless. God lead us into them, and lead us on in them. Discontent and distrust proceed from unbelief; an unsteady walk is the consequence: let us then simply trust our Shepherd's care, and hearken to his voice.

The valley of the shadow of death may denote the most severe and terrible affliction, or dark dispensation of providence, that the psalmist ever could come under. Between the part of the flock on earth and that which is gone to heaven, death lies like a dark valley that must be passed in going from one to the other. But even in this there are words which lessen the terror. It is but the shadow of death: the shadow of a serpent will not sting, nor the shadow of a sword kill. It is a valley, deep indeed, and dark, and miry; but valleys are often fruitful, and so is death itself fruitful of comforts to God's people. It is a walk through it: they shall not be lost in this valley, but get safe to the mountain on the other side. Death is a king of terrors, but not to the sheep of Christ. When they come to die, God will rebuke the enemy; he will guide them with his rod, and sustain them with his staff. There is enough in the gospel to comfort the saints when dying, and underneath them are the everlasting arms. The Lord's people feast at his table, upon the provisions of his love. Satan and wicked men are not able to destroy their comforts, while they are anointed with the Holy Spirit, and drink of the cup of salvation which is ever full.

Past experience teaches believers to trust that the goodness and mercy of God will follow them all the days of their lives, and it is their desire and determination, to seek their happiness in the service of God here, and they hope to enjoy his love for ever in heaven. While here, the Lord can make any situation pleasant, by the anointing of his Spirit and the joys of his salvation. But those that would be satisfied with the blessings of his house, must keep close to the duties of it.

Feel free to contact us; to let us know of your decision to follow Christ, we shall be glad to hear from you.Plus, we shall send you a free salvation package to help you begin your journey with Jesus.

Click here for more information on how to support our work!  

Gifted Divine Christian Ministries
P.0.BOX 28894 K’la,Uganda
www.gifteddivineministries.wordpress.com
www.gifteddivine.blogspot.com
Tel: +256757772952

THE WORD IS NEAR YOU!

Rom. 10:5-11. 

(5) For Moses says that the man who does the righteousness which is of the law will get life by it.

(6) But the righteousness which is of faith says these words, Say not in your heart, Who will go up to heaven? (that is, to make Christ come down:)

(7)Or, Who will go down into the deep? (that is, to make Christ come again from the dead:)

(8) But what does it say? The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart: that is, the word of faith of which we are the preachers:

(9)  Because, if you say with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and have faith in your heart that God has made him come back from the dead, you will have salvation:

(10)  For with the heart man has faith to get righteousness, and with the mouth he says that Jesus is Lord to get salvation.

(11)  Because it is said in the holy Writings, Whoever has faith in him will not be shamed.( Basic English Version Bible)

The self-condemned sinner need not perplex himself how this righteousness may be found. When we speak of looking upon Christ, and receiving, and feeding upon him, it is not Christ in heaven, nor Christ in the deep, that we mean; but Christ in the promise, Christ offered in the word. Justification by faith in Christ is a plain doctrine. It is brought before the mind and heart of every one, thus leaving him without excuse for unbelief. If a man confessed faith in Jesus, as the Lord and Savior of lost sinners, and really believed in his heart that God had raised him from the dead, thus showing that he had accepted the atonement, he should be saved by the righteousness of Christ, imputed to him through faith. But no faith is justifying which is not powerful in sanctifying the heart, and regulating all its affections by the love of Christ. We must devote and give up to God our souls and our bodies: our souls in believing with the heart, and our bodies in confessing with the mouth. The believer shall never have cause to repent his confident trust in the Lord Jesus. Of such faith no sinner shall be ashamed before God; and he ought to glory in it before men.

Feel free to contact us; to let us know of your decision to follow Christ, we shall be glad to hear from you. Plus, we shall send you a free salvation package to help you begin your journey with Jesus.

Gifted Divine Ministries International

P. O. Box 28894 Kampala,Uganda

www.gifteddivine.blogspot.com

www.gifteddivineministries.wordpress.com

gifteddivine@gmail.com

Jesus Christ - The Person

Je'sus, the proper, as Christ is the official, name of our Lord. To distinguish him from others so called, he is spoken of as "Jesus of Nazareth" (John 18:7), and "Jesus the son of Joseph" (John 6:42).

This is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua, which was originally Hoshea (Num. 13:8, 16), but changed by Moses into Jehoshua (Num. 13:16; 1 Chr. 7:27), or Joshua. After the Exile it assumed the form Jeshua, whence the Greek form Jesus. It was given to our Lord to denote the object of his mission, to save (Matt. 1:21).

Christ, meaning anointed, the Greek translation of the Hebrew word rendered "Messiah" (q.v.), the official

title of our Lord, occurring five hundred and fourteen times in the New Testament. It denotes that he was anointed or consecrated to his great redemptive work as Prophet, Priest, and King of his people. He is Jesus the Christ (Acts 17:3; 18:5; Matt. 22:42), the Anointed One. He is thus spoken of by Isaiah (61:1), and by Daniel (9:24-26), who styles him "Messiah the Prince."

The Messiah is the same person as "the seed of the woman" (Gen. 3:15), "the seed of Abraham" (Gen. 22:18), the "Prophet like unto Moses" (Deut. 18:15), "the priest after the order of Melchizedek" (Ps. 110:4), "the rod out of the stem of Jesse" (Isa. 11:1, 10), the "Immanuel," the virgin's son (Isa. 7:14), "the branch of Jehovah" (Isa. 4:2), and "the messenger of the covenant" (Mal. 3:1). This is he "of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did write." The Old Testament Scripture is full of prophetic declarations regarding the Great Deliverer and the work he was to accomplish. Jesus the Christ is Jesus the Great Deliverer, the Anointed One, the Saviour of men. This name denotes that Jesus was divinely appointed, commissioned, and accredited as the Saviour of men (Heb. 5:4; Isa. 11:2-4; 49:6; John 5:37; Acts 2:22).

To believe that "Jesus is the Christ" is to believe that he is the Anointed, the Messiah of the prophets, the Saviour sent of God, that he was, in a word, what he claimed to be. This is to believe the gospel, by the faith of which alone men can be brought unto God (Acts 4:12). That Jesus is the Christ is the testimony of God, and the faith of this constitutes a Christian (1 Cor. 12:3; 1 John 5:1).

The life of Jesus on earth may be divided into two great periods, (1) that of his private life, till he was about thirty years of age; and (2) that of his public life, which lasted about three years.

In the "fullness of time" he was born at Bethlehem, in the reign of the emperor Augustus, of Mary, who was betrothed to Joseph, a carpenter (Matt. 1:1; Luke 3:23; comp. John 7:42). His birth was announced to the shepherds (Luke 2:8-20). Wise men from the east came to Bethlehem to see him who was born "King of the Jews," bringing gifts with them (Matt. 2:1-12). Herod's cruel jealousy led to Joseph's flight into Egypt with Mary and the infant Jesus, where they tarried till the death of this king (Matt. 2:13-23), when they returned and settled in Nazareth, in Lower Galilee (2:23; comp. Luke 4:16; John 1:46, etc.). At the age of twelve years he went up to Jerusalem to the Passover with his parents. There, in the temple, "in the midst of the doctors," all that heard him were "astonished at his understanding and answers" (Luke 2:41, etc.).

Eighteen years pass, of which we have no record beyond this, that he returned to Nazareth and "increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man" (Luke 2:52).

He entered on his public ministry when he was about thirty years of age. It is generally reckoned to have extended to about three years. "Each of these years had peculiar features of its own. (1.) The first year may be called the year of obscurity, both because the records of it which we possess are very scanty, and because he seems during it to have been only slowly emerging into public notice. It was spent for the most part in Judea. (2.) The second year was the year of public favour, during which the country had become thoroughly aware of him; his activity was incessant, and his frame rang through the length and breadth of the land. It was almost wholly passed in Galilee. (3.) The third was the year of opposition, when the public favour ebbed away. His enemies multiplied and assailed him with more and more pertinacity, and at last he fell a victim to their hatred. The first six months of this final year were passed in Galilee, and the last six in other parts of the land.", Stalker's Life of Jesus Christ, p. 45.

The only reliable sources of information regarding the life of Christ on earth are the Gospels, which present in historical detail the words and the work of Christ in so many different aspects.

Compiled by: David Ssekamwa

Sources:  King James Version Bible

Gifted Divine Ministries International

 P.0.BOX 28894 K’la,Uganda

Email: gifteddivine@gmail.com

www.gifteddivineministries.wordpress.com

www.gifteddivine.blogspot.com

We need Mercy - Not Justice !

Romans 10:5 
‘For Moses describes the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which does  those things shall live by them’.(King James Version)In verses 5-9, Paul contrasts those who seek righteousness by the law with those who seek the righteousness of God as a gift. Those who seek to earn righteousness through keeping the law are consumed with “doing” (this verse), while those who receive righteousness by faith are simply confessing what has already been done (v. 9). (Read: Romans 10:3 ‘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’)

This is a simple and yet profound difference. If we are still “doing” acts of holiness to get God to move in our lives, then we are still operating under a “law” mentality that is not faith (Gal. 3:12). When we simply believe and confess what has already been provided through Christ, then that’s grace. A person who is living under the law and a person who lives under grace should have very similar actions of holiness, but their motivations are completely opposite. The legalist has his attention on what he must do, while the person living by faith has his attention on what Christ has already done for him.

For instance, the scriptures teach us to confess with our mouth and believe with our heart and we will receive from God (Rom. 10:9-10; Mk. 11:23-24, etc.). The legalist thinks, “That means I can get God to heal me by confessing ‘By his stripes I am healed.’” However, the person who understands God’s grace will not confess the Word to get healed. He will confess, “By his stripes I am healed,” because he really believes it has already been done.Analyzing our “mind set” is the simplest way of discerning whether we are operating in true Bible faith or a legalistic counterfeit. If the motive for our actions is to be accepted with God, then that’s legalism. If we live holy out of faith and gratefulness for what God has already done, then that’s grace.

This quote from Moses is intended to illustrate the harshness of living by the Old Testament law. Paul quotes this same Old Testament passage in Galatians 3:12, and so does Nehemiah in Nehemiah 9:29. In each case, the context clearly reveals that the writer was quoting this verse to speak of the negative effects of living by the law. Leviticus 18:5 says that once a man starts trying to fulfill the law to earn righteousness, he will have to subsist, or remain alive, by his continued adherence to the precepts of that law. In other words, once you decide to “earn” right standing with God, then God is going to give you what you deserve. The thing that is dreadfully wrong with this thought is that no one really deserves righteousness. We don’t need justice. We need mercy!

This is what Paul is communicating through quoting this scripture from Leviticus. Trying to achieve righteousness by keeping the law doesn’t bring peace because it puts the burden of salvation on our shoulders. In contrast, salvation by grace through faith places the burden on Jesus, and allows us to walk free. There is still hope-if you begin to live by grace today and remember Jesus is Lord!!!

If you’d like to receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior, just say the prayer below.

My Lord and my God, have mercy upon my soul, a sinner; I believe that Jesus Christ is the son of the living God (John 3:16).I believe that he died on the cross and shed his precious blood for the forgiveness of all my sins (Luke 23:33). I believe that God raised Jesus from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit and that he sits on the right hand of God at this moment, Hearing my confession of sin and this prayer.
I open up the door of my heart and i invite you into my heart , Lord Jesus , wash all my filthy sins away in the precious blood that you shed in my place on the cross at Calvary .You will not turn me away  , you will forgive my sins and save my soul because your word says so.I know that you’ve heard me , I know that you’ve answered me and i know that am saved . Thank you Jesus,for saving my soul.

 Feel free to contact us; to let us know of your decision to follow Christ, we shall be glad to hear from you.Plus, we shall send you a free salvation package to help you begin your journey with Jesus.

Gifted Divine Ministries
P.0.BOX 28894 K’la,Uganda
www.gifteddivineministries.wordpress.com
www.gifteddivine.blogspot.com
Tel: +256757772952

A REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST !

The Lord first visited me in 2003 and called me into salvation after He showed me how greatly I needed to take him as my savior, In this revelation, the Lord Jesus spoke to me and told me not to consider being under religious groups any more but to strictly follow and obey him alone .I will be sharing this particular testimony some time later but at this moment, I want to share with you a vision of my calling into ministry.

In 2006, while in my room just after a long prayer day – I got a vision while I was in a strange place (these visions usually begun while am sleeping but as it would continue to unfold, I would find my self sitting while seeing the continuation of the vision) back to the vision – While in this place, a vehicle that looked like a passenger van /school van came from one direction of the road and parked on one side of the road. From the side of the driver’s seat  there came a man and as He came out before any thing else I  heard voices of worship to him and through them I got to know that He was Jesus  ‘ the Christ’.

Another man came out from the other front seat and I heard Jesus referring to him as prophet Jeremiah of the Old Testament. He was standing next to Jesus, Now He (Jesus) touched him as well as speaking some words, and there He gave Jeremiah power to speak in many languages of the nations of the world .Jesus then told Jeremiah to come over to me and touch my tongue and he did so , then I saw close to me eight other young men  whom he also touched .

After that Jesus moved over to me  and told me ‘ Go now and wash your  clothes because it is you that am sending tomorrow ‘  - I followed this instruction and washed my clothes and as I was going to lay them some where to dry  He spoke to me saying ‘ Look , don’t  place your clothes on those thorns  , find a better place’ , and I did just that. Shortly after , when the clothes had dried  , I got them out , prepared  my self and got into this van with the other young men , Prophet Jeremiah in one of the front seats and Jesus (in the driver’s seat).From here the van headed to some place where  Jesus said we had an assignment to accomplish and there it ended , the last section of this vision unfolded while my eyes were wide open-sitting on my bed .

This brought about many questions in my mind and when I asked God to come clear this whole thing , He spoke to me about 16 hours from the time I got that vision and said ‘ Son , a time is coming when am going to perform great and wonderful things through you’  . This confirmed all other statements I’d heard from the Lord and in 2009, He spoke to me saying – ‘the time is now that you should begin to do what I told you in 2003!’ This was the birth of Gifted Divine Christian Ministries.

Glory to God!

Yours in Ministry

Ssekamwa David   ( gifteddivine@gmail.com)

Gifted Divine Christian Ministries international

http://www.gifteddivine.blogspot.com
www.gifteddivineministries.wordpress.com