Stop Doubting God

Scripture reading: Matthew 11: 1-19

Focus verse: Matthew 11:1-6 - "After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee. When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”

The news that surrounds our lives today is mostly NO good news. There has been the emergence of bad infections like Covid-19 pandemic and the massive deaths associated with these infections. We hear of devastating floods and hurricanes and the massive loss of lives and properties associated with the same. We wake up to war amongst nations as is presently felt in Afghanistan where many lives are being slaughtered. Our governments are deep in corruption and have failed to show good leadership. Marriages are breaking each day, innocent babies are being aborted and many lives are being loosed through suicide. In all these, Christian have not been spared too, but have been victims of some worse scenarios. They have loosed friends to wars and disease, and they have been victims of bad disasters. During such times, we may be tempted to ask if really God is with us, if he is in control or if we are in the wrong faith. 

John is put to jail because of rebuking sin; He told Herod that it was not lawful to have Herodias (his brother Philips wife) as his wife. He finds himself in the unpleasant jail condition. This made him to send a word to Jesus through his disciples to ask Jesus if for sure He was the one to come or to still wait for another Man. Jesus tells the disciples to get back to John and tell him what they have seen God continue to do. The blind are receiving their sight, the lame walk, the deaf hear, the dead are raised and the good news is preached to the poor.

Well, we read about John the Baptist as the one who prepared the way for Jesus. He as well baptized Him and identified Him as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of man. But when faced with life challenges, he doubted Jesus and all that which had been clearly revealed to him by God. That’s exactly how some believers have doubted God and what He can do in the midst of challenges. We question His presence and power over our physical afflictions. We ask if we really made the right choice to be His followers. None the less, we need to know that God has not been limited by our afflictions. Being that He is not answering our prayers according to how we want does not mean He is not at work. His plan and ours are different. In fact He tells John’s disciples to go and tell John that he is still at work and a lot is happening. Let our life afflictions make us doubt Him, He is God and He chooses to work where He wishes and how He wants it. If it is His will that we go through all these afflictions then we still must trust Him fully and believe that all things work together for those who love God and are called according to his purpose.

Pastor Eliazar Wambo
Director Bethesda Faith Ministries Kenya

Hold Tightly to Hope

Hold Tightly to Hope

Scripture Reading: Hebrews 10:19-39

Focus Verse: Hebrews 10:23  “Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.”

There are times that it would seem that the world is falling apart.  We hear of natural disasters.  We hear of terrorist attacks almost on a daily basis.  We hear of strife between countries.  We hear of racial tensions.  Where can we place our hope to fix all these things?  I can tell you who is not going to fix all these problems.  It’s not going to be a person, a politician or a government.  The only one that can control these problems is the LORD.  God is the one in whom we can place our hope.  Hebrews says that we are to hold tightly to the hope we have in God’s promises.  God has us in his hands.  Everything that happens is what He allows.  He will turn the evil that happens in this world into fulfilling His purpose in the end.  So when you feel all hope is lost, hold tightly to the only One that can give hope. 

"And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them." Romans 8:28

"But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect," 1 Peter 3:15

Bobby Johnson
Interlocking Ministries

When You Order What You Don't Know

Scripture reading:

Mark 10:35-38 - Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.”  “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.”  “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?”

About three years back I was privileged to visit the USA. One thing I will never forget was the many American foods that I could see in the restaurants we visited. They looked delicious but I became so careful not to order what I didn’t know so I let my host Bobby and Page to always guide my menu. I may have looked remote in the eyes of other men but I was being honest to myself and others. I had surely not seen a “hot dog” so I had to be careful in ordering such a meal. It’s obvious that if you ask what you don’t know but pretend to know it, then you may look a fool before the people. You may end up wasting your money or get humiliated before others. 

The two sons of Zebedee make “honorary” request to be allowed to sit one on the right and another to the left in Christ’s glory. Jesus tells them, “You don’t know what you are asking”. He then explains to them who is able to sit on the sides of the Lord in His glory. They would later realize that what they were asking for, had suffering associated with it.

That’s how believers have often behaved! We have not allowed God’s will to happen but keep asking for what we think will make us comfortable. We pretend to know it all and do not want to spend time with Him or listen to His wisdom. We follow Christ but at times with wrong motives e.g. looking fame or other physical request. Our concern at times has been how to make ourselves happy and we are not willing to suffer with Christ. At times we want to lean on our own understanding and not trusting in Him for direction. God understands what’s best for us even during hard and trying moments. We must not allow our ego or our situations to guide our requests to Him. We need to fully trust in Him and allow His will to happen. We must not look for what will satisfy our earthly desires but look for that which is eternal.

Pastor Eliazar Wambo
Makira Baptist Church – Mfangano Kenya

The Purpose of the Church

 Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:12-31  

Focus verses: "Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.  And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near." Hebrews 10: 24-25
 
What is the church?
The church, also known in scripture as “the body of Christ” (Colossians 1:24, Ephesians 5:23), it is not the building we gather in on Sunday morning, although that is what we often think of when we consider the church. The church is made up of the believers in Christ, those who believe that Jesus Christ came to earth and died for our sins, and trust Him as the way to receive forgiveness for the sins we have committed, so that we can have a relationship with God. Together we encourage one another as we go through life, build each other up as we seek to follow Christ. 

What is the purpose of the church?
Ultimately our purpose is to glorify God with our lives (1 Corinthians 10:23-33). As the church our role is to bring glory to God. As we see in our main reading that we are not each given the same role, we have different purposes within the body. The Lord has given each of us different personalities, skills, talents and spiritual gifts. When we compare ourselves to others we tend to get discouraged because we might get jealous of someone else’s gifts and not be happy with our own (v. 15-16). Instead we see that not everyone can be an eye (v. 17) we each have our own strengths to bring to the body of Christ. In the same way we should also be careful not to think of our gifts as better than the gifts of someone else (v. 22-23). What we as humans might consider as insignificant could be the most honorable. We need to make sure that we as the body of Christ are not divided (v. 25). There needs to be respect for one another, if there are any arguments we need to make sure we are not holding a grudge towards any believers. It is important that we remember that they are human too, they make mistakes just like you, we should be quick to forgive one another. If we are distracted with hatred towards one another this keeps us from fulfilling our purpose as the body of Christ. Our purpose is to suffer together and to rejoice together, we are the church so we don’t have to go through life alone, we need one another (v. 26). God has given each of us a different role so instead of getting jealous we need to learn what our gifts are and to use them to give God the glory. If you are unsure of what your spiritual gift is you can ask someone who knows you well that is a spiritual leader over you, maybe a parent, your youth pastor or a close friend. 

Pray:
God thank you for creating us differently and for a purpose. Help me to recognize the spiritual gifts you have given me. Show me how I can use these gifts to glorify you Lord. Help me to use the gifts to encourage other believers and in sharing the gospel with those who don’t have a relationship with you. Remind me that you have given me different gifts for a reason and that you would keep me from being jealous of others’ gifts. I love you Lord. Amen. 

written by Haley Kinsman

 

POST NOTE: Will you meet with believers regularly no matter if it's two hundred or just two or three?  Meet together to fellowship, read scripture, worship, testify and pray. 

Opportunities to Learn & Grow

Bible reading: Daniel 1:3-20
Focus verse: Daniel 1:18-20 “At the end of time set by the king to bring them in, the chief officials presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. The king talked to them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hannania, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s service. In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.”

Testing is one of the ways in which learning is evaluated. Each day we are presented with opportunities to learn and grow in new ideas and we have the chance to better our understanding of the word of God. Daniel together with his three other friends are taken into a ten day learning experience and to be presented for testing after ten days. They refuse to defile their bodies with food and drinks that were not holy and pure before God but accept to take only what will please God. At the end of ten days the testing results show that they are ten times better than the other people.

Ten times better in ten days! Isn’t that encouraging.  Not nine times, or eight times, or five times better in ten days. This means each day was an opportunity for them to grow and they did not miss any single opportunity. Imagine if believers would grow in their faith and understanding and service of God each day. The result could be a well varied difference between the world and believers. For some of us, it would be thousands of times better than the world given the number of days we have lived as God’s own children. But is that the truth or we are mixed into the world so that barely any difference is seen regardless of the number of days we have lived as God’s children. Have we grown in proportion to our life spent with God? 2 Timothy 2:15 – Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word truth.  Avoid godless character, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly.   

Take opportunities to learn and grow.

Pastor Eliazar Wambo
Makira Baptist Church – Mfangano Kenya

We Race to Win

We Race to Win

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Focus Verse: Acts 20:24  " However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me, the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.”

The Olympic Games are taking place in Tokyo, Japan right now.  I have been able to watch many different sports on the TV.  The other night I watched the USA and Kenya play rugby.  Some of the sports are running, swimming, gymnastics, sailing, weightlifting, bicycling and many other sports.  I was amazed as I watched one of the races.  It was a swimming race.  There were many different countries represented.  As the race was coming to the end the athlete from the USA was in fourth place.  I thought "oh no he’s going to lose the race.”  But then something amazing happened, he started swimming with all the energy that he had at the very end of the race and he finished in first place to win the gold medal.  Everyone was shocked how he passed the other swimmers at the end.

The Bible has a lot to say about races.  It compares our lives here on earth to a race.  There are winners and losers in the race of life.  The apostle Paul said his only aim was to finish the race and complete the task Jesus had given him.  Paul gave his all to complete the task, much like the swimmer did to win the race.  How is your race going?  How is my race going?  We will all make mistakes along the way.  We may stumble and even fall.  The important thing is what do we do after we fall?  Do we quit or do we get back up and finish the race strong?  Paul says in Philippians 3:13-14 “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended, but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.  I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

When we come to the end of our lives will we be able to say what Paul said?  2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”   Jesus has promised to help us.  We should all be in this race to win because we know God has an eternal prize waiting for us.

Bobby Johnson

Interlocking Ministries

New Life in Christ

Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:17-21

Focus Verse: 2 Corinthians 5:17  “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new.”

In Kenya, I work with a couple named Pastor Eliazar Wambo and his wife Harriet.  The couple was blessed and Harriet just gave birth to a baby boy.  There are several things I think about when I hear that a baby has been born. I think about the miracle of a new life, and how only God can make a human life. I think about what kind of world that baby is entering.  I think about what kind of choices that baby will make when it grows up. 

Jesus said there are similarities when we are born into God’s family as when we are born into our earthly families.  Jesus said in John 3:3 “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”  If you want to go to God's kingdom (heaven), you must be born two times.  Jesus was answering the Pharisee, Nicodemus, but he didn’t understand.  Nicodemus said, “ how can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?” Jesus explained, "unless you are born of water and of the Spirit you cannot enter the Kingdom of God."   

 

Have you been born of the Spirit?  You may wonder, “what does that mean?".  We are all broken with sin that separates us from God.  God made a way to fix our brokenness.  To be born again, we allow Jesus to make us new through faith. It means to confess and repent of your sin to God, accept Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross (He paid the penalty of our sins), and to believe that God raised Jesus from the dead, then ask for His forgiveness.  Ephesians 2:8 says that "By grace we are saved through faith."    This new spiritual birth brings eternal life and a new life in Christ.    So, if you have never done this, maybe today is your day to make the decision to give your life to Christ.

Bobby Johnson

Interlocking Ministries