“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
Hebrews 11:1, 6 KJV
As children of God, our faith in Christ is the anchor that grounds us. The hope and conviction we have in Christ however cannot be isolated with regards to our attitudes and behaviors. You cannot proclaim to be a child or of God or “Christ-like” if you do not portray certain traits, attributes, characteristics, attitudes and a certain overall lifestyle.
As is said in our local parlance, “The crab does not beget a bird” or “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree”. Both sayings insinuate that every creature produces like unto itself. Therefore if indeed we are purchased by the blood of the lamb and call ourselves children of God and joint heirs with Christ, how then do we portray attitudes that are not Christ-like?
In typing out this write-up, I had a strange encounter. Midway through, my device suddenly froze and a chunk of the thoughts I had already typed out began to erase before my very eyes. I was able to salvage the crux of my write-up which included the key scriptures. Although painful because the note had not backed up within the few minutes that this happened, the core message that this piece of writing seeks to teach us all was tested there and then. Was I going to exercise productive faith and start afresh or would I give up. Purpose prevailed and we have this blog post which I believe will impact your life.
“And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
2 Peter 1:5-8 KJV
The scripture above shows us that if you have certain “things” in you, you will not be barren, unfruitful or unproductive. Those things being referred to by Apostle Peter are in reference to specific virtues including faith, diligence, temperance and so on. A person who has these characteristics is bound to be productive and fruitful in everything they do.
Notice that people who do not demonstrate such virtues are usually very unfruitful no matter how hard they work. Because even if you manage to deploy dubious means to achieve certain feat, these victories are always short-lived. The word of God serves as a map and compass to help us navigate every aspect of our lives. Our productivity here on earth is dependent on our ability to walk in obedience to the word of God and allowing the light of ahis word lead us into all truth. These attributes are diligence, faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly love and charity.
Diligence means a the persistent and relentless effort by an individual to solve a problem, to overcome difficulties and to accomplish great things. A diligent person is most likely to become a leader because they strive to excel at everything they do. They always explore new ideas and tend to be wealthy. (Proverbs 10:4, 12:24, 21:5, 22:9)
Faith is a firm belief in something for which there is no proof. It is also a belief in God. Faith will cause you to overcome problems and obstacles and live a victorious life. It delivers you from foolishness and equips you to please God. (Mark 11:23, Psalm 14:1, Hebrews 11:6)
Virtue is the quality of doing what is good and right and avoiding wrong. Children of God must exhibit the virtues of justice, prudence, temperance, fortitude, faith, hope and love. A virtuous person is a good person who hates evil, is genuinely helpful and hardworking. (Romans 12:9, Proverbs 31:10)
Knowledge is the condition in which you are aware of facts and realities that are true, important and relevant. Knowledge is a treasure that should help us live a good and humble life, fill us with grace and peace and escape the corruption of this world. It increases our knowledge understanding of different situations and deal wisely with people. Unfortunately, some people become pompous when they acquire a little knowledge which is unfortunate and not Christ-like. (James 3:13)
Temperance is the trait of avoiding excesses and living in moderation. This trait helps a person to be self-disciplined and cautious in all things. A temperate person is usually one influenced by the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 9:25)
Patience is the good-natured tolerance of delay or incompetence. A patient person is steadfast even amidst opposition, difficulty or adversity. A patient person bears pains and trials without complaint. Patience will cause you to bear fruit and inherit good things. ( Luke 8:15, Hebrews 6:12)
Godliness is the quality of being like God. Godly people pray often and at the right time because you acknowledge God as your source. Godly people are set apart and are not carnally minded.(Psalm 4:3, 32:6)
Brotherly love is the love that a person has for a brother. This means that you humble put others before you, you prevent strife between close relationships and you sacrifice yourself for others. (Romans 12:10, 1 John 3:16)
Charity is the unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another. The natural man will only love you given a reason but the love of God loves without reason. Charity leads to unity and is a good foundation in everything you do for God is love. For God so lives the world that He gave…, else we all would not be here identifying as children of God. (Colossians 3:14, Ephesians 3:17-19)
May we not be like the children of this world who deny their true selves as created by God and would rather claim to identify as personalities alien to what God has ordained them to be. Do not abandon your identity while rather seeking for the world’s pity or applause.
Some may say that doing all of this will allow people take advantage of you and use you. Would you rather please self or please God. With the help of the Holy Spirit, you can walk in faith and be productive with these attributes without being destroyed by the evil one. (Psalm 23: 4). Yearn to walk in the light of God’s word in obedience to His instructions and fulfillment of His purpose. Think big! Dream big!! Attempt great things for God and watch Him launch you into fruitfulness and abundance.
Every human being dreams because God blessed us all with that capacity. I mean, no matter our religious backgrounds, our age, our social status and gender we all dream. Pharoah was not a Christian or a believer but he had a dream in Genesis 41:1-2
“After two whole years, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing by the Nile, and there came up out of the Nile seven sleek and fat cows, and they grazed in the reed grass.”
Throughout much of ancient history Egyptian religion was polytheistic. Meaning it recognized many gods and goddesses, as well as a variety of other divine beings and yet this man had a dream and it came from God. Other vessels of God like Daniel, Joseph, Mary also dreamed in the Bible so it’s biblical and normal to have a dream.
Now, we see a lot of things or people in our dreams but today our focus is going to be on the vessels of God we see or may have seen or be seeing in our dream lives. What do those dreams mean? Who was actually revealed to us? God, our man or woman of God, an angel or the dream was just a figment of our imagination?
When you see a vessel of God in your dream, you must be rest assured that you didn’t see the man of God in question but you actually saw an angel of God who was sent to minister to you. Why then did you see the face or appearance of your man or woman of God? It’s because, God knows you submit, respect, admire or even trust such a person that’s why God he chose to talk to you by using his image. God gives you a life changing information that could turn your business or even family around when he uses the image of your man of God. These beings that manifest themselves to you are actually angels sent from heaven. Read the confirmation in Hebrews 1:14 “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?. Someone can succeed in their business because they got an information, a key, to unlock the door of success from an agent of Zion because the Lord loves them. If someone else uses the same key for the same business, they may not do well because God blesses us differently with different methods. Say something to Elohim about your ‘pure water business’ and ask him to help you prosper in it diligently and see what happens.
God can use the face of your man/ woman of God to also warn you of an impending danger or concerning a life changing choice you want to make or a serious decision you are about to take – Job 33:15-18 New Living Translation (NLT) He speaks in dreams, in visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they lie in their beds. He whispers in their ears and terrifies them with warnings. He makes them turn from doing wrong; he keeps them from pride. If you receive such dreams from heaven and you ignore them, you will do yourself a great disservice. If God doesn’t love you he wouldn’t warn or lead you to make a good decision in life. Pastor Benny Hinn, for example said it was the Lord Himself who led him to marry his wife. You may not believe it but it happens. When you start with God, he ends with you. He doesn’t meet you half way or at the end of your plans. While Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife sent him this message: “Don’t have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him.” – Matthew 27:19. Have you been warned about someone in your dream before? Did you obey or you discard the dream as “it was just a dream” like what most carnal people say and regret later?
When you see your man of God in a dream praying for you, it could be God bringing you healing or delivering you from demonic shackles. In my darkest hours, I had the privilege of being ministered to by God by using the image of my pastor and other ministers I admire in the world in my dream because I was spiritually sick and when they laid their hands on me, I felt power surging through my body as if it was a physical prayer meeting where a man of God would pray for you. The experience was the same and in fact I was drunk in the dream and the effect was same in the physical. Glory be to Jesus! Right in my room and on my bed it happened. You are next if you’re sick! Ask the Lord to visit you and heal you permanently!
God can also impart you by using the image of your man or woman of God. In this visitation, He gives you a grace or an anointing that you will need in your sphere of influence to represent Him here on earth and promote His Kingdom. Such graces could be the prophetic, miraculous, teaching, administrative or business anointings just to mention but a few. By the mercy of God, I received several graces from God when he used the image of my pastor who has gone to be with the Lord and other ministers in the body of Christ. I have seen them impart me when I fell asleep listening to their messages or worship and I knew God visited me. Such visitations were as real as day and night.
Finally, when God wants to train you or mentor you in ministry or in life, he uses the images of your man of God. I used to be in an established and Bible believing church for years where I served as an interpreter but I left there under the leadership of the Spirit and joined my current church where God taught me more things and trained me through my father in the Lord who is now in heaven and I have never regretted leaving because God asked me to.
Henceforth when you see a vessel of God ministering to you in your dream, remember you are having a life changing encounter with God, His Spirit or his ministering angels and not the man of God in question. For divinity to visit you, you might have attracted His mercy or love. He can also visit you and your loved ones anytime and anywhere, for Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever ( Hebrews 13:8)
1. a country, state, or territory ruled by a king or queen. Eg “the Kingdom of the Netherlands”
2. the spiritual reign or authority of God.
“Then Pilate went back into his headquarters and called for Jesus to be brought to him. “Are you the king of the Jews?” he asked him. Jesus replied, “Is this your own question, or did others tell you about me?” “Am I a Jew?” Pilate retorted. “Your own people and their leading priests brought you to me for trial. Why? What have you done?” Jesus answered, “My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world.””
John 18:33-36 NLT
Many nations have different political parties that govern at a time. In Ghana you many belong to some party but as Christians, we need to remember not only our blessings of freedom here and the opportunity to participate in the government of our nation, we must also remember that we belong to the government of another world as well. This government is referred to as the Kingdom of Heaven or the Kingdom of God.
Jesus explained the duality of our situation when He answered Pilate concerning His true identity as the King of this other nation, or of this other government. the Kingdom of God, the government that we actually belong to that is present in this world and will exist in the world to come, when this world will no longer be. The first thing the Bible teaches concerning the Kingdom that is not of this world is the following:
1. This Kingdom was the subject of prophecy – Daniel 2:31-44 (READ)
We’re familiar with the book of Daniel so let me just summarize what it said about the Kingdom. Daniel and other young Jewish men of noble blood were carried off into Babylonian captivity where they were, by the grace of God and their faithfulness to Him, raised to high levels in the court of the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar. Soon after, Daniel was called upon to interpret a strange and disturbing dream that the king experienced. In this dream, God revealed the sweep of history that was to come, as well as historical markers for the arrival and the development of God’s own Kingdom here on earth. Daniel’s inspired interpretation of this dream was recorded in Daniel chapter two, and its accuracy concerning future earthly kingdoms was firmly established as history unfolded.
If we examine his interpretation we note that the statue is made of many parts: a head of gold, a breast and arms of silver, a belly and thighs of bronze, and legs and feet of a mixture of iron and clay.
In the dream, a stone cut without human hands appears and strikes the statue not on the head, but on its feet of iron and clay, reducing the entire statute to dust, which is blown away. Daniel then describes that in the place of the statue the stone used to destroy it becomes a mountain that eventually fills the entire earth. And so, in his interpretation, Daniel names five separate kingdoms :(Babylon, Medo-persia, Greek, Roman,The kingdom of God)
2. The Kingdom is on Earth, but it is Spiritual in Nature
Daniel predicted that the Kingdom was to come, John the Baptist preached that it was at hand, and Jesus proclaimed that it was here. For Jews, as a people, who had actually lived through the four empires mentioned by Daniel, this was exciting news. For some it rekindled nationalistic aspirations that had appeared throughout their history.
The Kingdom that Jesus and His Apostles announced,
• was small enough to exist in one person’s heart
• was big enough to include all who would enter in
• was powerful enough to dominate every other kingdom
• was so precious that when someone found it they would abandon everything they owned in order to possess it
And yet, was so elusive that some people stood right next to it, but didn’t even see it. Finally, the Kingdom that Jesus spoke of was being built in their lifetimes, exactly as Daniel had spoken.
3. The Kingdom was Something that has been Established – Matthew 6:9-10
In this passage Jesus mentions one Kingdom existing simultaneously in two spheres. One kingdom is on earth, that had yet to be established and the other one was in heaven, already established. Therefore, Jesus was praying that the will of God be done on earth as it was already being done in heaven. An important point to note here is that the Kingdom of God exists wherever His will is being done, because the word kingdom comes from a Greek word which means sovereignty or will.
In Matthew 6:9-10 Jesus prayed that God’s will be done here on earth as it was done in heaven. In essence He was praying that God’s Kingdom be established here just as God’s will was being done in heaven. When this happens, God’s will (the Kingdom established) is being fulfilled in both the heavenly and the earthly realms. And so, if we want to know what the Kingdom looks like, we need to examine what God’s will is for all men, because the Kingdom exists wherever and whenever God’s will is being done.
Honour means to demonstrate high respect or great esteem for someone. By honoring another you are saying you see great value in them.
Types of Honour
The three types of honor are bad honor, good honor, and eternal honor. People use the same word “honour” for all three, and this causes confusion. Failing to note the three kinds of honor affects our discipleship and theology.
Bad Honor
“Bad honor” is when people are respected for the wrong reasons. Everybody can sense the difference between the “honor” of (1) a corrupt official with an entourage and Land Cruiser and (2) a wise, gray-haired elder in the village. People acknowledge the “status” of the official out of fear rather than genuine respect.
Common biblical terms for such honor are “pride” (when ascribed to self) or “idolatry” (the false worship ascribed to others). The Bible has many examples:
• King Nebuchadnezzar forced everyone to worship him, and many did, but that honor was fleeting (Daniel 4). Bad honor is a defining characteristic of “Babylon” throughout the Bible.
• Eli and sons honored themselves by keeping the preferred sacrifices, but at the expense of despising God – 2 Samuel 2:30
• Jesus told the Pharisees to not seek the places of honor at a feast, lest they be humiliated. Luke 14:7-8
• Paul said of his opponents, “their glory is their shame” Phil 3:19
Good Honor
The Bible speaks positively about being an honorable person in the eyes of other people. In certain ways, Christians should seek to be honorable before people.
• “Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles, so that, though they malign you as evildoers, they may see your honorable deeds and glorify God when he comes to judge” – 1 Peter 2:12
• Paul took pains to do “what is kalos [i.e., beautiful, proper, good], not only in the eyes of the Lord but in the eyes of man” 2 Corinthians 8:21
• The book of Proverbs contains many verses about earning a “good name” or “honor” for wise living. Good honor is a part of God’s common grace for people who live wisely and respect others (Proverbs 12:8; 13:18; 15:33; 21:21; 22:4; 27:18).
• Being an honorable and respectable person in the community is a key qualification of leaders in the local church (1 Timothy 3:7-8, 11).
Eternal Honor
There are five heavenly crowns mentioned in the New Testament that will be awarded to believers. They are the imperishable crown, the crown of rejoicing, the crown of righteousness, the crown of glory, and the crown of life.
Proverbs 21:21
The Dimensions to honour
The vertical dimension of honour
Vertical upwards
⁃ Honour For God
1 Tim 1:17, Psalm22:23, Mal 3:10
⁃ Honour for parents.
For example, whether we had fantastic parents or not so fantastic ones, we are told to honor them (Exodus 20:12).
⁃ Honour for those in authority
We are also told to honor those in authority (Romans 13:1-7). Yes, even if we disagree with their politics.
⁃ Honour for the elderly
Others we are specifically commanded to honor in Scripture include the elderly (Leviticus 19:32), our church leaders (1 Timothy 5:17) and God (Psalm 22:23).
Vertical downwards
⁃ The reward for honour – God honours those who honour Him (1 sam 2:30)
⁃ Prov 22.4 Honouring God results in riches and honour and life
⁃ 22:4
The lower portion of the cross is long- thus it signifies
⁃ process and diligence : it takes more to receive this honour
⁃ You cannot pretend your way into this honour
⁃ This honour as a result of your heart condition.
The reward for honour
– God honours those who honour Him. 1 Samuel 2:30
⁃ Honouring God results in riches and honour and life
“By humility and the fear of the LORD Are riches, and honour, and life.” Proverbs 22:4 KJV
Horizontal dimensions of honour
Romans 12:10 says, “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.” Contrary to most competitions, this game is won by lifting others up, not ourselves. Our goal is to help others be successful.
The love that God has for you cannot be exaggerated. The scope of His love is immeasurable. Those that love the Lord loyally are held so close to His heart, hidden and their names are engraved on the tables of His heart. God does not discriminate based on nationality or “race”.
His precious blood was shed for each one of us alike. He does not love the “well-behaved” more than the struggling souls. Even when we indulge in the filth of this world, He gently and lovingly reminds of of the depth of His love, His active and extends us the grace to turn around and come back into His embrace. This is how great a love that our Father bestows upon each one of us.
“Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.” Isaiah 49:15-16 KJV
A mother would usually or forget her child that she bore. But even if somehow she did, God can never forget you. He created you in His image, carved you into His own flesh. You are always on His mind, never hidden from His sight. Let your heart take courage in the confidence of His unfathomable love.
You are His child, a splitting image of Him among all of His creation. He is with you. He is for you. Let the boldness of your identity grow brighter as you allow His presence surround and strengthen you in ever-increasing measure.
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen. The second epistle to the Corinthians was written from Philippi, a city of Macedonia, by Titus and Lucas.” 2 Corinthians 13:14 KJV
Stay close to the Father and hear what instructions He has for you. Always have Him in your heart and on your mind. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross has granted you unlimited access to the Father. We have the liberty to fellowship closely with Him through the gift of His sweet Holy Spirit.
Let the Spirit fill you with the consciousness of God’s presence. Learn to give attention to the subtleties of the here and now as you focus on and enjoy His presence. Do not give in to the distractions of this world.
The Father offers His perfect love to you in spirit and in truth. Don’t be in a haste to exit His presence. Stay in fellowship as long as possible and be consistent. Never forget the Lord your God. You will find rest and endless mercy in His presence.
“being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:” Philippians 1:6 KJV
Today, I’m led to share a word of encouragement with anyone who is downcast, weary, troubled with the cares of life or struggling to make a lifelong decision.
Please listen to the music linked below and I pray the lyrics remind you of the faithfulness of our God and fill your heart with peace and hope.
We all have reasons why we do some things in life and destiny. For example, some people go to school to be literates, get degrees and most importantly get good jobs so as to make ends meet.
Some people also worship idols, their partner, their children, money, certificates, among others for reasons known to them because men and items take the place of God for them which is not good.
Some even argue that only God should be worshipped and not any other person or entity. At the end of our teaching we will know whether Jesus is worthy of worship or not. Remember, the name God, Spirit or Jesus maybe used interchangeably to make reference to the Christian God.
To begin with, He’s eternal. This means he exists outside time, meaning He has no beginning nor end.
Lion of the tribe of Judah
To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. 1 Timothy 1:17. Immortal means he can’t be killed. He’s invisible means he can’t be seen with our optical eyes for He’s Spirit but can manifest Himself to men through love ( John 3:16, light ( 1 John 1:5), fire ( Hebrews 12:29). Now, if He is eternal and we are His children bought by the blood of His Son and we transit the world some day, we shall also live with him eternally where there will be no sickness, crime or any sort of evil. This essential attribute of God, makes Him deity and not man. No man in existence has ever manifested and will never manifest this attribute. With this in mind we as believers can be comforted when we are experiencing battles of life which are not and cannot be eternal for we know they are fleeting and it’s only God who is eternal. Your battles have an expiry date in the name of Jesus!
This entity is also self existing. Here him in Exodus 3:14 “And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. See the way He introduced himself. “ I am that I am….”. This also means he wasn’t created and cannot be created. His existence is not dependent on anyone. Religious leaders that walked the surface of this earth depended on Him for He created all of them as the Creator. They couldn’t have existed without Him. He is Jesus Christ, God who manifested Himself in the form of man when he visited the earth. He existed before time began. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth – Genesis 1:1 and John 1:1 -3 “In the beginning was the Word (Jesus), and the Word was with God, and the Word (Jesus ) was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. This proves the deity and self existence of Jesus Christ. This self existing God, replaces weak or destroyed kidneys, liver, pancreas in your life now in the name of Jesus!
Besides, the reason why we worship Jesus is that he’s immutable. This means he doesn’t and cannot change. I the LORD do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. – Malachi 3:6. If he’s immutable, we can trust Him in all our dealings. It’s His counsel and purpose that stands and nothing else. If He told you he would give you a husband and time seems to be elapsing and men are questioning your God, forget them and believe the One that made that promise to you. The song writer said “ He’s never failed me yet, He’s never failed me yet, Jesus Christ, has never failed me yet. There’s one thing that I know, everywhere I go, Jesus Christ has never failed me yet “.
I declare and decree , He’s immutable so he will never fail you if you trust and believe in Him. We can change as men when we make promises to other people but our God, Jesus is not like that.
The Spirit of God is also omnipotent. He controls all power on earth and heaven and is more powerful than everyone and everything. In fact, all things are possible with Him. In Matthew 19:26 we read “ But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. Men are limited in their operations but this God has all power to do whatever He wishes to do. By His power, he feeds fowls of the air, beasts of the forest and fishes that live in the sea. Sicknesses like diabetes, congestive heart failure , asthma among others that are only manageable by medicine but not curable can be healed by the power of God. I therefore declare now that, let every incurable disease in ur body like hypertension be healed right now in the name of Jesus! I repeat no man or woman that exists or has ever existed or even angels is omnipotent. So don’t be crestfallen that a particular sickness will kill your before your time. Remember what men cannot do, your Father in heaven can so be happy and trust him.
Finally, what makes God deity is that He’s omnibenovolent. This simply means He’s kind to all. He protects everyone and demonstrates love to all his creation irrespective of their religious affiliations and even gives himself to all. This is confirmed in John 3:16 “ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”. When a good and wicked man sow seeds on a fertile land, both of them will harvest bountifully because of the law of sowing and reaping that God put in place for all that will obey it whether they are Buddhist or Christian. That’s how God is. He’s omnibenevolent. The qualities discussed above make Jesus and only Him deity and that’s why we worship Him.
”When Jesus came into the coasts of Cæsarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.“ Matthew 16:13-20 KJV
From our previous exposition, we discovered who Jesus is according to the scriptures. We also went on to explore witnesses of Him according to some of His apostles. Today we will delve further by understanding e testimony of Jesus Christ base on those who experienced Him firsthand.
The Testimony of Jesus
This leaves us with one last person to examine and that is Jesus Himself. Our description of Jesus would be incomplete if we did not examine at least a few things that Jesus said about His true identity. Here are three things He said about Himself to three individuals:
1. The Samaritan Woman
In a conversation with a woman while travelling Jesus answers her question about who is the true Messiah.
25The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us.” 26Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”
– John 4:25-26
Jesus describes Himself as the savior spoken of by the Jews.
2. Peter the Apostle
We have looked at Peter’s declaration earlier in this chapter but this time let us focus on Jesus’ response to what Peter says.
15He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.
– Matthew 16:15-17
Note that Jesus confirms what Peter says about Him and even goes on to reveal how Peter has come to this realization.
3. To the Apostles
After His resurrection and appearance to over 500 disciples, Jesus gives His Apostles (and future disciples) their mission.
18And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
– Matthew 28:18-20
Note that in this passage Jesus claims exclusive divine authority over all. These are only a few of the things that are recorded concerning Jesus, but from these we see some of the things the Bible teaches about Him:
A true historical figure
The Jewish Messiah
The Son of God
The Lord God Himself
Resurrected from the dead
An eternal being
The agent of Creation
The head of the church
The supreme authority in heaven and earth
I could go on and on about what the Bible actually says concerning Jesus but I will close this with a quote from the gospel of John who faced the similar dilemma of trying to list all the things he actually heard and saw Jesus do. Faced with the mountain of information before him John writes in the 20th and 21st chapters of his gospel record:
”And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: but these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.“ John 20:30-31 KJV
”And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.“ John 21:25 KJV
I pray that you find a revelation of who Jesus is for yourself. May you discover who He is to you, who you are in Him and how to be in tune and always in His presence all the days of your life.
”When Jesus came into the coasts of Cæsarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.“
Matthew 16:13-20 KJV
A year ago while on my drive home from church i was lost in thought contemplating how Christians can be careless when we come to the house of God. While in thought the LORD spoke and said “your revelation of who God is determines your worship”. While many believers claim the title Christian many do know Christ Jesus. I want to attempt to examine the person of Jesus Christ who is the reason for our faith.
There are many theories about Jesus: some include
– He was an ancient Jewish rabbi.
– He was just a prophet of some kind.
– He was a ghost or spirit.
– Some asked is Jesus a politician
I am sure the speculation will continue and more opinions and theories will eventually be developed. For Christians, however, the only source for information about Jesus, His life, ministry, teachings – is the Bible.
What does the Bible say about Jesus?This is the best way to discover who Jesus is because only the Bible contains eyewitness accounts of His life recorded and preserved for us to read even to this day. The entire Bible is about Jesus
He is the main point of all the books of the Bible. The different parts explain different things about Him and His interaction with us.
The Old Testament is really the story about the creation of the world and how God prepared for His coming by the forming of the Jewish nation. It contains all the events that set a human and historical stage for His eventual appearance as a man in this world. It tells this story through the eyes and words of Jewish prophets, leaders, and kings.
The four gospels are the eyewitness accounts of His life, ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension to heaven. Again, the story recorded and preserved by men who were with Him for years and who knew Him intimately.
The rest of the New Testament, written by other Apostles and their disciples, shows how His followers established the Christian church according to His instructions. In addition to this there are teachings to help followers/disciples live their Christian lives in every generation and environment.
We could go anywhere in the Bible to find out about Jesus concerning:
The promise of His coming
The preparation for His appearance
The circumstances of His miraculous birth
The content of His teachings
The details of His death and resurrection
The people who knew Him personally and spread His teachings throughout the world
I do not think we would have the time in a single write up to do all this. What we can do, however, is to focus on what the Bible says about who Jesus is. This is actually the most important question about Jesus Christ and we will see what three individuals, mentioned in the Bible, say about Jesus.
Who is Jesus?
Now remember we are asking the question, “Who is Jesus?” according to the Bible, not just what we think or feel or learned from a book or movie or teacher of some kind.
Since most of the direct and eyewitness accounts about Him are in the New Testament portion of the Bible, let us go there to learn about Him. Thousands of people saw and heard Jesus speak, teach, and even do miracles. There is no doubt of His existence because historians of that era write about Him and His ministry.
Josephus Flavius, who was a Jewish historian, wrote about this period. He was not a follower of Jesus but mentions Him and Christianity in general in his history books. History (not the Bible) writes that Jesus was a Jewish man born into a humble family who lived in Israel approximately 2,000 years ago. He began His ministry by claiming that He was the Jewish Messiah or Savior and was eventually arrested and executed by the Roman government at the insistence of the Jewish leaders who accused Him of causing civil unrest by His teaching. Eventually His followers established the Christian church based on His teachings.
This is what history books teach about the facts of His life.
Witness of the Apostles
There were others, however, who actually followed Jesus as His special disciples and they too recorded their accounts of His life. It is from these writers, whose records form the New Testament, that we can establish a much more comprehensive picture of who Jesus really was. For the sake of our study we will examine three of these men’s writings and descriptions of Jesus.
1. Peter
Peter was a fisherman by trade and along with his brother Andrew, had a family business. He was the first “Apostle” called by Jesus to follow Him on a full time basis. He was to hear all of Jesus’ teachings, witness His miracles, and later on be a leader in establishing the church and finally die as a martyr in Rome claiming to the very end that what he heard and saw was true.
During Jesus’ ministry, Jesus asked the Apostles (including Peter), based on what they saw Him say and do, who did they think He was? And Peter answered without hesitation, “You are the Messiah the son of the Living God.” (Matthew 16:16) So the Bible says that even while Jesus was alive Peter believed and declared Him to be the divine Son of God.
Later on, after Jesus was executed, Peter describes the things that he saw with his own eyes as he rebukes the Jews for their hard hearts and disbelief.
“But you disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, but put to death the Prince of life, the one whom God raised from the dead, a fact to which we are witnesses.”
Acts 3:14-15
Now there is much written about Peter in the New Testament and Peter himself writes two of the books or epistles contained in this part of the Bible, but just these two passages summarize well what Peter thought about Jesus based on what he experienced:
That Jesus was the Christ/Messiah/Savior promised in the Old Testament. In other words, Jesus was the one sent by God to save mankind. Peter also concluded that Jesus was divine, based on what he heard Jesus say and saw Him do.
Finally, Peter saw Jesus executed by Roman soldiers and then saw Him after God raised Him from the dead. As I said before, Peter never changed or denied this witness, even when he was threatened, imprisoned, and finally sent to his death for saying these things. So when we want to know who Jesus is, the Bible through Peter’s words says that He is the Son of God, the Savior, and He is resurrected from the dead.
2. Thomas
Another Apostle we know less about was Thomas, he is the one often referred to as “doubting Thomas” because he wanted proof of Jesus’ resurrection before he would believe. What he says about Jesus is interesting because of this very fact: he demanded proof before he would continue to believe.
He knew Jesus and, like the other Apostles, had lived and worked with Jesus for 3 years. He saw the miracles, heard the teachings and witnessed Jesus die on the cross. He was convinced Jesus was dead, so brutal and final was His execution at the hands of the Roman soldiers.
When the other Apostles reported that they had seen Jesus resurrected and alive again, Thomas was skeptical and refused to believe. In the gospel of John we read about Jesus’ confrontation with Thomas to believe.
”But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.“
John 20:24-28 KJV
Note what this exchange teaches us about Jesus:
Thomas believes that Jesus is actually risen from the dead. Thomas acknowledges that Jesus is God, not just a prophet or teacher or holy man. The Apostle demonstrates that Jesus is worthy of not only belief, but worship as well.
Thomas, in calling Jesus Lord, indicates that Jesus has authority over him.
Once again, a short passage, but one where the Bible sets forth important facts about who Jesus is: divine, object of belief and worship, Lord over us. People are free to choose whether they believe this or not but the fact remains that this is what the Bible teaches about Jesus.
3. Paul
Perhaps no one, other than Jesus Himself, articulates in more detail the character or person of Jesus Christ than Paul the Apostle. Paul was a Jew and an early persecutor of the Christian church. As a Pharisee he was part of the ruling class in the Jewish society of Jesus’ day. He was a religious zealot for Judaism who had obtained a mandate from the ruling council of Jewish leaders to wage a campaign of persecution against Christians in order to discourage their growth. In recounting his own experience Paul describes the meeting with Jesus Christ that changed his life.
”Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defence which I make now unto you. (And when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more silence: and he saith,) I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day. And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women. As also the high priest doth bear me witness, and all the estate of the elders: from whom also I received letters unto the brethren, and went to Damascus, to bring them which were there bound unto Jerusalem, for to be punished. And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me. And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest. And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me. And I said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do. And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus. And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there, came unto me, and stood, and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I looked up upon him. And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth. For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard. And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.“
Acts 22:1-16 KJV
And thus began the conversion and mission of one of the most prolific of Jesus’ Apostles. We know both from history and the Bible that Paul went on to preach and establish the Christian religion throughout the Roman Empire. He was eventually imprisoned by the Emperor Nero and executed in Rome in 67 AD on account of his role as a Christian leader.
Paul, the adversary of the church, the one who initially denied who Jesus was, ended up giving his life for his faith in Christ. In his writings we have a very dynamic description of Jesus and His exalted position.
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.”
Colossians 1:15-18
Note what Paul specifically says about who Jesus is:
Visible image of God – When you see Jesus you’re looking at God.
Existed before Creation – He exists before time, like God.
Supreme over Creation – He has the authority of God.
He is the agent of Creation – Everything in the material and spiritual world was created by and for Him.
He is Eternal – Another quality of God.
He is the head of the church – Jesus is the only leader of the church in heaven and on earth. He does not share this with any other person.
He leads those who will resurrect – Another way of saying He is eternal by saying He leads in the future – He is already there.
These things are not the only things Paul says about Jesus, but we can see from these that Paul was proclaiming Jesus as the divine Son of God based on his own experiences and knowledge of Christ and His teachings. So, we have reviewed three of the eyewitnesses who described and explained in the Bible who they believed Jesus to be. We will explore the testimony of Jesus in the sequel to this.
People from all walks of life including Christians have in one way or the other asked this pertinent question before in their lives. As Africans it’s easy for us to believe in God since we totally depend on him for everything including food and water unlike my brethren in the Western world who may have the necessities of life at their beck and call and for that matter may not appreciate the existence of the Almighty.
Some even go to the extent of debating God’s existence on social media, radio or television stations. For me, these people do such things because of some reasons and I don’t blame them for that at all because as sincere as they maybe they still do not know the truth.
Some disbelieve the existence of God because of the presence of evil and pain. Innocent people die through terrorist attacks. Some Christians are plagued with inexplicable and life threatening sicknesses whiles evil people are free and fine. Bread winners with good hearts get involved in ghastly accidents and their families later suffer because their bread winners are gone. So the big question is if God really exists why should all this evil be happening to good people? I have asked myself that question before. What about you?
Injustice is rampant in our societies and it’s the wealthy who mostly perpetuate such evil against the weak and poor in life and it looks like God isn’t concerned and the wicked continues with his evil activities but remember the Bible says “ evil shall slay the wicked and they that hate the righteous (u) shall be desolate “ – Psalms 34:21
If God exists and is love why did great men of God like Reinhard Bonke die through sickness, Myles Munroe die in a plane crash? Do these occurrences really negate the existence of Elohim?
To prove to a Christian God exists is simple but to some unbelievers or atheists it’s always difficult without you having light. If we cannot prove the existence of God to our family members, friends and colleagues or loved ones, a time will come our children will doubt His existence and consequently refuse to come to church or have a good relationship with God.
You proving the existence of God to a critic or an unbeliever in ur midst of challenges that plague humanity could make you win them for Christ. What then would you say?
There’s what is theologically known as cosmological evidence. When we talk about the cosmos we are talking about the universe. In other words, we use nature to prove that God exists without necessarily pointing to the scriptures though they are very helpful. God exists on His own but other things depend on Him to exist. Nothing apart from God exists on its own. In fact, the entire creation depends on God to exist and if there’s creation, it’s logical to believe there’s a Creator. How did the sea, mountains, humans, the skies, sun, stars, moon etc come into being? Remember, nothing exists on its own, the earth exists because someone created it and the one who created it cannot be man but an entity and He’s God. Man may try to debate this theory but he’ll always fail and confirm that he’s fool like the Bible says “ it’s a fool who doesn’t believe in the existence of God”. I’m not a fool and I know you are also not one.
Besides, the theory of teleological evidence cannot be overemphasized in proving the existence of God.
The teleological argument comes from the Greek word telos, meaning “purpose, end, or goal.” It is an argument from design and purpose. Everything in the universe has a purpose and everything appears to have been specially designed to fit that purpose.
This theory also stipulates that creation is too orderly to have come from a random occurrence because someone must be behind and sustaining it. Hebrews 1:3 says : “ The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word…”. See the way nature is designed, see the way the sea is, its waves roll and toss but never go beyond their limits. Birds are of different kinds and colours. The heavens are beautifully separated from the earth by an invisible pillar. The sun governs the day and the moon and stars the night.
If everything observable in the universe has a design and purpose, then why not the universe itself? There cannot be poetry without a poet, there cannot be music without a musician, and there cannot be design without a designer. The original or ultimate designer, or purposer, is God.
Although not directly arguing for God’s existence in this manner, the Bible assumes this to be the case. The psalmist wrote the following about the God of the Bible: You cause the grass to grow for the cattle, and plants for people to use, to bring forth food from the earth, and wine to gladden the human heart, oil to make the face shine, and bread to strengthen the human heart. – Psalm 104:14, 15 NRSV.
The biblical writers saw God behind the intricate design and balance of the universe. We read the following in Proverbs.
Ears that hear and eyes that see—the LORD has made them both. (Proverbs 20:12 NIV)
The design of the human body is credited to God and not man or established institutions or medicine.
The psalmist also noted how wonderfully the human body was made. He gave praise to God for such a marvelous creation.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. (Psalm 139:14 NIV)
There is a majestic harmony in the universe. The order and design we see everywhere tells us that the Creator is not disorganized or that He does things some sort of haphazard way. The Creator has a purpose in everything that He does. From the most distant objects in space, to the minutest material detected by a microscope, we find order and design. This is the sign of an intelligent designer.
Based on the two points given in support of the existence of God above, I strongly believe that “ And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he _exists_ and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him – Hebrews 11:6. Hallelujah!
In a moment of frustration, desperation and despair, who do you turn to? Who comes along when you cry for help? When you find yourself in a dark place, when you are at your lowest who do you turn to? Who can you trust?
For many of us Christians, we will immediately say God or Jesus Christ. We readily quote Psalm 121, that we look up to the hills just like David said. In that chapter and throughout the book of Psalms, we see how David readily cries out to God for help, for mercy. What qualifies us to call upon God?
”For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.“ Romans 10:12-13 KJV
From the above scripture, we see that because of the redemptive blood of Jesus, even gentiles can access our Heavenly Father through prayer. The caveat is to willingly call upon the name of our God, without compulsion. It says that whosoever shall call… so you just need to call upon Him in faith.
For many “believers” however, prayer is usually our last resort when all else has failed. We will only pray when after trying plan A, plan B through to plan Z we are unsuccessful and faced with a brick wall of resistance.
Prayer for many has become very transactional, almost as if God owes us what we desire. Rather than approaching the throne room of the father with reverence and pleading that He be merciful to us, we go to Him from a place of entitlement.
Don’t get me wrong, I believe in exercising the dominion mandate and walking in our God given authority. However never forget that as a child of God, who is emulating the lifestyle that Jesus Christ exemplified while on earth, it is expedient to approach God from a place of humility.
Jesus, the son of God who wields all authority submitted to this protocol. In the heat of the moment when He went to the father in prayer before being captured and crucified, He did not decree and declare that He would not feel any pain when He offered himself as a sacrifice for sins that He didn’t even commit.
Rather, he was meek and answered every question during his trial with wisdom and humility. He acknowledged that although He is a part of the Godhead, his assignment preceded His comfort.
Remember Moses. Besides Jesus, the Christ himself, He was the epitome of meekness. God Himself testified of Him in Hebrews 11:24-27. If humility and meekness are unnecessary, jolt yourself up with reference to how one moment of behaving outside of his usually meek self cost Moses access into the promised land.
Just like Jesus, David with all his shortcomings as a king never failed to approach the throne of God with reverence. He always started off by honouring God while acknowledging his weakness and pleading for mercy.
”I will love thee, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: So shall I be saved from mine enemies.“ Psalm 18:1-3 KJV
It is no secret that when we call upon our God, He is able to help us. Our God is a merciful Father and He desires that we not just call upon Him speedily, but that we also trust Him to save us and fulfill His purposes in us.
”Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.“ Jeremiah 33:3 KJV
Sometimes life may throw curveballs at us. We might find ourselves in dark seasons where nothing seems to be working. Remember however that experiences and graces can only be built by going through the tough times.
God is the master strategist. All power belongs to Him alone. Even the darkness is as light unto Him. Your strategies and plans can only achieve so much no matter how logical and well thought out they are. Isn’t it only wise to trust the God who Himself is light to guide you through the darkness?
”For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)“ 2 Corinthians 10:3-4 KJV
Be deliberate about your prayers. Cry out to God in reverence and humility so you can attract His full attention. Plead for God mercy and trust Him to answer.
”Hear, O LORD, and have mercy upon me: LORD, be thou my helper.“ Psalm 30:10 KJV
Never forget that humility is not timidity. May you be marvelously helped by God this day and beyond as you approach His throne room with reverence and humility.
”But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.“
Hebrews 11:6 NKJV
To come to God requires believing that has a foundation of knowing that
⁃ he is sovereign,
⁃ all knowing
⁃ All powerful
⁃ All present
”He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”“
Psalms 91:1-2 NKJV
⁃ the psalmist introduces God to us as
⁃ The Most high and Almighty indicating His placement above all things
He then goes on to personalize The Most high and Almighty God as
⁃ The Lord
⁃ He is my Refuge and my fortress
⁃ my God, in Him I will trust
Many Christians today do not know God on a personal level, there is only the general knowledge about God and His son Jesus.
Many Christians today if they are confronted to give information about Jesus will have very little to say about him.
Jesus asked his disciples one time “whom do men say that I am? –
Jesus was interested in finding out what He was known for
For many in his day and now
⁃ Jesus is still hanging on the cross depicted by the images around us.
⁃ For many he is Joseph and Mary’s son
⁃ For some he is the wine maker who turned water into wine.
⁃ For many Christian’s now he is the answer to their problems
⁃ He is a sure banker to breakthroughs
Jesus died, he was buried but He rose again to bring us victory:
The Bible speaks of 8 different occasions where Jesus revealed himself to his disciples at various times over a forty day period before He ascended into heaven.
⁃ Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene . Mark 16.9, john 20.14 this brought victory over despair
⁃ Second, Jesus appeared to other women as they were leaving the tomb (Matthew 28:9-10). They thought he was dead, but he appeared to them, and they worshipped Him there. Jesus brought victory over death.
⁃ Third, Jesus met up with two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-32). These men were talking about all the week’s events surrounding Jesus. They didn’t understand what had happened. Jesus talked with them and stayed with them until they understood. Jesus brought victory over confusion.
⁃ Fourth, Jesus appeared to 10 disciples who were hiding together (Luke 24:36-43; John 20:19-25). These disciples were afraid of what might happen to them since Jesus had been killed. Jesus brought victory over fear.
⁃ Fifth, Jesus appeared to all 11 remaining disciples (Mark 16:14; John 20:26-31). Thomas, who had doubted Jesus’ resurrection, was with them this time. Jesus brought victory over doubt.
⁃ Sixth, Jesus appeared to seven disciples, including Peter, who had denied Jesus three times (John 21). At this appearance, Jesus puts Peter back into ministry. Jesus brought victory over failure.
⁃ Seventh, Jesus appeared to the 11 disciples at a pre-arranged location on a mountain in Galilee (Matthew 28:16-20). There Jesus told them He had been given all power and authority. He gave His followers the great commission to make disciples. Jesus brought victory over any other power.
⁃ Eighth, Jesus finally appeared to as many as 500 of His followers at one time. He confirmed the completion of His mission and the promise of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:1-8). Jesus had victory over all things.
Jesus showed himself alive by many proofs
⁃ speaking the things concerning the God and charging them to wait for the promise of the father.
Who is Jesus to you?
”Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,“
Philippians 3:8-10 NKJV
⁃ The risen Christ
”God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.“
Hebrews 1:1-4 NKJV
May you discover who Jesus is to you and pursue Him earnestly all the days of your life.
Virtuous Living 