THAT I MAY KNOW HIM!(PHP.3:10) 🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥 THE CONSEQUENCES OF SHUTTING GOD OUT OF OUR LIVES! [PS. 51:11] 💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫 So many of us are do so much take God's Love for us for granted. And one of the fact responsible is wrong following and mentoring by self centered custodians of God's Word. Most of them teach that God Loves us so much that He can't leave us no matter how we wilfully offend Him. But, I tell you now that God does abandon us to our fate,if we consistently disobey and disregard Him. And it's horribly dangerous. In Psalm 51:11, David pleads with God, saying, “Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.” This one-sentence prayer, part of David’s prayer of repentance to God, reveals a sobering spiritual reality we need to understand, namely, it is possible for God to remove His blessed presence from our lives. Let that sink in for a moment. It is possible to no longer experience the intimate relationship, deep friendship, and even family closeness with God that we once knew. And to lose the close fellowship of God’s Spirit is to lose His guidance, empowerment, and the joy of His salvation working mightily within us. No one who once knew God wants to reach a point where they can no longer feel His presence or hear His voice... and, I mean, no one. 👉 WHAT DOES LOSING GOD'S PRESENCE MEAN? To be out of God’s presence means to no longer have His spiritual fellowship and blessing over our lives. It means we have forfeited any intimate communion with Him and can no longer experience the comfort, direction, purpose, and power that comes from His Spirit dwelling richly within us. And it’s a lonely, dark, miserable, and depressing place to be. Certainly so pathetic a situation! Tragically, in the book of Judges, we see this described in Samson’s life. Though freakishly strong, Samson lost the blessing of God’s PRESENCE and POWER to work through him as a leader over Israel because of his lust and sin. And his lack of obedience to God’s standards of holiness, along with his blatant disregard for God’s purpose in his life, resulted in his tragic public downfall. Samson’s sad EXAMPLE WARNS US NOT TO PRESUME UPON GOD'S ABIDING PRESENCE toY ALWAYS BE WITH US, IRRESPECTIVE OF HOW WE CHOOSE TO WALK BEFORE HIM.(Judges 13-16) Remember, sin and disobedience have consequences, both in this life and in the life to come. And our unrepented and persistent sin and rebellion can, and will, easily quench and grieve the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:30), putting a great gulf between us and joyful fellowship with God (1 Thess. 5:19). I mean, why should we expect to relish in the joy of His approval and presence when our actions show our complete rejection of His standards and ways? It just doesn’t work that way. 👉 BIBLICAL EXAMPLES OF LOSING GOD'S PRESENCE. Scripture contains several sobering examples of God’s people forfeiting His blessed presence for a season because of their sin and rebellion against Him. 💁Israel’s refusal to enter the Promised Land because of fear and unbelief resulted in 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. 💁King Solomon’s turning to idol worship because of his many foreign wives led to God’s promise to tear the kingdom away from his descendants. And God truly did! 💁Saul’s pride, envy, and independence from God’s word resulted in his losing the kingdom and his reign as king over Israel to David. 💁And even David lost the joy of his salvation after his sin against Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, Uriah. Yet He found forgiveness and restoration only after fully repenting, without excuses (Psalm 51). Through these accounts and others, we learn how unchecked, besetting sins can earn God’s discipline and the chastisement of withdrawing His presence from those He loves in order to bring them back into a relationship with Him. 👉 THE CONSEQUENCES OF LOSING GOD'S PRESENCE. To grasp the gravity of this loss of His presence, consider the very first Biblical example: Adam and Eve being banished from Eden and God’s Presence after their sin and rebellion. We see their heartbreaking exile from God’s Presence in Genesis 3:23-24: “Therefore the LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden. So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.” Now, no longer able to walk with God “in the garden in the cool of the day” (Gen. 3:8), Adam and Eve, and all humanity after them, faced toil, pain, hardship, and death outside of God’s protective presence. Similarly, Cain faced wandering and fear as a “fugitive and vagabond on the earth” after murdering his brother Abel (Gen. 4:12). The loss of the safety and security of God’s intimate presence left him isolated and alone, which was not God’s original plan for them.Not at all. Losing the fellowship of God’s Spirit dramatically affects every area of life. We may struggle with feelings of isolation, anxiety, aimlessness, despair, and debilitating guilt. Without access to God’s wisdom and perspective, we fall victim to poor decision-making, with moral confusion not far behind. Our spiritual vitality evaporates, leaving behind deadness, dryness, and powerlessness in its wake. We become just a living shell of what we once were when we could experience the presence of God in our lives. 💁Indeed, shutting ourselves off from the Source of life has tragic consequences that touch every aspect of our lives. So, we must carefully guard against anything that could earn the removal of such an infinitely precious gift. 👉 RESTORING GOD'S ABIDING PRESENCE. The good news is that Scripture offers hope for restoration through genuine repentance. Just as “weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5), so God promises that if we draw near to Him, He will forgive, forget, and graciously reciprocate and draw near to us once again (James 4:8). No matter how far we have strayed through our disobedience, it is not too far nor too late to reclaim the blessings of His abiding presence. 👉 BUT HOW IS THIS DONE? HOW CAN WE EXPERIENCE GOD'S PRESENCE ONCE AGAIN? By examining the accounts of divine forgiveness and restoration in Scripture, we can uncover some spiritual principles to apply in reclaiming God’s manifest presence: 💁Examine Your Heart Before God: Invite His searching gaze to reveal any areas of offense that may be hindering close fellowship, such as unforgiveness, pride, or secret sins (Psalm 139:23-24). 💁Confess Everything Completely: Hold nothing back from God (like He doesn’t know already?). Agree with Him about the true ugliness of your sins, calling them what Scripture calls them, “Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight” (Psalm 51:4, 1 John 1:9, 1 Samuel 15:23). 💁Repent Thoroughly and Honestly: Turn away from all that offends God and turn wholeheartedly towards Him in submission and obedience to His complete Lordship over every area in your life. Again, hold nothing back from God, give Him everything (John 14:15, Romans 8:13). 💁Walk Accountably: Surround yourself with wise, merciful companions who will help you persevere in living uprightly and fruitfully before God (Hebrews 10:24-25). Don’t try to go it alone. After all, it didn’t work the first time, did it? By applying these Biblical strategies, you can find healing, hope, and restoration in your walk with Christ. And by His astonishing grace (which I still can’t comprehend), He invites us to come freely and find the refreshing rivers of His presence flowing freely once again in the wastelands of our lives. 💁Standing Ready to Welcome Us Home Never forget that we serve an incredibly merciful and compassionate God who stands ready to lavish His presence abundantly upon all who seek Him. He yearns for reconciliation even more than we do. Christ Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son reminds us that the Father is constantly looking expectantly down that road for signs of His wayward child returning home. And when He catches sight of us finally turning back, He runs to embrace us, fully restoring all that was lost in that painful absence (Luke 15:11-32). What wondrous love is this...that our God never gives up on us, regardless of how far we stray? He graciously disciplines those He loves to spur our return to Him freely and wholeheartedly (Revelation 3:19). And understanding both the blessings of walking in God’s presence and the agony of losing that gift, He offers us a powerful motivation to pursue intimate fellowship with God above all else. By His grace, may we fervently guard our hearts against anything that could earn separation from the One who is Life itself...the Loving Lord Christ Jesus. Amen🙇🙏!

THAT I MAY KNOW HIM!(PHP.3:10) 🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥 THE CONSEQUENCES OF SHUTTING GOD OUT OF OUR LIVES! [PS. 51:11] 💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫 So many of us are do so much take God's Love for us for granted. And one of the fact responsible is wrong following and mentoring by self centered custodians of God's Word. Most of them teach that God Loves us so much that He can't leave us no matter how we wilfully offend Him. But, I tell you now that God does abandon us to our fate,if we consistently disobey and disregard Him. And it's horribly dangerous. In Psalm 51:11, David pleads with God, saying, “Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.” This one-sentence prayer, part of David’s prayer of repentance to God, reveals a sobering spiritual reality we need to understand, namely, it is possible for God to remove His blessed presence from our lives. Let that sink in for a moment. It is possible to no longer experience the intimate relationship, deep friendship, and even family closeness with God that we once knew. And to lose the close fellowship of God’s Spirit is to lose His guidance, empowerment, and the joy of His salvation working mightily within us. No one who once knew God wants to reach a point where they can no longer feel His presence or hear His voice... and, I mean, no one. 👉 WHAT DOES LOSING GOD'S PRESENCE MEAN? To be out of God’s presence means to no longer have His spiritual fellowship and blessing over our lives. It means we have forfeited any intimate communion with Him and can no longer experience the comfort, direction, purpose, and power that comes from His Spirit dwelling richly within us. And it’s a lonely, dark, miserable, and depressing place to be. Certainly so pathetic a situation! Tragically, in the book of Judges, we see this described in Samson’s life. Though freakishly strong, Samson lost the blessing of God’s PRESENCE and POWER to work through him as a leader over Israel because of his lust and sin. And his lack of obedience to God’s standards of holiness, along with his blatant disregard for God’s purpose in his life, resulted in his tragic public downfall. Samson’s sad EXAMPLE WARNS US NOT TO PRESUME UPON GOD'S ABIDING PRESENCE toY ALWAYS BE WITH US, IRRESPECTIVE OF HOW WE CHOOSE TO WALK BEFORE HIM.(Judges 13-16) Remember, sin and disobedience have consequences, both in this life and in the life to come. And our unrepented and persistent sin and rebellion can, and will, easily quench and grieve the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:30), putting a great gulf between us and joyful fellowship with God (1 Thess. 5:19). I mean, why should we expect to relish in the joy of His approval and presence when our actions show our complete rejection of His standards and ways? It just doesn’t work that way. 👉 BIBLICAL EXAMPLES OF LOSING GOD'S PRESENCE. Scripture contains several sobering examples of God’s people forfeiting His blessed presence for a season because of their sin and rebellion against Him. 💁Israel’s refusal to enter the Promised Land because of fear and unbelief resulted in 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. 💁King Solomon’s turning to idol worship because of his many foreign wives led to God’s promise to tear the kingdom away from his descendants. And God truly did! 💁Saul’s pride, envy, and independence from God’s word resulted in his losing the kingdom and his reign as king over Israel to David. 💁And even David lost the joy of his salvation after his sin against Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, Uriah. Yet He found forgiveness and restoration only after fully repenting, without excuses (Psalm 51). Through these accounts and others, we learn how unchecked, besetting sins can earn God’s discipline and the chastisement of withdrawing His presence from those He loves in order to bring them back into a relationship with Him. 👉 THE CONSEQUENCES OF LOSING GOD'S PRESENCE. To grasp the gravity of this loss of His presence, consider the very first Biblical example: Adam and Eve being banished from Eden and God’s Presence after their sin and rebellion. We see their heartbreaking exile from God’s Presence in Genesis 3:23-24: “Therefore the LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden. So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.” Now, no longer able to walk with God “in the garden in the cool of the day” (Gen. 3:8), Adam and Eve, and all humanity after them, faced toil, pain, hardship, and death outside of God’s protective presence. Similarly, Cain faced wandering and fear as a “fugitive and vagabond on the earth” after murdering his brother Abel (Gen. 4:12). The loss of the safety and security of God’s intimate presence left him isolated and alone, which was not God’s original plan for them.Not at all. Losing the fellowship of God’s Spirit dramatically affects every area of life. We may struggle with feelings of isolation, anxiety, aimlessness, despair, and debilitating guilt. Without access to God’s wisdom and perspective, we fall victim to poor decision-making, with moral confusion not far behind. Our spiritual vitality evaporates, leaving behind deadness, dryness, and powerlessness in its wake. We become just a living shell of what we once were when we could experience the presence of God in our lives. 💁Indeed, shutting ourselves off from the Source of life has tragic consequences that touch every aspect of our lives. So, we must carefully guard against anything that could earn the removal of such an infinitely precious gift. 👉 RESTORING GOD'S ABIDING PRESENCE. The good news is that Scripture offers hope for restoration through genuine repentance. Just as “weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5), so God promises that if we draw near to Him, He will forgive, forget, and graciously reciprocate and draw near to us once again (James 4:8). No matter how far we have strayed through our disobedience, it is not too far nor too late to reclaim the blessings of His abiding presence. 👉 BUT HOW IS THIS DONE? HOW CAN WE EXPERIENCE GOD'S PRESENCE ONCE AGAIN? By examining the accounts of divine forgiveness and restoration in Scripture, we can uncover some spiritual principles to apply in reclaiming God’s manifest presence: 💁Examine Your Heart Before God: Invite His searching gaze to reveal any areas of offense that may be hindering close fellowship, such as unforgiveness, pride, or secret sins (Psalm 139:23-24). 💁Confess Everything Completely: Hold nothing back from God (like He doesn’t know already?). Agree with Him about the true ugliness of your sins, calling them what Scripture calls them, “Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight” (Psalm 51:4, 1 John 1:9, 1 Samuel 15:23). 💁Repent Thoroughly and Honestly: Turn away from all that offends God and turn wholeheartedly towards Him in submission and obedience to His complete Lordship over every area in your life. Again, hold nothing back from God, give Him everything (John 14:15, Romans 8:13). 💁Walk Accountably: Surround yourself with wise, merciful companions who will help you persevere in living uprightly and fruitfully before God (Hebrews 10:24-25). Don’t try to go it alone. After all, it didn’t work the first time, did it? By applying these Biblical strategies, you can find healing, hope, and restoration in your walk with Christ. And by His astonishing grace (which I still can’t comprehend), He invites us to come freely and find the refreshing rivers of His presence flowing freely once again in the wastelands of our lives. 💁Standing Ready to Welcome Us Home Never forget that we serve an incredibly merciful and compassionate God who stands ready to lavish His presence abundantly upon all who seek Him. He yearns for reconciliation even more than we do. Christ Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son reminds us that the Father is constantly looking expectantly down that road for signs of His wayward child returning home. And when He catches sight of us finally turning back, He runs to embrace us, fully restoring all that was lost in that painful absence (Luke 15:11-32). What wondrous love is this...that our God never gives up on us, regardless of how far we stray? He graciously disciplines those He loves to spur our return to Him freely and wholeheartedly (Revelation 3:19). And understanding both the blessings of walking in God’s presence and the agony of losing that gift, He offers us a powerful motivation to pursue intimate fellowship with God above all else. By His grace, may we fervently guard our hearts against anything that could earn separation from the One who is Life itself...the Loving Lord Christ Jesus. Amen🙇🙏!

JUST A MINUTE, PLEASE! [THE PREACHER'S CORNER] 🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥 HYPOCRISY...A DANGEROUS VIRUS PLAGUING THE CHURCH! [GAL.2:11-14] 🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥 When this subject was laid in my heart again,(for we studied sometime ago), I felt the same way I felt then,if not worse...and that is, AM I MYSELF,NOT A HYPOCRITE? FOR,HIYPOCRISY HAS VARIOUS CATEGORIES. Hypocrisy hides the truth from people seeking it. God's Word gently reminds us that we need to be mindful of how we live because whether we believe it or not, we are causing an impact in other people’s lives... positively or negatively. The world is full of hypocrites, and many people are trying to live a double life. Going by ancient definition, hypocrisy is referred to as the claim or pretense of having beliefs, standards, qualities, behaviors, virtues, motivations, etc, which one does not actually possess. I think this definition covers all categories of this deadly virus wrecking havoc in the Church of God. Yes, that's the unfortunate part... seeing this lifestyle lived in the body of Christ Jesus. If it is any type of life, HYPOCRISY IS THE WORST KIND OF LIFE TO EVER EXIST. Those who do so(living double faced lives) ,risk losing themselves in the process. The Bible has had a lot to say about this topic, it is full of warnings against hypocrites; Christ Jesus pronounced seven different judgments against the scribes and Pharisees because of the same vice (Matthew 23:1-36). Apostle Paul had to confront Peter(The physical head of the early church),over living a “two-face” life. The encounter between Peter and Paul gives us four things that help in understanding the danger of hypocrisy and why believers should stay clear from it. There are four dangers of HYPOCRISY which can be considered from this passage: 11. But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. (Gal 2: 11-14) 👉Hypocrisy makes us live a Double Life (V12) Peter had no problem sharing life with the Gentile believers in Antioch until his fellow Jews arrived. He did not want the Jews to know and see him associating with the Gentiles. Peter was living a double life,the Gentiles’ way of life, and the Jewish strict way of living. He was switching hats of whatever favoured his circumstance and Paul had to rebuke him.(Though,we agree that Paul should have treated Peter with some respect as his leader, NEVERTHELESS, JUST IMAGINE HOW HE "PETER" FELT.) James wrote in his letter, “A double minded person is unstable in all his ways” (James 1:8) Hypocrisy is among the list of things for us to put away if we are going to grow in Salvation. Even,"now" resolute Peter wrote strongly about it; Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and HYPOCRISIES, and envies, and all evil speakings, (1Pe 2: 1) I guess the question is, what kind of life are we living? Are there things we are hiding? The only people who are mad at us for speaking the truth are those people who are living a lie. Keep speaking the truth. 👉Hypocrisy makes us live in Fear (V12-13a) There is an interesting word of wisdom from the book of Proverbs. It says, “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe” (Proverbs 29:25). Peter had allowed the opinions of his fellow Jews grip him so tightly that he could not enjoy the freedom Christ Jesus had given. Peter could not proclaim before his fellow Jews the great things God had done among the Gentiles, and why was that? It’s because he was afraid. He was afraid people would discover his pretentious life, he was afraid his fellow Jews would not accept him again. He was afraid so he had to withdraw from his brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus, those who shared the same bond of love like the brothers from Jerusalem he was afraid of. Living a hypocritical life makes us miss out on what God has to offer for those who are free in Christ Jesus. Christ Jesus in speaking to His disciples about fear said, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). Is it not true that we have our fears misplaced most of the time ? Let me ask a question, Who has our fears? I think we so often live in so much fear of man than we are of God. If we feel we have to change our Christian beliefs to match those of our companions, we are on dangerous grounds. Compromise is an important element in getting along with others, but we should never compromise the Truth of God’s Word. The Word of God should be a “Non-Negotiable” non-debatable THING. If you are beginning to debate whether to believe the Bible or not, whether you should obey God’s Word or man, then it is time you checked your Biblical conviction because, “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). 👉Our Hypocrisy leads others astray (V13b) “And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.” We need to be watchful how we live, our action might either draw people to Christ Jesus or push them away from Him. Just imagine, that even Barnabas was led astray. This guy was a mature believer, he is the one who took Paul in when all were afraid of him; he is the man we hear the Holy Spirit saying, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I called them” (Acts 13:2). If Barnabas was led astray because certain believers were acting hypocritically, how many more people were probably led astray? If we are living this way, how many people might end up being led astray because of our lifestyle? *AND THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT IS HAPPENING TODAY IN OUR CHURCHES! ESPECIALLY CHARLATAN PASTORS IN OUR MIDST THAT LARGE CONGREGATIONS LOOK UP TO.* We preach the gospel not just by the words that come out of our mouth, but much more by how we live out the truth we profess. May a soul never be lost to hell because we were living as hypocrites. “…let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your father in Heaven” – Matthew 5:16. 👉Hypocrisy makes us live contrary to the Gospel (V14) “But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the Gospel,..” In their attempt to please both sides (the Gentiles and Jews) and live for themselves, Peter and some of his fellow Jews had wandered off from the Truth. THIS IS HOW EASY IT IS TO DRIFT FROM THE TRUTH OF THE SCRIPTURE. It begins with one lie, one compromise, one pretense, one twisted Scripture, and before you know it, it has become a way of life. May we constantly check ourselves, constantly soak ourselves in the Word of God, but much more allow the Truth we already know to bring the change God intends to bring into our lives. “You cannot live the life you want, when you want, and how you want it, and still be in line with the Gospel.” Peter learned his lesson the hard way, but the greatest thing about his life was that he was a repentant man, he was a man who listened. He later on wrote to believers who were scattered throughout Asia Minor about spiritual growth and the danger that poses as a threat to it. He includes hypocrisy among the things believers should put away from their lives, as we read above. Hypocrisy is dangerous because it hides the truth from people seeking it. As a result, it makes people believe in a lie because they who live to please the flesh live contrary to the Gospel. Let’s be mindful of how we live on this earth because believe it or not, you are causing an impact on people’s lives. Only, be sure you are causing a positive impact; an impact that is turning sinners into saints because they are drawn to Christ Jesus. Let us stop the pretence and be real. IF HYPOCRISY IN THE CHURCH CAN DROP BY AT LEAST JUST 10%, EVERYONE WILL FEEL THE POSITIVE IMPACT. God help us...🙇🙏!

JUST A MINUTE, PLEASE! [THE PREACHER'S CORNER] 🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥 HYPOCRISY...A DANGEROUS VIRUS PLAGUING THE CHURCH! [GAL.2:11-14] 🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥 When this subject was laid in my heart again,(for we studied sometime ago), I felt the same way I felt then,if not worse...and that is, AM I MYSELF,NOT A HYPOCRITE? FOR,HIYPOCRISY HAS VARIOUS CATEGORIES. Hypocrisy hides the truth from people seeking it. God's Word gently reminds us that we need to be mindful of how we live because whether we believe it or not, we are causing an impact in other people’s lives... positively or negatively. The world is full of hypocrites, and many people are trying to live a double life. Going by ancient definition, hypocrisy is referred to as the claim or pretense of having beliefs, standards, qualities, behaviors, virtues, motivations, etc, which one does not actually possess. I think this definition covers all categories of this deadly virus wrecking havoc in the Church of God. Yes, that's the unfortunate part... seeing this lifestyle lived in the body of Christ Jesus. If it is any type of life, HYPOCRISY IS THE WORST KIND OF LIFE TO EVER EXIST. Those who do so(living double faced lives) ,risk losing themselves in the process. The Bible has had a lot to say about this topic, it is full of warnings against hypocrites; Christ Jesus pronounced seven different judgments against the scribes and Pharisees because of the same vice (Matthew 23:1-36). Apostle Paul had to confront Peter(The physical head of the early church),over living a “two-face” life. The encounter between Peter and Paul gives us four things that help in understanding the danger of hypocrisy and why believers should stay clear from it. There are four dangers of HYPOCRISY which can be considered from this passage: 11. But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. (Gal 2: 11-14) 👉Hypocrisy makes us live a Double Life (V12) Peter had no problem sharing life with the Gentile believers in Antioch until his fellow Jews arrived. He did not want the Jews to know and see him associating with the Gentiles. Peter was living a double life,the Gentiles’ way of life, and the Jewish strict way of living. He was switching hats of whatever favoured his circumstance and Paul had to rebuke him.(Though,we agree that Paul should have treated Peter with some respect as his leader, NEVERTHELESS, JUST IMAGINE HOW HE "PETER" FELT.) James wrote in his letter, “A double minded person is unstable in all his ways” (James 1:8) Hypocrisy is among the list of things for us to put away if we are going to grow in Salvation. Even,"now" resolute Peter wrote strongly about it; Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and HYPOCRISIES, and envies, and all evil speakings, (1Pe 2: 1) I guess the question is, what kind of life are we living? Are there things we are hiding? The only people who are mad at us for speaking the truth are those people who are living a lie. Keep speaking the truth. 👉Hypocrisy makes us live in Fear (V12-13a) There is an interesting word of wisdom from the book of Proverbs. It says, “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe” (Proverbs 29:25). Peter had allowed the opinions of his fellow Jews grip him so tightly that he could not enjoy the freedom Christ Jesus had given. Peter could not proclaim before his fellow Jews the great things God had done among the Gentiles, and why was that? It’s because he was afraid. He was afraid people would discover his pretentious life, he was afraid his fellow Jews would not accept him again. He was afraid so he had to withdraw from his brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus, those who shared the same bond of love like the brothers from Jerusalem he was afraid of. Living a hypocritical life makes us miss out on what God has to offer for those who are free in Christ Jesus. Christ Jesus in speaking to His disciples about fear said, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). Is it not true that we have our fears misplaced most of the time ? Let me ask a question, Who has our fears? I think we so often live in so much fear of man than we are of God. If we feel we have to change our Christian beliefs to match those of our companions, we are on dangerous grounds. Compromise is an important element in getting along with others, but we should never compromise the Truth of God’s Word. The Word of God should be a “Non-Negotiable” non-debatable THING. If you are beginning to debate whether to believe the Bible or not, whether you should obey God’s Word or man, then it is time you checked your Biblical conviction because, “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). 👉Our Hypocrisy leads others astray (V13b) “And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.” We need to be watchful how we live, our action might either draw people to Christ Jesus or push them away from Him. Just imagine, that even Barnabas was led astray. This guy was a mature believer, he is the one who took Paul in when all were afraid of him; he is the man we hear the Holy Spirit saying, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I called them” (Acts 13:2). If Barnabas was led astray because certain believers were acting hypocritically, how many more people were probably led astray? If we are living this way, how many people might end up being led astray because of our lifestyle? *AND THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT IS HAPPENING TODAY IN OUR CHURCHES! ESPECIALLY CHARLATAN PASTORS IN OUR MIDST THAT LARGE CONGREGATIONS LOOK UP TO.* We preach the gospel not just by the words that come out of our mouth, but much more by how we live out the truth we profess. May a soul never be lost to hell because we were living as hypocrites. “…let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your father in Heaven” – Matthew 5:16. 👉Hypocrisy makes us live contrary to the Gospel (V14) “But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the Gospel,..” In their attempt to please both sides (the Gentiles and Jews) and live for themselves, Peter and some of his fellow Jews had wandered off from the Truth. THIS IS HOW EASY IT IS TO DRIFT FROM THE TRUTH OF THE SCRIPTURE. It begins with one lie, one compromise, one pretense, one twisted Scripture, and before you know it, it has become a way of life. May we constantly check ourselves, constantly soak ourselves in the Word of God, but much more allow the Truth we already know to bring the change God intends to bring into our lives. “You cannot live the life you want, when you want, and how you want it, and still be in line with the Gospel.” Peter learned his lesson the hard way, but the greatest thing about his life was that he was a repentant man, he was a man who listened. He later on wrote to believers who were scattered throughout Asia Minor about spiritual growth and the danger that poses as a threat to it. He includes hypocrisy among the things believers should put away from their lives, as we read above. Hypocrisy is dangerous because it hides the truth from people seeking it. As a result, it makes people believe in a lie because they who live to please the flesh live contrary to the Gospel. Let’s be mindful of how we live on this earth because believe it or not, you are causing an impact on people’s lives. Only, be sure you are causing a positive impact; an impact that is turning sinners into saints because they are drawn to Christ Jesus. Let us stop the pretence and be real. IF HYPOCRISY IN THE CHURCH CAN DROP BY AT LEAST JUST 10%, EVERYONE WILL FEEL THE POSITIVE IMPACT. God help us...🙇🙏!

UNDERSTANDING GOD IN A SIN BROKEN WORLD! 🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥 LIVING IN A SINFUL WORLD ISN'T AN EXCUSE NOT TO GROW. GOD DESIRES US TO GROW DAILY. 🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen. (2Pe 3: 18) We,the human race have an excuse for everything. But God loathes excuses as displayed throughout His Word...the Scriptures. God wants us to"Grow in grace" daily...not in ONE GRACE ONLY, BUT IN ALL GRACE. Grow in that ROOT... GRACE. Yes,Grace is the root of all Christian growth...It births faith. Believe the promises more firmly than you have done. Let faith increase in fullness, constancy and simplicity. Growing in grace also helps us to grow in love...in that our love may become extended, more intense, more practical, influencing every thought, word, and deed. Grace helps us to grow likewise in humility. Seek to lie very low, and know more of our own nothingness. As we grow downward in humility, seek also to grow upward...having nearer approaches to God in prayer and more intimate fellowship with Christ Jesus. May God the Holy Spirit enable us to "grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour." He who grows not in the knowledge of Christ Jesus, refuses to be blessed. To know Him is "life eternal," and to advance in the knowledge of Him is to increase in joy. He who does not long to know more of Christ Jesus knows nothing of Him yet. Whoever hath sipped this wine will thirst for more, for although Christ Jesus doth satisfy, yet it is such a satisfaction, that the appetite is not cloyed, but whetted. If we know the love of Christ Jesus...as the hart panteth for the water-brooks, so will we pant after deeper draughts of His Love. If we do not desire to know Him better, then we love Him not, for love always cries, "Nearer, nearer." Absence from Christ Jesus is hell; but the presence of Christ Jesus is heaven. Rest not then, content without an increasing acquaintance with Christ Jesus. Seek to know more of Him in His Divine Nature, in His Human Relationship, in His finished work, in His death, in His resurrection, in His present glorious intercession, and in His future royal advent. Abide hard by the Cross, and search the mystery of His wounds. An increase of love to Christ Jesus, and a more perfect apprehension of His love towards us is one of the best tests of growth in grace. Amen🙇🙏!