Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Called to share the gospel

Today in Jesus NAME"      I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you -- unless you believed in vain.  For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve.  After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once...." 1 Corinthians 15:1-10
Called to share the gospel

"Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect. " 1 Corinthians 1:10 "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. " Mark 16:15-16
"Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." 2 Timothy 1:8-10
"...praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints -- and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak." Ephesians 6:18-20
"...always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil." 1 Peter 3:15-17

Trust God's power and grace, not man's cleverness

"God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." Galatians 6:14
"...the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are saved it is the power of God." 1 Corinthians 1:18 
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, 'The just shall live by faith.'"  Romans 1:16-17
"For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are saved it is the power of God. "  1 Corinthians 1:16-19
"But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ." Galatians 1:11
"For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God." 1 Corinthians 2:2-5
"For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake. And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe. " 1 Thessalonians 1:5-7

Teach the whole  gospel

"I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God. Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock."  Acts 20:28-29

"...you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
      "But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His  great love with which He loved us,  even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,   that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in  His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.  For by grace you have been saved  through faith, and that not of yourselves;  it is the gift of God,  not of  works, lest anyone should  boast.   For we are  His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." 
Ephesians 2:1-10

Shun any marketing of the gospel

"...we were bold in our God to speak to you the gospel of God in much conflict. For our exhortation did not come from error or uncleanness, nor was it in deceit. But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts." 1 Thessalonians 2:2-4

"For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel! For if I do this willingly, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have been entrusted with a stewardship. What is my reward then? That when I preach the gospel, I may present the gospel of Christ without charge, that I may not abuse my authority in the gospel." 1 Corinthians 9:16-18

"...as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts. For neither at any time did we use flattering words, as you know, nor a cloak for covetousness -- God is witness. Nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, when we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children. So, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us. For you remember, brethren, our labor and toil; for laboring night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, we preached to you the gospel of God." 1 Thessalonians 2:4-9
 
"But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake. For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." 2 Corinthians 4:2-6

"Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are saved and among those who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things? For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ."  2 Corinthians 2:14-17

Guard against false gospels

"For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted -- you may well put up with it!" 2 Corinthians 11:4
 
"I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ."  Galatians 1:6-10

"...false brethren secretly brought in (who came in by stealth to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage),  to whom we did not yield submission even for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you."
Galatians 2:4-5

"But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, 'If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews?" Galatians 2:14-15

Preach the true gospel to all peoples

"Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth--to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people..." Revelation 14:6

"Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh,  and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name, among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;"  Romans 1:1-6
 
"After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them. ... And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, 'Come over to Macedonia and help us.' 'Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them." Acts 16:6-10

"For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. Now this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I may be partaker of it with you."
1 Corinthians 9:19-23
 
"How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace,
Who bring glad tidings of good things!"
Romans 10:15

Responding to the gospel with faith and obedience


"In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. " Ephesians 1:13-14

"And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight --  if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel...." Colossians 1:21-23

"...you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience.... But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.... For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast....." Ephesians 2:1-9

"For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. " Hebrews 4:2

"But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, 'Lord, who has believed our report?' So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. " Romans 10:16-17

"Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect." 1 Corinthians 1:17

"He said to them, 'Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.'" Mark 8:34-38
 
Suffering for the gospel

"...that on your behalf he might minister to me in my chains for the gospel. " Philemon 13

"Jesus answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time -- houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions -- and in the age to come, eternal life." Mark 10:29-30

"...to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. Now this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I may be partaker of it with you." 1 Corinthians 9:22-23

"For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance...."  1 Thessalonians 1:5

"...the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ; and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from good will:  The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains; but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice." Philippians 1:12-18

"And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations. But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit." Mark 13:10-11

"...they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come." Matthew 24:9-14

"But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God." Acts 20:24

Persevering in the gospel

"...you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight -- if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard...." Colossians 1:21-23

"...they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, 'We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.'" Acts 14:21-22

"...we...  endure all things lest we hinder the gospel of Christ. " 1 Corinthians 9:12

Fellowship of the gospel

"I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ..."  Philippians 1:3-30

"I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace. For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ. And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God." Philippians 1:7-11

"Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel,  and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God. For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake...."
Philippians 1:27-29

"So, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us. For you remember, brethren, our labor and toil; for laboring night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, we preached to you the gospel of God. " 1 Thessalonians 2:8-10
Shinning Still
Edwin

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

A special message from my heart about this ministry


A special message from my heart about how this ministry

I want you to know that as we move through 2012, the need is greater than ever for Christians to be committed to God’s command: “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come” (Matthew 24:14).

Thank you for standing with me during such an important and historic time. The year is proving to be one of the most powerful times of spiritual anointing I have experienced in over 12 years of ministry.


The Bible says, “We are laborers together with God” (1 Corinthians 3:9), and God has given us many victories during recent months.

I have made this commitment, and I will never break it, never turn back from it! I will preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ as long as God gives me breath. And I pray that God will continue to speak to your heart to do all you can to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world.

Thank you for your trust and confidence in me, and thank you for sending me to the nations of the world. I am redoubling my efforts to see more souls than ever before won to Christ. But I cannot do it without you.


Thank you for standing with me in this important season of great harvests, You are my precious partner, and I love you very much.

I believe 2012 will be your year from Heaven! And I am asking you to continue to step out in faith by sowing your precious financial seed so multitudes can hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Throughout the Old and New Testaments, the Lord instructs us as His children to worship Him through our giving. Jesus Christ said, “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again” (Luke 6:38).

He also warns us, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:19-21).

THE MEASURE OF YOUR SEED
Paul the apostle tells us that we receive in proportion to our giving:


He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work. (2 Corinthians 9:6-8)

We reap what we sow. If we sow a small handful of corn or wheat in a field, we can expect only a small harvest. On the other hand, if we sow several large barrels of seed, we will reap an abundant harvest.

Your harvest depends on the amount of seed you sow at seedtime!

Paul also says that when we give to the Lord liberally, when we give according to God's plan and purpose, we can expect to receive an abundant harvest from Him. There is no doubt about that fact.

It's an eternal fact and an unfailing law—you can never lose when you give to God in expectation of the harvest. You can count on it!

When I say, according to the proportion that you sow, I mean that you will receive according to the measure that you use when you give. Look back at the last portion of Luke 6:38, “For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.”

Mete in this verse means “measure,” so the Lord Jesus was saying that with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you. If you give liberally to the Lord, He will bless you and prosper you abundantly. You will receive abundance in return. If you give little, you will receive little. You cannot expect much if you sow little.

PLANTING CHEERFULLY
After Paul reminded the church in Corinth of the law of the spiritual harvest, he told them that God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9).

Sadly, some Christians today give when they feel pressured or guilted by gimmickry. That is not what the Word of God teaches. The Bible says that only when we give from our hearts will God respond!

The Lord encourages us to test him by giving our tithes and offerings cheerfully, freely, and willingly, and then see the glorious results (Malachi 3:10).

God wants us to give from our hearts, not from our heads. If you faithfully and willingly give to God, if you plant seed according to His Word and will, then God's promises of blessing and prosperity belong to you!

A FULL, DIVINE, CONTINUAL SUPPLY!
There is no question—you will reap an abundant harvest when you give freely!

In fact, the Lord promises that all sufficiency will be given to you: “God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8). Notice the word all.

You will have all sufficiency in all things!

The word sufficiency is translated from the Greek word autarkeia. It actually means “full supply for all your needs.”

Think about it! God wants to give you a full supply to meet every need in your life. All-sufficiency! A full supply in all things!

The Amplified Version of that passage reads:


God is able to make all grace (every favor and earthly blessing) come to you in abundance, so that you may always and under all circumstances and whatever the need be self-sufficient [possessing enough to require no aid or support and furnished in abundance for every good work and charitable donation]. (2 Corinthians 9:8)

In this verse Paul the apostle not only refers to spiritual blessings but also to financial blessings!

As you give to God, He promises to pour out His blessings into your life in such an abundant way that you will lack nothing.

That is a promise of divine sufficiency in your life!

That is a promise of a continual flow of God's blessing in your life to meet every need you will ever face!

So today, regardless of the financial needs you may be up against right now, God's promise to you is divine and total sufficiency. He will meet your needs.

Do not allow the devil, the enemy of your soul, to intimidate you and fill your mind with worry and doubt. Keep planting your seeds. Keep giving to God. Keep believing and expecting Him to fulfill His divine promise.

Sow your seed and begin to walk in His divine sufficiency!

For we know it is “not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6)...

Preaching the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ,
teaching the unchanging Word of God, and
expecting the mighty and miraculous
power of the Holy Spirit,


Shine Still
Edwin
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Confirm,,emails     Jerry Thomas gamission@juno.com     and Edwin, ediebusi@gmail.com ,
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Man is the same today that he has always been.


"Man is the same today that he has always been. He is a rebel against God. He may, in some generations, hide his rebellion a little more carefully than at other times, but there is no change in his heart. The men who builded the city against God back in the days of Babylon had the same hatred as that which possessed the men who nailed the Lord Jesus Christ to the cross." 

"The Church is the gospel express train, stopping at a few stations to pick up a few passengers, the train "Israel" being side-tracked to let the express go by.
When Christ comes, the train "Israel" will be switched back up on the main line, stop at all stations, and take on the world." 


"The first duty of the gospel preacher is to declare God's law and to show the nature of sin."

"Practically every false doctrine comes from getting things out of order. God's divine order is salvation, then change; not change and then salvation! If one has to be changed to be saved, that's salvation by works. It is also salvation by the flesh. The truth is, one is cleansed from the sins of the flesh just as he is saved; by yielding to the Holy Spirit and letting Him do His work."

"Let's quit fiddling with religion and do something to bring the world to
Christ."


"The Jesus that men want to see is not the Jesus they really
need to see."


"It is a poor sermon that gives no offense; that neither makes the hearer displeased with himself nor with the preacher"

"It is a sad and shocking fact that many religious people are in Hell."

[The Judgment of Revelation 20] "Includes all the wicked dead from the days
of Cain down to the last apostate from millennial glory. There will not be one there who has not passed through the article of death-- not one there whose name has been set down in life's fair Book-- not one there that shall not be
judged according to his own very deeds-- not one there who shall not pass
from the dread of realities of the Great White Throne into everlasting horrors
and inneffable torments of the Lake of Fire that burneth with fire and brimstone. How awful! How terrible! How perfectly dreadful!"


"It ill becomes the servant to seek to be rich, and great, and honoured in that world where his Lord was poor, and mean, and despised."

"The preaching that this world needs most is the sermons in shoes that are walking with Jesus Christ."


"The only reason some of us are not exiled or thrown into prison is simply because we do not preach as fervently and as sternly as did Paul, John, Peter
and others. This modern "santa claus" religion that is sweeping country today is not the religion Jesus taught and John practiced."


"We are too busy to pray, and so we are too busy to have power. We have a great deal of activity, but we accomplish little; many services but few conversions; much machinery but few results." 


"We are profoundly convinced that...the primary need of the hour is a return to New Testament first principles and standards. Christian missions are no human undertaking, but a supernatural and divine enterprise for which God has provided supernatural power and leadership."

"If you have no joy, there's a leak in your Christianity somewhere."

"Do not have your concert first, and then tune your instrument afterwards. Begin the day with the Word of God and prayer, and get first of all into
harmony with Him.”


"I prayed for Faith, and thought that some day Faith would come down and strike me like lightning. But Faith did not seem to come. One day I read in the tenth chapter of Romans, 'Now Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God'. I had closed my Bible, and prayed for Faith. I now opened my Bible, and began to study, and Faith has been growing ever since. "


"We have a God who delights in impossibilities."


"The shortest distance between a problem and a solution is the distance between your knees and the floor"


"The great reservoir of the power that belongs to God is His own Word – the Bible. If we wish to make it ours, we must go to that Book. Yet people abound in the Church who are praying for power and neglecting the Bible. Men are longing to have power for bearing fruit in their own lives and yet forget that
Jesus has said: "The seed is the Word of God" (Luke 8:11).


"The scriptures are given not to increase our knowledge, but to change our
lives."


"If the Holy Spirit guides us, He will do it according to the Scriptures and never contrary to them."


"Christ is either Lord of all, or He is not Lord at all."


"Great truths that are stumbling blocks to the natural man are nevertheless the very foundations upon which the confidence of the spiritual man is built."

"The Church is the dwelling place of God in the Person of the Holy Ghost.
Where the Church thrives, people are blessed and progress is evident. Where there is no Church, people feed their babies to crocodiles and roam naked in the jungles."


"A poor believer [monetarily] certainly is looked down upon in certain churches, and yet he may be the richest man spiritually in that church."

"...
you cannot live by sight and by faith, neither can you live by fear and by faith. It either has to be by faith or by fear, by faith or by sight. Which way are you living? Faith takes out the anxiety It takes out the fear. Faith leans heavy on the Lord. It knows that the Bible is so and can be trusted and that we can live by it and all of our needs will be supplied."
"What a lowering of the life of faith it is to confine it to the question of temporal supplies! No doubt it is a very blessed and a very real thing to trust God for everything; but the life of faith has a far higher and wider range than mere bodily wants. It embraces all that in any wise concerns us, in body, soul, and spirit. To live by faith is to walk with God; to cling to Him; to lean on Him; to draw from His exhaustless springs; to find ad our resources in Him; and to have Him as a perfect covering for our eyes and a satisfying object for our hearts--to know Him as our only resource in all difficulties, and in all our trials. It is to be absolutely, completely, and continually shut up to Him; to be undividedly dependent upon Him, apart from and above every creature confidence, every human hope, and every earthly expectation. Such is the life of faith."

"When kingdoms have crumbled for the last time, His mercy endureth forever. When dictators have waged their wicked battles for the last time, His mercy endureth forever. When the stars have fallen like untimely figs from a tree shaken by the wind, His mercy endureth forever. When the sun refuses to
shine and the moon has turned as black as sackcloth of hair, His mercy endureth forever. When people shall die no more and cemeteries shall not dot the horizon, His mercy endureth forever. When shoulders shall never stoop, nor brows wrinkle, nor faces become furrowed, His mercy endureth forever. When all of
us awake in His likeness to live forever around His throne, His mercy endureth forever. Blessed be God! His mercy endureth forever!"


"
Godliness has 'promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.'
But the only way one can enter into godliness is by turning to God as a repentant sinner and receiving the Saviour He has provided in the Gospel. Therefore the crying need of our degenerate times is for a revival of true old-fashioned, Christ-centered, Bible preaching that will call upon all men everywhere to repent in view of that coming day when God will judge the world in righteousness by His Risen Son."


"The world's greatest need is preaching preachers. The Gospel is our emancipation proclamation: let's take it to the slaves of sin."


"Nothing is more needed among preachers today than that we should have the courage to shake ourselves free from the thousand and one trivialities in which we are asked to waste our time and strength, and resolutely return to the apostolic ideal which made necessary the office of the diaconate. We must resolve that we will continue stedfastly  in prayer, and in the ministry of the Word."

"The heart makes the preacher. Men of great hearts are great preachers. . .
We have emphasized sermon-preparation until we have lost sight of the important thing to be prepared -- the heart. A prepared heart is much better
than a prepared sermon. A prepared heart will make a prepared sermon...It would not do to say that preachers study too much. Some of them do not study at all; others do not study enough. Numbers do not study the right way to show themselves workmen approved of God. But our great lack is not in head culture, but in heart culture; not lack of knowledge but lack of holiness is our sad and telling defect -- not that we know too much, but that we do not meditate on
God and his word and watch and fast and pray enough. The heart is the great hindrance to our preaching. . .


"God is looking for broken men who have judged themselves in the light of
the cross of Christ. When He wants anything done, He takes up men who have come to the end of themselves, whose confidence is not in themselves, but
in God."


"It is not enough to do God's work; it must be done in His way and for His credit."


"We must face the fact that many today are notoriously careless in their living. This attitude finds its way into the church. We have liberty, we have money, we live in comparative luxury. As a result, discipline has disappeared. What would a violin solo sound like if the strings on the musician’s instrument were all hanging loose, not stretched tight, not ‘disciplined?’"


"We must all have the spirit of martyrdom, though we may not all die martyrs."


"When I was young I was sure of everything; in a few years, having been mistaken a thousand times, I was not half so sure of most things as I was before; at present, I am hardly sure of anything but what God has revealed to me."


"To the lover of the Lord Jesus Christ there can be nothing legal about baptism. It is simply the glad expression of a grateful heart recognizing its identity with Christ in death, burial, and resurrection. Many of us look back to the moment when we were thus baptized as one of the most precious experiences we have ever known."


“Out of one hundred men, one will read the Bible, the other ninety-nine will read the Christian.


"The greatest privilege of earthly life is to give some fellow creature the blessed word of God, and then try by loving speech and example, to bring home to the heart and conscience...the truths it contains."

"May we all be in such a condition of soul, such an attitude of heart as will fit us for any little work in which our gracious Lord may be pleased to use us — not seeking a place for ourselves, but lovingly serving all. The Lord, in His great mercy, grant that thus it may be, with all His beloved people!"
Prayer is the highest intelligence, the profoundest wisdom, the most vital, the most joyous, the most efficacious, the most powerful of all vocations.


“In our prayers, we talk to God, in our Bible study, God talks to us, and we had better let God do most of the talking.”
[Regaarding Hearing From God]..."Retire from the world each day to some private spot. Stay in the secret place till the surrounding noises begin to fade out of your heart and a sense of God’s presence envelops you. Deliberately tune out the unpleasant sounds and come out of your closet determined not to hear them. Listen for the inward voice till you learn to recognize it."

"Ah, I have kept Him waiting when I ought not, but He has waited even then. Always waiting - so patient with my foolishness, my weakness, my fear. Our fellowship is with God, and fellowship is friendship, and friendship means that partnership which, on His part, is the accommodating of His strength to my weakness."

“Care more for a grain of faith than a ton of excitement.”


"When you have been saved, regenerated, born again, then join a church-a live church. Join where the preacher loves the Word of God and the souls of men. Keep out of these ecclesiastical deep freezers. A deep freeze is all right for a
dead chicken or a chunk of cheese or a leg of lamb, but it is no place for a live baby. A baby must be fed and nourished and given a chance to exercise,
vocalize and grow. It couldn't do that in a refrigerator."


"People are so prone to lean upon gifted men. And if they cannot have such,
they get discouraged and scattered, instead of getting lovingly together and helping one another by their mutual faith."


"I desire to have both heaven and hell ever in my eye, while I stand on this isthmus of life, between two boundless oceans."


"A test of a Christian's character is what he does after he comes to the blockade in the road and what his attitude is after everything has left him except Jesus. You will never know down here that Christ is all you need until Christ is all you have left. You will never be able to tell the world for sure that He will do in a crisis unless you learn how to live in a crisis."


"Prayer is no little thing, no selfish and small matter. It does not concern the petty interests of one person. The littlest prayer broadens out by the will of God till it touches all words, conserves all interests, and enhances man’s greatest wealth, and God’s greatest good. God is so concerned that men pray that He has promised to answer prayer. He has not promised to do something general if we pray, but He has promised to do the very thing for which we pray."


"To the individual believer indwelt by the Holy Spirit there is granted the direct impression of the Spirit of God on the spirit of man, imparting the knowledge of His will in matters of the smallest and greatest importance. This has to be sought and waited for."

“I would rather win souls than be the greatest king or emperor on earth; I would rather win souls than be the greatest general that ever commanded an army; I would rather win souls than be the greatest poet, or novelist, or literary man who ever walked the earth. My one ambition in life is to win as many as possible.”
~
R. A. Torrey

"Beware you be not swallowed up in [worldly] books."


The Bible is the inerrant Word of God. Its sixty six books are not a collection of religious writings, advancing certain theories, but they constitute one body, breathing with life and power. From the first verse in Genesis to the last verse in Revelation there is a wonderful continuity of thought, without any clash of opinion; all is a harmonious whole. This fact necessitates one great Author, One who guided the thoughts of each writer and who is instructed them to write as they did. This guiding and supervising Author is the Spirit of God."... 2Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 1:21


"Faith is to rest, not in the best of God's servants, but in His unchanging Word."


"Nothing can touch the Word of God. Not all the powers of earth and hell, men and devils combined, can ever move the Word of God. There it stands, in its own moral glory, spite of all the assaults of the enemy, from age to age. ‘For ever, 0 Lord, Thy Word is settled in heaven.’"

"People are stumbling over the simplest things. Take, for instance, that word believeth. You would think that was plain enough for anybody, but all my life I have heard people say, 'I have always believed, and yet I am not saved.' It does not say, 'Whosoever believeth the Bible, or creeds, or even the gospel story,'
but it does say, 'Whosoever believeth in him.' What is it to believe in Him? It means to put your soul's confidence in Him, to trust in Him, God's blessed Son."


[Jesus] ..."He was born a King. The wise men came from the East and asked, 'Where is He that is born King of the Jews?' (Matthew 2:2). He died a King.
In Greek, in Latin, and in Hebrew the description was written above His cross, 'This is Jesus, The King' (Matthew 27:37)"


"I find no fault in Him."...You can find fault in anyone else, but you can find

no fault in Jesus.
Holy, harmless, undefiled, sinless: there He is! Christ is God's way to man; Christ is man's way to God. Christ is the true Jacob's ladder. By Him the penitent sinner, the believing soul, the redeemed child of God may come unto the Father and enter into the house of many mansions."


"When the Lord Jesus Christ became my surety . . . He went to Calvary's cross, and all my guilt was charged against Him. He settled for everything, and then He cried, 'It is finished.' And on the basis of that finished work, God can freely forgive, and justify completely, every poor sinner who trusts in the Lord Jesus Christ."
 

Shine Still
Edwin

Sunday, April 1, 2012

10 Steps to Avoid Backsliding

The Christian life is not always an easy road. Sometimes we get off track. The Bible says to encourage your brothers and sisters in Christ daily so that no one turns away from the living God. If you have found yourself backsliding, or drifting away from the Lord, these practical steps will help get you back on course today.
Time Required: A Lifetime

Here's How:

  1. Examine your faith-life regularly.
      Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test? 2 Corinthians 13:5 (NIV)
  2. If you find yourself drifting away, turn back immediately.
      See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. Hebrews 3:12-13 (NIV)
  3. Come to God daily for forgiveness and cleansing.
      If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 (NIV)
      Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Revelation 22:14 (NIV)
  4. Continue daily seeking the Lord with your whole heart.
      And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. I Chronicles 28:9 (NIV)
  5. Stay in the Word of God; keep studying and learning daily.
      Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life. Proverbs 4:13 (NIV)
  6. Stay in fellowship often with other believers. You can’t make it alone as a Christian. We need the strength and prayers of other believers.
      And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near. Hebrews 10:25 (NLT)
  7. Stand firm in your faith. Expect difficult times in your Christian life.
      All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. Matthew 10:22 (NIV)
      It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
      Galatians 5:1 (NIV)
  8. Persevere.
      Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.
      1 Timothy 4:15-17 
  9. Run the race to win.
      Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training ... we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 1 Corinthians 9: 24-25 
      I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness... 2 Timothy 4:7-8 
  10. Remind yourself of what God has done for you in the past.
      Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised … we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.
      Hebrews 10: 32, 35-39

Tips:

  1. Develop a daily habit of spending time with God. Habits are hard to break.
  2. Memorize favorite Bible verses to recall in difficult times.
  3. Listen to Christian music to keep your mind and heart in tune with God.
  4. Develop a Christian friendship so that you'll have someone to call when you feel weak.
  5. Get involved in a meaningful project with other Christians.

Friday, March 30, 2012

The Joy of seeing God fulfill his promise is like seeing a baby in the labor ward,i fail to express and tell but again cant hide my face and keep it from smiling, Really at times we go through much staff that give a lot escape routes to quit, but God shows up when all is not impressively responding. I thank God for the Families who have supported our projects of helping begin piggery farms in Hope Villages, we thank and the work is going well,,God bless you,, you need to come and visit.


Blessings
Edwin

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

What is HIV/AIDS?

HIV, Human Immunodeficiency Virus, is a virus that weakens the immune system whereby without treatment, will develop into AIDS; Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. 34 million people worldwide are currently living with HIV.
 
Transmission, Testing & Treatment
HIV is transmitted through blood and other bodily fluids such as semen and vaginal fluid. This exchange of fluids can occur through sexual intercourse, drug injection, breastfeeding or during pregnancy with an infected mother. You cannot transmit HIV through hugging, kissing, coughing, shaking hands or sharing cutlery!
HIV can be detected through a number of tests with blood or an oral fluid sample.
In the Western World, as soon as one is tested positive for HIV - antiretroviral treatment is recommended to slow down the replication of the virus in the body, which maintains a healthy immune system. A CD4 count is performed to determine the number of healthy T cells that HIV has not infected. In developing countries only when the count is low enough (by UN regulations 350 cells/microlitre) will a patient start on antiretroviral treatment.
Once on AIDS treatment, the aim is to slow down the replication of HIV in the body, which slows the weakening of the immune system. An HIV positive person who adheres to their regimen with the correct nutrition should stay healthy for many years. Antiretroviral treatment is for life. Even when a patient's viral load (the amount of virus in the bodily fluid) is undetectable, the virus can still be transmitted. Unfortunately, an AIDS vaccine has not been developed therefore, Stars of Hope Uganda's mission is to give patients at our clinics and sites access to this treatment that will prolong their life and maintain a healthy immune system.

Access to treatment
Even with intensified efforts by governments to make treatment available, more than half the people who need them still don't have access to the AIDS medicines that will keep them alive. Thousands continue to die unnecessarily in the greatest human catastrophe known to man.

Stars of hope Uganda is founded on the belief that treatment for HIV/AIDS is a fundamental human right that should be guaranteed to all people. Our work of scaling-up clinics in resource poor communities throughout Uganda brings free comprehensive HIV/AIDS treatment and care to those who need it most to survive.

Today, decreases in funding for AIDS threaten to drive another nail in the coffin of a continent still struggling to overcome the injustice of AIDS. Stars of hope Uganda refuses to let the promise of universal access to AIDS treatment slip away. We remain committed to providing life-saving treatment to the poor and to engaging the global public in our urgent response.

Vulnerable Children
We live in a world where more than 16 million children have been orphaned by AIDS, 14.9 million in Sub-Saharan Africa alone. Stars of hope Uganda, founded as an urgent response to access AIDS treatment to the poor, increasingly finds itself responding to the epidemic of orphaned and vulnerable children whose parents could not be saved in time.
In Africa, where before AIDS there was no word for orphan in any language, an entire generation of children has grown into adulthood without the love, care and protection of their parents. AIDS has decimated the extended family system: children have been robbed of their parents, and the elderly left with a generation of grandchildren to raise in their old age. Communities that once formed a safety net that absorbed children in need have long been overwhelmed by the number of orphans left by AIDS stretched beyond their limit to help.
The circumstances faced by these children in their daily struggle to survive - to find shelter, food and safety from the dangers that surround them - demand a greater response from the entire world. Stars of hope Uganda is committed to supporting community-based care programs that help children living in child headed-households, care homes for children orphaned by AIDS and alone in the world, and places of safety for the growing number of child victims of rape and abuse.

Food for Life
Food is essential to nourish and sustain all life, and for people with AIDS proper nutrition is as important to their survival as the drugs themselves. Food helps ARV medications to be absorbed by the body effectively, strengthens the immune system and allows someone with AIDS to experience the transformative effects of the drugs.
But many of the children and families underserved by access to AIDS treatment face the same challenge in getting even the basic nutrition they need to survive. For some, the immediate relief of food to quiet the cries of a child suffering from hunger is preferred to the drugs - even when the drugs can mean long-term survival.
Stars of Hope Uganda recognizes that food is an integral part of comprehensive treatment for AIDS. In the communities where we work, extreme poverty makes access to critically needed nutrition an impossibility for many in our care. S H U provides food assistance, including monthly food parcels, to patients on ARVs who would go hungry without support for nutrition.
As large-scale relief agencies cut back food aid to countries still reeling from the devastation of the AIDS pandemic, commodities prices soar and disease threatens crop staples, the number of patients in need of nutrition rises daily.Stars of Hop Uganda is committed to providing comprehensive treatment that includes support for food so that those in our care can be restored to health and productivity.

AIDS in Africa
Two-thirds of people worldwide with HIV are in Sub-Saharan Africa

  • 68% of people infected with HIV are in Sub-Saharan Africa, making it the most heavily affected region in the world
  • 22.5 million people are living with HIV and 15 million children have been orphaned due to HIV/AIDS
  • The impact of AIDS in Africa affects every aspect of life, from households changing, to food production and the economy but most importantly, AIDS in Africa affects the children
  • Children also face the horrifying idea of sexual abuse and rape especially in South Africa where 50 child rapes are reported everyday. There is an urgent need to provide safety, protection and care for these children.
  • Only 44% of those in need of AIDS treatment are receiving it. Providing anti-retroviral treatment and surrounding support to those infected with HIV can sustain life, protect from opportunistic infections and give the chance at a longer life expectancy of 47 years which is the current average in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Lets come together and see our world Healed.
Edwine Businge
Founder Director

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

The Power of Prayer

 

The Power of Prayer

God is sovereign – at times, inscrutably so. That being the case, in what sense can we say that the Sovereign Lord, the One who transcends all imaginable boundaries and who knows all things, makes decisions? In his timeless plan, God has conceived all possible scenarios and has thought of every possible contingency. There has never been an event that took God by surprise, and there never will be. 

There is great comfort in this, because we come to realize that as imperfect creatures living in an imperfect world, we can never really disappoint God. We can grieve him, but we cannot thwart or frustrate him. In spite of how our world appears to us, because of God’s supreme sovereignty and wisdom, it is exactly the way he knew it would be, and we are right on schedule in the unfolding of his plan to bring us to the best of all possible worlds. God has even incorporated the foolish, sinful decisions of people into his divine scheme. Things that were meant for evil and harmful purposes, God weaves into his good will to accomplish his program in our world (Genesis 50:20). Because he is omniscient, his plan is based not on appearances but on consequences. Because he is omnipotent, he is able to fully accomplish his purposes. Because he is omnipresent, his dominion continually encompasses the created order. Because he is not bound by space and time, he views all things from the perspective of an eternal now; a particular moment to us can be an eternity to God, and yet the entire life span of the cosmos can be an instant to him (2 Peter 3:8).
Though the Lord our God sits enthroned on high, he “stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth” (Psalm 113:6). He is transcendent and majestic, but he is also imminent, attentive and compassionate. Even though God is all-powerful, all-knowing and ever-present, the Scriptures portray his very real interaction with his people in earthly time and space and affirm that our prayers make a difference in the outworking of God’s purposes. As Philip Yancey writes:

God is not a blurry power living somewhere in the sky, not an abstraction like the Greeks proposed, not a sensual super-human like the Romans worshiped, and definitely not the absentee watchmaker of the Deists. God is personal. He enters into people’s lives, messes with families, calls people to account. Most of all, God loves.
God is not a man, nor does he change his mind (1 Samuel 15:29). However, the Bible does not shrink from attributing emotions to him. No one has expressed this more eloquently than Jewish theologian Abraham Heschel:
To the prophet, God does not reveal himself in an abstract absoluteness, but in a personal and intimate relation to the world. He does not simply command and expect obedience; He is also moved and affected by what happens in the world, and reacts accordingly. Events and human actions rouse in him joy or sorrow, pleasure or wrath…. Man’s deeds may move Him, affect Him, grieve Him or, on the other hand, gladden and please Him.

[T]he God of Israel is a God Who loves, a God Who is known to, and concerned with, man. He not only rules the world in the majesty of his might and wisdom, but reacts intimately to the events of history.
Of course, before God was the God of Israel, he was the God of Abraham. The story of Abraham’s prayers on behalf of the few righteous people in Sodom illustrates the biblical truth that God mysteriously incorporates our prayers into his eternal plan. Abraham founded his intercession on the unswerving justice of the Ruler of the world:

Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.”
The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the Lord. Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing – to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?”
The Lord said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”

Then Abraham spoke up again: “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, what if the number of righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city because of five people?”
“If I find forty-five there,” he said, “I will not destroy it.”
Once again he spoke to him, “What if only forty are found there?”
He said, “For the sake of forty, I will not do it.”
Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?”
He answered, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”
Abraham said, “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?”
He said, “For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it.”
Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?”
He answered, “For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.”
When the Lord had finished speaking with Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home.
Theologians from many different backgrounds find common ground in the important role of prayer. John Wesley is frequently quoted as saying, “God will do nothing in the affairs of men except in answer to believing prayer.” John Calvin affirms that the providence of God does not exclude the exercise of human faith. While God neither sleeps nor slumbers, Calvin says, “He is inactive, as if forgetting us, when He sees us idle and mute.”Jack Hayford says, “You and I can help decide which of these two things – blessing or cursing – happens on earth. We will determine whether God’s goodness is released toward specific situations or whether the power of sin and Satan is permitted to prevail. Prayer is the determining factor.” As Walter Wink is fond of saying, “History belongs to the intercessors.”

The Bible often uses language that ascribes human form or attributes to God, and because of this, it appears that God changes his mind in light of new input. If this were true in an absolute sense, it would mean that at least some of God’s decisions were initially inadequate or ill-informed and in need of revision. Based on God’s perfect character, we know that isn’t true. So it appears that these passages provide us with a relative – rather than an absolute – perspective to stress the dignity of human choice and interaction with God.

We serve such a great God,
Blessings
Bro Edi