Jesus never glossed over the truth when it came to counting the cost of being His disciple, and in John 16:1-11, on His way to the garden of Gethsemene with His disciples, He once again restates that living as one of His disciples will come with a cost. Rather than shatter the disciples faith, the hostility they faced would actually deepened and strengthened their resolve as they saw the Lord’s prediction fulfilled. For us today, we need to understand that following Christ, comes at a cost. Contrary to some popular teachings in our day, Jesus does not promise those who follow Him wealth, health, or material advancement. Quite the contrary, He seems to indicate that many will suffer all types of difficulties in this life. These difficulties are allowed in order to cause us to reflect on the promises of God for eternity. While we may struggle in this life (which compared to eternity is short), we have the promises of God’s Word that our true comfort is entering into the presence of God. May our goal be to hear one day, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant, enter into my rest!”… READ MORE

John 15:26-27 reminds us that , The Holy Spirit has come to bear witness to the truth in a world of lies. The lies of Satan, are exposed by the Spirit of truth who has come to remind us that the truth is to be found in Christ alone! the primary message of the believer is not political activism, social reform, or psychological self-fulfillment, it is about the person, work and word of the Lord Jesus Christ. Believers are the final link in the chain of witness. So vital is the Spirit’s empowering of the Christian’s witness that the Lord instructed the disciples to remain in Jerusalem until the coming of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost (Luke 24:9). We are reminded in 1 Corinthians 1:21 that, “God has chosen to save people through the sharing of the Word”. This can only happen when believers proclaim to them that saving truth of the gospel. If you feel inadequate for this task, join the crowd. Remember as you share it is not based on your power of persuasion that people come to Christ, but according to 1 Corinthians 12:3 It is the Spirit of God, who takes the Word of … READ MORE

As Jesus gathered with the disciples on the night before His death, He knew they were filled with sorrow and fear. Their love for Him was so intense that they were convinced that they would rather die than live without Him. But Jesus wanted them to understand that they would not have to face the world’s opposition in their own strength. In John 15:26-16:15 Jesus shares with the disciples that the Holy Spirit’s empowering of Christians will enable them to live the Christian life, and share the word of God with a richness and victory that can not be accomplished by their own power. It is important for us to understand that the Spirit of God will enable us to not only know the truth but live in it. This is why we are “different” as a believer. Not because we are better, but because the Holy Spirit has come to transform us into the image of Christ. The power to live the Christian life in is not in us, it is in the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, and is unlocked by our submission to the Word of God. May we learn what the Word of God says, … READ MORE