A SEASON OF FORGIVENESS

This is the season when we celebrate the central attraction of Christianity. This season commemorates the pain, agony, maltreatment, scorn, death, and the ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ. But why do we rather celebrate such a time and not mourn. It is so simple a reason. This season is celebrated because of the significance of Christ’s death, which will come to light shortly, to the Christiandom.

Man fell short of the glory of the almighty God through the sins of Adam and Eve, and a gap was created between man and God. To bridge this gap, God brought the law through Moses to mankind to make him righteous. But these laws were hard to go by and as a result couldn’t make man righteous, and so the need for an alternative, which is the blood of a pure and a holy being.

To pacify something completely, a holy and pure blood is required. So God provided his Holy, pure and only son to be sacrificed so the sins of man can be pacified through faith. So you see, the passing of this wicked world by the Lord Jesus Christ was solely to die to make me, as well as you, pure and without sin in the eyes of God.

As we rejoice and celebrate, we should remember that this season is simply for forgiveness because if God could provide this avenue for our sins to be forgiven completely, then there is nothing that could possibly hold us from forgiving a fellow man.

Think of this, Jesus gave up his life through torture from man for man to be free of his sins. Are you not forgiving him because?

• You gave all your heart to him and he broke it?
• He gossiped about you?
• He pointed accusing fingers at you?
• He was supposed to love you and he rather betrayed you?
• He insulted and tried to assassinate your character?
• He made you lose your job?
• He was responsible for your poverty?
• He didn’t care?
• He murdered someone dear to you? Etc

None of the above reasons carry that much weight for you to hold that thing against your fellow man to death. In bitterness, pain, anger one must be yearning to forgive wholeheartedly and that is being a true Christian.

WHY WE NEED TO FORGIVE

For freely we were given, freely must we also give.

In Matt 6:12, when Jesus was teaching the disciples how to pray, he made them understand their prayer must be filled with these elements; adoration, forgiveness, thanksgiving and supplication. He gave a very vital condition for the forgiveness of sins. He says in the text that anyone who is asking or expecting forgiveness from God must have already forgiven a brother, sister, friend who has committed sin against them. Matt 6:14-15 makes it clearer.

Simply put, he said an unforgiving heart doesn’t benefit forgiveness from God. Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. If you don’t forgive a brother whole-heartedly, He also wouldn’t forgive you wholly.

THE FORGIVING HEART OF THE CHRISTIAN

Reading through the Bible are several examples of Christians who have shown this spirit of forgiveness on the verge of death. Let’s take a look at some of these people

Jesus when nailed to the cross made seven statements. The first, “Father, father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing” – Luke 23:34, is a prayer of forgiveness. This is simply what Jesus, a leader by examples, expects of us. A Christian’s spirit of forgiveness must know no bounds, even though sometimes it is painful to see somebody rip your heart apart. Just take consolation in the fact that Jesus went through something worse than you, and he forgave freely and willfully. I am tempted to believe that it is through death that a Christian gets to see Jesus and God. If so, then take it that that person who is trying hard to send you six feet down the earth is rather making your time to meet your Lord shorter and all your prayer must be for him to be forgiven for he doesn’t know what he is doing. Please don’t take vengeance because vengeance is the Lord’s.

Stephen on the brink of death through torture prayed for those torturing him to be forgiven. – Acts 7:60. If Jesus and Stephen on the verge of death prayed for their enemies to be forgiven, then what are you waiting for? As a Christian you have absolutely no excuse to hold something against someone.

Ideally, there must be no thought of revenge, no indication of anger, no touch of bitterness, and no trace of self-pity in our petition to God to forgive those who have sinned against us.

HAPPY EASTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THE STATE OF THE CHRISTIAN WOMAN’S DRESS AND ADORNMENT TODAY

This subject is no doubt a dicey, sensitive, and fearfully delicate one. It is so, simply because the devil has minced the Word of God with his lures and snares in such a pleasant and catchy way that everything seems acceptable and normal to Christians today.

What do I mean by that?

Following the argument on the Christian dress and adornment for some time now, I came to the realization that anytime a Christian woman who is not “properly” dressed is confronted by somebody with the fact that her appearance contradicts what she claimed to believe in. She is quick to say, “The God that I serve looks at a person’s heart deep down and not his appearance”. Is this the case? Let’s not forget quickly that our appearance can cause a fellow man to sin, and that is sinful on our part. This is surely the handiwork of the devil.

Also, I think this trend is on the speedy rise because not much attention is given to it in the church today for fear of indirectly driving away and losing our already handful members. Jesus didn’t change to be like the world to gain audience and followers? He stuck to who He was and yet still made a marvelous impact. Why then do we want to conform to the world in our quest to make them disciples and followers of Christ? The church is built on Christ Jesus, and not on people. If the people are not ready to worship with us because we don’t accept their dress and adornment, why then do we conform to theirs? It is better we don’t pay attention to them, than bring them in, and at end corrupt thousands of our dear ones. I think it is better to have a church of two people, than have millions of corrupt and deceitful pretenders who go to extent of turning the Sabbath day into a funfair.

It has becoming a norm – in fact, it is already a norm – today for the Christian woman to wear miniskirts, low-cut blouses, ‘show your stomach’, see-through, tight fitting and transparent leggings, and anything wearable, to church and elsewhere. This is no doubt a severe canker that has plagued our generation and needs effectively immediate attention lest it becomes a conundrum. For how long are we going to keep mute on this as its ugly face stares each and every one of us in the eyes?

These two strong questions seem to emanate from this up surging trend of fashion among the Christian women.

• Is this what the almighty God requires us to wear to his presence?
• Is this what the Lord Jesus Christ has sent us into the world with to positively impact?

To answer these questions is to address the main issue at hand in a larger dimension. Knowledge – from the Bible – is the key that unlocks every door. The Bible affirms and acknowledges this fact in (Hosea 4:6)…………’lack of knowledge my people perish’. Knowledge from the Bible is what is needed urgently to break us free from this disaster. John 8:32 also affirms it.

Informing ourselves on the issue to properly dissect the canker, let’s take critical analysis of the following sayings coined by the world,which we are in but not of;

• The outward appearance of a person is a visible and silent testimony of their moral values.
• The way one dresses is somewhat like the hands of the clock; it indicates what is going on inside.
• What one wears or adorns is a significant tool to his confidence.

If with a single accord we all affirm the truth in these sayings, then what we wear has more psychological, mental, spiritual, and moral effects on us and others than just a mere covering for our bodies.

Today, a Christian woman can come to church with her breasts almost falling; any one step she takes bounces the breasts like a basketball. Hmmm! Today, a Christian woman can come to church with a knee-level skirt, but back behind is a line cutting through the skirt that leads straight, no bend no curve, to the buttocks. Oh what are we seeing! Today, a Christian woman can come to church with lips painted in such a way that the first thought that embraces one on seeing is sex. Today, a Christian woman can come to church in ‘half-butt’ covering trousers and miniskirts with nothing underneath. Only God knows what we see when they accidentally, but intentionally bend. Revealing to us all places that the sun doesn’t shine. Is this not hell we see in the church? Oh, Lord have mercy on us.

It is accepted without any iota of doubts that times have changed, but the Word of God has not changed – and will never do. “We are in the world but not of the world”, this is what most Christians today take pride in saying to the world. The issue here is, if we are indeed in the world but not of the world, then we must not be changing swiftly with the world, especially in terms of fashion and music, since both have a directly great impact on the soul, our precious self.
In as much as we are Christians, everything we do, say, and put on our bodies must reflect the presence of the Lord Jesus in us. ‘Everything goes’ should cease to exist in our dictionary. Not everything goes, if so then a new convert shouldn’t be baptized. There must be some initiative right following the change of ways.

It is of utmost shock to know that a fashion designer, Mary Quant, – Mother of miniskirts in Britain – said that if clothes don’t make one noticed sexually, they are a waste of money, so she designs to shock and lead to sex. She added further that her designs are to sexually explore women to create a very powerful sex drive in men. Are Christians as we are to project sex or God to the world, and why do I ask? Because, the designs inspired by this designer are very popular in the church and amongst our Christian sisters today, whilst we sit down unperturbed. It is with profound pain and shame to admit that Christians today have conformed to the seductive dictates of fashion.

This is the issue of immediate attention because these days, you would enter a church room and for once think you are in the club – where everything is wearable, and sex is all over the air you breathe. It is bizarre when it gets to offering time and we danced to the pulpit to offer. Our beautiful Christian sisters confuse and mesmerize us when they shake their booty, instead of body, to the name of the Lord. Please ladies remember, the Bible says in Ecclesiastics 7:26, a seductive woman is a trap more bitter than death. Her passion is a snare, and her soft hands are chains. Have mercy on us please.

Since the word of God doesn’t change, and cease to show us the way forward, I have a cause to sigh a great relief.

Follow me for what the bible says about it. This is what the Bible says https://meandmygodtoday.wordpress.com/2013/06/25/what-does-the-bible-say-about-the-christian-womans-dress-and-adornment-today/