God's signet ring

The Church ~ God's Signet Ring

Beloved of God, I greet you in the Name of our Lord Jesus. (Rom. 9:25)🤗💞

My message is from Haggai. Seeing as we are going through a drought in Cape Town, it is a very apt message. In Haggai the Lord punished >>His people<< with a drought because they were neglecting to rebuild His temple that was in ruins, but they were very busy fixing and beautifying their homes.

In those days God's presence was with them in His temple.

God also accused His people of being defiled.

So I was thinking how can I apply this to today and our drought and it came to me that today the Lord is not concerned about temples built with hands, but with us, His body, the living stones whose bodies are His temple. What are we neglecting?

We are so busy with ourselves and our own lives. Our focus is on uplifting ourselves, making life better for ourselves and in our busyness, we may neglect to do what Jesus commands us to do.

We are to uplift others, the poor, our own families, to lend a helping hand, to encourage, to bear one another's burdens. To use our own resources and money to help others, but sadly many believers in Christ do not, they only focus on self, building our own kingdom, not a care about others and the troubles they are going through.

But there is good news even though the Lord our God punished His people with a drought, He also encourages them. It is written in Haggai that the Lord stirred up His people to start rebuilding His house. The Lord also promised His people to be strong, that He is with them, that His Spirit will remain among them, that they are not to fear. (They were afraid when prophet Haggai told them what the Lord said regarding His temple in ruins and that they are doing nothing to rebuild it.)

So let us as the body of Christ have willing hands to do the work of God for He works through people. God's Spirit is not in a building anymore, but IN US and He will not leave us to our own devices when we cry out to Him to help us, to show us the way, to provide for us so that we can be a blessing to others. His Spirit will stir us up and strengthen us to do what is required, He will bless us with all we need to do His will. He only requires faith, obedience and willing hands. We have a task to make His presence visible in this world that we live in.

God refers to Zerubbabel as His signet ring, for He has chosen Zerubbabel. We are God's chosen and we are His signet ring! So let us as His signet ring make His mark in this world.

May this drought be a wake-up call to the Christians in Cape Town, but also the church all over the world, that we are to be about our Father's business and do what Jesus commands us to do. Clearly, God is not happy with many of the things that we as the church are doing and neglecting to do and it is clear from Revelation in the letters to the 7 churches, the dead church, the lukewarm church, the corrupt church, the compromising church, the loveless church. The persecuted church and the faithful church are the only ones not warned by Lord Jesus to repent.

And through all the letters, apart from warning them to repent or else, the Lord also praise the good things they do and encourages them. So do not fear, but let us repent of any sin in our lives and from neglecting to do what Jesus commands us to do. God bless His church.

 

 

Are we doing what Jesus commands us to do?

Jesus' words!

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,
45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
47 And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so?
48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
~•Matthew 5:43-48

An example how to love your enemy....read about where apostle Stephen was being stoned to death. He prayed for them while being killed! He asked God to not charge them with that sin!

"When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth.
55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God,
56 and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”
57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord;
58 and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.
59 And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
60 Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
~•Acts 7:54-60

But most important of all is our Jesus who gives us the perfect example of how to love our enemies....when He was dying on the cross He prayed the Father to forgive them for they know not what they do.

"And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left.
34 Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”
~•Luke 23:33-34

Then I come on the internet and see Christians' comments on articles and many of them are full of hatred, condemning people to hell! Is that what our Lord Jesus wants from us? That is totally contradicting Jesus' commandments to us. Let us get back to the Bible and pray continuously, for all people, our governments, our loved ones and friends, our brothers and sisters in Christ who are suffering for their faith in the Lord Jesus, our enemies, therefore we shall be perfect as our Father in Heaven is perfect, just like Jesus said! God bless you and keep us strong in these evil days to stand for the truth of His word.

ISIS beheads 21 Egyptian Christians 

One of the Christians praying before being beheaded

Be ye Holy

This morning God led me to 1 Peter 3. I've been in tears about the attitude of Christians toward one another online.  The name-calling, the insults, the lack of love, it is shocking.  Yes I am speaking of Christians, because that's what they claim to be.  To think we are accused of being holy.  Do we so easily forget that God calls us to be holy?

What must the world think about Christians when we carry on like that?  May God have mercy on the Body of Christ and forgive us and lead us to repent from this.  Bless your HOLY name Jesus, may we be an example of Christ in us, even online!  Help me Jesus, to always keep this in mind!
We must never forget to be holy, because God tells us to be Holy because He is holy.
 

8 Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous;
9 not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.
10 For "He who would love life And see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips from speaking deceit.
11 Let him turn away from evil and do good; Let him seek peace and pursue it.
12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers; But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."
13 And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good?
14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you are blessed. "And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled."
15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and 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;
16 having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.
•~1 Peter 3:8-16