HTNGO

During a personal study, I discovered that in the entire history of mankind, there's only three occasions where God did an open display of His mighty power and fierce anger toward sin, than at any other point. And the amazing thing is that these incidents all took place before the law was given. Below are the incidents: The first one took place during the time of Noah where God outrightly expressed His anger toward man. In His anger He said, “ I will destroy all human beings that I made on the earth. And I will destroy every animal and everything that crawls on the earth and the birds of the air, because I am sorry I have made them. ” (Genesis 6:7 NCV). I believe you knew about the great flood that followed. The second one was during the days of Abraham. The People of Sodom and Gomorrah provoked God's anger by their horrible lifestyle of homosexuality. Despite being aware of their filthy lifestyle, it appears as though God wasn't too convinced that He had to come ...

The journey through life is quite adventurous. Like the rising of the sun, and the going down of the same, so can life be rightfully described. But the difference between the rising and setting of the sun cannot be all static, or characterized by inactivity. Man's daily activities are not independent of decision making at any point. It can therefore, be inferred that our activities are driven by our choices. But irrespective of the choices we make, it is important to note that we have only one life to live, and that the decisions we take are sure to affect this single life either positively or negatively. Another thing worth taking note of, is that the end of one's life is not necessarily tied to or determined by his beginning. The beginning usually looks promising at first, but then, the decisions and choices made as one advances in life, determines his end. A typical illustration of how things could turn out in one's life, can be seen below; Michael could have be...

" Each of us shall give account of himself to God. " Romans 14:12 A farmer in the U.S. state of Illinois once wrote this letter to the editor of the local weekly newspapers: "Dear Sir, I have carried out this experiment. I own a field of maize and ploughed it on Sunday. I also sowed it on Sunday. I did all the work on it on Sundays. I reaped the field and brought in the harvest on a Sunday. I have discovered that this October I have harvested more per acre than all my neighbors. The editor of the newspaper was not known to be at all religious. The farmer had assumed that he would sympathize with his derisive attitude. The letter was published word for word in the following edition. Underneath, in capital letters, was the editor's comment. " GOD DOES NOT ALWAYS SETTLE HIS ACCOUNT IN OCTOBER. " Not always in October, but the day will come when our life's account will have to be settled with Him. That is what motivates Christians to persuade peopl...

" You know the commandments: Never murder. Never commit adultery. Never steal. Never give false testimony. Never cheat. Honor your father and mother. " (Mark 10:19) If I ignore a red traffic light, I not only risk causing accident, I also break the law. Yet even traffic offence is insignificant compared with ignoring God's commandments. Nevertheless God leaves the decision to us as to whether we carryout His will or not, for we are not puppets. Ignoring a red light only once can have a disastrous consequences. But paying no heed to the living God and His Word and thus missing the purpose of our life is much more serious. Many traffic offenders escape getting a summons because their transgression went unnoticed by the officers of the law. Before the Judge of all the world, however, not even the slightest wrongdoing escapes His eye. Everyone has to do with God, and if his life is not put in order with Him, he will be pronounced guilty at His judgement throne. ...

" But your wrongs have separated you from your God, and your sins have made him hide his face so that he doesn't hear you. " (Isaiah 59:2) At some point everyone of us wonders, "Why I'm I here on earth?" We are all God's creatures, and our life makes sense only if we lead it in a proper relationship with God. This is where the difficulty lies and makes us ask these questions. Our disturbed relationship with God has been caused by our sins. If we are honest, we shall admit that we do things knowing them to be wrong. Sometimes they make us feel thoroughly ashamed. In addition, the egotism in our lives has an adverse effect, separating us not only from some people, but, above all, from God. What we truly need is forgiveness, to put our relationship with God in order. Someone suffering from cancer needs a doctor, whether he realizes it or not. The same applies to us regarding forgiveness. Once we acknowledge our problem, we can confess our guilt of sin...

God showed how much He loved us by sending His only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through Him. -1 John 4:9. Saved twice In the indoor swimming bath a man habitually ran to the water and only dipped his big toe in it.Then he climbed to the top diving board and did a masterly dive in to the water. When this was once mentioned to him,he said,"I think it is a question of habit,but there is a reason for it,and i'll tell you.Years ago i was a swimming instructor for a large group of men.My job was to bring their swimming and diving up to a good standard.One night i couldn't get to sleep.So i decided to go to the pool;being an instructor i had a key,and wanted to swim for a time,so as to sleep better.I didn't turn the light on since i knew the hall well.It had a glass roof,and the moon was shining through it.When i stood on the diving board,i saw the shadow of my body on the opposite wall.With my outstretched arms my silhouette was in the form of...

And this is eternal life: that people know you,the only true God,and that they know Jesus Christ,the one you sent. -John 17:3.[NCV] Eternity-The Message Eternity! Is there any concept more awesome? Our minds simply can't grasp the idea of endless existence. Arthur Stace of Sydney,Australia,was gripped by the thought that people without Christ are destined for a lost eternity.So he would rise early in the morning and chalk the word eternity on the pavement throughout his city.Eventually he became known as "Mr. Eternity." Many people responded to his humble ministry by putting their faith in Jesus Christ. When the Bible speaks about enernal life,it refers to our relationship with God,not merely the passing of life.Jesus defined eternal life in John 17:3 as knowing the true God intimately.Yet eternity means an existence that will never cease.The question is: Where will we spend that existence? Moment by inevitable moment,we are all moving through time toward eternity...

But we are citizens of heaven,where the Lord Jesus Christ lives.And we are eagerly waiting for Him to return as our Savior -Philippians 3:20.[NLT] Occupied With Heaven We've all heard of people who are so heavenly-minded that they are no earthly good.We've also heard about preachers who promise their flock great reward in heaven,but ignore life's difficulties.Some people accuse them of being "pie-in-the-sky prophets" who have forgotten that we must still live in the world. But according to the writer of Hebrews,there is a proper heavenly-mindedness.It's the virtue that enabled Abraham,Isaac,and Jacob to live by faith as tent-dwelling normads in Canaan.[Hebrews 11:8-10] In his book Mere Christianity,C.S. Lewis wrote,"If you read history you will find out the Christians who did the most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next.The apostles themselves . . . .the great men who built up the Middle Ages,the English evangelicals ...

Let the one who is doing wrong continue to do wrong;the one who is vile,continue to be vile,the one who is good,continue to do good;and the one who is holy,continue in holiness. -Revelation 22:11. When God's patience exhaust If God,who went after fallen man from the beginning with the question;" Where are you? " and who sent His only Son into the world to " seek and to save that which was lost ",suddenly allows sinners to continue on their pathway,a fearful premonition must come over us.Today's text comes indeed from the last page of the Bible.It is the cold wind of coming judgment blowing in our direction. God had once spoken similar words to His earthly people;" Leave her alone because she is married to idolatry. " -Hosea 4:17.His patience was exhausted;now judgment had to follow. Nothing more terrible can happen to anyone than God allowing him simply to continue on the course he has choosen.It is true that He remains God who is " ...

After all this,Lord,must you still refuse to help us? Will you continue to be silent and punish us? -Isaiah 64:12 Why The World Is Faced With Many Troubles. One constantly hears the question asked why God,if He truely exists,remains silent in the face of all the injustice and wars in the world? Why does He allow serious accidents,disasters and catastrophies? Such questions or even accusations are expressed by many people. Now God has spoken,and He still speaks." Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets.And now in these final days,he has spoken to us through his Son. " -Hebrews 1:1-2.It is true that few took the words of warning spoken by the prophets seriously.But God did not cease speaking. Then Christ,the Son of God,came to this earth.One might rightly say that the fact alone that God sent His Son into the world was one of the most powerful sermons.God was making a final offer,as it were,in order to win people over for Hims...

The Raging War! A soldier who is deployed to the battle field,may go with possibilities running high in his mind.The mind starts to contemplate,it could be me.The fear of the unknown runs over and over again.The troops encourage themselves with songs but the thinking still persists,I could be the casualty.This fear could be reduced if the soldier is well trained and equipped.It could also be said of a police man who is call up to face Armed Robbers in a Bank operation or militants.A Policeman who is ill-equipped will not stand a chance with well equipped robbers or militants.The possibility of not making it back home runs high. We are all soldiers of Christ in the battle field and what should occupy our minds,can I make it? The Soldier's confidence of the possibility of making it home,is in his training and equipment.The Soldier or Policeman need his weapons and training to fight well. You,as a soldier of Christ,you need Jesus Christ as your weapon and the Bible to execute ...

The death of Jesus Christ the only begotten Son of God on the cross of calvary,is of great significance to all Christians.However,having the proper knowledge and understanding of this great event which took place over 2000 years ago,is what made it truely significant. Many people find it hard to believe that someone had to die for them thus make joke out of it by referring it as one of those fantasy stories out there.Some say,"Why did He had to die for me? Was it really that necessary? What have I done to deserve a hero that had to give up His own life for someone like me-someone He doesn't even know? Beside,that was a long time ago a time I wasn't even born yet.So,how does that concern me?" Those who ask questions like this,do so in ignorance.They have no idea or personal knowledge of who Jesus Christ is and why He had to die.Can a hero die for no reason? So also,Christ who is much more than a hero,did not had to die for no reason.And unless we truely know w...

Behold how great is our God! To Him alone be all the glory both now and forever more.Amen. There is a love that keeps me wondering which I want to talk to you about.Honestly,I don't know the exact words to use,to describe it to you well enough.But I hope you'll discover the reasons why it kept me wondering at the end of this message. The Bible said in Romans 5:8 [MSG]," But God put His love on the line for us by offering His Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to Him. " Now,this is how "The Message translation" of the Bible puts it: " while we were of no use whatever to Him. " How best can you describe God's love for you? Can a rotten egg be of any use to you? The truth is; you can't even stand the smell of a rotten egg not to talk of it being of any use to you.That's the condition of man or even worser than that.At the time when we were useless,rotten,in our worst condition,and in fact deserve to be destr...

And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment. -Hebrews 9:27. Destination Unknown? Man's life resembles a great "countdown".The process of growing old and dying actually begins with and goes on from birth.Everything heads for "zero hour",albeit with two unknown factors: What is the final destination? How far are we still from it? What is the final destination? Let us stay with the question of the destination for a moment: Is it really unknown? Are we so sure about that? Or do we tend to shrink back from thinking about it? This attitude is unacceptable.It is,moreover,unreasonable.None of us would board a train without knowing where it was going.And to stifle any thought about it is not courageous; it is cowardly! As a matter of fact,some apprehension is justifiable.What happens after death? The Bible gives a one-word answer:judgment.So the moment when earth engulfs our coffin,it is not all over,for when our body returns ...

Because God's children are human beings-made of flesh and blood-Jesus also became flesh and blood by being born in human form.For only as a human being could He die,and only by dying could He break the power of the Devil,who had the power of death.Only in this way could He deliver those who have lived all their lives as slaves to the fear of dying. - Hebrews 2:14-15. The fear of death A wealthy neighbor of ours could see the gravestones of the cemetry behind his garden through the windows of his house.Even the stone cross on the family grave could be distinguished.But the thought that one day he,too,would be laid in that grave he found unbearable. In other to avoid that embarrassing sight he had a row of poplar trees planted along his land.From year to year foliage increased,and soon the graves in the cemetry were invisible.However,the neighbor still had no peace.He had,so to speak,had a wall built between himself and death,but the reality on the other side remained unrelenti...

God always have a message for His children in order to keep them focused as they journey through this spiritual wilderness known as earth,to a glorious spiritual home known as heaven where the Father lives.Though heaven is our glorious home,yet our instincts cannot lead us there.And because we cannot get there on our own,and God Himself knowing that we can't,even though He wants us to get there,had to provide a way.This way is His Son Jesus Christ whom He sent to die for our sins thus breaking the barrier between us and God.He said," I am the way,and the truth,and the life.The only way to the Father is through me. " -John 14:6 [NCV].Hence the Way has now been provided,all we need to do is to believe in Him that if we should follow this Way,we would certainly get home. Now imagine yourself being lost,and your father showed you the way home,won't you believe Him and follow the way? Of course you would because you have the assurance that your father would be the last ...

At noon,darkness fell across the whole land until three o'clock. -Mark 15:33. 3 Hours of Darkness The Lord Jesus Christ had been rejected by many hostile groups of people,the religious leaders of the people,the Roman occupational power,the spectators at the cross and even by malefactors crusified with Him.His disciples,who had accompanied Him,abandoned Him and fled. Now worse sufferings were to come over Him: He was forsaken by God! It was no longer a matter of the evil and brutality of men; in those hours of darkness He was the sin offering appointed by God for the sin of mankind.No-one was permitted to behold such a scene.Darkness covered the whole land.Hidden from human view and alone before God,Christ," who never sinned,to be the offering for our sin " -2 Corinthians 5:21.So He endured the fact that God turned His face from Him. By fulfilling God's claims as judge and suffering thus in perfect obedience,so that sinners might be saved,He glorified God the Fa...

Then those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast -Matthew 25:10. Are You Ready? It was early one morning.Annie had just heard a horrific piece of news.A pleasant young man with whom she had spent the previous evening in the company of other friendly young people ,had had a fatal accident on the way home. Annie stood at the phone,paralysed with shock."What a cruel fate!" she thought.She could visualize the young man before her,yesterday still full of joy and fun,and today already dead! Suddenly the uncertainty of her own existence,including the urgent question of eternity ,struck her.Supposing she had been in the car with him? A call at her window brought her to her senses."Annie,are you ready?" It was the voice of a colleage who came past every morning to fetch her to work."No,I'm not ready yet.Just wait a moment!" was her answer. Now just why did that straightforward question asked by her friend have a new ring about it t...

O my people,trust in Him at all times.Pour out your heart to Him,for God is our refuge. - Psalm 62:8 But when I am afraid,I put my trust in you. O God,I praise your word.I trust in God,so why should I be afraid? - Psalm 56:3-4 True comfort in Christ Jesus Many years ago the following happend in Chungking in China: Tian Fuhsen was the proprietor of a fashionable cafe,which was full from morning till evening and brought in a handsome profit.But one day the doctor diagnosed tuberculosis in that successful business man. Tuberculosis-the word struck Tian like the pronouncement of the death sentence.Fear dug its claws right into his soul.Day had turned to night for him. He entered hospital; the doctor ordered absolute rest.But if only his mind could find rest! His thoughts revolved around that one subject,tuberculosis,painting gloomy pictures before his eyes.Terror whispered,"You'll die" into his ears,"You can do nothing about it.All that you have acquired will...

He personally carried away our sins in his own body on the cross so we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. -1 Peter 2:21,24. At just the right time,I heard you.On the day of salvation,I helped you.Indeed,God is ready to help you right now.Today is the day of salvation. -2 Corinthians 6:2. No grounds for unbelief Jesus Christ offers all who receive Him perfect deliverance.It cost Him alot:He gave Himself for it on the cross. The world,however,has other ideas.It does not believe in Christ; so it lives as though He did not exist,as if His resurrection,His ascension as Lord and His near return were pure fantasy.People say,everyone is free to form his own opinion; at the present time,perhabs! The only thing is:nobody will be able to remain an unbeliever forever.That is why we emphasize the issue again and again.For all who persist in their unbelief when God's grace is offered them,it will one day be too late,i.e. when they are faced with the facts. There will be ...