OUT OF ZION 026 | THE BENEFITS OF LIFE FROM HIS RESURRECTION

Because He lives, we also can live and face tomorrow victoriously.


The joy of Easter is the remembrance of what Christ did for us. According to 1 Cor. 15:1ff, Jesus died and resurrected for us according to the scriptures; and is alive forever for us.

His death and resurrection hold much value for us: He died for our sins and suffered for the consequences of our sins. Death being a common phenomenon holds no significance in the works of Christ, if it stands alone, for we would have no gospel. It is in His resurrection that His death makes sense. He did not perish like others; He came out to bring everyone out of doom.

He is now exalted to the heavens; positioned at the right hand of the FATHER and living as High Priest and Advocate for all who come to the father by Him. His present life is beneficial to us as He saves “… to the uttermost, those who come to the father through Him, for He ever lives to make intercession for them.” He alone can make a full end of all our issues and challenges as we come to Him.

Two things are portrayed here: 1). He saves, making a full end; while 2). We come to Him.

His resurrection gives victory to His cross experience, otherwise it would have been the sign of victory for the devil. He arose in glory (better than when He was buried); to justify us; to be exalted; and to be the Lord and saviour. Our sins have not only been taken care of, we have also being justified. These are two different things. Forgiveness is pardon and removal of punishment; Justification is right standing; right of access and removal of guilt and condemnation.

The place of our coming to Him is important for the process of being continually saved. This coming is not meant to be just as the approach of the needy seeking for help or as the approach of a worshipper basically venerating a deity. He wants much more than this from us. He wants us to come CONSTANTLY to Him as those who come in for fellowship. This is the act of setting Him always before us, as David testified in Ps 16:8.

To set here means to level with Him; to equalise with Him; to agree with or be like Him – these only happen through union. You don’t level with someone greater unless you have come into fellowship or union with the person. This is why not just anyone can worship him – Jn 4:24ff. It takes being born of the spirit to worship the Lord as required in the New Testament; and that worship happens as a fruit of our being partakers of His divine nature – 2 Pet 1:3-4. Our worship would not be meaningful or will not put Him in His place of honour unless it practically meets up with His expectation of us. It is time we optimised our union with Christ, to share with Him what He shares with the Father.

It is when we practise this deepened relationship or fellowship with the Lord, keeping Him in His place of honour that we can practically experience the continual salvation which He offers.

This salvation is experienced as:

SECURITY – We can be secured as David pointed out – ‘I shall not be moved (slip, shake, fall)’;

JOY – We can cheer up and be excited for the joy of the Lord is our strength and the key to drawing His provided resources – Neh 8:10; Isa 12:3;

REST IN HOPE – It is the person who has entered in practice into oneness with the Lord that can settle down securely and continue in hope. He is so securely bound to what lies ahead that no temporarily disturbing stuff can ruffle his spirit;

DELIVERANCE FROM SHEOL: Sheol is both literal and figurative as a place of no return; of captivity, of bondage, of loss; of extreme degradation in sin. The righteous will not actually be abandoned to it. He can come out inasmuch as God did not allow Christ to see corruption. God’s people can go through circumstances; His interest and ability however is that they will not see it just as Christ went through the grave without seeing corruption. This is the key for coming out of trouble: He empowers us to see beyond the plight, so that it will leave no effect on us.

It is your time to stay alive, fresh, strong, renewed, revived, and sustained; a time to be in His presence and to experience the pleasures of His right hand.

Jesus is alive! Because He lives, we also can live and face tomorrow victoriously.

OUT OF ZION 009 | WHY PEOPLE MISS THEIR PLACE

December 20, 2015     Volume 1, Issue 009

WHY PEOPLE MISS THEIR PLACE      

And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. – Heb 3:18-19

Some lost their place in history, though it was graciously provided for them.

There is no life for you without God, neither is there a place for you outside His plan. We look forward to the future: who to become; where to be; what to do and what to have, simply because of His good masterplan for us. Life is therefore to be lived according to that masterplan. Anything aside from and below the plan preordained is out of the place allotted. The concern here is why people miss their place in the plan of God.

From Num. 26:65, there is only one reason given: The Lord said they shall surely die in the wilderness; and from Heb. 3:18, He swore that they shall not enter into His rest. How could God say they shall not, when it was He who graciously had them who were unworthy in His good plan in the first place. Well, He could disqualify people from His plan, but not without reason. He declared that they shall not because they rebelled and disobeyed – Heb. 3:17.

Rebellion is an act of violent or open resistance to an established government or ruler; it is an act or process of resisting authority, control or convention. The people must have strongly resisted the rule, authority and control of God over their lives. God’s means of rule; authority and control is His word. Submitting and yielding to His rule is to His word. Rebellion and disobedience, on a closer look, are quite synonymous. In disobedience, authority is declined for personal option.

Another problem pointed out in Heb. 3:19 is the unbelief of the people. Unbelief is the inability or refusal to accept that something is true or real. Inability is subtle while refusal is more real since belief and unbelief are options. We think it takes more from us to believe than to disbelieve. The problem is that there is a more natural disposition to one of the options and the need to train the mind for the other option. That it is situationally easier to believe a lie does not make it a better option to the truth. Belief and unbelief are options just like the familiar and the unfamiliar; native and foreign; death and life. Inability to believe God’s word is not an excuse, as it still has the opportunity to hear the word.

How does unbelief get so rooted to successfully deflect someone? Unbelief hears the word as God makes sure that His word goes to its object for whatever reason. The word is sent forth by God to produce faith in the hearers. The problem with unbelief is that it refuses to mix the word with faith (conviction, assurance, persuasion) in the heart – Heb. 4:2. It sustains that position by hardening the heart in rebellion – Heb. 3:7-9. Rebellion is a revolt against God (the word) and instead of trust tries and tests God. Since unbelief refuses to use God’s word it fails to know God’s ways and strays always in the heart –  Heb. 3:10. Its departure or straying from God is sustained by the seduction of sin.

We see that those with the good plan earmarked for them lost their place, summarily because of their unbelief. So, it is a possibility to lose one’s place. When we get to heaven, there will be a screen play of songs never composed; souls not won; power of God not expressed; roles not played; status not appropriated; kingdoms not conquered; battles not won; exploits not done. There will be no excuse on that day. As from the example of this people’s experience, those concerned will know because God spoke to them about it; some even came close as to see it vividly; but “… we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.” Heb 3:19.

Losing one’s place is not an inevitable possibility as it can be avoided. You can avoid losing your place by fearing so as not to miss the promise; you can do it by deferring to God in reverential obedience.

The emphasis here is that God has a good place/land/plan for you. Make it your utmost pursuit to not lose it after the example of unbelief from the people who perished in the wilderness.

OUT OF ZION 008 | DON’T LOSE YOUR PLACE

December 13, 2015     Volume 1, Issue 008

DON’T LOSE YOUR PLACE

… But among these there was not a man of those who were numbered … in the Wilderness of Sinai.

– Num 26:63-65

God has a place for you ahead of time and He is not interested in you losing the place.

God has a place for everyone. it is a provision beyond mere existence and an allotment for each person, in accordance with His eternal plan. It is meant for the fullness of time, which is not a calendar time; but an appropriate time or a set time for the appropriation of the provision. Many in history were found to be missing when their time and opportunity to appropriate their place came, for they did not keep their place of honour (Ps 49:20). That they were missing shows that there was really a definite place for them, a place which they lost. God who planned a place for you ahead of time is not interested in you losing the place.

The fall of man distorted the occupation and optimisation of the provision. To salvage the plan, man has to be regenerated, Eph. 2:10, as being saved opens a man into walking in the preordained plan, role, assignment, or life.

The knowledge of the place meant for each person comes by revelation. Revelation is a word from God that reveals His plan for His own. You do not know the plan until it is revealed – 1 Cor. 2:9-10. Revelation is a necessity; Eph. 1:17-18. It gives a glimpse into the future and shows the commitment of the faithful God who will neither lie nor fail. Tit 1:2; 2 Cor. 1:19-20. Revelation is an enlightenment; while it could be informational, it is much more as illumination for the heart. It causes one to supernaturally see an exact aspect of God’s good plan. Revelation is an empowerment since it is spiritual. Seeing with the eyes of the heart is an empowerment for life, this is why listening to God’s word should not be as attending mere lectures. The aim should always be to see. Those who see are unstoppable. Acts 4:18-20; 26:16-20; they have been empowered; driven by the zeal of God that accomplishes.

It takes a journey to get to the place earmarked for you. A journey is a trip to a destination. The journey only commences with the revelation that God gives. Until you see, you may not move. Remember Noah; Abraham and Moses. Everyone that embarks on a God-related journey will affirm that it is based on a revelation from God. Once the journey commences; it heads towards a destination. That destination must always be of godly worth. It could be of people to influence for the kingdom; lives to be touched with His power or exploits to be carried out for His glory. This journey into purpose is transformational – from who you are to who you should be; transitional – from where you are to where you should be; and appropriation-al – from what you have to what you should have.

It takes a fight to appropriate your place. Incidentally, most people do not like to fight because of the comfortability of the status quo, the comfort zone or the place of least resistance; they do not, because change, though very essential, could be very difficult. God did not make anything living to remain static. Getting into the place allotted you requires a firm resolve; it takes time; and it uses every divine help possible.

The needed change to get into your place is opposed by ego which is comfortable with what is; opposed by the system of this world, opinions and doctrines of your tribe, which want to leave you as you are; and opposed by the devil himself who wants to sift you as wheat. It is your business to fight for your place; for your destiny/destination; as you cannot afford to miss your allotment in life. You, therefore, need to be occupied with the thought of it (for what you think about constantly is what you can metamorphose into – Pro 23:7) and fight for it. Your place is calling for you and awaiting you. Stand for it; fight for it; and go for it. It will be costly to miss it.

OUT OF ZION 007 | OPPORTUNITY AND THE MAKING OF HISTORY 4

December 6, 2015    Volume 1, Issue 007

OPPORTUNITY AND THE MAKING OF HISTORY 4

For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

– Phil 1:21

We are not to just lose our lives …, we are to lose it for the sake of Christ.

To be poured out as a drink offering to God’s glory and to the blessing of others is what life is about. We see the importance of the principle taught by Christ that those who lose their lives are those who would gain it. life is not for comfort, but for sacrifice and every blessing upon it is to advance God’s kingdom; increase in good works and be of blessing to people.

Even terrestrially noble men have practised this life principle and benefited from it. Look, from the scripture, at the widow of Zarephat; the boy with five loaves and two fishes; the Shunamite woman as examples. In the spiritual and eternally relevant sense, those who were called to follow Christ did, without the promise of gain. Overtime, however, they realised that there is gain of full reward in it for them. See Mark 10:28-30.

We are not to just lose our lives to find it, we are to lose it for the sake of Christ. We have reasons for this: for example, when He saved us, we lost our lives willingly to Him, for we came under His ownership; lordship; and covering. Since then we became dead and the life we now live is Christ himself living in us; Gal 2:20. We live no longer to self, but to the master and our existence is 1). for His glory only – Phil 1:20; 2). for the will of God, 1 Pet 4:1-3; and 3). for Him who died for us – 2 Cor 5:14-15. All these suggest that our lives should be sold out to serving God’s interest and representing Him in all of life.

If you would want to find your life, you would have to lose it as you cannot eat you cake and have it – Luk 9:57-62; you cannot hold unto one to gain another. In Luk 14:16-20, we see those who lost their life’s essence simply because of their investments, career and relationships or because of their wealth, work and wife. Whereas those who lose it to follow him got their lives advanced.

Do you know that true advancement comes in the pursuit of the purpose? Luk 5:1-6; If Paul did not die to self, he would have had his ministry buried; but look at him: from Antioch to Jerusalem; from Jerusalem to Tarsus; from Tarsus to Antioch; and from Antioch to the uttermost.

To be fulfilled in this life, we must die to self. It is the death of the seed that leads to the possibility of a harvest. The pouring out of all that you are and have is the only appropriate way to leave an indelible mark in the sands of time. There is no ‘if only’; whatever you desire to be tomorrow, assume it today. Give even when you have but little; pour out even with all the inhibitions around you. Procrastination is the key to regret. Do whatever your heart/hand finds to do. Get spent to die empty – 2 Cor 12:15; It is while we are here that we can bear fruit, Phil 1:22 and affect other people’s lives, Phil 1:25. The process of doing this is the gradual emptying of self, being poured out as libation, Phil 2:17; 2 Tim 4:6-8; so that the final death might be total emptiness.

HGR 1.2 Is Coming Up

HGR1.2

Tickets are available for free at hgr2.eventbrite.com

Preparation is a process of change towards a targeted end and not a waiting in the sense of being stuck at a location. This is why the path of the just is (should be and must be) like a shinning sun, that shines even unto the perfect day (Pro 4:18).

Learn at this edition, HOW THE LORD MIGRATES THE JUST INTO HIS PERFECT PLAN.

Get yourself and your loved ones ready for this event. REGISTER NOW! Tickets are free at hgr2.eventbrite.com

Registration is required for everyone from 18 and above.