..the secret things of God

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Proverbs 25:2 – It is the glory of God to conceal a matter but the glory of kings is to search out the matter.

Deutronomy 29:29- The secret things belong to the Lord our God but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever…….

Amos 3:7 – Surely the Lord does nothing unless he reveals his secret to his servants the prophets

In swaziland they is a ritual which is done yearly whereby the king gets to pick a new bride . I used to think that the selection is random besides my swazi friend told me the one who will be picked is known as she would have been groomed and taught in the ways of a queen from birth. But its not so with our God , he likes to be secretive about things , who would have imagined Saul would be the king of Israel after watching him wandering in the countryside looking for lost donkeys. If the teacher who taught Barack Obama in primary school knew he would be president one day he would have treated him differently and probably his high school girlfriend would have not dumped him hence depriving him of lessons only learnt through hardships. The workers who allowed Ruth to pick grain in Boaz’s field had no idea that a couple of weeks later she would be their boss , that is the mysteriousness of God. He allowed the king of Jews to be born in a manager so that the people who judge by appearance or status would reject him not knowing he will be the chief cornerstone. That is why you do not just find precious minerals like gold just lying round glittering for all to see but rather it looks like a normal rock wrapped around by unvaluable matter and requiring a perceptive mind to smelt of the useless to gain access to the important, the mindset of a king who searches out the matter. In times of old God used to reveal his secret things from time to time to his prophets but with the tearing up of the veil we now have access to them too if we are senstive enough or obedient enough because we carry the Christ in us. I refuse to be ignorant when he told us in Jeremiah to ask him and he will tell us deeper things of the kingdom. Nonetheless we should always know that they are things and depth about God we may never comprehend ie why he says my thoughts are higher than yours and so are his ways , we can never know all of him. They are parts of himself that he will never reveal because our minds are too small to appreciate the magnitude of such a being who has no beginning and no ending , who is everywhere and sits in the circumference of himself but we should at least yearn to be shown a facet of his hidden nature as he did for Moses when he asked to see him

The Sovreignity of God- he just is

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Psalms 115:2 Why should the Gentiles say , so where is their God . But our God is in heaven and he does as he pleases.

Colossians 1:17- And he is before all thingd and in him all things consist

People have often asked me the above question the psalmist was asked everytime a natural disaster strikes or civil wars and particularly now during the covid-19 pandemic , so where is you God preacher?. Where was he when thousands lost their lives in the floods in Chimanimani or during the civil wars in Dafur , why does ge choose to remain silent whilst injustices are perpetrated everywhere. In my personal life I have also questioned his existence in particular when I repeated my 3rd year of med schoold and my mum said its because of your many roles in the body of Christ that you failed. Its not like I had not prepared for my finals and relied on some supernatural movement of God , I had respected the principles and toiled all night and day for and pass mark. You would think he would respect my service in his kingdom but alas he is not a respector of men. It later occurred to me that as Christians we tend to want to plan the walk instead of walking the plan that has been set before us by Eloim. We have been sold a false gospel which says where they is failure signifies the absence of God and where they is success he is present but that is not how God operates he transends human logic and reasoning and is hardly swayed by our thoughts and pleas he just is and we have to trust his counsel. He sees things from our ending and comes back to the present life and pulls the strings of our lives to the expected ending. If theybis no defeat with God how was Joshua defeated at Ur when he carried the arch of the covenant , the very essence of God into battle or if success signfies his presence can you explain paul’s success in persecuting and jailing those of the way. We just need to take a step back and agree that we are to small to appreciate or know or predict the mind of God. He is light years ahead of us , he is playing chase whilst we are playing checkers. If we allowed democracy to rule instead of autocracy Paul would not have been voted to be an apostle and imagine the lose to the world. He is a sovreign God , he was there before the beginning began , he has no beginning and no ending , he is the creator of all you see but he himself was not created. Job was asked where he was when such a magnamious being laid the foundations of the earth. Bet you did not know that a spherical object suspended in space rotating at an angle had a foundation but you still question his rule. Clay can not say to the potter why have you made me this way it just allows because its beyond it control and influence. God is the puppet master and is constatntly pulling strings to navigate this world whether you approve or not he will still pull

…..freely we received

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Acts 8:18- And when Simon saw that through the laying of the apostles hands the holy spirit was given , he offered money saying give me this power also that anyone on whom I lay hands will receive the holy spirit

Matthew 10:8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers , raise the dead & cast out demons. Freely you received ; freely give

A porpular local gospel musician once sang that if passage into heaven was bought by gold how then would we also be saved since we are peasants. God saw that the poor f this world could not afford giving their cattle and sheep to account for their sins and gave up his son for no charge that he might be the propitiation of our sins. No human sweat or participation is required for salvation and access to sit at the right hand of the father with Christ. Just belief with the heart and confession with the mouth and already you have dual citizenship. Woe to the sherpheds who are commercialising the gospel for their gain and pity to the flock which is being dubbed into porvety due to lack of diligence in studying scripture and proof reading teachings like the Bereans did with Paul. The prophets of old spoke of such a time in the kingdom , when people will love money more than they do the Lord ie they will be more emphasis on the created things rather than on the creator of the things. People of the world have placed a commercial value on everything and assume that everything has a price. The more expensive the product the higher its quality and the cheaper products are regarded as worthless so imagine how a free gift is valued. Capitalism has taken over all spheres of our lives and it seems to have crept into the church too ie why Nicodemus came to Jesus by night and why Simeon the former sorcerer approached the apostles with money to try and purchase the gift of giving the people the holy spirit through laying of hands because that is their understanding of how things operate in the world , the halves can buy anything they desire but not so in our kingdom. Kings and servants are at par in Gods kingdom and all that is required is a contrite heart and conviction that Christ is the son of God who rose from the dead after 3 days. Jesus when he gave instruction to the twelve and by extension to us he says Just as we received the holy spirit and his gifts freely so should we give and share with others for no charge . No money is required for you to get healing or deliverance from porvety because the pastors hand is not the one thatheals but God himself through the stripes of the son. I dare you to challenge some of the doctrine that is being pushed today which is diminishing to the power of the cross, the finished work. Amen

Worthy of the calling

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Ephesians 4:1 I therefore , the prisoner of the lord , beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called

Titus 2:7 In all things showing yourselves to be a pattern of good works….

When the children of Israel asked for a king the prophet Samuel outlined to them what came with a kingdom. That the king would take their sons and make them till his land and their beautiful daughters as concubines. Likewise nowadays when you become a citizen of a new country they are certain rules and regulations you should abide by for all to be well with you in your country of adoption. Those who have worked in South Africa and Botswana can tell you about the random spot checks for your papers by the police , but over the years I have wondered how they spot foreigners. The answer is every kingdom has certain standards and mannerisms that are pathognomonic to it such that one not accustomed to them sticks out. At antioch that is how the disciples where distinguished from the rest and given a name because of their way of life. Paul when he wrote to Titus he compels him to be a pattern of good deeds in all he does , be it speech or conduct. Regardless of youth he tells Timothy be an example to the world, be worthy (1Tim4:12) because the eyes of the world are always on us and they judge us by a different set of rules. You never know you might be the only Bible someone gets to read no wonder Jesus says let your light so shine that they may praise the father because of you. It is not a cliche that actions speak louder than words otherwise why else would dentists use modelling to calm nervous patients. So in conclusion beloveds I echo the words of Paul , may we always be cognisant of the kingdom we carry within us and be worthy of it.

The manifesto…part 3

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Matthew 7 :1- end

We ended last week by outlying the secret to prosperity and contentment in our kingdom which is by seeking the Lords kingdom and its righteousness first and foremost in your life. To reiterate that point Jesus gives an analorgy that depicts the relationship of an earthly father & his son ; saying if the son asks for bread he will not get a stone from his papa. If then we do this inspite of our sinful nature what more Jesus the righteous when we ask of him , the man who says he owns the gold & the silver ; infarct the psalmist says the earth & all in it are his. They are people who have been knocking on certain doors in their lives with no response like that woman with the issue of blood for 12 years or the cripple who sat by the pool of bethsaida for 38years . But thank God for the new teaching , now if you knock doors will be opened galore for you and noone can close them. Jesus makes mention of the golden rule which he will emphasize in later parables like that of the good samaritan ie you need to treat people the way you want them to treat you regardless of rank , status or ethnicity. This rule sort of filters the number of followers willing to be part of the movement of Christ ie why the Lord says narrow is the way. But in all this we must be mindful of those who will be attracted to the power they witness among us like the sons of sceva or nicodemeus . To know who are of the way dont look at their gifts but rather at the fruits they produce for gifts and callings are without repentance but no good tree brings forth bad fruit. In conclusion beloveds we are selling to you a kingdom that is build on a rock that is Christ and cannot be moved , please choose wisely as you go through various manifestos.

Manifesto part 2…

Matthew 6: 1- end

I know that in the last session Jesus implied that he had come not to replace the old order but to fulfill it though we saw him raising the standard of adultery to equate it to a lustful look. Salvation by the law of Moses is brought about through effort , they seemed to place great emphasis on traditions , customs and showcasing. When you fasted everyone knew it because you wore sackcloth like David when his illegitimate child with bathsheba was struck down and they seemed to be showboating when it came to prayer ie people liked doing it in street corners and in public loudly…. you remember the prayer of th tax collector and the pharisee. But this new age religion that Jesus is introducing disregards that , he says I am going to cause enemity between a mother and her daughter, father and son….he even structs that you cant love your wife more than you do him. We now give credence to things done in private , be it prayer , fasting or giving for we are not seeking public adulation but rather to be seen by him who sees in private . David in his prophetic mind summarised out belief in Psalms 115 when he says not unto us not unto us but to your name be the glory. If anyone should glory or boast from henceforth it had better be in God. Jesus make it clear that it is through pursuit of the kingdom of God and its

The manifesto …part 1

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Matthew 5 :1- end

During election season informed voters are not swayed by the charisma of the candidate or his outward appearance but rather take time to go through his manifesto. A manifesto introduces the values of the party to the people and what you should expect from the candidate of he is voted into power. In like manner soon after his baptism when a crowd gathered around him Jesus took it as a signal to lauch the manifesto of the new kingdom he had come to teach about and when up a mountain. They is so much confusion in church today because we have got people who were attracted to how we play our instruments or how we dance or the sisters in our fellowship and joined but never got taught the mandate and the objectives of this movement called Christianity but have no fear in the next three weeks I will try to outline the kingdom concept from the horses mouth . The very first thing Jesus does like any good orator is to give an overview of the whole document in 8 points famously known as the beatitudes. In contrast to the ten commandments given to Moses Jesus gives the beatitudes in a positive spirit , listing the values in life which lead to prosperity and salvation. Everything else he will do in his 3yr ministry derives its foundation on these 8 points. He explains that he has not come to do away with the old kingdom but rather to fulfil its requirements , he even ammends certain laws and sets the standards higher than were Moses had pegged them. Looking lustfully at someone was equated to adultery whilst he who was angry at his brother was likened to Cain who murdered his , every sin carries equal weight in this new kingdom…. no longer will we have thieves and liars trying to stone a woman who has been caught commiting adultery. They is no room for vengeance if you decide to follow us rather meekness is encouraged for it is the attribute of those who will inherit the earth. We are to be like salt ie bring seasoning and taste on those we get in contact with and at the same time offering direction in their lives just as light does. They has to be a distinction between our modus operandi and the worlds because if we also just love and greet our friends we are alike rather we are compelled to show care to those we think of as our enemies like what the samaritan did. But in all this the recurring thing and the foundation of the new kingdom is love , of God and of our fellow men. Be blessed beloveds as we go through Jesus’ manifesto

Legacy 2: nature and nuture, inherent traits

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Proverbs 22:6 – Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it

They is a common shona saying , kuziva sekuru huudzwa ie you only get to know who your relatives are through being told by your folks. Some of us will complain at the ways our kids treat us in our later years not knowing they learnt from how we treated their grandparents. Anyway I am getting ahead of myself without laying out a proper foundation for todays continuation of last weeks message on legacy. The genotype of the father and the mother is responsible for the phenotype of the offspring , that is they determine the height , skin colour and even the shade of the eyes and hair of the kids. I am sure you also know that some diseases are passed on from generation to generation along family lines eg diabetes mellitus and asthma or the one that plagues the royal family hemophilia B. We get to influence how our kids with react or respond to tragedy and conflict when we have gone to be with the Lord , eithet by the good genes we pass to them (nature) or by how we raise them and what we expose them to (nuture). The difference between training someone and teaching someone is that training invloves modelling on behalf of the parent whilst teaching is mostly oral and theoretical. People tend to remember more what they see and experience more than what they read or are told which is why the phrase to as I say and not as I do rarely brings forth the desired fruit. The apple doesnt fall far from the tree because when a child is born and still young it knows only of one role model which are the 2 new parents. How you treat your wife teaches your teenage boys the proper way to look after women and your girls child what kind of behaviour to look out for when searching or rather being sought by a spouse. It may be the reason why a child raised in a house with gender based violence will likely abuse his kids or wives too. When Abraham was in Abimelechs country because of his wife’s beauty he lied that she was his sister and years later his son Isaac did the same. Mind you Isaac wasnt born yet when Abraham lied but he behaved like him still because they are things that follow bloodlines or rather he might have heard the tale from his father. When rebekkah felt that they was something wrong with her pregancy she went to enquire of the Lord because in the family that she was married to that is what they did when in problems. Your children need to know that problems are solved by prayer not through teaching or reading but because they saw it. The things we observe outweigh what we are taught eg. David taught Solomon the Lords commandments which did not include adultery but because he grew up in a household in which his father discarded concubbines like underwear he also excelled in building his harem. So in conclusion I am encouraging us to mind our language, our posture and behaviour when we are with our kids because it will determine the kind of legacy which you leave on their lives.

Legacy part 1: what will they say when you are gone

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Proverbs 13:22- A good man leaves an inheritance to his childrens children , but wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous

Proverbs 22:1 – A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, loving favour rather than silver and gold

John 4:12- Are you greater than our father Jacob who gave us this well and drank from it himself as well as his sons and livesstock

Acts 9:39- ……. and all the widows stood by him weeping , showing tunics and garments which Dorcas had made whilst she was with them

The story of Dorcas compelled me to write this article which will spill over into next week. What will people say about me when I am gone or rather what will my grandchildren think of their fathers father. I used to think that If I lived my life without querelling with my neighbours and not causing anyone illwill in life qualified me into the cartegory of good men but proverbs 13:22 seems to propose a different classification which gave me a moment of pause. I would like to provoke a mindshift into a blackmans mind these two weeks God willing. I once saw an article saying the decision you make today will determine whether you will be a golf playing retireer or a drought playing one. They is need for us to develop a generational mindset to things ie. To have discipline in our productive years. One author defined discipline as the ability to deny yourself something in the moment because of what you want in the future. I pray that we be the generation that does do away with black tax in our life time , I get it that our parents were dealt a raw deal in the past two decades but the baton stick is now in our hands. Two years ago I attended a friends wedding and the father of the groom gave the newly wedded couple a stand with a structure in place and in my heart I said this is a good man whom proverbs speaks of and may God help us to be half as good with our children. We need to leave behind lasting legacies for our grandkids as Jacob did in John 4:12, everytime they drank from the well they thanked their forefather. But aside from wealth we need to take care of the names we possess, imagine how easy it is for a bank manager to approve a loan for someone with the surname chanakira or masiiwa because what is associated with the names. The names Rockerfella and Ford brings to mind dynasty kind of wealth like that of the royal family , they are brands unto themselves and open doors on their own ie why good name is to be treassured than rubies. So in conclusion beloveds I challenge us to be good men…Amen!!

…run your race

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John 11:37 And some of the said , could not this man who opened the eyes of the blind also have kept this man from dying

Acts 12:2-3 Then he killed james the brother of john with the sword . And because he saw it pleased the Jews he proceeded to seize Peter also

1Samuel 18:7 So the women sang as they danced and said saul has slain his thousands & David his tens of thousands . Then Saul was very angry and the saying displeased him…

Just because someone else is succeeding doesnt mean you are failing, why cant both of you be successful. They is a comon saying amongst the youth these days stay in your lane and its unfortunate it wasnt around in Sauls time when he felt jealous when the women gave him thousands and to David tens of thousands. I bet he would have been happy with his thousands before he heard of Davis amount forgetting that they were on different lanes. We are all in a race but but to each God has assigned a lane that follows its own unique path , we are like students sitting for an exam but with different question papers in proportion to our abilities. Brothers and sisters they is no need for comparisons with our neighbours because our answersheets are different focus on your paper. Just because James was captured and killed by Herod dont immediately assume because Peter has been imprisoned too death is inevitable for him the puppet master above has different designs for each of us. You might have grown up in the same area as someone and even went to the same school and class but your endings are not guaranteed to be the same . Matthew Mcconaughey in his acceptance speech at the oscars said his role model is himself 10years from now which is something I want us to adopt as believers , learn to run your race against yourself and jealousy and bitterness towards the succes of others wont be your portion. The people in John 11 were perplexed that the man who could open the eyes of the blind could not save his friend from death not knowing that as high as the heavens are from the earth so are the Lords ways and thoughts different from ours. It is good to be observant of how others are doing things to succeed but at the end of the day use of what God deposited in you will bring you more joy and wealth. Someone once said you will earn more in life by using your talent than you will by following the conventional route of formal education and employement, well i wouldnt know but its a point to ponder. Stay blessed.