THE PASSION OF CHRIST

 
It is good friday, the day our lord Jesus Christ was crucified. I looked through the gospels and read the various accounts of the passion, crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ and my eyes were open beyond what people normally believe to be the reason why christ died. Some say 'Christ died to save us from sin...' and they stop there. As i studied the word, i began to see that Christ's did more than just save us from sin.
Isaiah 53 talks about the passion and death of Christ, in vs10 "yes, it pleased the lord to bruise him..." how possible? yes! it pleased God to bruise his son cos when Jesus came he took the place of sinful man, The beautiful exchange. In Him all the sins of mankind He bore and God punished the sins of man in the body of Jesus.
All that happened was a type of what was going on in the spiritual. The crown of thorns placed on the head of Jesus signified that all the curses placed on man he took on himself thats why Gal3:13 "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us...". All the scourging, beatings, insults and spitting Christ endured signified he had recieved all the condemnations for man and the price for sin he paid. All the wounds and stripes he had was for all mankind to enjoy good health Isaiah53:5"... by his stripes we are healed". On the cross when he shed his blood, it was a sign that we have been saved from the wrath of God. Rom5:9 "much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him". His blood is a propitiation for our sins, his blood washes all mankind and presents us blameless before the father.
As Christ said "it is finished" all the penalty for the sins of you and I he paid. As he died the curtain of the temple was torn into half from top to bottom to signify that the veil, barrier hindering us from reaching the father was destroyed col1:13" who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of his dear son". Christ's death death gave us access to heaven, the veil was removed now we have boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus.
Christ died to conquer he that had the power of death, the devil and has freed all who through fear of death were subjected to bondage.
Christ has paid the price, there is no fear of death Glory!, no fear, he has paid for our good health, he has taken on him all our curses cos of his death we have been accepted.
God loves you dearly thats why he gave his very best best for us so we would become sons of his love.Rom 5:8" God commendeth his love towards us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us".
I urge you all to take out time and fellowship with the Father and feel his love. Don't be too quick about it, enjoy it in the spirit of the finished works of his Son.
                     Dannie.

THE FOOLISHNESS OF FAITH

                   
I was opportuned to minister to a group of students and during the meeting i said "faith doesn't make sense..." they are like "whats Daniel saying?" but it wasn't a thing of suprise cos people want to believe only what has proofs to back it up.
I want to share with you on the intellectual "foolishness" of faith. You will be able to see in very logical terms how "foolish" faith is. But very interestingly too, the foolishness of faith is the winning ticket in the race of life. Paul said in Romans 1:16, that he is not ashamed of the gospel. This is because some of its demands are things you could be ashamed of as they may appear like you're not rational ( to the natural man ). But paul said he's not ashamed of it, for inside that "foolishness" lies the power of God that is able to deliver results. As you understand the foolishness of faith you will be able to embrace faith with a sense of confidence in every injunction of scriptures.
There is that scattereth and yet increaseth and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty. Proverbs 11:24.
For someone to be increasing when he's "losing" and then another that is keeping what he has is the one losing dosnt sound like good arithmetic but the foolishness of faith recomends that you believe that when you're scattering (giving your tithes, sowing seeds, offerings) you're increasing, when you withhold you decrease.
In the story of Lazarus being raised from the dead, when Jesus got there when he was told Lazarus was dead he said "Father i thank you". Father I thank you? Yes! God won't hear you until you thank him. It looks like foolishness because you don't say thank you until someone has done something for you or given you something but scripture is clear. Be careful for nothing but in everything by PRAYER and SUPPLICATION with THANKSGIVING let your request be made known unto God. Phil 4:6.
When the word of God says you are healed (1st Peter 2:24) and yet you feel pains and very sick, when the word says God has provided all your needs (phil4:19) and at that point you seem broke, when everything is going contrary to plans. To go with the word may seem foolish. Whatever God tells you to do no matter how crazy it may appear, believe it. When you do you've committed God to perform, you are bound to see what he has said come to pass. The foolishness of faith is the winning ticket in the race of life. Believe whatever the word says, don't rationalize it.
and blessed is she that believed for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord. Luke 1:45.