When I heard people talking about the imperfections of those who call themselves Christian it used to bother me a great deal.The same goes for all the times I heard that Jesus had defeated Satan at the Cross of Calvary.Or that the kingdom of God had come and that Jesus reigns.
The reason why I was bothered is that these people claimed to be christian and followers of Christ yet their lives were so full of inconsistencies. I would also ask myself why there was still so much evil in the world and Satan seemed to still have the upper hand irrespective of all the claims of the bible about his defeat and conquest at the Cross.
That was until I understood the principle of already but not yet. This principle informs us that the Kingdom has come but its fullness has not yet been realized.That the earth has not as yet been filled with the knowledge of the glory of God. That there are large pockets of the world which have come under the influence of the kingdom just as there are large portions that are far from any knowledge of the kingdom and its influence in the lives of men. That even those who are under the influence of the kingdom are still embracing its fullness and as such the kingdom is already active but not yet fully operational in their lives.
The bible says in the Book of Daniel that the kingdom of God is like a stone carved out of nowhere that comes and breaks to pieces all the other kingdoms and grows to be a mountain that fills the whole earth. Looking at the beginnings of Christianity, one notes that they were indeed humble, remember the baby in a manger? How Jesus lived an ordinary life. Though He was of the Royal House of David, He didn't come as a prince but a servant who was mocked, reviled, abused, spat upon and suffered every form of degradation and humiliation a man could endure.He gathered around him ordinary, uneducated folk who didn't hold any office in the priestly order of those days. He was in essence a 'nobody' who had 'nobodys' around him and with these he expected to turn the world upside down. Indeed he came out of nowhere and took the world by storm. Over 2000 years later, what started as a group of 12 ordinary folk has grown into a behemoth that is still sucking many more in and its only a matter of when not if the kingdom's fullness will be encountered.
While we are in the already, it will look like not much progress is being made but the careful eye will see the march of the church towards the close of the age. More territories are being conquered for the kingdom that is already. Every technological advancement and everything that happens has an unseen hand guiding the world towards its certain end. God has and He will continue to use all what He created to bring forth the fullness of the kingdom.
One day the imperfect will be made perfect, the mortal immortal and the tables will be turned upside down as surely as God promised. One day every kingdom that exercises dominion anywhere on earth will be crushed underfoot and only one kingdom will remain standing. The kingdom that is already but not yet. One day the struggling saint who can't seem to have it all together will put on the completeness of his divine nature and sin will have no power over him again. You won't see him fall and rise again, he will have risen forever to sit by His King's side. The devil who seems to have the upper hand now will have been silenced forever and put in his place. The kingdom will have reverted to Shiloh(Him to whom it belongs). Death will be no more except for the followers of the devil who won't escape the second and eternal death. Every enemy will have been put under the feet of Jesus Christ who will reign as king forever and ever under the sovereignty of the Almighty Ancient of Days.
The only time you have to cross over to the right side is now when we are in the dispensation of already. once we cross over to the dispensation of it is done, it will be too late for anyone. At Asenaville, we look for a world where every soul is on the side of Yeshua the giver of life and the Ancient of Days. your time is now. Welcome to Asenaville where we stand on the Side whose victory is a foregone conclusion.
Saturday, May 23, 2015
Sunday, May 10, 2015
Depravity
At Asenaville, we believe in the depravity of Mankind and The Empowerment of Christ against this depravity. We believe in a redeemed world that lives free of the shackles of sin and all its attendant consequences. Welcome to Asenaville.
Depravity is wretchedness. It is being out of control. It is being left to the elements to lead you whichever way they choose. Depravity is the savagery that lives in all fallen ones.All of us apart from the saving grace of God are depraved.
We might come out as exemplary, straightforward or any other desirable quality but for as long as our nature is still that selfish, fiendish one, we come out as we really are. It is said you can't keep a good man down. That is indeed true just the same way you can't keep an evil man down. He comes to the surface at the appropriate time. I have come to understand that we don't need to sin to be called sinners. This explains why a perfectly normal individual will do some unthinkable, unfathomable thing out of nowhere!!!! Not really the truth is that we harbor in us savage tendencies that left to ourselves, we are capable of the worst that can be imagined. Our sinful nature is inborn. we are born sinners and it is only the choices that we make that can change our status either for the better or the worse.
The day you acknowledge your depravity is the day you allow God to turn your life around and make you somebody worth writing home about. It is at the point of acknowledging that you need God's help that you are able to turn around and begin to truly live the good life.
I have also noted that no one is more aware of Depravity than a practicing christian. It really makes sense because the closer you move to the light the clearer you see the stains on your garments. As long as you are sitting in the dark, you will be comfortable about who you are. Light truly exposes the darkness and depravity of our souls. That Light is Christ and once we draw close to him, we are all made painfully aware of just how far we are from the truth.
This therefore means that our coming to Jesus does not exempt us from failing, only that we know who to turn to for strength when we are failing. We know who to appeal to for grace and empowerment to live the right life. Our depravity can only be conquered in Christ and no other. this is what no other religion will offer you. You will be asked to clean up your act to receive redemption. Jesus picks you up in your filth, cleans you up and presents you to His Father blameless. He doesn't sit on a high horse and calls you to go the distance. He goes the distance. In fact He has gone the distance by his death on the cross. All that remains is for you to stretch out your hand like a drowning man asking for help and He will take you and make you what he envisions you to be.
Therefore drop your depravity in His hands and let him give you a new heart, mind and soul to do that which is right for you,Him and everyone else.
Shalom.
Depravity is wretchedness. It is being out of control. It is being left to the elements to lead you whichever way they choose. Depravity is the savagery that lives in all fallen ones.All of us apart from the saving grace of God are depraved.
We might come out as exemplary, straightforward or any other desirable quality but for as long as our nature is still that selfish, fiendish one, we come out as we really are. It is said you can't keep a good man down. That is indeed true just the same way you can't keep an evil man down. He comes to the surface at the appropriate time. I have come to understand that we don't need to sin to be called sinners. This explains why a perfectly normal individual will do some unthinkable, unfathomable thing out of nowhere!!!! Not really the truth is that we harbor in us savage tendencies that left to ourselves, we are capable of the worst that can be imagined. Our sinful nature is inborn. we are born sinners and it is only the choices that we make that can change our status either for the better or the worse.
The day you acknowledge your depravity is the day you allow God to turn your life around and make you somebody worth writing home about. It is at the point of acknowledging that you need God's help that you are able to turn around and begin to truly live the good life.
I have also noted that no one is more aware of Depravity than a practicing christian. It really makes sense because the closer you move to the light the clearer you see the stains on your garments. As long as you are sitting in the dark, you will be comfortable about who you are. Light truly exposes the darkness and depravity of our souls. That Light is Christ and once we draw close to him, we are all made painfully aware of just how far we are from the truth.
This therefore means that our coming to Jesus does not exempt us from failing, only that we know who to turn to for strength when we are failing. We know who to appeal to for grace and empowerment to live the right life. Our depravity can only be conquered in Christ and no other. this is what no other religion will offer you. You will be asked to clean up your act to receive redemption. Jesus picks you up in your filth, cleans you up and presents you to His Father blameless. He doesn't sit on a high horse and calls you to go the distance. He goes the distance. In fact He has gone the distance by his death on the cross. All that remains is for you to stretch out your hand like a drowning man asking for help and He will take you and make you what he envisions you to be.
Therefore drop your depravity in His hands and let him give you a new heart, mind and soul to do that which is right for you,Him and everyone else.
Shalom.
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