Growing In God's Kingdom

31/10/2024

Hi Friends.

If you were wondering when the next title was going to appear. Wonder no longer!

Here it is for you.

Written as a follow up from my previous book on the life of Jesus.

The Reality of Jesus -- What Next? is for those of us who know of God and of Jesus but are unsure how knowing about Him might have an impact on our lives.
What Next? explains How the life of Jesus does affect us and how we are able to respond to His life.
What is the relevance of Jesus to me?
Where do we go from here?

The Reality of Jesus: What Next?

22/10/2024

Good morning friends. :)

It has occurred to me this morning that I haven't introduced you to any of my books recently.

There are now fourteen titles available, any of which would make an amazing and potentially a life changing gift.

(Free postage if purchased through the author).

I have highlighted my latest below, for the sake of a link: a fascinating read, giving some insights and highlights of the life of Jesus and how His life affects each one of us.
All available on the Amazon site.

By clicking on the authors page you will be able to see a short word about the author, (that's me), and be able to follow me too!
All of the titles are in the same place.
When you have read the current issue watch out for the one I am working on now, to be published very soon: The Reality of Jesus - What Next?

Thanks for your interest and your support. :)

An Introduction To Jesus: Some Highlights and Some Insights

15/07/2024

Eternity:

As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near.
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.
And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return.
And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearance.
2 Timothy 6-8.

Paul has received a death sentence from the Roman court.
But Paul is not complaining, he is looking forward to receiving a crown of righteousness.

Many today believe that Jesus came to give us eternal life.
This is true, but it is not the whole truth.
Our eternal life is only possible if we are righteous, because the wages of sin are death.
We have missed the point if we focus on eternal life.
We need to focus on being righteous in order to have a relationship with God.

Eternal life comes to those who are righteous.

Righteousness develops out of a relationship with God.
It is not possible to have a relationship with God if we remain in unrighteousness.

There are those who might suggest that the notion of becoming righteous is arrogant and foolish.
Because there have been occasions in the past when we have fallen short, we have been fooled into believing the deception that human nature controls us, we are unable to escape from the things that we think and do.
Because of this lie, or deception, that we believe, we simply accept that we will fail, we do our best and struggle on, carrying with us our failings and sometimes, shame and regret.

But we are called to become righteous: We are not doomed to repeat or to live in those failings.
This is the reason that Jesus died for us and, if He is our saviour, saves us daily:
He leads us into righteousness.

Earlier, Paul, writing to Timothy, gave this advice:
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. 2 Timothy 3:16.

Do we allow ourselves to be trained in righteousness?
If we do not, the alternative is to allow ourselves to be trained in unrighteousness which leads to death.

Some may say that we are righteous as a consequence of what Jesus has achieved on our behalf.
If this were the case then why does Paul write to Timothy advising him to be trained into righteousness?

It is true that Jesus has taken our sin upon Himself in His victory on the cross but if we do not allow His victory to permanently release us from committing sin: if we persist in living in the same rebellious state that we once had no freedom from, then His death is of no use to us: we remain in deception; we remain within the kingdom of the enemy; we remain slaves to sin.

It is for freedom that we have been set free. Galatians 5:1.
If we are not living in righteousness we cannot have a relationship with God, therefore we are lost and we are deceived to believe otherwise.

Jesus said that there will be many who claim to belong to Him but in truth they do not know Him.

If we want to know Him we will do the things that please Him. Remaining in our unrighteousness is not pleasing to Him.

Paul goes on to declare that his reward is available to everyone who is looking forward to the appearance of Jesus.
We will only be looking forward to that time if we know Him; if we are learning to become righteous.

Paul does not expect to be alone in his reward but for all who follow Jesus to become righteous.
So let us move away from this heavy lie that promotes the belief that we are as we are and will never be anything other than failed people.

Let us become released from unrighteousness and to clothe ourselves with all that Jesus has achieved for us.
He is not interested in our works; we can do nothing to please Him of ourselves, but His pleasure is in our obedience; in our relationship with Him.

28/12/2023

Good morning everyone. 😊

I hope we've all been enjoying ourselves?
I haven't posted for a while and so I thought this morning I would post an extract from one of my books, The Thief. (available still on Amazon) 🙂

No, it's not a book about concrete.

Here we go then. Enjoy. 😊

Do Christians go to heaven when we die?

There is a teaching that is popular today that suggests that Christians go immediately to heaven when we die.

This doctrine doesn’t appear to be found in scripture.

It is an idea that originated in Greek philosophy and has been adopted by many.

Greek philosophy was pushing against the foundations of Jesus’ teaching during the first century and Paul came across this teaching among the Christians at Lystra in modern day Turkey.

He warned Timothy against it, saying that, ‘this teaching will spread like gangrene’.

Their teaching will spread like gangrene.
Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have departed from the truth.
They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some.
2 Timothy 2. 16 - 18.

Sadly this teaching has, as Paul suggested, spread like gangrene and so we must be wary of those who preach it.

The resurrection has not yet taken place - Jesus is yet to return.

But is Jesus coming to take all Christians to heaven one day?

There is another similar false doctrine that suggests that Jesus will return at any time in order to take Christians away to heaven.

This doctrine is called ‘the rapture’ or ‘the rapture of the saints’.

The false teaching of a rapture was first aired during the 18th century and was taken up by a gentleman named John Darby who was a part of the brethren religion and later founded the cult of ‘plymouth brethren’ after arguing with leaders.

It is a false teaching that has become widespread amongst many evangelical groups, particularly in the U.S.A. and popularised by the ‘Taken away’ books series.

The misunderstanding has its roots in something that Paul was explaining to the Thessalonian Christians.

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.

After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
1 Thessalonians 4. 16 - 17.

Paul is writing about being ‘caught up’ when the Lord returns.

The word rapture - ‘rapere’ is latin in origin and means to be caught up, snatched or seized.

Paul is explaining to the Christians that when the Lord returns, the dead in Christ will rise first, and will be transformed from death into life.

We will all then meet Jesus ‘in the air’.

It is this phrase ‘in the air’ that has also caused some confusion.

So let’s look at both of these phrases.

Firstly to be ‘caught up’. 'rapere'.

Paul is describing the act of being one with Jesus.

We will be gathered to Him - ‘snatched away’ not to another place, but from whatever we are doing at that time.

It will be a big event. We will be enthralled by His presence and overtaken by it.

Jesus will be on centre stage. Therefore we will be seized by that scene.

All of which is incorporated in that word ‘rapere’.

Paul is not describing being taken from the earth.
Why would we be? Jesus will have returned to it as He promised that He would.

Paul is talking about being ‘taken up’ by His presence.

Another misunderstanding is the phrase ‘in the air’.

As many Christians will have been buried for an unknown period of time it needs no explanation as to why Paul writes ‘in the air’ on their behalf, but he is also alluding to the fact that they will be in the earth's atmosphere and not somewhere else.

In truth Paul is describing Jesus bringing heaven to earth and not vice versa.

Paul is telling the Thessalonians that we will all be on earth in the earth's atmosphere (air) together with Jesus when He returns.

The Thessalonian Christians had possibly been drawn to Greek philosophical teaching that proposed that when we die we go straight to heaven.

When Jesus was on earth He taught that He would be returning to reign.

It is for this reason we pray, 'your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven'.

The truth is that Jesus will be returning to earth (with heaven) in order to reign with His bride, at which time those who have died in Him will be raised with new bodies.

The Bible does not teach that we will be going to heaven but as Jesus becomes a greater reality in our lives, He will be increasingly revealed on earth.

Rather than being taken to another place, heaven is appearing on earth as Jesus is increasingly revealed among his people.

Is the bride ready for His return? Have we clothed ourselves appropriately for the groom?

18/12/2023

Adam - “She told me to”.

The man replied, “It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.”
Then the Lord God asked the woman, “What have you done?”
“The serpent deceived me,” she replied. “That’s why I ate it.”
Genesis 3:12-13.

I have been responding to various queries with regards to the origins of man as recorded in the book of Genesis recently and I have been reminded that we are, each one of us, responsible for our own actions and inactions, and that there will come a time when we will be called to account for the same.

In the above verse the man and the woman are accounting to God for what they have done.

This situation is a picture of what occurs on a daily basis in many of our lives today - we are growing into an increasingly permanent state of blaming others for the situations that we find ourselves in.

Parents often make excuses for their children's bad behaviour, which in truth, reflects upon their upbringing, by blaming others - their siblings or friends, their teachers or their various special needs.

This does their children no good as they never learn to accept responsibility for their behaviour but continue to spend their lives blaming others for the way they behave.

Psychologists often place the blame at the feet of irresponsible parents or oppressive siblings.

Sociologists blame the society and circumstances of our surroundings.

The man blamed the woman and the woman blamed the serpent.

The Lord makes it very clear that it is Adam who is to blame for the situation that they find themselves.

Until we learn to appreciate that we are personally responsible for our lives we will never realise that we are in need of a saviour.

Blaming others effectively releases us from any responsibility for our actions which in turn sentences us to an eternal death. - we are never able to repent - to apologise or feel remorse for our actions unless we can begin to accept responsibility for them.

It is because Adam sinned that we live in a fallen world.

The man listened to the woman and ate the fruit but he had a choice of whether to eat or not.

It is because each one of us lives in rebellion that our own life is out of sync.

It was Adam who was told not to go down that route and it was Adam who listened to the advice of another and disobeyed.

We need to have our ears tuned to the advice of Father and disconnect the ears that listen to the advice of the enemy.

In accepting responsibility the Lord was able to give help and hope for the future.

Had Adam continued with his denial of responsibility the Lord could not have offered any help or hope.

There are many who would take the first tentative steps in discovering new life were it not for the desire to please their spouse, not to ‘rock the boat’ or cause unnecessary, unwelcome and awkward conversations.

Sometimes a fear of causing offence will prevent a person from following a lead that they would otherwise follow.

Inaction can have the same effect on our lives as action - there is rebellion in neglect as well as in activity.

We will be called to account in either case - some to life and a crown - some to see what could have been and yet withheld.

We can never blame another for what might have been - for what we have lost, but we can prevent further harm by responding, whether that be by doing or saying something we have previously been afraid to, or by not saying or doing the things that cause harm.

Let’s decide today to become responsible for our own actions.

There can be no help - no restoration, until we do.

08/12/2023

Hello friends,

Welcome to our group. 😊

We manage the Genesis group for the sake of those who might question the traditional church teaching and perhaps want to know more.
More background, more information, more answers.

We don't claim to equip others with information but, more often than not we raise further questions.

We love God and wish only to honour Him and to enjoy a closer relationship with Him.

Spirit is pleased to answer our questions when we ask.
Jesus remains the centre of our devotion, He calls for unity. Please bear this in mind when posting.

10/09/2023

1Timothy 1:5-7 “The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith. But some people have missed this whole point. They have turned away from these things and spend their time in meaningless discussions. They want to be known as teachers of the law of Moses, but they don’t know what they are talking about, even though they speak so confidently.”

Having asked Timothy to thwart the false teachers, he now tells us what we should concentrate on instead of wasting our time on endless discussions which go nowhere. He wants us to be full of love with a pure heart, have a clear conscience, and a genuine faith.

These three things are the heart of meaningful lives. Without love, we have nothing to give away. Without a clear conscience, we continue to be unrighteous. And without genuine faith, we are hypocrites. Like the false teachers which Paul writes about, we might have much to say; we might be very eloquent; but we do not know what we are talking about.

The love of God can only come from a pure heart. If our motives for doing anything are selfish, our love is not the love of God. The love which Paul writes about is the agape love of God. It is selfless, full of God’s emotion, and flows from a decision to bless those we seek to love. In reality, the true goal for us all should be to be full of the love of God.

When we are born of God, we receive the seed of His love. When Holy Spirit, who is full of the love of God, comes into our lives, His love grows in us to the extent that we give Him our lives. As we grow in spirit, we give more room for God in our lives, and we grow in His love.

Paul wants us to be full of the agape love of God. He knows that we grow into this love. Our enemy seeks to keep us trapped in the traumas of our past which blind us to the love of God. But, as we open ourselves to the healing and to the wisdom of God, He increasingly reveals His love for us and through us.

The second objective we should have to enable a pure love is to live with a clear conscience. Our conscience tells us intuitively the difference between right and wrong. If we want a clear conscience, we will do what we know to be right. Jesus came to earth so that we might be righteous; to live without sin. Our conscience tells us whether we are fulfilling that goal.

When we are born of God, our conscience becomes an important litmus test to enable us to live righteously. The words we hear in our spirit need to be tested by our conscience because our enemy tries to deceive us. He is also a spirit. And he knows how to trap us through spiritual language.

The third objective for us is to have a genuine faith. We are often confused between the difference of “a faith” and “faith”. “A faith” is what we believe academically. Sadly, it seldom changes our lives at all. But genuine “faith” is fruitful. It changes us and it achieves what we are in faith for. Many talk about faith. But few have a genuine faith.

The truth is that our new birth is not the only reason that Jesus came to earth. It is only part of the reason. Ultimately, Jesus came to redeem the world. He set in motion the plan to bring every part of creation back under His authority. And the fulfilment of that plan involves every one of us.

We each have a crucial part to play. And if we do not have genuine faith we will not be able to fulfil what we are called to do.

Paul writes that some of the Ephesian community miss the point and spend their time in discussion groups instead of demonstrating the love of God with faith actions. Have we missed the whole point of our calling in God?

Today, we are also in danger of missing the point. Do our meetings provoke love, righteousness and faith? Are they our main goals?

Paul writes that the false teachers talk confidently but they do not know what they are talking about. The truth is that deception always keeps us in the dark. Are we following false teachers who do not provoke us into love, righteousness and faith?

J.J.S.

04/09/2023

I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection.
But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.
Philippians 3:12 NLT

Most people do not believe it is possible for us to be perfect.
Therefore, they do not try, happy to live imperfect lives, believing that their dependence on the perfect sacrifice of Jesus is all that God requires of them.

Paul does not have that theology.
He knows that perfection is possible, and he wants it. He wants to be like Jesus in every possible way. And he thinks “if Jesus achieved perfection, He will equip me to achieve it also”.

But he is a realist. He knows that he has not yet achieved his goal.

Paul knows that when we focus on the past or the present, we lose sight of the future.

Today, many are trapped in their past. Others are trapped in the present. But Paul is determined that neither the past nor the present will stop him from experiencing his future success.

There are many traps which keep us in the past, often the consequence of physical, emotional, and spiritual trauma.

A trauma is the name given to a violent or sudden event which affects our mind. It captures us and we cannot move on from it.

A serious trauma can immobilise us totally. But a minor trauma restricts us in the area which has been traumatised.

If we allow a trauma to keep our minds focussed on the event, we will never be free of it.

That part of our life will not recover, and we will be unable to achieve the goal of perfection.

Therefore, we need healing from trauma, which we can receive from Jesus.

Paul did not let his trauma decide his future negatively. He used it to achieve his goal.

In a race, it is only the winner who receives the prize for first place.

But other prizes are available to those who follow.

What prize are we hoping to receive from Jesus when we meet Him?

Many of us will receive the also ran award, recognising that we took part in the race.

We might not excel, but we will still be accepted as a follower of Jesus. But, we must finish the race to receive the award.

Paul is not interested in being an “also ran”. He wants the major prize. And it is a prize which is offered to all in the race. We each can win.

To win, we first need to know which race we are in.

The Lord has already given us gifts specifically for our race. And we are competing to win an individual prize. There are no competitors to fight.

But there are hindrances to overcome. It is an obstacle race, specifically designed for our gifts and ability.

We are in the race to be an apostle, a prophet, a pastor, a teacher, or an evangelist.

We have obstacles to overcome, such as trauma, social status, and sin. But the Lord has called us, and He has given us all we need to achieve victory.

The race has already started. But there is still time to pass the finish line.

J.J. S.

25/06/2022

Out Now!

Our Foundations!

Newly Edited and Republished.

A book for our time.

Ideal for both individuals and groups - for those who know Jesus and those who don't yet.

Jesus warned us at the end of His sermon on the mount that we will all go through storms to test whether our foundations have been built well (Matthew 7:24-27).

He said that we need to be built on the Rock - which is one of the many names for Jesus.

Some have found, during testing times, that their foundations have not been built well; found that they have not been built on the Rock.

In truth, many still do not realise that there are foundations to be built.

Our Foundations offers guidance to anybody who realises they need a better understanding of the kingdom of God.

It is not a theological study which only feeds the mind. It is practical and written with easy to understand language.

It is also a book which is coming in the right season, ready for the thousands who are searching for a greater reality of God.

Discovering Jesus today, faith, baptisms, living with God's Spirit, new life, the resurrection of the dead, what comes next and much in between.

Set out in easy to read segments.
Enjoy and Grow!

Also available in Kindle and Hardcover

As I write, the world is reeling from the onslaught of the Covid 19 pandemic and its various mutations which, having been here for one year, is causing economic and emotional stress for much of the world’s population. The faith of God’s people has been tested. And many have come to realize that ...

21/06/2022

Our understanding of scripture has been translated for us by theologians who lived in a very different era to our own.
Modern versions of the Bible have been invariably influenced by those same translations of the King James Version.
Does the Bible that we read today reflect the teaching and life of Jesus and His disciples, or have we been sold a different gospel - has the gospel that we have been traditionally taught been very slightly, but dramatically for us, altered to reflect another teaching - another gospel?

What if we have been misled - deceived?
Where would our eternity be if that were the case?

The Thief: A Tale of Deception