THE CROSS- PART I

 

We are here because of the faith we have, we call it Christian faith, the faith of Jesus Christ which started with Abraham. Which faith, it is about believing the creator. In Efatha we have gone a little bit further that is why we are called Efatha. The Bible says, without faith you cannot please God, so you please God, only in faith. Why people are struggling and hustling? The quick answer is this, they lack faith.

Philippians 4: 13 the bible says “I can do all things through ^[a]Christ who strengthens me.”

There is someone empowering you to get what you want, but if you don’t have that one and you don’t trust that one, you cannot live well in this world. Faith makes the person who he is.  We will know your faith by seeing how you live. The faith we are in started at the cross.

1 Corinthians 1: 18- 19 “For the ^[a]message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. ¹⁹ For it is written:“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.”

If you want all your problems and sufferings to end, you should know the cross. The cross to those who are lost is foolishness but for you, it is the power of God. The difference is perception and the person, what do you see? What do you know and what do you see about the cross? The cross is what made you who you are today and in that cross there are many things, so what are you seeing at the cross because what you see is what you will get. If you see salvation you will see salvation and if you see foolishness you will receive foolishness.

2 Corinthians 4: 3 “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing,”

Romans 1: 16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel ^[a]of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.”

To those who are lost, gospel is hidden, and even though they will listen they will not understand. To some people gospel is a shame and Jesus said if you are ashamed of me, I will also not confess you before my Father.

We see that the bible talks about to be lost which means not to consider or taking head. If you don’t consider you will get lost and you will regret later when you are finished. Faith is consideration; the way you consider is how you gain faith, we don’t gain faith by praying. In Revelation the Bible says anyone who hears let them hear, meaning that anyone who consider let them consider. Why? Because in consideration is how you gain. Faith cannot dwell to a person who don’t consider.

The thought of God to those who are lost and want to get out of lost, are in Genesis 4: 7 “If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is ^[a]for you, but you should rule over it.”

Faith takes somebody’s ability on how much you consider things and act accordingly. If you hear the word today, consider that word and do accordingly, but if you don’t consider faith is not yours.

Genesis 12: 1- 2 “Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family
And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you. ² I will make you a great nation;
I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing.”

Abraham heard that word and he considered it without knowing what will happen, so faith is how you consider.  God is watching at what you consider and not what you are praying because it is what you do which makes you a faith carrier. It is because of that, God made a station to Abraham and He ended up talking to him as a friend. The way you consider will take you step by step until you reach a place where God will start talking to you face to face. God wants every one of us to do well.

Ask yourself, do you do well in whatsoever you do? Because the bible says do well, it did not say pray well. How do you do your things because if you do well (in everything you do) you will get favor.  Faith is how you act and not how you fast and pray. Once God sees the step of doing well, that’s when He allows faith to be revealed in you. If you don’t do well know that sin is there at your door, now do you know where your door is?

John 10: 9 “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.” Jesus is the door to heaven, and there is a door to hell, now where is yours

1 Corinthians 16: 9 “For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries”

The work of sin is to sit between you and your door in order to confuse you not to know which door to enter. Devil will make sure he takes everything you were given at your door. When you do well the good angels will go before you and lead the way but when you don’t do well they go behind you and stay far away.

If you want to do well start with those simple and stupid things and make sure you don’t make mistakes.

• Try not to speak too much and it will help you to begin to speak well.
• Try to read the bible by starting with the word which gives direction on the character on men, such as the book of Mathew.   
• Learn not to loiter

By Servant of God Apostle and Prophet Josephat Elias Mwingira, Efatha Church.