Jesus, All For Jesus - Robin Mark - Revival From Belfast

My song for the day. I know we have heard it over and over but I feel like sharing again.

God bless you all and have a great weekend.

LESSON 5 - JESUS CHRIST MEETING WITH THE WOMAN AT THE WELL

This is our concluding part of the lessons we have been studying from the story Jesus Christ meeting with the woman at the well which can be found in John 4:1-42.

Our last lesson focuses on evangelism. The need to spread the word, share and reach out to the unsaved when we get saved. We must show others the light, bring others to God when we see or meet Him. We are going to focus our lesson on not just one but some number of verses. The first verse is John 4:16. Here, Jesus asked the woman to go bring her husband which is a clear sign of Jesus Christ teaching her to or willing to spread the saving to the family of the woman and all her household. If the Samaritan woman had a husband by then I am sure Jesus would have saved both of them thus winning two sould instead of one to the kingdom.
Now, after Jesus told the woman to go get her husband which was one aspect of evangelising in the story, a clear picture of evangelism is painted when the woman descended into the town to tell the whole town [world] she has met the Lord and urges everyone to come and see the Christ. This is evident in John 4:28-30. The verse 28 talks about the woman leaving her pot behind and taking a step to let the others know about the wonderful man she has met. Everybody knew her as a prostitute which if it were to be today might be shameful for some of us to do. She did not let her occupation stop her from spreading the gosple. She forgot about her water pot simply because she has been promised of water that when she drinks will never go thirsty. The water pot may crack, the well may dry up but there is a fountain in God that never dries up. The water from that fountain is always fresh and taste sweet. "Come and see...." is what the woman said when she got to the town. The woman did not keep everything to herself. She went forth and told everyone, invited everyone to know and hear the amazing word, a life transforming event that has taken place in her life. She did not look down on her self, did not say she can not spread the word because she is a prostitute. John 4:39-42 tells us the end results. All we need to do is just to go and sow the seed. Take a step and sow the seed. Forget about who will water it, prune it and do the harvesting when it is time because God will open the heavens for rain to fall on the seed you have sown, He will prune it and take away all the branches that are not needed. There is nothing too hard for Him to do. Put away the fear and take the bold step. Put your past behind and focus on an oppurtunity to live a new life under the chairmanship of Jesus Christ.

What then is preventing us from doing likewise? A prostitute shared the word, before Paul because Paul he was not giving christians their peace of mind and yet he became a very big player in the kingdom business. That is the God we serve, He accepts us how we are, clears the rust on us and polishes us making us ready for use. He chooses whoever He wants. God has done a lot for you and me. Like the Samaritan woman, He has showed us great and wonderful things in our lives, brought our secrets to the open and has promised us fresh water that never dries up, water that when we drink will never go thirsty yet we prefer keeping all the Lord had done to ourselves. We do not want to share or bring others to the saving power of God. Somebody is waiting for proof, waiting to hear that story, that testimony etc to confirm that he or she is not making a wrong move concerning his or her decision to follow Christ and yet you have all those testimonies but you are sitting down with it. What are you waiting for? Forget about you being a prostitute, a thief, etc. God loves you and accepts you irrespective of whatever you have done or whoever you are. Sure there was a time I was that personal feeling that I was the worst sinner on earth at a particular time but I kept asking myself why God blesses me with a new life each and every morning?

God loves you. Let us share and bring our brothers and sisters to the saving knowledge or power of God.

Thanks everyone for reading and following the studies over the past month. Your comments are encouraging I appreciate your time and everything you sacrificed to read all the post concerning the lessons. God bless you all and continue to abide under the shadows of the Almighty. Till we come again with another post, its bye for now.

Worlasi

LESSON 4 - JESUS CHRIST MEETING WITH THE WOMAN AT THE WELL [John 4:1 - 42]

With the need to attend the funeral of my grandfather and other issues to work out we are now back to continue the study of the lessons we can extract from the story of Jesus Christ meeting with the woman at the well. The next two post will take us to the concluding parts.

For our lesson today, we have given it the title "THE TRUTH SHALL SET YOU FREE" and we shall pin our study on the verse 16 to 18 of John chapter 4
[4:16 Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.
4:17 The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband:
4:18 For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.]

Yes I have ever lied but I have grown to learn and understand that if you want to be free, simply tell the truth in all things. Jesus Christ knows all things. He knew everything about the woman and still wanted to know or hear whatever it is from her own mouth. The woman I don't think was under any pressure. She could have lied and presented herself clean before the Lord.

In life, we are associated in different circles. We meet people who knows us very well but still want to ask and we meet others who do not also know anything about us. Just look at your profiles in social network sites like facebook, twitter, skype, etc. How truthful were you in filling out your profiles? At the very first stages of your relationships, what lies did you tell just to win that man or woman?

Lies when told makes one feel good but such a feeling is for a short time. It only sets you free at that very moment but not forever. As a child, one or two times I had to lie to have my way but one thing I realized was that I was finding work for myself always. I was employing myself to do a work that I was not going to be paid for. The job of lying always to make my first lie seem true and as a result of doing that, I keep lying all around. Meanwhile, if I were to tell the truth, I would have been free to live my normal life afterwards. Sometimes we tell lies because of quite some number of reasons. For example, looking at our case study, we read further that everyone in the town at that time was aware of the job the woman was doing. Now if she was to be pretending during the day and doing her own things at night, she could have lied easily. Therefore, pretending is one of the reason or causes for lying. Pretending to be who you are not. Just be who you are. Since the woman was herself, there was no need to lie to Jesus about who she was not and that really made her free. Also, we lie because we fear punishment. Fearing punishment also means most of us hate correction. If you do something wrong and instead of telling the truth you tell lies, you won't be corrected and you will forever stay on the blind side. Telling lies because of the fear for punishment robs you off an oppurtunity to be corrected and to know the right thing.

The Samarian woman told the truth. She had no husband and that really set her free and she had the available help. What are you hiding from your wife, husband, parent, teachers, managers, employees, employers, friends, children etc? Can't you see you always have to do something to keep that thing still hiding? Why don't you simply tell the truth and be free?

Remember the Bible tells us of a place prepared for lairs etc. It is real and shall surely come to pass. Let us learn to tell the truth to people whether known or unknown. The person you may the thinking to lie to because you think he or she does not know you is very much aware of all facts about you. He or she knows you very well. Just as Jesus Christ knew the samaritan woman very well but still asked, the same way someone knows about you but still wants to know. Simply tell the truth and it shall set you free.

Father Lord we pray thanking you for our lives. We thank you for the word and we pray that you help us learn to tell the truth at all times. We pray for your Holy Spirit to stay in our heart and alert or prompt us anytime our tongue shows interest in telling lies. This we ask in Jesus name. Amen!!!!!

LESSON 3 - JESUS CHRIST MEETING WITH THE WOMAN AT THE WELL

We have already done the lesson one and two of this topic. Taking our minds back, in our first lesson, we saw that we are not to be afraid to ask for help if we need it and we learned that when Jesus asked or made the first approach for help by asking for water. Our second lesson also tells us not to use or set boundaries around us since we will be missing a lot of goodies and that was also evident when the Samarian woman asked Jesus how a Jew should ask a Samarian woman for water.

This post lead us to our third lesson and we shall base it on John 4:11 [The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?] with the title looking beyond limitations.
From our verse or from the story Jesus was sitting at the well alone. It was true that He had nothing to fetch the water for Himself and this was what the woman wanted to explore or take advantage of or it was what the woman saw as a limitation or short fall on Jesus Christ.
Let us take notice of some aspects of the statement made by the woman. First, she asked Jesus what tool or equipment He was going to use to fetch the water. Now in life we face similar issues. We come to a point where honestly we have nothing. Even if we were to enter into a barter deal and exchange goods for goods or services for services, we have nothing to do the exchange. We have nothing to draw the water and we are seen as such by people around us. Let us leave the case of Jesus Christ aside and look into our own lives. Sure we are followers of Jesus Christ and Jesus was at the well without anything to draw the water from the well. I am forced to say that some of us are living in this world without anything in hand to draw water. Good and I agree God will make a way where there seems to be no way but I am afraid some of us are not prepared at all in life. We walk to the solutions to our problems without anything to take a bite home. There is hunger or thirst in your house and you walk to a well without even a cup to fetch any for the house. Some of us move about unprepared in life. Should the unexpected happen, we are always found wanting. When we are needed to step in and be a solution we end up becoming a problem because we are unprepared. Blessings come and most of us are unprepared as well. Vacancies are being announced everyday but because we are not prepared we end up loosing or missing the oppurtunity and it only showcase how poorly organised we are in this life. Already we have been told that Jesus Christ or the Son of Man shall come back like a thief and the big question is how prepared or organised are you?

Another aspect we want to look at is the woman admitting that the well was deep. It was the truth as it was and there is no problem telling the tuth about the depth of the well but if the well was indeed deep, who should be warning the other to be careful between a man and a woman? Indeed the well was deep for the woman.We all or may be having a well in our lifes but the question I want to ask is how deep is the well? From the point I want to come from, the well is not just a well with water. The well can be a problem you are going through, it can be a marriage well, educational well, relationship well, financial well, religious well etc. No matter how deep the well maybe, I am glad to tell you that there is a Man standing by ready to help. He is ready to fetch from that well for you. Do you think the well in your life is too deep for Christ to fetch from? Is the problem too much for God to handle or come in? You have been going to the well always with a bucket tied to a rope to fetch but today I want you to look beyond that boundry of bucket and rope water fetching mechanism and trust God. Yes He may appear to you without any tool in His hand to fetch or without any bucket but look beyond what seems to be the last resort. Look over the boundry or limit.

We serve a God of possibilities. Jesus Christ offered to help the woman out of her troubles so that there will be no need for her to be coming to the well everyday to fetch water and the Samaritan woman asked Jesus how He was going to solve her problem. She said to Jesus, you have nothing to use to help me and moreover my problem is very big. I have a big problem Jesus, the well is deep. My problem is not an easy one she admits and we face similar issues in life but all I want to say is look beyond what seems to be the limitations, last stop or boundry. The solution you are adopting is not the only way. There is another option.

If you are considering an option and ninety-nine points say no, take a bold step and consider that one point that says yes. Look beyond your boundries.

......Enjoy a blessed Easter and I pray the death on the cross by our saviour becomes significant to you and watch out for Lesson 4.

LESSON 2 - JESUS MEETING WITH THE WOMAN AT THE WELL

[John 4:9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans]

The above verse ushers us into our second motivational/inspirational lesson we are trying as much as possible with direction from above to extract from the story about Jesus Christ meeting with the Samarian woman at the well.
Now from the verse, we see clearly the woman setting boundries around her self by the use of her ethnicity or place she is coming from. First she meets Jesus Christ who tried to start a conversation by asking for water only for Jesus to be told that because of where He is coming from, it is not possible for Him to be served the water.

The behaviour/nature/character or attitude of the Samarian woman is still present with us. It is in our homes, schools, work places and even in the church. In the church, we do not want some people to sit by us or we sitting by them. We are selective and want to sit by or with people we already know. At work, some managers or even recruitment officers are not employing some people simply because the applicants are not from their country, town, church etc. We see ourselves not to have any dealings with them.

Sometimes, such words are really hurting. When you were in high school or college, was there a guy or lady that you loved or liked as a friend but you were stopped from going further because of his or her family background or were you stopped from marrying someone because your family did not like the others family? Sometimes, it is not just about not coming from the same family background. I remember when I was in my high school going age I heard some parents telling their children not to associate themselves with other children who are not academically good. In Ghana, some people prefer to marry from a particular tribe and not from others. I am thinking the misunderstanding between the Samaritans/Samarians and the Jews was there before the woman was born or grew. I am sure she was born into it but instead of correcting that when she applied the rule and followed the tradition. Some of us want to continue the ways of our families without even trying to know why. Your parents are not on talking terms with your neighbours. Instead of you asking your parents why they have no dealings with people from some tribe etc, we grow into it and continue the "tradition". Those who were really involved are gone. The innocent are suffering.

We have formed or created artificial boundries around us using a character or nature of being selective and unnecessary seperation tactics placing ourselves in a "high" position whiles seeing others as either inferior or "not our class" as the foundation. The boundry or wall you have built around you is driving people away. The poor, needy, sick, oppressed, disappointed, widow, orphan as well as the good or blessed ones are around waiting to come to you. God sent His son Jesus Christ to save us all. He came for all of us with no limitations. The sinful, righteous, sick, healthy, poor, rich or wealthy, tall, short, fat, thin and humans from all walks of life were welcome. Jesus was not selective when feeding the 5000 men with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fishes so if really God created us in His own image and that the spirit of God is in us, why should we greet some people at the office whiles passing by others without even saying a word and even trying as much as we can not to have anything to do with them? Why should we distribute or share food during festive seasons to some particular people leaving the rest out knowing very well they are in need? Why should you drive your kids to school and pass by fellow children who are in the same school with your kids walking or standing by the road side simply because you as a parent you have nothing or no dealings with them?

Lesson 2: Setting boundries around us do us no good. Not only does it limit us in our exploration but it prevents us from receiving the good things others have for us.

LESSONS FROM THE WOMAN AT THE WELL - PART I (JOHN 4 : 1 - 42)

I have been out for some time. Any, I am back and thank you all for your continous visit to the site and reading through some old post. I am back and God also bless you all for your prayers and sweet words diuring my birthday. I appreciate it very much.

For the coming weeks, we are going to try as much as possible by the Grace to extract some lessons from the meeting of Jesus Christ with the Samarian woman at the well. This can be found in John the chapter 4 verses 1 to 42 but for our studies, we will be starting from verse 7 which says;

(4:7) There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.[KJV]

What I will like to talk about is the habit of asking. Honestly I am a victim myself because I fear to ask sometimes. Jesus here felt free to ask even though He could have called for water anytime to drink. We read in Matthew 7:7 which tells us to Ask and it shall be giving unto us. We all have needs and problems but sometimes even though we know this exact person can help us, we fear to ask. We feel we will be disgraced if we are not given. There is nothing wrong if we ask. We are just not to take advantage of it. We are to ask for the right thing at the right time.
There is nothing wrong with asking and as I said we are not to be afraid to ask if we are in need. There are some of us who wont ask no matter what. There is a local wise saying here in Ghana that says "if you sell your sickness that is when you get its medicine to treat it".
If you ask, that does not mean you are poor or you will be regarded as poor in the eyes of your helper. You see people hungry, thirsty, sick, wishing to ask for salary increament, having problem with studies etc but they will never ask for help.
Sure, all fingers are not equal. We can not own everything in this world or have a bit of everything so as to live independent and no man in this world is an Island so feel free to ask for help when you need it. I tell you, you also have something someone badly need somewhere.God created Eve to be the helper of Adam and out of them we all came so we are all helpers to each other. Never fear to ask especially if you see someone in the position to be able to help you.

....to be continued.......

Lesson 1: Do not fear to ask for help.

BIRTHDAY BLOG

Today March 15th marks another milestone in my life. God has been good to me. He has kept me alive and blessed me with another year.

I am grateful to God for all He has done for me. He has blessed me and remained faithful to me even when I was unfaithful, He loved me when I was full of hate, He cared for me when I was uncaring, He has shown mercy when I was not. God has never taken His eyes off me and has protected me when I thought I was open to hurt, pains and shame. He has taken the shame away, appointed me when I was disappointed, placed a robe and a crown on my head when I was in rags and placed a seal of owner over my life.

I thank God for the life of all of you my blog readers. Its been nice having you on board. Your comments have been encouraging and you have all played a big role in keeping this blog alive and active. To all my friends on blogger, twitter, formspring, skype, facebook etc, I say God bless you and thank you for the role God is using you to play in my life.

God bless you all and may His favor be your portion.

Regards

CAN ANYTHING GOOD COME OUT OF NAZARETH?

John 1:46 And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see. KJV

This word came into mind today as I sat at the back seat of a 33 seater bus on my way to work trying to complete my sleep. This question comes our way in life. I want us to see it a little out of the biblical context and relate it to our personal, family work and social lives.
Nathanael asked this Philip, Can any thing good come out of Nazareth? I think Nathanael should have known Narareth very well to say or ask this. He may know the types of personalities, the people, work and things that happen in Nazareth and was sure nothing good could have come out. He may have also compared Nazareth to other cities and drawn a conclusion that there was nothing good going to come out or it was not going to attract anything good thing. Finally he was proved wrong and to confirm this, he was invited by Philip to come and see it for his own eyes.

In life, we meet this question. It is either we ask ourselves, we asked about others or other ask about us. It is one of the questions we ask ourselves before making our final decisions. In marriage or relationships, we ask ourselves whether anything good can come out of the relationship or whether anything good can come out of each other. At the work place, recruitment managers look at our resume and ask the same question, can anything good come out of this applicant or this employee? At school, above average and average students do ask the same question about the below average and the poorly performing students, when things are not going on well in life with us, we sometimes ask ourselves and so do even some of our parents. Some parents do have their choices when it comes to the children they gave birth to themselves and ask if anything good can come out of those they don't really like.
A question likle this makes us feel looked down upon. It makes us feel inferior and brings sadness to our heart. The future is unknown and with a thousand years being like one day and one day being like a thousand years before the Lord anything can happen at anytime to transform a life. Our position up there shouldn't give us the edge to ask our fellow mates down there such questions. We need not to look down upon them but give then encouraging words. The position you are in and thinking you are at the highest level, someone is higher than you, better than you and there is something better coming out of the person.

Yes, there are a millions of good things that can come out of Nazareth, that can come out of you, your son, daughter, employees, that applicant, that fellow student and your country. Instead of we taking delight in demotivating and beigh quick to condemn whiles killing their spirits, let us cheer them up and see the positives whiles we give each person equal chance to prove the little he or she can do. The person you are looking down upon today could be the employer of your children tomorrow and surely you are going to invited to come see it with your own eyes where the Lord has brought them.

AM GRATEFUL FOR SEEING 2011

Soon the year 2010 is gone. Not everybody lived to see 2011. We attended hospitals and came back home safe. We travelled and had travelling mercies preventing us from accidents. Mothers gave birth and did not die at child birth. Disappointments were turned to appointments and there was favor unceasing from above mixed with the forgiveness of sins and the love devine.

I thank God for my life, the life of my family, the lifes of my blog readers and their families, the lifes of all that made it to 2011 and even my enemies. We are here by Grace. If I am to mention all that God did for me, the page will be full but even though I sometimes go astray, I want Him to know through this blog that I love Him soo much and desire a closser walk with Him. Ialso thank Him soo much for all He has done for me and all those connected to me.

May He forever be praised.