Life Begins In The Womb
Some countries have legalised abortion, and where abortion is banned, abortion support groups are saying it is a devastating and cruel law, so they are opposing the ban vigorously through the courts or any possible means. That reminds me of what the Bible says about where life begins, and that’s exactly one of the main points I want to get across about abortion—it’s about where the journey of life begins. God has a plan for humanity, and we need to protect that. The best place to start is in the mother’s womb where life’s journey begins. Our journey started in our mother’s womb; therefore, we should protect the lives of unborn babies. It’s so strange that protecting unborn babies is not what a lot of people are praying for or planning to do or desiring and not even a goal with most Christians. But that shouldn’t be the case. Let’s see what the word of God has to say about the unborn baby. Every journey has a beginning. Our journey started in our mother’s womb. God had already predetermined what our future should be, when we had not yet come out of our mother’s womb. Let me start with Psalm 139:13-16. “For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. 14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them”. This text of scripture is talking about the fact that God knew everything about us when we were still in our mother’s womb. He possessed us and made us in secret. We are His treasure, He possessed us before we came to know Him. All our members, every single part of our body, every detail, our hair colour, our eye colour, our characteristics, our personalities, our talents, our abilities were all established in our mother’s womb. Our most hidden and vital parts were all formed by Him in the hidden place while we were in our mother’s womb. This gives an answer to the popular question: “Is abortion permitted or not?” And the answer is, not permitted. I know that anti-abortion is not a popular thing in our society today. It’s important to recognise that God’s kingdom operates on different systems from what this world’s system operates on. It’s important leaders of the body of Christ say these things and to counter this culture. If the body of Christ doesn’t stand up and speak against abortion, then people by default would be influenced by the pro-abortion propaganda. Our society today operates in a lot of pride, a lot of selfishness, a lot of arrogance, promoting abortion and doing things completely contrary to what the word of God teaches. The Bible says, you were possessed by God in your mother’s womb, your days were written down, including all the things that He wanted you to do while you were still in your mother’s womb. Not only are you God’s handiwork, but God has a special plan for your life that even covers all the number of your days. We need to protect the future of unborn babies. Abortion for any Christian ought to be not an issue. This is so necessary for us today. Currently, the things of God are under the gun, especially in the western world and developed countries. There’s a tremendous surge of ungodliness. You are not going to hear godly things on the news. You are always going to hear about the bad side of everything. There are wonderful things happening today, God is doing awesome things, but you are not going to hear about it. People growing up in this culture are being bombarded with internet and movies and magazines and the other things. The news media and the politics have been taken over by the ungodly and today, there’s a spirit of anti-christ in most developed nations. There’s a rejection of Christianity and Christian values. They are trying to make Christianity be within the four walls of the church, and if you have any public expression of your faith, they come against you furiously. But the bible makes it clear that we are supposed to stand publicly and proclaim our faith in the Lord. Jesus said, 27 “What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. 28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Mat. 10:27-28 NIV). We are the light of the world, a city set on the hill cannot be hidden. Christ portrays us as salt and light and emphasises on our potential to change society. We need to stand up and protect unborn babies by speaking against abortion. “You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. 8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord (Jer. 1:7-8 NIV). We must be bold and declare the word of God. We must tell them that, once you decide to take the life of an innocent child from the womb of a mother, you have committed murder. I’m preaching the word of God. The word of God says an unborn child is a living human being inside the mother’s womb, and it’s wrong to commit abortion. God wants us all to share the gospel with unbelievers as well as believers about the healing power of God, about His plan, His forgiveness, authority, and love. Christians have an incredible opportunity to rescue mothers and babies from abortion. We can save lives through the word of God. God
Healing Through The Power Of The Holy Spirit
We need to find out everything God says about His healing power and put into practice. The church isn’t representing God accurately in this area. If some people will go to a normal church today and say they’ve got some sickness or disease, church members will say, ‘go to the doctor’. ‘Have you tried this treatment or that?’ But that’s not what the Bible teaches. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven’ (James 5:14 -15). Jesus expects us to heal the sick. “ And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover” (Mark 16: 17-18). In Mathew 17, when the man with a lunatic son went to the disciples for help and they couldn’t cast out the demons and Jesus came down from the mount of transfiguration, what happened? The man said ‘I brought my son to be delivered by the demon, they couldn’t cast him out but if you could do something have mercy on me’. How did Jesus respond? Jesus rebuked them, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me” (Mat. 17:17). He didn’t say this is beyond your capability or this is not your job. He said ‘you faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you?’ He was speaking directly to the disciples who were unable to meet the needs of the people. He said, ‘bring him to me’. They were unable to meet the people’s needs so He said ‘you faithless and preserved generation’. He was making a point that this is not what I want my representatives to do. They don’t have to go elsewhere to get healed. Most Christians will exhaust the medical field and only when the medical field can’t handle before they look to God. That’s not what the Lord wants us to do. Also, when it comes to emotional problems, they will say have you been to the doctor? Have you been to the psychiatric? Have you had this or that treatment? Maybe you are to take this drug. The first thing they do is to look elsewhere for help. Jesus said “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Jesus said this to them because the disciples had power and ability that they didn’t recognise. We as believers and as a church are the answer to the world’s problems. God has put His power in our hands to bring about changes and transformation in peoples’ lives. We are to help all sorts of people including those whose minds are troubled as well as those with medical problems. How many times have people come to you with their spiritual, material and emotional problems? Let them know that you share God’s kind of life because you have God’s power in you so you can help them. God is ever ready to work through you to provide solution to other peoples’ problems. Some years ago, a colleague’s husband was diagnosed with cancer, so she (the wife) sent me an email asking me to pray for him. I prayed for him via email. I didn’t go to the hospital, and he was miraculously healed. We have a miracle working God. How did God do it? I don’t know, but what I know is that our God is good, and the gospel is a miracle message. I have been to many meetings where all sorts of things have happened. I have seen God’s power at work in most of my open-air crusades and during preaching, teaching and healing services at various places. He is a miracle working God, but He works through kingdom citizens because we are His ambassadors on earth. We have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us (2 Cor. 4:7). The man was healed because God alerted the wife to contact me as His vessel to pray for the husband’s healing. Christ has inspired every believer by telling us to do greater works than He did during His time on this earth. “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father” (John 14:12). He said all authority has been given to us to do greater works in His name. We must take this power to our generation and do exploits. We have a wonderful heavenly father, and we need to tell the world about the love of God and His healing power. Many believers are failing to use the power available to us. Some have been asking so many questions about whether today’s believer has the power to replicate what Christ’s disciples did in the past. We’ve been empowered to do the miraculous, and that happened on the day we received Chris as our Lord and personal saviour. We must learn from this scripture (Mark 16: 17-18) that Christ wants us to move in the Holy Spirit’s power. “And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover” (Mark 16: 17-18). You have been assigned to your community to do them good for the benefit of the Kingdom. Heal the sick, cast out demons, raise the dead, and preach the gospel,
After Salvation, What’s Next For The Believer?
Most Christians believe that the main purpose of salvation is to avoid hell and go to heaven. They therefore, spend their time on earth waiting to be taken to heaven. But that’s not the truth of the gospel concerning salvation. If that’s the case, then those who receive Christ as their saviour would be translated straight to heaven, because heaven is a far better place than this earth. After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent”. (John 17:1-3). Salvation is God rescuing humanity from our sinful condition. It’s about how we live – a way of life and the early disciples followed the way. Salvation is about receiving eternal life; it’s about having a relationship with God. God’s main reason for sending Jesus was to give us eternal life and restore fellowship. It just so happens that the salvation package includes receipt of eternal life, restoration of our relationship with God, avoid hell and gain heaven. But while on this earth, there’s a kingdom way to walk. He invites you to follow Him and it’s not static but dynamic. You’ve been admitted into God’s wonderful kingdom, and you are told to take an active role in it. God is looking forward to working together with you in His kingdom. Jesus wants us to increase our knowledge of Him, and so, He has commissioned us to go and make disciples of all nations, teaching them to observe all that He has commanded us. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Mat, 28:18-20). People have misunderstood the central message of the great commission. They think all they need to do is just be born again and discipleship is for the mature Christian. But the Bible says: “Go and make disciples.” The emphasis here is that the Lord commanded us to make disciples, not just new converts. Somewhere along the way, the body of Christ has changed the emphasis of this message from making disciples to getting people born again, leaving discipleship as optional. What we ought to be preaching is that God calls us into discipleship, and it begins with making a commitment to the Lord. Discipleship is not optional. That is not what Jesus commanded. Our focus must not be just leading people to Christ, but to continue with the process of discipling them into mature Christians. Jesus said, “Go and make disciples.” That means teach people to be followers of Christ. We actually follow Jesus and focus on Him and that’s salvation. Jesus said: “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). God created us to follow Him. He said, “follow me and I will make you or turn you into something else”. You’ve been invited into a whole new way of life which is different from the way the world lives. Our focus must shift immediately to living for God. Therefore, when we present the gospel to people, and ask them to accept Jesus as their Lord and personal Saviour, we need to teach them that this is a total commitment of their lives to the Lord. It means becoming a disciple of Jesus. It means growing in the knowledge of God. Growing in the knowledge of God doesn’t happen immediately, it’s a process. It’s directly linked to submitting to God and His word. “And teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you”. If I’m growing in the Lord, then I want to know what He says about everything. I want to know what He says about my relationships with others, I want to know what He says about the church, I want to know what He says about finances, I want to know what He says about love, I want to know what He says about anger. I want to know what God says about everything I possibly can. When a person is growing in their spiritual life, they have the desire to know what’s the truth of God’s word. If that’s true of your life, you will spend far less time watching the television than being in the word of God. So, let’s become people who are eager to know God. Evangelist Paul AcquahPaul Acquah is the founder of Christ Is All Ministries (CIAM), an evangelical ministry meeting the spiritual, emotional, and physical needs of people. He is passionate about seeing people transformed by the Word of God and making heaven more crowded! Read More
Commit To The Word Of God
Christ revealed the book He read during His time on this earth, and He recommended it to us. To move to a higher level in your Christian life, you must commit yourself to the word of God which is the Bible. The Bible is the revelation of God. That was the book Christ read during His time on this earth, and He recommended it to us. See what He said when the devil tempted Him. But He answered and said, It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God’ (Mat. 4:4). Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God’ (Mat 4:7). When the Jews Approached Him about divorce, He said: And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female” (Mat. 19:4). When He saw the people using the temple as a marketplace He Said: “It is written,” he said to them, “My house will be a house of prayer, but you have made it ‘a den of robbers. (Luke 19:46). Of course, when Jesus said, ‘it is written’, when He said ‘have you not read’ to His listeners, they didn’t have what we have. They didn’t have it all wrapped up in fine leather, an index, and maps and all the other things we see with a copy of the Bible today. They didn’t have that. But this book is a divine revelation of God, given by God. Can you name me any aspect of your life that’s not included in the Bible? Everything you want to know about your life is in the Bible, and Christ recommends it to us. If every aspect of my life is included in the Bible, then every decision I make should be filtered through the principles of God, which can be found in the Bible. That keeps us on God’s path. That moves us to higher dimension in life. There isn’t anything about your life that God hasn’t spoken about, that He hasn’t given direction about, that He doesn’t have some laws to protect you from destroying and ruining your life. For example, if you want to live longer, the Bible says; “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you” (Ex. 20:12 NIV). Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother”- which is the first commandment with a promise – 3 “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” 4 Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord” (Eph. 6:1-4 NIV). Sadly, some children think you are abusing them when you are training and instructing them in the Lord. When you are going the wrong way, the Bible warns you, ‘don’t go there, don’t try that, don’t build that relationship’. The word of God is truth. “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth” (John 17:17). The word of God is spirit, and it is life. “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). If you want to prosper, the Bible says: “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success” (Joshua 1:8). If you want to be blessed, the Bible says: “Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. 3 He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper” (Psalm 1:1-3). To move to a higher level in your Christian walk, you must be committed to God’s word. Do you read your Bible consistently? Do you hear what God has to say to you personally through scripture? There’s a link between our love for God and our love for His word. There’s a link between our growth in Christianity and our love for the word of God. There’s a link between moving into a greater dimension and our love for the word of God. It’s important to let the word dwell in you richly. We need to read and study the various books of the Bible and return to them again and again until the end of our time on this earth. That means until we go to be with the Lord. You become a regular reader, which means you are frequently re-reading the same texts. There are some of them that each time you get a growing sense of excitement and revelation of God Himself [when you read them]. This book is the divine revelation of God Himself. Revelation is what God gives to mankind that you cannot get in any other way. For me, every single time I read the Bible, every single time I teach it, every single time I preach it, I find something new in it, I find some new joy and exhortation in the word of God. The biggest question is, are you committed to the book? It’s about your attitude towards the scriptures. Your faith in the word of God. Are you committed to, believe in, and have unwavering faith in the Bible? God’s word is so powerful, it illuminates our minds. That means it enables us to see and comprehend rightly. As you allow God’s Word into your heart through diligent study, constant meditation, and applying it to your life, you will move to a higher
Your Future Depends On God’s Future Planned For You
God’s plans for us are good and not evil, but most people never even come close to living in God’s plans. So, what are God’s plans? God’s plans are to prosper us and not to harm us. God’s plans are to give us hope and a future. He wants to give us abundant life (John 10:10). God’s plans are for you to walk in the good works He prepared for you (Eph. 2:10). The Bible says that God has planned a great future for each one of us. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jer. 29:11 NIV). Sadly, most people are living self-centred lives. They don’t follow God’s plans for their lives, their business, their careers, or the abundant life that God has for them. “I know the plans I have for you, plans of a future and a hope“. Those who haven’t accepted Christ as their Lord and personal saviour have already denied God’s plans for their lives. And for those of us have received Christ as our Lord, if we don’t follow the plans God has for us, it won’t be well with us. If you don’t know what God has planned for you, seek Him and He will reveal it to you. God speaks to us constantly but only those who listen will hear Him. When you are prepared to listen, He will reveal His plans to you. Your future depends on your obedience to the word of God. “12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jer. 29:12-13 NIV). So, your future depends on the plan God has for you and how obedient you are to seek Him. The Bible says in Isaiah 1:19 that, “If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land”. This is a warning that our future depends on our obedience to the word of God. The Bible says we shouldn’t lean on our own understanding. You cannot direct your path. You cannot live independent of God. You cannot direct your own life, trying to do so will destroy your future. “Lord, I know that people’s lives are not their own; it is not for them to direct their steps” (Jer. 10:23 NIV). It doesn’t matter if you’re a Christian, preacher, the pope, a celebrity, whoever you are, you cannot direct your future. We are all in the hands of God. He has assigned a plan for all of us. So, talk to God, seek Him and you will find Him. Pray to Him and He will answer you. You need to be in constant communication with Him. Give Him the best of your time – seek Him in the morning, plan to pray and study the word, and meet with Him. If someone is in charge of your destiny, is it not wise to talk to that person? Is it not wise to listen to what he has to say? Is it not wise to have a personal intimate relationship with that person? Your future is in God’s hands. So, from today plan your day, schedule a time to spend with God every day. Don’t live independent of God. The Bible has enough examples of how disobedience causes problems to humanity. We walk into problems without following God’s guidance. When we were unbelievers, we had no idea or perhaps we didn’t bother about the damage we were doing to our future through disobedience – but when I became born again Christian, I started to see from the Bible that if we didn’t stop disobeying God’s word, we would face a very dangerous future indeed. “O Lord, I know that the path of [life of] a man is not in himself; It is not within [the limited ability of] man [even one at his best] to choose and direct his steps [in life]” (Jer. 10:23 AMPC). If you read Jer. 10: 23 in context, it’s talking about destruction of Jerusalem because they had rejected God. And therefore, the nations will conquer them and send them to captivity. It’s talking about terrible judgment and right in the middle of the prophesy Jeremiah asked a question, how could this happen? How could the people once favoured by God, and so blessed by God, ever come to a position where God put them into slavery in Babylon. And he answered his own question in Jer. 10:23 and said, “O Lord [pleads Jeremiah in the name of the people], I know that [the determination of] the way of a man is not in himself; it is not in man [even in a strong man or in a man at his best] to direct his [own] steps”. This is how tragedy comes. It’s because God did not create us to be self-directed. Lord, I know that none of us are in charge of our own destiny; none of us have control over our own life. I wish I had more space to share on this. In my next series of messages this month on our Digging Deep radio programme, I will give many biblical and practical examples and explain in detail what it means to live in God’s plans. It’s God’s desire for all of us to experience the good plans He has for us, so I hope you’ll listen to my messages on this topic. To listen or to download these messages, click here. Thank you, partners. You are helping us share the truth about God’s love, and eternal life. Together, we are bringing the Gospel to hurting people. If you’re not already a partner and would like to join us in sharing the Gospel and changing lives, visit here and become a Partner today through your giving! Evangelist Paul AcquahPaul Acquah is the founder of Christ Is All Ministries (CIAM), an evangelical ministry meeting the spiritual, emotional, and physical needs of people.
God’s Plan Prevails
Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails” (Proverbs 19:21 NIV) It is God’s plan that will prevail on your life so you should cooperate with Him. Before we were born God planned for everyone’s life. “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born, I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations” (Jer.1:5 NIV). God’s plans are plans of prosperity, hope and a good future. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jer. 29:11). As I meditated on these verses, I thought about my childhood aspiration. I knew who I was going to be, no one could convince me for the rest of my life that I wouldn’t be the person that I aspired to be. My heart was set on being that person for the rest of my life. Then out of nowhere at some point in my life, God shifted my plans and called me to a life of ministry, which I have been blessed to do for more than twenty years. But it proved one thing to me. It didn’t matter what I thought was the best fit for my life. What really mattered was what God planned for my life, for my future, and how He saw the purpose that He created me for, from the beginning of time. “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do “(Eph. 2:10 NIV). We all have different plans with different motives or reasons. Somebody saw a weatherman on TV and decided to also become a weather forecaster. No one could convince him that he wouldn’t be standing in front of TV pointing to the screen and forecasting the weather. But out of the blue, the Lord changed his plan. Even when you follow your false plan, God will try to get your attention. It’s up to you to cooperate with Him. Sometimes we hear the voice of God clearly, but our motives, egos and pride can make us take a direction that God is not leading us to. We must be very sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading, so we don’t take a path that’s out of God’s will for our lives. For example, you may be entering into a wrong relationship and the Holy spirit will speak to your heart and warn you: Don’t try that, don’t go there, don’t enter that relationship. Today my prayer for you is simple. And that is, in the midst of the hustle and bustle, of dreaming and of aspiration, of all the plans that you purpose in your heart, my prayer is that you’ll always weigh them against heaven’s desire, against heaven’s plans, and against what it is that God sees for your future. That you will never find yourself focused on who you are becoming that misses what God saw you to be from the beginning of time. In Jesus’ name Amen, More has been shed on this topic in the November series on our Digging Deep radio programme. To listen or to download the messages, click here. Evangelist Paul AcquahPaul Acquah is the founder of Christ Is All Ministries (CIAM), an evangelical ministry meeting the spiritual, emotional, and physical needs of people. He is passionate about seeing people transformed by the Word of God and making heaven more crowded! Read More