We Are Called To Touch The World
Throughout the ages, God has consistently called His people to be a light unto the nations; a city on a hill that cannot be hidden. We are not meant to merely exist within the confines of our own communities but to boldly proclaim the good news of salvation and to touch the lives of those around us with the hope and love of Christ. As a Christian, you are called to be an agent of change, to be God’s hands and feet, bringing hope, compassion, and healing to those in need. It’s a calling that demands courage, sacrifice, and a willingness to step out of your comfort zone. And it requires you to embrace the same mindset that Christ embodied – a heart that is moved by the suffering of others and a desire to see lives transformed by the power of the Gospel. Be reminded that you and I are in this world for such a time as this, and be encouraged to heed to God’s clarion call to impact the world. Believers are here for the world. We are in this world but not of it. We are here to bring Christ to our world, letting Christ work within us and through us. Jesus praying for believers in John 17 said “Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. 18 As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.” And in John 20:21-22, Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” We represent Christ as his ambassadors and because of that, we have a reason to be in this world. We don’t have to let things happening around us or the things happening in government, society, schools, etc., distract us. Neither should we place our hope in these things. Our hope must come from understanding our position in Christ Jesus and the purpose for our existence on this earth. The Bible discusses the importance of light, with Jesus referring to salt and light and emphasizing the need to not conceal a bright light. In Matthew 5:13-15, Christ makes the profound statement that believers are salt and light. 13“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavour, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. 14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. This directive is notable for its aim to touch the world and bring glory to God. We are therefore placed in this world for such a time like this. Believers of all ages should focus on letting their light shine in this dark world to bring glory to God. Sadly, however, today believers remain broadly uninfluential in many areas of society. In contrast, historically, the early believers influenced society right after they received the Holy Spirit. The unbelievers said, ‘Oh, these people are filling Jerusalem with their doctrine,’ “Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man’s blood on us!” (Acts 5:28). How is it possible that believers are concealing their light in this era? Is it because we don’t know who we are and what we have? In fact, it says here in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new”. The word behold means stop, consider, look upon, ponder and make it your own. So, it says “behold,” which means to stop, realize, consider, and ponder this, and make it your own, because the new has come. You’re no longer of this world, which grants you the ability to connect with and influence it uniquely. Believe that you can still touch the world irrespective of what’s going on around you. Colossians 2:9-10 says “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.” This is talking about Jesus. In Him dwells the fullness of God. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The fullness of the Kingdom, the power, the might, and the ability are all in Jesus, and it says you are complete in him. That means because of Jesus you have been made complete in him who is the head of all principalities and Powers. Therefore, no matter what is going on in the world, you are in Christ who is over everything. This doesn’t mean that lost people still don’t do lost things, rather, it means that the truth and the spirit of God in you have the ability to rise above those things. You need to have the right attitude and perspective and not be like everyone else, whining about everything. Instead, say to yourself, “No, I’m going to stand up in my relationship with God. I will let the spirit of God motivate me and stop focusing on the flesh, but instead look at the spirit, so that I can have a word in due season.” You’re at the right place at the right time with the right word. Why? It’s because you have a living relationship with the Living God. This tells you that you have the absolute world-changing power that lives in you. I’ve met many people
What are the benefits of salvation?
It’s so important to understand the benefits of salvation because sometimes I run across Christians who don’t seem to have experienced any change in their lives. But we should be experiencing change from the moment we were saved. There should be something going on, so let’s refresh ourselves in this and see what it’s about. For you to experience the benefits of salvation, you must understand the gospel because the gospel and the power that it carries releases the benefits of salvation in our lives. The gospel itself is God’s power. The understanding of the birth, death, burial, resurrection of Jesus Christ, and of being born again to become a new creation are all part of the gospel. So, there are benefits of salvation that we should notice as we accept the Lord as our saviour. As we believe in the Lord and begin our Christian Walk, we should be noticing something different in our lives and the way we conduct our lives. The term “salvation” has become so familiar to Christians that the true meaning and understanding have been lost. Salvation is much more than just being born again. This refers to every benefit that the believer is entitled to, through Jesus. Salvation means much more than just forgiveness of sins; it includes healing, prosperity, and deliverance in every area of our lives. Therefore, if we are not experiencing the abundance that Jesus provided for us in any area of our lives, then we are having a problem understanding what salvation truly entails. The truths of the gospel are not commonly preached or understood in many churches. This is the reason so many Christians are not walking in all the benefits of their salvation. They don’t have the power of the gospel working in them. The word ‘salvation’ needs to be explained because today salvation has been cheapened from what it originally meant to be. The word salvation as used in the bible is not limited to forgiveness of sins. It includes forgiveness of sins, but it’s much more than that. Most churches today use the word salvation and forgiveness of sins interchangeably. Yes, salvation includes forgiveness of sins, but as I said earlier, it also includes prosperity, healing, and deliverance. Everything that was purchased for us by Jesus is a part of what salvation produces, Only in Christ can we find true happiness and peace in this life. Salvation is not just an insurance policy; it is the way to experience the supernatural life and goodness of God in our daily lives here and now. Salvation is something that was done and completed in the past yet continues to have present results. God’s grace has already provided all spiritual blessings in Christ (Ephesians 1:3), and our faith reaches out to God and receives the benefits (Romans 5:2). Putting faith in what God has already provided by grace is the key to victorious Christian living. Jesus paid it all. It’s not based on my performance; it’s based on my faith in what he did. Salvation is the gift of God unto the forgiveness of sins, the healing of your body, your prosperity, joy, peace, deliverance, emotional stability, and many more. But for some Christians, this seems a radical thought to them that healing has been purchased through Jesus for them just as much as forgiveness of sins. Prosperity has been purchased for them just as much as forgiveness of sins. Deliverance from oppression, depression, fear, anxiety, anger, have been purchased for you through what Jesus did. You don’t have to do something else to earn them. They aren’t addition to salvation, They’re integral part of salvation. Jesus wants you healed, delivered, set free, prospered, just as much as he wants you forgiven of sins. And it’s the gospel that releases that power of salvation for healing, deliverance, joy, peace, and forgiveness of sins. Mix what God has done with faith (Hebrews 4:2). And faith comes by hearing, hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17). 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
How do you get saved?
God wants everyone to be saved.“This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:3-4). And how do you receive salvation? By confessing with your mouth that Jesus is your Lord and believing in your heart that God raised him from the dead and you shall be saved. The Philippian Jailer came to Paul and Silas and said what must I do to be saved? The jailer asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household” (Acts 16: 30-31). Paul didn’t say well, confess your sins, ask God to forgive you, and that’s what a lot of people tell you to do. What would happen if you forgot a sin? Does that mean it’s not under the blood? And that it wasn’t forgiven? No, you don’t confess your sins, you must admit that you are a sinner and that you need salvation. You have to come to that realization that if you don’t turn from trying to save yourself then you can’t truly make Jesus your saviour. So, there is an acknowledgment that you are a sinner, but you don’t confess your sins, you don’t have to mention every single sin. Paul told the Philippian Jailer that believe on the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved and your house. Jesus has done everything, but you must put faith in him and him alone. It can’t be faith in him plus faith in yourself. You must trust Jesus alone. So, if you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is your Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you shall be saved (Romans 10:9). It would be a shame for you to stand before God and say well, Iwent to church, and I did all these things but that’s not what salvation is. If you can imagine somehow or another you and meand other people standing before God and God says what makes you worthy to enter Heaven. If you start saying, I went to church, I paid my tithe, I lived a good life. If you give any of those answers you would go straight to hell. The only answer that will get you into heaven is, when he says what makes you worthy? You would have to say nothing that I’ve done but what Jesus has done. Jesus Is my saviour I put faith in a saviour and he’s the one I am trusting. If you trust in any of these other things, I’m not saying that you don’t go to church and that you don’t live a good life, but if that’s where your trust is, instead of in a saviour, you’re going to hell. You need to put faith in a saviour and there’re many people reading this today who agree with what I’ve said, and you have done it and you are born again but you don’t clearly understand this and you can’t explain it to other people. You need to meditate on these things so that you can clearly present this to other people. You are a witness for the Lord, you are the only Bible some people are ever going to read and so you need to be able to know these truths and understand them and explain them. You really need to not only experience salvation, but you need to get to where you can give an answer and explain salvation. First Peter chapter 3 verse 15 says sanctify [e]the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defence to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; We need to have our lives seasoned with salt and be ready to give an answer of the hope of the calling that lies within us. You need to understand it yourself and you need to be able to explain it. 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
Are all religions leading to God?
There is no other salvation, there aren’t many paths leading to God. Some people think that Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, Harikrishna and Muslims are all seeking the same God. That’s not true. All these people who are saying you are okay so far as you believe in something, and you are being kind and nice to other people are not telling the truth. Those telling people these things are sending people to hell because what it’s doing is, making people trust in their own goodness instead of trusting in a saviour. And don’t ever think as long as I’m good, I’ll be able to go to heaven. No, none of those things are true. You and I were all sinners, and we were all on our way to hell. True Christians are followers of Jesus. Jesus paid our sin debt because there was no other way. There is no other way to God or to Heaven and until you turn from yourself, and turn from trusting in your own goodness, and turn from any other religious system, and you only put faith in Jesus, there can be no true salvation. There can be no true way to heaven or to God. There’re people reading this right now that are being upset with what I’m saying. This is upsetting you because you think well, ‘I’m a good person and I thought that God was going to accept me’. It’s not based on your goodness; it’s all based on Jesus alone. Jesus is the only way to have relationship with God the father. He is the only way to heaven. He paid the price for our sins because there was no other payment that could be made. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). If you are trusting in yourself or any other system to be right with God, then you are on your way to hell. You are not going to be accepted. I don’t care if you’re better than me, you need the Saviour, our Lord Jesus Christ. I’m speaking to people who are a part of some religious system, and you are trusting your religious observances for salvation. You’re trusting your own good works and other things and what I’m saying is really bothering you because some of you think, well, ‘what about all these people who haven’t ever heard about Jesus’? You need to know that there’s an intuitive knowledge of the Lord on the inside of every person. It says in Romans chapter 1 that God has revealed himself and shown every single person their need for a saviour. We are all without excuse. “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse 21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened ” ( Romans 1: 20-21). You may be one of those people who believe that there’s a God. You may even have a love for God but that doesn’t mean that you’re accepted. You must put faith in the saviour. Jesus suffered the rejection of God. He suffered the wrath of hell, he suffered all of these things, but he didn’t let it overcome him. He overcame them and he rose from the dead and now he is offering salvation to anyone who will receive it. And how do you receive it? The Bible says in Romans chapter 10:9 that If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:10-13). That’s more than just saying those words but if it’s from your heart and with your mouth will say ‘Jesus I make you my Lord, I turn my life over, I trust you’ and you look to Jesus and you believe that he paid for your sins, you shall have right standing with the Lord.. So, if you will confess that with your mouth and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you shall be saved. That’s the promise of Romans chapter 10:9 and it’s really that simple. Jesus has already paid for your sins; he suffered the rejection of his father. He said ‘Lord, why have you forsaken me’. And it’s all because of our sins. Just put your trust in Jesus and receive the gift of salvation. This is powerful, what I’m saying, and there’re people reading this today that have been trusting in your rituals. You’ve been trusting in your religious observances; you’ve been trusting in your holiness, but you haven’t been trusting in Jesus. Do so now. 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