Is There An Imminent Danger To Come Why We Need To Become Alert And Watchful Always? Part I

When I worked in the cemetery of my uncle in the Philippines at a very young age of ten (10) to twenty one (21) years old (1973-1985), I've experienced an extreme hardships, shame, and bullying  then just to earn a meager income to support my studies in high school and college.  Every Friday at 5 in the afternoon, my cousins and I have to prepare our clothes and some food and have to walk at least three (3) miles going to the cemetery and went home in the afternoon of the following day and have to walk the same miles.  Our parents died at that very age and were forced by poverty to work even to that place which we didn't dreamed off.  I knew that all of us were trained to face life which is full of hardships discipline, patience, endurance, and hope that someday all of us will finish the race and to become successful in life.  Thanks to the hard training we had cause we're all trained to fight life which were full of challenges by parents who were believers of Jesus Christ. For more than ten (10) years of continuous work in the cemetery, I realized that death is coming to all ages in different time, day, month and year.  I observed that people who were buried were just babies, kids, children, youth, adult and seniors.  I told to myself that one day I will die and be buried too in a cemetery.  My mind was filled with mixed facts about poverty, death, shame and bullying that's why I promised to myself that one day I will become somebody and that all of these painful experiences I've been through will be the motivating reasons why I have to strive more in life.  I made to finish my college level in 1986 major in Accounting and made to pass the board examination as a Certified Public Accountant of the same year.

When I was working as an independent auditor of more than twenty companies and aside from my main job as the Finance Manager of a non-profit religious radio broadcasting in Manila, the Lord reminded me of my vows when I was in elementary and high school levels that if God will heal me from my skin sickness, eye cataract and the numbness of my two feet, I will follow him and will enroll in a Bible School.  When I finished my college and to take the board examination as an accountant, I prayed to God that if he will help me to pass the board examination, I will follow him and will enroll in a Seminary.  While I'm working and earning money, it seemed that life was so good and I felt relax and made to forget my vows.  At the age of twenty three (23) one businessman came to our office and looked at me and said,  here is the P500,000.00 or $18,518.52 as professional fee for signing a certificate that the financial statement is right and true to the best of my knowledge and he will use it for loan purposes.  But I refused to sign it not until he let me check and verify his books of accounts.  He left my office and looked for other Accountant who will accept his very enticing offer.  After three months, one of the sponsors in dedication of my eldest son was my classmate in college and an accountant of one of the big suppliers of gasoline in the country, called me through telephone and asked me to sign their company's financial statement for bank loan purposes.  He offered me P2,500,000.00 or $89,285.71.  I told him with excitement and since I knew him very well and told him, " classmate",  bring to my office your books of accounts to make some reviews and checking and I will sign the certificate but the company didn't send the books to me.  He called me again the following day and told me, Ok classmate,  we'll pick you up in your office to eat lunch in one of the finest hotels in Quezon City.  We'll bring the check which is pay to cash amounting to P2,500,000.00 and you'll sign the documents of the company.  After intense prayer, I phoned my classmate and told him, sorry, but I can't sign the documents.  In his dismayed, he didn't call me for two years.  If I accepted those two offers in the same year, I made to reach my goal immediately to become a millionaire though it was my dream then that on or before my 30th birthday, I should be a millionaire if I accepted those offers and my goal would be made in much earlier time!

For almost two years, life seemed so exciting and I almost drowned to my goal to become a millionaire and I felt within me that If you have a goal you can make it.  All my resources, talent, hours and other assets where all focused on the attainment of my goal but while doing these many ways to earn a lot, there were struggles within me.  Every time I hear a bible message, it reminded me that I have vows to God that need to fulfill.  And these struggles became so intense and led me to kneel down in prayer and ask God for wisdom and direction to my big decision to make.  I asked him for the last time that if it is his will for me to be in the full-time ministry of the word, open the best seminary in the Philippines that will mold and prepare me to become an effective minister of his Words.  I wrote to the managing director of Back To The Bible Philippines for scholarship and my letter and application were sent to Back To the Bible, Nebraska, USA for approval.  After two weeks, I received a letter from our managing director and gave me the letter of approval from the home office in Nebraska, USA and all the financial support for my education until I finish the the four-year program but I finished it for seven straight years cause I did it on a part time basis while working.

Why I made to leave my big earning profession?  Did I make a wrong decision?  What do you think?
Wait for the continuation of this article and hoping to bless you and to strengthen your faith in Christ.

For more messages about life, direction, true purpose in life, harmonious relationship in the family, marriage, dating and others, visit our website at savelifewithjoy.com or go to our blogs at hopeandlifeforyou.com and Eugenio "EJ" Juarez.  For your comments, suggestions and prayer requests, email us at agn623@gmail.com.

May our Almighty God bless you all.  Philippians 3:1-11

The Great Privilege And Accountability Of Being A Watchman Of God!

Why God Chose Ezekiel To Bring The Message Of Repentance To Israel?

Ezekiel came from a priestly family and his father's name is Buzi who was a priest under the King Jehoiachin of Israel.  Israel then was under the captivity of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon for almost five years, the first captivity of Israel to other nation because of their wickedness.  God used this heathen king as instrument to discipline his disobedient people hoping that they will change their minds and to obey him again.  Ezekiel was a priest and a prophet or a man chosen by God to bring his holy words of warning to the wicked Israelite.  As a prophet-priest, he was a man for the temple.  A man of God that requires to have a life of holiness, blameless, uprightness, God-fearing and shunned evils.  He was called to be a watchman for the hard headed and wicked Israelite, Psalm 101:6; Job 1:1; Ezekiel 3:17.

Purpose Of Calling?

God called Ezekiel to warn or tell the Israelite to repent from their wickedness, like from worshiping idols, corruptions, marital unfaithfulness, adultery, sensuality and other sins that caused their first captivity in Babylonian Empire, Ezekiel 3:17.  Their freedom was suppressed and they lived there as slaves.  God wanted his people to be freed again and to live as true humane filled with joy, freedom, abundance under his loving and caring arms.  He gave them another chance to straightened their lives by obeying his commands that lead to life.

For Whom The Warning Or The Word Of God Was Given?

The  holy word of God or the warning was given to Ezekiel to inform the wicked Israelite who deliberately disobeyed the commandments of God.  These are the people who have no regard for the holy words of God or God has no place in their minds.  Their minds do not seek him, Psalm 10:4.  If Ezekiel will just closed his mouth and will not warn them and they will continue in their wicked life,  these people will surely die both physical and spiritual or a life away from the presence of God, Romans 6:23; Revelation 21:8 and God  will hold him accountable for their disobedience.  But if he warned them and they insisted to disobey God, they will die because of their sins and he will no longer accountable to their fate.  And if he warned them and they learned to humble themselves and to turn away from their wicked ways, they will be saved from death and he will no longer accountable too, Ezekiel 3:18-19.

Second, if Ezekiel or the watchman does not give warning to the righteous Israelite who turned to their wickedness to repent but rather, insisted to live in wickedness, all their righteous deeds will be erased or will no longer be remembered.  God will let them to do what they wanted to do, even to the point of death.  They chose pleasures of the flesh rather than obeying their God, their creator and their source of true life.  Their minds are full of sin and the wages of sin is death, both physical and spiritual, Romans 6:23.  Ezekiel or the watchman will be hold responsible for their death or he too will die because of disobedience, verse 20.   But if the watchman gave the warning to the righteous people who turned to life of wickedness and insisted to ignore this, they will surely die because of their sins but the watchman is no longer accountable for their blood, verse 22.

The results Of Disobedience.

Physical and spiritual death are the punishment for those unbelievers and believers who insisted to ignore the warnings to repent but rather will continue to live in sinful or wicked life, Romans 6:23; Revelation 21:8; Ezekiel 3:18,20.  

Physical blessings and eternal life are for those who heed or accepted the warnings and decided to turn away from their sins and to live a new life in obedience to the words of God, Ezekiel 3:21; Romans 6:23; Revelation 22:1-5

What is the connection of this call to repentance to the present 21st  generation?

Because of the continuous hardening of the hearts of the Jewish people especially the teachers and protector of the Law of Moses, the Pharisees and the Sadducee, they chose to kill the Son of God through hanging on the cross.  Because of the Israelite's transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make the Israel envious, Romans 11:11.  Before Jesus's ascension to heaven, he gave to his disciples the great commission in Matthew 28:18-20 and this message will be shared to all people in all parts of the world until the second coming of Christ.

It is therefore our great privilege as recipients of this good news to be a part of this spiritual endeavor and at the same time a great responsibility to do it faithfully.  We are now the watchmen to call to repentance all the people in our generation, both the unbelievers and the believers who became lukewarm and chose to go back to live an old wicked life rather than to live a new life in Christ for different reasons.

All the true believers of Christ should ensure that all the members of their family and loved ones were introduced to Jesus Christ and must have a personal relationship by this time cause there are still a lot of people or more than 5 billion people worldwide who are still in need of salvation.  Remember, Jesus Christ second coming is like a thief in the night.  No one knows when this will happen, whether tonight, next week, next month or next year.  What we need to do now is to be watchful and be on guard.  Be faithful to share the gospel through our lives, our personal witnessing, sending and supporting missionaries and all ministries that proclaim the gospel in radio, television, printed materials and many more.  Let us all be united in doing this till the coming of Christ our Lord.

For more messages about life, forgiveness, hope, victory over sin, harmonious family relationship, dating and others, visit our website at savelifewithjoy.com or go to our blogs in hopeandlifeforyou.com and Eugenio "EJ" Juarez.  For your comments, suggestions and prayer requests, email us at agn623@gmail.com

God bless you all and peace be you always!

What The Bible Says About Speaking In Tongue And Prophecy?

Why a lot of bible believing churches have different culture  of worship and administering their church' life?  Some are having focused on the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the life of the church and some seemed so silent and can't even clap their hands while singing joyful songs during the worship time.  Are the bible believing people who clap and raise their hands are much holy and pleasing to God compared to those who are singing solemn songs and act like a very formal person and vice versa?  Are the fast growing churches today depend primarily on what they call the unfolding of the power of the Holy Spirit that mold even their forms of worship, style and culture of administering its church life as joyful, full of emotions, practicing speaking in tongues, healing and deliverance and other manifestations of the the work of the Holy Spirit?  How about the conservative way of seemingly silent and formal type of church life?  Are they  wrong in their beliefs and practices that resulted then to slow growth?

God gave the spiritual gifts to the church in order to edify or strengthening the faith of the body of Christ towards growth qualitatively that will surely results to numerical increase, I Corinthians 14:4,26.   He will not give his great commission through Jesus' first disciples without the provisions on how to do it and the power to sustain this task,  Matthew 28:18-20.  Spiritual gifts are the heavenly provisions of God to the church then and today until Jesus comes.  But how we should understand some of the  very controversial gifts like tongue and prophecy?  Are these gifts ceased already or still necessary and operational in the 21st century churches today?

We believed that the work of Jesus Christ on the cross was completed already and there are no another offerings needed to do after this caused his death was the once and for all act of God through Jesus for the forgiveness of sin and physical and spiritual salvation of men, Hebrews 9:12; 10:10. And the word of God says in II Timothy 3:16-17, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so  that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."  The work of salvation of God through Jesus Christ was finished and completed and the complete revelation of God through the Scripture is also completed and has its final authority in all matters related to salvation, guidance to live a holy life, right expressions of love, training, relationships, conduct and others.

The writing of Apostle Paul in II Corinthians 14:1-40 gave us the clear understanding on how we should handle this correctly and apply in the 21st century church today.  First, Paul reminded all the believers to do everything in love and we can understand clearly in I Corinthians 13 the true meaning of love that should be seen and served us as our clear rules in practicing the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the church.  There are three fundamental truths God has bestowed in the church and these are love, hope and faith but the greatest of these is love, I Corinthians 13:13.  Even though you gave all that you possess to the church and gave too your life for other people but you have no love, all these are nothing verse 3.  Second, the church should know that God gave the spiritual gifts to the church to edify and strengthen the faith of the people of God.  All the believers have at least one spiritual gift to exercise and use for the edification or building up of faith of other believers, verses 4 and 26.  Not all have the same gift.  It's like a body which has different parts that functions differently but compliment each other in harmony towards one goal.  No other part of the body should say to the feet that I'm the head and I'm much important than you and vice versa.  Think of a person that has a beautiful head but has no feet.  Can he live like as a normal person?  Same in the application of the spiritual gifts in the church.  Complimenting one another and harmony are very important truth for the growth of faith of the believers that results to more fruitful and growth in the ministry.  All are equally important to God cause he is the source and the one to be glorified.

Third, the role of the gifts of prophecy and speaking in tongue are in existence even now for the following reasons:  the teaching of the Apostle Paul in verses 18-19.  He admitted that he speaks in tongue regularly and more than other believers during his time but, he did it  in a right and intelligible manner. Another reason is, the uncontrollable working of God in the world cause he is spirit and we should worship him in spirit and in truth, John 4:23.  He is not bound by space and time.  He can not be contained in a box or be controlled by the wisdom of men.  God pleases what he wants to do which is grounded in holiness and love, for he is our loving God and he is the God of love and has no sin in him and he is God - omniscient or all knowing, omnipresent or in all places at the same time cause he is spirit and he is God.  Fourth,  speaking in tongue is differentiate from prophecy.  Speaking in tongue means, a person is speaking or talking to God.  He says mystery to himself, I Corinthians 14:2  It is more in personal way.  Only him and God understand each other and this personal communication edifies himself alone, verse 18.  But he/she should be careful in talking to God like Moses before the burning bush.  Moses can't looked straight to that tree cause it is so brighter and his eyes can't bear the light.  God is holy and Moses is not that's why he removed his sandals because the place he went into is a holy place cause the Holy God is there.  Same thing with those who say that they have talked face to face to God.  God is holy and all who come to him must also be holy.  God hates sin and he can't talk closely to a person who pretends or else you will be burned and died.  A believer who is experiencing such kind of experience is a very blessed one but be careful to deceive yourself.  True holiness is one of the marks of a believer in Christ who has that kind of gift.  God sees the heart and that person needs to live a holy life too and must bear much fruit.   Apostle Paul told the believers who are doing this gift to be generous or to share what he/she receives from God in order to strengthen the faith of other believers.   This requires then of an interpreter verse 5, 6-12, 20-25, 27.  If there is no interpreter, one must keep silent in the church and don't let the devil use this occasion to distract and disturbed other worshipers for God is God of order and harmony, verse 28, 39-40.  That's why even Paul reiterated in verse 19 to regard to speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in tongue.

Prophesying is a gift of telling intelligent words to others.  It is much greater than speaking in tongue, verse 5.  Its functions are to give a clear encouragement to the discouraged and  hopeless, strengthen the faith of the fearful and confused believers on what to do and how to overcome issues in life, and to give words of comfort to the lonely, sad and people who are in deep mourning due to death of their loved ones and others.  Most of the prophecy about the coming of Jesus, the kind of death he will suffer and the way of salvation God will do through Jesus, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit to the believers then and today, were all realized already at the cross of Calvary.   But one thing we're all waiting now and this is the second coming of Christ.  The church of God and the ministry of preaching and teaching are considered as prophetic ministry.  The people of God like the pastors and teachers have to inform the unbelievers with passion and intelligently to repent or they will perish in hell.  They have also to remind the believers in Christ to be watchful and be ready for the coming of the Lord, I Thessalonians 5:1-11  Preaching and teaching, healing, and other ministries of the church must pointing to that future event that will surely come.  The ministry of the church now is like the ministry of preaching and teaching during the time of Noah.  He believed that destruction will come if people will not repent and we are now doing the same proclamation of the good news of repentance and eternal life to all because we believed on what we do not see, Hebrews 11:1;6.   Faithfulness in telling the good news is a must to do by all true believers in Christ as a proof also that we are true children of God, true followers of Jesus or true disciples of Jesus Christ.  And all of these should be done in  holy love and faith.

Speaking in tongue and prophesying are not forbidden but should be done in a rightful way and orderly manner.  We can speak in tongue on a personal capacity and on personal level and needs an interpreter to benefit also other worshipers.  Paul is encouraging believers to prophesy to tell the truth in much clearer and intelligible manner than to speak in tongue for understanding purposes.  And those who desire to do this prophetic ministry are expected to have a deep, right and clear understanding and training to share the good news to others clearly and with power.  Much greater responsibility  and accountability are expected to those who do this task cause people will be confused and might be led astray from the truth if have received false teaching and therefore will perish in hell, James 3:1.  False teaching means, false application in the lives of those who received or destruction.  Since we are worshiping God in spirit and in truth, the ministry of prophesy should be done by  holy, blameless, upright, God-fearing and obedient preacher-teacher and believers of the words of God.  The main goal of the church is to edify, build up and strengthen the faith of the believers to become more fruitful in the ministry till the coming of Christ.

For more biblical messages about life, death, hope, forgiveness, confidence, victory over temptations, inner strength and others, visit our website at savelifewithjoy.com or go to our blogs in hopeandlifeforyou.com and Eugenio "EJ" Juarez.  For your comments, suggestions and prayer requests, email us at agn623@gmail.com.

God bless you all.

Did You Find Your True Purpose And Meaning In Life?

When God saw the people during the life of Noah as full of violence and wickedness, he commanded Noah to build an Ark to be saved from the destruction he will send to all disobedient people.  God was so grieved and felt dismayed that he created men.  Before God sent the great flood, Noah had preached to the people to repent from their sins and avoid the pending punishment that will surely come through the great flood but they rejected the message of Noah and they continued mocking and insulting him, laughing and regarded Noah as insane.  God and Noah were humiliated before the eyes and hearings of others.  They continued in their ways of lives, their minds were full of lust, sensuality, love of material things and lived to gratify their evil desires.  Holiness and love of God had no place in their hearts and minds Genesis 6-8.  The same kinds of lives were observed in the lives of people during the time of Lot in the lands of Sodom and Gomorrah.  Their minds were full of wickedness.  they tried all kinds of unwanted relationships like marriage of man to man, woman to woman, young people, gay to gay and even man to animal!  They had no regard and respect to one another and even the angels who visited Lot's home were tried to have unwanted relationship with me.   God can't look at the wickedness of the people that's why the angels helped Lot, his wife and two daughters to leave the places and went to small land of Zoar before the burning sulfur from heaven came in and destroyed all people in the cities Genesis 19.

Apostle Paul the author of many books in the New Testament like this book of Romans, was once one of the leaders of the powerful religious group called Sanhedrin who received the authority to kill the followers of Jesus Christ and annihilated them from the face of the earth but when he went to Damascus, he heard the voice of God and told him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me..." Acts 9:3-9.  From then on and after he received his eyesight, he humbled himself and asked God for forgiveness and he became a zealous preacher, missionary and teacher of the faith which he zealously tried to destroy before but he failed.  He gave his whole life and by faith, he became so brave with passion to share the good news of salvation to all till the end of his martyrdom in Rome in AD 67.  He sacrificed everything just to know Christ and to have fellowship with Jesus sufferings which he considered much precious to gain than the wealth, position, power of this world. To know Christ and to make him known became the new norm and goal of his life.

His main desire and prayer in the book of Romans 10:1-21 is to lead the Jewish people to the saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ; to help them renounce their false belief that true obedience to the law means, righteousness that pleases God and leads to eternal life; that they may know the true functions of the law as mere eye opener that a person is a sinner which is limited and not the way to  life everlasting.  Paul wanted them to be saved from the power and punishment of sin Romans 6:23, but they forcefully rejected through their intelligence and pride to do everything and influenced people to shout to release Barabbas from jail and to crucify Jesus on the cross Matthew 27:22.  Because of their pride, they uphold the Law and killed the author of the Law.  Paul knew clearly how God did everything to change their hearts and to save them through his righteous men and he quoted the Old Testament books as follows: "I will make you envious by those who are not a nation; I will make you angry by a nation that has no understanding.  I was found by those who did not seek me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me.  All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people."  Deuteronomy 32:21; Isaiah 65:1-2

God is faithful in his promised to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the righteous leaders of Israel that his promise is a promised.  God led the Gentiles to know the way of salvation knowing that one day, the Jewish people, his chosen nation will be saved too through the Non-Jewish people who are the Gentiles.  Paul never lack of wisdom that's why he gave his whole life and focus, even threats to his life, hunger, dangers, and sickness didn't stop him to lead the Gentiles to salvation.  He knew that faith comes from hearing of the words of Christ Romans 10:17; that faith comes if someone will be sent to preach and teach in the places where unbelievers are living verse 14; that faith comes if the people of God will send corporately preachers, teachers and missionaries to all places through their prayers, money and other resources verse 15.

It is very clear in the mind of Paul that Jesus Christ second coming is at hand and he has to obey the great commission to go into all the world and preach the gospel, and baptizing the people in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  And teaching them to obey everything written in it... and lo I am with you always till the end of this world  Matthew 28:18-20.  Paul motivated the believers to obey the words of God faithfully cause the heart and mind of God are focused on the complete restoration and salvation of both the physical and soul of man; that he knew also that, how beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news to all; that the words of God are the power unto salvation of mankind and his creations Romans 1:16; that angels in heaven are rejoicing even one soul that repents Luke 15:10; that our names are written in the book of life and we shall live in heaven with God the Father, God the Son Jesus, and God the Holy Spirit, angels and all people in all parts of the world who truly accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior and to celebrate the great banquet that God prepared for all who stand still for the truth and endured hardships just to accept with pure joy the life that has fellowship even to the sufferings of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior John 3:16; John 1:12; Luke 10:20; Revelation 21:27; 22:1-5; Philippians 3:8-11.

For more messages about faithfulness, life, forgiveness, salvation and others, visit our website at savelifewithjoy.com or go to our blogs at hopeandlifeforyou.com and Eugeno "EJ" Juarez.  For your suggestions, comments, and prayer requests, email us at agn623@gmail.com.

God bless you all.

The Seventh Last Words Of Jesus, " Father, Into Your Hands I commit My Spirit"

After thirty three years of very challenging life and ministries of Jesus on earth, he confidently entrusted his spirit to his Father that says, " Father, into your hands I commit my spirit."  A statement of complete jubilation and joy in the midst of extreme exhaustion, pain both physical and emotional turmoil, knowing that the end result or goal has been accomplished.  That through his sacrificial death, spiritual salvation of man's soul was gained.  God's holiness that was violated because of sin of disobedience was answered by Jesus' voluntary laying up of oneself to die on the cross as a once and for all offering to appease the wrath of the holy God.  Only the blood of Jesus, the only Son of God was the only acceptable offering that can fully and truly satisfy the holiness of God and for this reason, salvation both physical and spiritual was attained.

Jesus has entrusted wholeheartedly his spirit or soul to his Father knowing that all what he did were not in vain and that the words of his Father are true and can be trusted on.  He obeyed the words of his Father cause Jesus knew from the very beginning that "For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does"  Psalm 33:4.  True obedience means, having true faith in the words of the one who gave him the command and this was the source of Jesus inner strength that helped him to finish his magnitude painful task of salvation and was so confident to say this words, " Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.

Jesus left his physical body on earth and his spirit or soul went to heaven.  His death proved only that Jesus became true man that tasted severe pain, humiliation, loneliness, betrayal of a follower, less importance to his family members, temptations, thirst, sleepless nights, hunger and even death.  But in all of these, he never fall into sin.  His prayers were answered, he made many miracles, he overcame temptations and he voluntarily gave his life and to crucify and die like of a criminal caused of his unconditional love to his Father, for you , and for me. 

Brothers and sisters in Christ,  we can't compare ourselves to the life of Jesus but he gave us the teachings and his true to life helpful experiences that we can also follow and apply to become victorious in our daily lives, works, studies, church ministries, family concerns and others.  Let us ask the grace of our God through Jesus that all things that we do will be focused on how to lead others to the saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus in order to give  glory to his name.  Let us always look at the end results of our lives and ask ourselves these questions: Am I confident to say to my Creator and Savior, Father, I am ready to meet you now.  I accepted you as my Lord and Savior,  I shared my faith to my loved ones, relatives, friends and others,  I've finished the race, I fought the good fight of life through faith, and now, I am about to leave this earth with full confidence to say, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit".

For more messages about life, salvation, assurance of salvation and others, visit our website at savelifewithjoy.com or go to our blogs at hopeandlifeforyou.com and Eugenio "EJ" Juarez or email us at agn623@gmail.com for your comments, suggestions and prayer requests.

God bless you all.

The Sixth Last Words Of Jesus, "It Is Finished".

The Original Condition of Man.

God created the world and all things in it excellently and full of life.  He created then Adam in his image, meaning, God endowed in Adam his beauty and righteousness Genesis 1:27.   As how the Psalmist says, God created man, he knitted him together and made him wonderfully and has given Adam the freedom to think, to choose, to create, to love and to enjoy life to the fullest Psalm 139:14.  God gave him the helper and source of his intimate needs in the person of Eve for it is not good for a man to be alone.  God has given them a specific command not to eat the fruit at the middle of the garden for they will surely die, but because of the subtle and alluring words of Satan, Eve was tempted and made to convince Adam to disobey God.  It is not the fruit which is the focal point here but the faithfulness of the couple to obey the commandment of God.  Because of their disobedience, sin came into the world.  The beautiful and blissful relationship of God to men was destroyed.  The couple was cast away from the beautiful garden or from the presence of God.  The couple's life became so miserable cause the image of God was tainted and the mind of men functioned abnormally, Eve's child bearing and delivery became difficult and dangerous, Adam needs to work and to provide food for his family through his sweat Genesis 3.  Death came to men both physical death  that shortened men's life expectancy which he had experienced  and still experiencing up to now and the spiritual death that means, eternal separation of man's soul from God when he dies which is hell. Romans 6:23.

The Once And For All Offering For The Salvation Of Men.

God sent his precious Son, Jesus on earth to restore this original plan of enjoying beautiful and blissful life on earth but was destroyed because of the  broken relationship of men to God due to sin of disobedience.  For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God Romans 3:23.  Whatever efforts men were doing like giving, helping the needy, offerings, penitence and others, all of these things were just rags before  a holy God; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep away Isaiah 64:6.  All men's best effort to go to heaven were nothing and God's wrath needs precious life as an acceptable once and for all offering in order to appease his anger and that man will be forgiven and shall not perish in hell for eternity Romans 6:10.  Only Jesus life was the only acceptable cause he was blameless and the only qualified offering for the salvation of men from sin, its power and punishment.

The Limited Time Jesus Spent To Save The World.

The life of Jesus on earth was characterized as being obedient, contented, full of faith, love, meekness, humbleness, self-control, endurance and had accepted voluntarily even a death of a criminal just to save men from the wages of sin, which is death.  He endured all humiliations, slashes, thirst, hunger, mocking and insulting just for all men in the world including you and me.  He cried like a meek lamb which was about to be slaughtered and to offer as burnt offering to God in the temple.

Mission Accomplished - "It Is Finished"

When he has done of all these things, he said confidently, "It is finished" John 19:30.  Jesus has accomplished the will of his Father from start to finish.  The Son of God learned how to humble himself though he is God and left temporarily his glorious position in heaven just to be like a true man.  He was born in a poor family and delivered in a manger, lived a simple life, enjoyed not the luxuries of the world but obeyed the will of his Father, he focused his little time to preach and to teach the good news to all men that he could reached, to heal sicknesses and did many miracles just to open the eyes of people to believe in him and to be freed from sin - its power and punishment until to face the fearful experience a man could have and this is to die physically.  And Jesus faced with confidence and braveness, the very humiliating and painful death, a death of a criminal on the cross.

The whole land had experienced an earthquake, the sun stopped to shine from 12 noon till 3:00 in the afternoon,  and the curtain was torn literally into two.  God the Father can rescue his Son and kill them all easily cause of the pain he had that he can't even looked at his Son's agony and sufferings in the hands of the pretentious religious leaders and in the hands of his chosen nation, the Jewish people.  He controlled himself knowing that only through this painful way men can be saved from sin.  He showed his power before the eyes of the people and even to the prince of this world - Satan.  For Satan and the evil people, the death of Jesus was a losing end but for the Triune God, this was a victory.  Jesus knew also that he can call his Father to send angels to prove to their eyes that he is God but he bore all the pains and hardships and just remained calm and silent knowing that his death is the will of his Father.   Satan had under estimated again the wisest plan of God, he lost again in the battle.  It showed only that Satan is not God, that he is always ignorant compared to the wisdom and power of our God.   The miraculous physical events like how the curtain in the temple was torn into two, signified only that men can now go directly to God through faith in Jesus cause Jesus precious blood that was shed on the cross was the only once and for all offering to God Romans 6:10.  God the Father's holiness was satisfied, appeased and paid in full.

Because of Jesus obedience through his sacrificial death, the door of heaven for spiritual and physical salvation were opened to all who will humble themselves and will ask God's  forgiveness of their sins, and through faith, those who will accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior, salvation is now within their reach.  Satan and his evil forces were declared defeated and can no longer functions powerfully and can't enslaves men again of the power of sin Colossians 2:15.  Believers have now the power to live a holy life through faith in Jesus; death has no power over men.  For all true believers of Jesus Christ, physical death can now be faced with hope and confidence seeing by faith that he will be in his permanent home with God and other believers in heaven.  Death is no longer be considered as a fearful event in his life, as how Apostle Paul said, "It is much better to depart from this body and to be with the Lord."  II Corinthian 5:8; Philippians 1:23.

The Awarding Time.

God was so pleased in all things that Jesus did.   He exalted his Son at the right hand of his throne and every knees shall bow and every tongues will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.  In Philippians 2:9-10 Paul says, "Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth."

For more messages about the Seven Last Words Of Jesus, visit our website at savelifewithjoy.com or go to our blogs at hopeandlifeforyou.com and Eugenio "EJ" Juarez or email us at agn623@gmail.com for your comments, suggestions and prayer requests.

May our God richly bless you all.

Are You Prepared To Proclaim The Good News To All?

When we talk about Palm Sunday, people in all parts of the world are observing yearly this special event of the life of Jesus near his hours of death.  Most of the Roman Catholic believers which are almost 65% of the total religious beliefs  specially in the Philippines believe that after the church has blessed the branches of palm trees by the holy water which is now using today, this will be used against all evil spirits or has something power in it that can ward off the evil spirits away from their homes or to block the coming in of these evil forces that bring bad luck in the family like sicknesses, bankruptcy in business, low grades of the students, brokenness of marital relationship and others.  Up to now you can see this branch of a palm tree on the door of every house in the Philippines.  That's why the yearly celebration of Palm Sunday, the selling of palm branches becomes a good and profitable business ( Google - OMF: Folk Christianity, 2016).

The Entry Of Jesus in Jerusalem.

In Matthew 21:1-11, the author narrates the victorious and joyful shouting of people when Jesus was entering Jerusalem by spreading their cloaks on the ground where Jesus was riding on a donkey and passing by the road to Jerusalem and wavering their palm branches to proclaim the coming of their expected Messiah or the one who will release them from the tyranny of the Roman Empire's maltreatment and exorbitant imposition of taxes and administration that brought many ordinary daily wage earners into extreme poverty.  It seemed that for all of them, it means, watch out Roman Empire for our Savior is now here to trample you down and Jesus will release us in a short while from your claws!  This event is the fulfillment of the old testament prophecy that says, " Say to the daughter of Zion.  See your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey."

The False Understanding Of The Triumphal Entry.

If you will imagine, the Messiah that caused their rejoicing was just riding on a donkey that proves only of a weak and meekness Savior that came not to wage revolution or war but to save the Jewish people through peaceful way and not for the coming of a mighty deliverer riding on a tall and well built horse fitted for battle.  Because of their overwhelming experienced and saw with their eyes the miracles Jesus did,  they believed and assumed then that the Messiah that they were waiting for so many years has come in the person of Jesus, that's why they shouted altogether "Hosanna to the Son of David!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"  "Hosanna in the highest!"  The crowds shouted these sentences and some had sang these loudly which they quoted from the book of  Psalm 118:26.  They were so amazed and declared Jesus as the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.  But they didn't understand how Jesus will save them and where they will be delivered from?

What Is The Meaning Of Jesus Answer To The Pharisees?

In Luke 19:39-40, some Pharisees requested Jesus to stop his disciples and the big crowds who are following him from shouting, rejoicing and celebrating jubilantly as if the big numbers of soldiers headed by their leaders came back victoriously from the battle caused this creates irritation and envy in the hearts of the religious leaders in Jerusalem.  The crowds can't stop their emotional feelings of joy cause Jesus has opened their minds through his authoritative teachings and made miracles before their eyes that led them to exalt him but led the chief priests to get so angry against him.   Jesus said, " if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out." verse 40.  It meant only that nobody can stop the continuous growth of the kingdom of God.  The will of God will surely prevail and will continue to grow by his authoritative teachings and preaching and miraculous works then and  through the mighty works of the Holy Spirit now through his faithful followers.  The words of God will be shared to all the people in all parts of the world and various miracles will open the hearts and minds of the people and all men in all walks of life will be freed from the power of Satan and the truth will set them free John 8:32.  And if the people of God will not obey him and become lukewarm and will not speak for Christ, he will use even the stones to declare his good news of salvation to all.

The True Meaning Of The Triumphal Entry.

Jesus wept knowing that the crowds followed him because of the many miracles he did before their eyes but didn't understand clearly why he came here on earth and for them, his chosen nation.  The crowds understood that Jesus, whom they proclaimed prophet and Savior came to liberate and save them from the powerful hands of the Roman Empire.  They think of physical deliverance and not of the  spiritual reality of life.  For Jesus came because "he will save his people from their sins" Matthew 1:21.  Jesus think differently of the crowds that he should cure first the root cause of the problem which is spiritual issue of man and that is to save man from sin - its power and punishment that will results to spiritual restoration, physical healing and blessings.  The mind of man should be redeemed and changed first to become an instrument to restore life and to have meaning and purpose where love and care with righteousness will become the foundation of life, relationships and leadership.  A changed life will surely results to good, joyful, peaceful and blissful life Psalm 81:13-14.  But majority of the crowds were misled by Satan and because of their frustration to their expectation, the once who acclaimed and exalted Jesus on the pedestal and who shouted, Hosanna,  Hosanna, blessed be the name of the Lord, were let themselves to be influenced by the evil intent of the religious leaders and chose to shout for the release of Barabbas  and crucify Jesus on the cross!

Challenge To All.

The main reason why God sent his only Son Jesus on earth is to save men from sin - both from the power of Satan and its punishment in hell.  The problem of men to assure the salvation of his soul from eternal death in hell but rather to dwell with God in heaven permanently through good works are not enough to appease the wrath of a holy God.  Only Jesus, his precious Son is the once and for all offering for the forgiveness of sins of men.  The blood of animals are not enough so that God will forgive men of their sins, and only the blood of Jesus was the only acceptable offering for the salvation of mankind and this is the only reason why Jesus came here on earth, not just to liberate the Jewish people from the tyranny of the Roman Empire but from the wrath of a holy God and to liberate man from the power of Satan and sin that will save men from hell - the eternal separation of men from the presence of God, cause his holiness demands life - life and blood of his only precious Son Jesus and not the unworthy blood of the animals and pious acts of men. 

The triumphal entry in Jerusalem is the entry of Jesus near the feet of the mount of Calvary, the place where he will be hanged on the cross - the once and for all offering of his life, the only solution  to save men from hell.  The good news of salvation should be proclaimed until Jesus second coming and all true followers of Jesus Christ are expected to become faithful in proclaiming this good news.  If we will become quiet and ashamed of this mandate, God will use even the stones or other non-living things to proclaim the good news to all men.

Are you ready and willing to stand for Jesus and lead the unbelievers to the saving knowledge of our Lord Jesus today?

For more messages of life, forgiveness, salvation and victory over sin, visit our website at http://www.savelifewithjoy.com or go to our blogs at hopeandlifeforyou.com or Eugenio "EJ" Juarez and for you comments, suggestions and prayer requests, email us at agn623@gmail.com

May our Lord Jesus Christ be with you always.  Hosanna, blessed be name of the Lord.