What Jesus Means To Me (My Poem)

What Jesus Means To Me

In life’s uncertain journey
Where pitfalls and danger abound,
I have found a Friend Who walks with me,
His love and mercies e’er me surround.

Ever-Faithful and True is He,

Emmanuel, God with us,
My greatest treasure for all eternity,
Who can He be but Christ Jesus?

I was lost, so lost in sin, years ago,
Kept in bondage by the enemy,
Jesus rescued me, He’s my Hero,
Broke the chains and set me free.


He’s the Shepherd of my soul,
Came to save this one lost sheep,
Restoring my life, making me whole,
In life and death my soul to keep.

He’s my Provider e’er Faithful,
My cares upon Him I fully cast,
He truly is marvelous, so wonderful,
In Him alone I wholly trust.

Jesus, Name above all names,
My Risen Lord, never again will die;
Yesterday and today He is the same,
Forever and ever He reigns on high.

Blessed Saviour, precious Redeemer,
Without Him my life lacks meaning;
Prince of Peace, Mighty God, Counsellor,
Jesus Christ, my King of Kings.

*****************
Original composition
Written for Writers Ink
Dated Saturday 1st August 2009

The Missing Day (Has Been Found!)

Have you ever wondered about the mysterious disappearance of ONE WHOLE DAY from mankind's annals of time, space and history?

I received this exciting article (possibly, 'old news' to some) in my email which is too good to keep to myself, so here it is in all its originality for everyone to enjoy and marvel over. . .

REVELATION OF THE WORD OF GOD

For all the scientists out there, and for all the students who have a hard time convincing these people regarding the truth of the Bible, here's something that shows God's awesome creation, and that He is still in control.

Did you know that the space program is busy proving that what has been called 'myth' in the Bible is true?

Mr. Harold Hill, President of the Curtis Engine Company in Baltimore, Maryland, and a consultant in the space program, relates the following development.

'I think one of the most amazing things that God has done for us today happened recently to our astronauts and space scientists at Green Belt, Maryland. They were checking out where the positions of the sun, moon, and planets would be 100 years and 1,000 years from now. We have to know this so we won't send up a satellite and have it bump into something later on in its orbits. We have to lay out the orbits in terms of the life of the satellite and where the planets will be so the whole thing will not bog down.

'They ran the computer measurement back and forth over the years, and it came to a halt. The computer stopped and put up a red signal, which meant that there was something wrong with either the information fed into it or with the results as compared to the standards.

They called in the service department to check it out, and they said, 'What's wrong?'

Well, they found there is a day missing in space in elapsed time.

They scratched their heads and tore their hair. There was no answer.'

Finally a Christian man on the team said, 'You know, one time I was in Sunday school, and they talked about the sun standing still.'

While they didn't believe him, they didn't have an answer either, so they said, 'Show us.'

'He got a Bible and went to the book of Joshua where they found a pretty ridiculous statement for any one with 'common sense.'

There they found the Lord saying to Joshua, 'Fear them not, I have delivered them into thy hand; there shall not a man of them stand before thee.' 'Joshua was concerned because he was surrounded by the enemy, and if darkness fell, they would overpower them. So Joshua asked the Lord to make the sun stand still! That's right...'The sun stood still and the moon stayed and lasted not to go down

about a whole day!'(Joshua 10:12-13).'

The astronauts and scientists said, 'There is the missing day!'

They checked the computers going back into the time it was written and found it was close but not close enough. The elapsed time that was missing back in Joshua's day was 23 hours and 20 minutes... not a whole day.

They read the Bible, and there it was 'about (approximately) a day.'

These little words in the Bible are important, but they were still in trouble because if you cannot account for 40 minutes, you'll still be in trouble 1,000 years from now. Forty minutes had to be found because it can be multiplied many times over in orbits.

As the Christian employee thought about it, he remembered somewhere in the Bible where it said the sun went BACKWARDS. The scientists told him he was out of his mind, but they got out the Book and read these words in 2 Kings that told of the following story:Hezekiah, on his death bed, was visited by the prophet Isaiah who told him that he was not going to die. Hezekiah asked for a sign as proof. Isaiah said 'Do you want the sun to go ahead 10 degrees? 'Hezekiah said, 'It is nothing for the sun to go ahead 10 degrees, but let the shadow return backward 10 degrees.'Isaiah spoke to the Lord, and the Lord brought the shadow ten degrees BACKWARD!

'Ten degrees is exactly 40 minutes [10 X 24 X 60 ]

360Twenty-three hours and 20 minutes in Joshua, plus 40 minutes in Second Kings make the missing day in the universe!'

Isn't it amazing?

References: Joshua 10:8 and 12, 13 and 2 Kings 20:9-11.

To conclude, here are the lyrics of one of my favourite hymns, "How Great Thou Art!" as a fitting finale to the whole story:

O Lord my God!

When I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed:

(Chorus:)
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!

When through the woods and forest glades I wander
and hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;
When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur
And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze:

(Chorus)

And when I think that God, His Son not sparing,
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin:

(Chorus)

When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration,
And there proclaim, my God, how great Thou art!

How Great Thou Art
Words: Stuart K. Hine
Music: Stuart K. Hine
Performed By: Elvis Presley
Copyright: Unknown

Thoughts On Infant Baptism And Infant Deaths

The following is an adaptation of my paper presented in response to a Final Exam question for the Theology Course on Christology & Soteriology (i.e. Christ & Salvation) which I took last year. . .

Q. Almost all Pentecostals do not practice infant baptism. Do you think that is compatible with our doctrines of sin and salvation? Explain your answer with specific examples.

Our Assemblies of God Tenets of Faith No. 4 states, ‘Man was created good and upright; for God said, "Let us make man in our own image, after our likeness." However, man by voluntary transgression fell and thereby incurred not only physical death but also spiritual death, which is separation from God’ (Genesis 1:26, 27; Genesis 2:17; Genesis 3:6; Romans 5:12-19).

By virtue of this declaration of faith we can safely conclude that all of mankind is believed to be born with ‘original sin.’ Even King David confessed to this, “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me” (Psalm 51:5).

This means that every person born on the face of this earth inherited this sinful, Adamic nature, and the only way to be saved is outlined (or summarised) in our A/G Tenet of Faith No. 5, which states, “Man's only hope of redemption is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ the Son of God.”

However, there is a condition to this salvation plan of God, which, contained in the same Tenet of Faith, declares, “Salvation is received through repentance toward God and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ. By the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, being justified by grace through faith, man becomes an heir of God, according to the hope of eternal life. (Luke 24:47; John 3:3; Romans 10:13-15; Ephesians 2:8; Titus 2:11; Titus 3:5-7). ”

Man is saved when man responds willingly and positively to receive God’s free gift of salvation.

This is the Armininian stand of ‘conditional election,’ and ‘human ability to respond,’ which I adhere to.

Thus this brings me to my next point....

Babies are, of course, too young to make this personal response to the gospel, so most Pentecostals see infant baptism as, possibly, unscriptural and, most likely, unnecessary.

However, a disturbing issue crops up here: what about babies who die in infancy? Will these babies be saved, since they have not made a decision to receive Jesus Christ?

The Roman Catholic Church, and the Lutheran Church as well, both of which also believes in the 'doctrine of original sin,' practise infant baptism:

“In Roman Catholic theology, unbaptized infants who die cannot enter into heaven. They are consigned to a place called limbus infantium. There they do not suffer the pains and deprivation of hell, but neither do they enjoy the benefits of the blessedness of heaven.[1]

The Lutheran theologian, on the other hand, is not so sure about the status of unbaptized infants. There is a possibility that God has a means, not fully revealed to us, of producing faith in the unbaptized children of Christians. . . .

. . . Lutheran theologians are aware of the charge of inconsistency between the practice of infant baptism and the insistence on justification by faith alone. They generally dealt with this apparent dilemma in one of two ways. One is the suggestion that infants who are baptized may possess an unconscious faith. Faith, it is maintained does not necessarily require reasoning power and self-consciousness. Luther observed that faith does not cease when we are asleep, preoccupied, or engaged in strenuous work. Jesus teaches that children can have implicit faith. Evidence is found in Matthew 18:6 (“one of these little ones who believe in me”); 19:14; Mark 10:14; and Luke 18:16-17. Another proof is the prophecy that John the Baptist “will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth” (Luke 1:15). Finally, we have John’s words, “I write to you. Dear children, because you have known the Father” (1 John 2:13). [2]”[3]

To understand better this controversial issue of infant baptism, let me now explain a little on what exactly is water-baptism all about. " Why is it so important to the Christian faith?"

By way of explanation, the Assemblies of God’s position on water baptism as a church ordinance is, “The ordinance of baptism by immersion is commanded by the Scriptures. All who repent and believe on Christ as Saviour and Lord are to be baptized. Thus they declare to the world that they have died with Christ and that they also have been raised with Him to walk in newness of life (Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:16; Acts 10:47, 48; Romans 6:4).”[4]

Based on this, doesn't this logically renders infant baptism unbiblical? Surely little children and infants are unable to understand what repentance is all about, let alone practise it? Water-baptism is, after all, the baptism of repentance!

To put it bluntly, this simply means, water-baptism is an outward sign (or a symbolic act) of an inward heart-felt repentance, or a conscious, wilful 'turning away' from a life of sin. Surely, babies or little children are not accountable for such an act.

Luke 3:3 (King James Version)
3And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins;

Indeed, how important it is for us to be clear that water-baptism by itself does NOT get us saved. We believe, and rightly so, that it is merely an outward symbol of an inward regeneration of the human soul. There is even the danger of it being seen as 'dead works,' if taken out of context or if taken to the extreme, i.e. believing that water-baptism is the only means by which the human soul can be saved from eternal damnation. To the born-again Christian (i.e. born of the Spirit, by accepting Jesus Christ as his/her personal Saviour), the church ordinance of water-baptism represents:

1. an act of following our Lord in a step of obedience
2. a public confession of our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour
3. a public declaration of one's choice to turn from sin (i.e. to be dead to sin, or to repent) and choosing a new life in Christ (alive in Christ)
4. a significant symbolism of being identified with Christ at His death & burial & rising with Him in His Resurrection from the dead

Understandably, Evangelicals do not equate salvation with works. Our stand has been "justification by faith, sanctification by works". Works by itself do not get us saved - this understanding is basic to the Christian faith. If we can be saved by works, Christianity becomes on par with other religions of the world - if works can save us, then why do we need a Saviour? Christians do good works, yes, but only as a witness of, or our testimony to, our conversion, to bring glory to our Heavenly Father.

Matthew 5 (King James Version)

16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Therefore, I reiterate, the evangelical position on the means of salvation, is “. . . Salvation is not by works. A person is declared righteous in the sight of God, not because of having done good works, but because of having believed.”[5]

The Roman Catholic Church’s position on the means of salvation, on the other hand, is termed sacramentalism, that is “ . . . salvation is dependent on the church. For, in the first place, the sacraments, which were entrusted to the church by Christ, are requisite to salvation.”[6] Which explains their peculiar position on infant baptism. To the Roman Catholic Church, the church sacraments are a MUST for salvation, i.e. if the child is not baptised, the child is NOT saved.

How different we are in our beliefs!

This brings me again to this most pertinent question, which must be addressed: where do infants go when they die? Infants are obviously too young to understand salvation and the existence of heaven and hell. I believe that because children are God’s gifts to us, God reserves the right to take them back to be in His presence. When a child has not reached to a level where they have the knowledge of God and salvation, perhaps they are spared from the judgment of man’s sin. The Bible tells us our God is a God of mercy and grace and His grace will surely make a way of escape for a helpless, innocent infant who dies young. However, whether there is a special place just for children is something we will never know until we get to heaven ourselves!

Mary Baxter, in her book, Divine Revelations of Heaven, recorded her seeing many children in heaven playing happily in a safe and secure environment. Choo Thomas, in her book, Heaven Is So Real, mentioned her seeing thousands upon thousands of [aborted] babies in heaven and how the Lord Jesus Christ communicated to her His anger with the world systems that promote and legalize abortions.

Just for information, here are some of the different viewpoints of infant deaths:

1. Some believe that there is a special place for children [who have not come to the full knowledge of salvation] that have died. They believe that these children are brought to this ‘waiting place’ in view of the final judgment of mankind that will take place in the ‘parousia’ (end times).
2. In the case of “infant death” we need to come to an understanding of God’s sovereignty, His mercy and His grace towards the child. Perhaps the Lord ushers the child into His presence because of His display of compassion for children while He was still on earth.
3. Mark 10:14-16 (New King James Version)
   14 But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. 15 Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.” 16 And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them.
4. Others believe that a child who has not reached ‘the age of accountability’ will make it to heaven at the moment of death. This ‘age of accountability’ is believed to be ‘7 years and above’ although it (age of accountability) may vary from case to case. For an example, a Mongoloid child who dies at an older age, say, at 12 years of age, will still be below the age of accountability by reason of the malformation of his brain. I have known of a Downs’ Syndrome child who died at the age of 25 years, still unable to sit up or to take care of herself, although physically she was a full-grown adult woman! As such she was unable to know what sin is all about and unable to commit those sins, although she was born with ‘original sin.’ (In a sense, even the Bible acknowledges the age, or the years, of a 'child's innocence,' re: Isaiah 7:16 " . . For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good . . .)
5. In 2007, amazing testimonies by 6 Colombian Christian youths who were taken on a ‘tour of hell’ by Jesus, recorded seeing adults and young people (teenagers) being tormented in hell but no children were seen in hell – none of the 6 youths saw any children! From this we can have an idea that children who have died, whether Christian or non-Christian, are spared from the fires of hell. Could they have been ushered straight into the presence of God? We certainly hope so, by the mercies of God.

So therefore, after much consideration on the subject, my personal viewpoint on infant baptism is that only children who have reached the age of understanding, or the age of accountability, should be [meaningfully & purposefully] water-baptized, that is to say, children who are old enough to . . .

1) understand the meaning of salvation through Jesus Christ and,

2) have made their own decision to receive Him into their hearts and lives, followed by,

3) their understanding of the meaning of water-baptism as a church ordinance or as an outward symbol of their inward faith in Jesus.

My church baptizes children like these, who have reached the age of understanding (as far as we can tell outwardly!), from the ages of 9 years upwards. My own three children were baptized at the age of twelve.

Having said this, and hopefully clarified the issue on infant baptism, we still need to deal with the crucial question of the eternal destiny of those children, Christian or otherwise, who die an untimely death before they get baptized.

Last year, for our Pastoral Ministry Course during the 1st Trimester, my Team did a study and research on the funeral of a child, and Sis. K. L., a team-member, contributed an interesting write-up on this subject:

Where have the child gone to? We do not know as the Bible does not have explicit answers to that. What we do know however, is that children are precious in the sight of the Lord. Jesus displayed that pleasure in Mark 9:36-37. He told the disciples and all who were with Him that those who receive the little children in His name is equivalent to receiving Him and the Father. Further, He reprimanded His disciples and told them not to hinder the children from going to Him (Mark 10:13-15). He taught the disciples that the acceptable manner of coming to the Father is like that of the little children because “of such is the kingdom of God”. These words of Jesus during His earthly ministry coupled with the confidence that He is a just and good God whose mercies are new every morning, gives us the assurance that God will take care of their salvation and we can be sure that we will meet them in eternity. This should be a comforting thought for parents whose children die young.

On what basis then can we assume that children who die young, and unbaptized, are assured of a place in heaven?

Strangely, the scriptures are unclear about this issue – the best we can do is to infer from certain scriptures and we can only hope, like Sis. K. L., that what we believe is true, that such children will make it to heaven when they depart this earthly existence. However, we do have testimonies relating to this subject, which can bring comfort to our hearts.

In conclusion, I will include an interesting write-up by Erwin Lutzer on “The Death Of Infants,”[7] which will, hopefully, answer some of our questions.

. . . Recently, my wife and I were eagerly anticipating becoming grandparents, but God had other plans. Our granddaughter, Sarah, was stillborn. We have struggled, along with our daughter and son-in-law, wondering what God’s purpose might be in our disappointment and grief. Yes, I believe that our precious Sarah is in heaven, but we must be clear as to why we believe that she and other children will be there. Contrary to popular opinion, children will not be in heaven because they are innocent. Paul taught clearly that children are born under condemnation of Adam’s sin (Romans 5:12). Indeed, it is because they are born sinners that they experience death. Nor should we make a distinction between children who are baptized and those who are not, as if such a ritual can make one a child of God. The idea of infant baptism arose in North Africa years after the New Testament was written. Even if it can be justified theologically as a sign of the covenant (a debatable proposition), there is no evidence whatever that it can give to children the gift of eternal life. If children are saved (and I believe they shall be), it can only be because God credits their sin to Christ; and because they are too young to believe, the requirements of personal faith is waived. We do not know at what age they are held personally accountable. It is impossible to suggest an age, since that may vary, depending on the child’s capacity and mental development.

There are strong indications that children who die are with the Lord. David lost two sons for whom he grieved deeply. For Absalom, his rebellious son, he wept uncontrollably and refused comfort, for he was uncertain about the young man’s destiny. But when the child born to Bathsheba died, he washed, anointed himself, and came into the house of the Lord to worship. He gave this explanation to those who asked about his behavior: “Now he has died; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me” (2 Samuel 12:23).

Christ saw children as being in close proximity to God and the kingdom of heaven. “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you, that their angels in heaven continually behold the face of My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 18:10). Children are close to the heart of God.

Will a baby always be a baby in heaven? James Vernon McGee has made the interesting suggestion that God will resurrect the infants as they are and that the mothers’ arms that have ached for them will have the opportunity of holding their little ones. The father who never had the opportunity of holding that little hand will be given that privilege. Thus the children will grow up with their parents.

Whether that will be the case, we do not know. But of this we can be confident: A child in heaven will be complete. Either the child will look as he would have if he were fully grown, or else his mental and physical capacities will be enhanced to give him full status among the redeemed. Heaven is not a place for second-class citizens; all handicaps are removed. Heaven is a place of perfection.

The death of an infant, however, causes all of us to struggle with the will and purpose of God. It seems strange that God would grant the gift of life and then cause it to be snuffed out before it could blossom into a stage of usefulness. But we can be sure that there is a purpose in such a life, even if it is not immediately discernible. James Vernon McGee again says that when a shepherd seeks to lead his sheep to better grass up the winding, thorny mountain paths, he often finds that the sheep will not follow him. They fear the unknown ridges and the sharp rocks. The shepherd will then reach into the flock and take a little lamb on one arm and another on his other arm. Then he starts up the precipitous pathway. Soon the two mother sheep begin to follow, and afterward the entire flock. Thus they ascend the tortuous path to greener pastures. So it is with the Good Shepherd. Sometimes He reaches into the flock and takes a lamb to Himself. He uses the experience to lead His people, to lift them to new heights of commitment as they follow the little lamb all the way home.

A little girl died in a hotel where she was staying with her father. Since her mother was already dead, just two followed the body to the cemetery – the father and the minister. The man grieved uncontrollably as he took the key and unlocked the casket to look upon the face of his child one last time. Then he closed the casket and handed the key to the keeper of the cemetery.
On the way back the minister quoted Revelation 1:17-18 to the broken-hearted man. “ ‘Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.’ ”
“You think the key to your little daughter’s casket is in the hands of the keeper of the cemetery,” the minister said. “But the key is in the hands of the Son of God, and He will come some morning and use it.”

Bob Neudorf wrote “To My Baby”:
Is it proper to cry
For a baby too small
For a coffin?
Yes, I think it is.
Does Jesus have
My too-small baby
In His tender arms?
Yes, I think He does.
There is so much I do not know
About you – my child –
He, she? quiet or restless?
Will I recognize
Someone I knew so little about,
Yet loved so much?
Yes, I think I will.
Ah, sweet, small child
Can I say
That loving you is like loving God?
Loving – yet not seeing,
Holding – yet not touching,
Caressing – yet separated by the chasm of time.
No tombstone marks your sojourn,
And only God recorded your name.
The banquet was not canceled,
Just moved. Just moved.
Yet a tear remains
Where baby should have been.

The Alliance Witness,
16 September 1987, 14.
Used by permission.

It is not how long you live but the contribution you make that matters. And yes, these little ones have made their contribution too – they have opened the hearts of their loved ones to the realization that we are all headed home.”

(Lutzer, 1997, 73-76)

[1] Thomas Aquinas, Summa theologica, part 3, supplement, question 69, articles 4-7.

[2] Pieper, Christian Dogmatics, vol. 2, pp. 448-49.

[3] Millard J. Erickson, Christian Theology, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1998), 1101-1102.

[4] AG Tenets of Faith No. 6.

[5] Erickson, Christian Theology, 1023.

[6] Ibid., 1020.

[7] Erwin W.Lutzer, One Minute After You Die: A Preview of Your Final Destination; The Death Of Infants (Chicago: Moody Press, 1997), 73-76.

The Song of the Prodigal Son

My Father’s Heart – Song of the Prodigal

You must have been heart-broken, Father,
The day I walked away from you,
Not caring how you felt,
Despising your hopes for me,
Abandoning your dreams, your plans, your love.

Oh, how you must have wept for me, Father,
The day I chose to go my own way,
Caring only for myself, my wants,
Squandering away your destiny for me,
Wasting your riches, your resources, my inheritance.

Surely your soul must have ached for me, Father,
The day I decided to leave your side,
Forsaking my responsibility as a son,
Thinking I would be better off without you,
Scorning your protection, your guidance, your wisdom.

I know you must have prayed much for me, Father,
Since the day and the hour I left you,
Weeping, pining for your foolish son,
Who had chosen to walk the way of the flesh,
Down the path of sin, wickedness, destruction,

However, by and by I remembered you, my Father,
When the day of loss and shame came,
Living and eating with the swine,
Deep in mud, reaping what I had sown,
Wallowing in poverty, despair, barrenness.


How your heart must have longed for me, my Father,
Day after day, looking down the road,
Yearning to see your long lost son
Walking home, returning to your side,
To your love, your forgiveness, your restoration.

Your heart must have leapt for joy, my Father,
The day I finally came home, defeated,
Ashamed, remorseful, broken;
You ran towards me, took me in your arms,
Kissed me, loved me, welcomed me home.

You did not, would not, give up hope, my Father,
Since the day I broke your heart;
This son who once was lost but now found,
Who was dead but now alive again,
You have forgiven, accepted, wholly restored.

An original composition by Charitos

Dedicated to my Heavenly Father on Father's Day 21st June 2009

Story taken from Luke's Gospel Chapter 15:10-24, KJV

10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.

11 And he said, A certain man had two sons:

12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.

13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.

14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.

15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.

16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.

17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!

18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,

19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.

20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.

21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.

22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:

23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:

24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.

Rescued From Darkness, Delivered From Destruction

Colossians 1:13-14 (KJV)

13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

14 in whom we have redemption, through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.

"He has delivered us…” (KJV) also means, “He has rescued us…” (NIV).

This reminds me of those stories of ‘knights in shining armour' who rescue damsels in distress! However, in this case, the damsel in distress are us sinners. The knight-in-shining armor is none other than our God Who is clothed in light. How awesome!

What exactly were we rescued from?

Answer: we were rescued from 'the dominion of darkness' (NIV), which is translated as, "the power of darkness," in the King James Version.

Oh, wow! Rescued [and set free] from all the evil powers, the principalities, & wicked rulers in the spiritual realm! Just think with me about the immensity of this - we have been delivered from all the works of the enemy of our souls! What a GREAT RESCUE! What a HERO our God is!

Gennelle Tennant’s song, He Rescued Me, paints a vivid picture of the full nature and extent of our divine rescue from sin, death, and destruction:

On the stormy sea of sin I was sinking,

Never to rise again;

The wind and the rain 'round me crashing,

Had battered and torn me within.

But He rescued me,

Jesus rescued me,

From the cold, dark waters of sin's troubled sea;

Oh He rescued me through dark I can see,

Jesus reached down in love and He rescued me.

I could feel death's storm around me as I struggled for my life,

I could see his anger waiting to claim me for his prize;

Then out of desperation I almost lost my mind,

Somehow I cried to Jesus and He saved me just in time.

Looking at context, here Paul was reminding the Colossian Christians where they were coming from, and that is,

1. they were hopelessly lost,


2. were in the kingdom of darkness,


3. were kept in bondage by the powers of darkness,


4. were cast off, or, out-casts,


5. spiritually destitute,


6. without hope and without a future,


7. doomed,


8. destined for eternal damnation,

BUT .....

God Himself had sovereignly intervened and had rescued them and have now conveyed, or transferred, or translated, them, by His grace and His power, into another kingdom, His Kingdom of Light, the Kingdom of His dear Son, the Son he loves, His only begotten Son.

What a marvellous exchange-transfer! What a great ESCAPE. . .!

From death to life,
from darkness to light,
from poverty to riches,
from brokenness to wholeness,
from slaves to sons,
from bondage to freedom,
from guilty and condemned to forgiven,
from doom and gloom to joy and rejoicing!

The Spirit-Filled Life Bible explains v. 13 as, “. . .the idea of salvation rescuing us from the tyranny of darkness. . .It includes rescue from such negatives as danger, death, sickness, and hostile situations in general. . .These rescues include both present deliverances and future, consummated deliverances in the world to come.”

Colossians 1: 14 - 20 (KJV)

14 in whom we have redemption, through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.

15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

16 For by him were all things created: that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were created by him, and for him:

17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell;

20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

This passage describes WHO our RESCUER is and duly accorded to Him the preeminence due to Him. The supremacy of Christ over His creation, His majesty, His glorious beauty, His sovereignty, His all-compassing might and power, is included here in these breath-taking verses of scripture.

Yes, indeed, Jesus the Christ, the Messiah, is the One who have rescued us and set us free.

And, yes, indeed, the Saviour of the world is none other than the Creator of the heavens and the earth Himself. Two thousand years ago the Lord of all the earth came down to earth, personally, to rescue a doomed humanity. No one else would, no one else could, save us. Only One who Loves with an everlasting love is capable of such an act.

This epistle was written to combat the heresies that were threatening to undermine the Christians’ faith in Christ as the only True and Living God, Creator of heaven and earth, the supreme and undisputed Saviour of mankind, Who through His very act of sacrifice for His own creation has been elevated to the position of HEAD of His Church. No human being can take His place of honour and supremacy.

18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.


19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell;

The word “fullness” in v.19 describes “the sum total of divine attributes resident in Christ and to show His unique and uncontested mediatorship,” says the Spirit-Filled Life Bible.

The verses following this passage, verses 21-23, gives us the context.

21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled

22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblamable and unreprovable in his sight —

23 if ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I, Paul, am made a minister.

Sin’s ruinous effects on mankind were removed by the shedding of the blood of ALMIGHTY GOD, Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Triune Godhead.


The Spirit-Filled Life Bible explains that “Because sin takes life, life is required to repay sin’s debts. Jesus Christ gave divine life in blood to satisfy all of mankind’s sin debts and to restore covenant peace between God and man.”

Part of Geoff Bullock’s beautiful song, You Rescued Me, similarly expresses his gratitude (and echoing ours) to the Lord for such a wondrous work of salvation:

You rescued me and picked me up

A living hope, a place revealed

A life transformed in righteousness. . .

Forgiving me, you healed my heart

You set me free from sin and death

You brought me life and made me whole . . .

And you loved me before I knew you

And you knew me for all time

A new creation in your image, Oh Lord,

And you bought me

And you sought me

Your blood poured out for me

A new creation in your image

Oh Lord

You rescued me (6x)

So, what should my response to this be?

Like Paul, and like countless other Christians, I resolve to live for Him Who had loved me so much as to give His own life to rescue me from sin, and from its disastrous consequences. To live for Him requires a commitment to surrender my all to Him, a commitment to be faithful to the end. He deserves nothing less from me. Truly, the Lord Jesus Christ had saved me from a meaningless existence. Without Him I am nothing and apart from Him I can do nothing!


The magnitude of what Christ had done on Calvary can never be equaled.

I owe my very life to Him. 'Tis a debt which I can never repay.

May my life be a living sacrifice, offered to Him as worship and praise to my Saviour and Lord who had demonstrated His love to me in such an amazing way.

Words alone cannot express my gratitude, so action has to follow. Action does speak louder than words. I, too, am indebted to the gospel.

". . . This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant."

(Colossians 1:23, NIV)

Of Mothers And Children

I received this delightful Mother's Day prose (in my e-mail), just the thing to remind me of the joy of motherhood:

Before I was a Mom,

I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.

I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.

I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom,

I had never been puked on.

Pooped on.

Chewed on.

Peed on.

I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts [I think!].

I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom,

I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests.

Or give shots.

I never looked into teary eyes and cried.

I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.

I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom,

I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put her down.

I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.

I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.

I never knew that I could love someone so much.

I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom,

I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body..

I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.

I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.

I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom,

I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.

I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.

I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom ...

Ah yes, lovely mushy sentiments. Stuff that we can get misty-eyed over. How absolutely wonderful to love the children God has given us. How easy to love your own child, to hold that beautiful, adorable baby in your arms & croon over her/him.

Thank you, Lord, for the gift of children.

"3 Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.

4 As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.

5 Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate."

(Psalm 127: 3-5, KJV)


Thank you, Lord, for the joy of being a mother. Help mothers all over the world to enjoy their children and treasure them as gifts from You.

Help those children who are suffering in poverty, that they may not lack the basic amenities in life, that they may have the love of caring parents, the luxury of a warm bed at night, food on the table, ample opportunities to be educated, safety from danger, shelter from the elements, and protection from evil people who may seek to exploit them!

In Jesus' Name, I humbly pray. Amen.

"The life of a child is like a piece of paper on which every person leaves a mark." (Chinese proverb)

Jesus Is Indeed The Messiah

An adaptation of a paper which I did for my Final Exam last year, 2008, in Christology & Soteriology, in answer to the question posed below:

According to Acts 5:42, “Jesus is the Christ” is the good news of the New Testament church. Explain why, for the Jews especially, that should have been good news?


New Testament Christology is developed from Old Testament Messianology. “Christ” comes from the Greek word, christos, which means “anointing,” meaning “rub/massage.”

From the religious perspective, christos means,

1) consecration for sacred purpose,

2) bestowal of divine favour,

3) appointment to special function/purpose, and

4) associated with outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

Christos is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word for “Messiah.”

A look at the Old Testament understanding of Messiah and its historical development will help us to have a better grasp of how Old Testament Messianology became New Testament Christology today.

The three anointed offices in Old Testament Messianology are the offices of priest, prophet and king.


Israel was chosen as a special “people,” a people who worshipped only one God, had no idols and no earthly king, for Jehovah Himself was their King. As a theocratic nation, Israel had high moral values, with the Laws of Moses as their national and federal ‘Constitution.’

The first anointed office in Old Testament Messianology
Israel was also a "priestly" nation, whose priestly office mediates between God and nation, a divinely-appointed cultic office. Their priestly Levites, were a tribe out of the twelve tribes, specially set apart to administer the priestly office and they were anointed for the job, complete with an elaborate anointing ceremony to indicate the importance of the role of priests.

When Israel gave up theocracy for monarchy, priests came under palace patronage, and the offices of priests and kings were to be separate. The priests of Israel became political and corrupt, until the priesthood was replaced by Zadokite priests (Ezek 44:5-16). Priests became political during the Maccabean period.

The second anointed office in the Old Testament Messianology was the office of the prophet, who, too, was anointed.

Moses was the archetype (Deut. 34:10) of the Prophet of God who gave direction and provided leadership to the children of Israel. Originally, prophets were outside of the Jewish religious structure, e.g., Elijah and Elisha.


The rise of the prophetic office during the days of the divided Kingdom coincided with the corruption of the priests and kings. This rise of prophets began in the Northern Kingdom, probably because of the “loss” of the cultic system of Levitic priesthood. Later, prophets became palace prophets or court advisors, becoming “international” (i.e. their prophecies were directed to the nations) after the Captivity.


The third anointed office in Old Testament Messianology was the kingly office.

The anointing of kings, which began with King Saul, became part of the coronation ceremony, and the Israelite monarchy slowly changed from charismatic to dynastic.

The Davidic Covenant (2 Sam.7) is of great significance to the Jews.

When the Davidic dynasty lost all hope of earthly restoration (2 Kgs 25), messianic hope became spiritualized (e.g. Messianic Psalms).

The “Son of Man” figure prophesied in Dan 7:13-14 was known and understood by the Jews as the figure of the Messiah that is to come, who would one day restore the Kingdom to Israel.

When priests (religious) and kings (civil) fall, it was the failure of the establishment.

The Captivity destroyed establishment and validated prophets. Prophets were anti-establishment.

After Judah returned from captivity, Zerubbabel (governor) and Joshua (high priest) represents another effort at restoring the religious and civil leaderships.

Now, more than ever before, the people of Judah needed prophetic affirmation, someone to speak ‘the word of the Lord’ to them, to guide them and to help them pick up the fragments of their lives after the return from the Captivity.

The prophetic message gave hope, but it became reinterpreted spiritually after the many years in Captivity.

The Captivity also “cured” them from idolatory permanently.

Perhaps Judaism began to take root during this period of Jewish history. However, the priests and kings fell again in the Maccabean period.

Their last prophet was Malachi.
After Malachi the nation was plunged into a 400-years period of ‘divine silence’ – no word from the Lord, no prophets were sent to speak to them. The people were like ‘suspended’ in a state of ‘spiritual famine’ with no ‘word from the Lord’ for 4 centuries – even their priests and kings had failed them.

Where is the God of Israel? Has He abandoned His people? Where is the promised Messiah?

Thus it was when John the Baptist finally appeared on the scene 400 years later, a ripple of excitement began to stir the people, a ripple which soon became waves – John was behaving much like the prophet Elijah, and indeed even looked like him, clothed with ‘camel’s hair’ (Mark 1:6)!


Old Testament prophecies were being fulfilled right before their very eyes (Malachi 4:5-6)! No wonder ‘all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem’ (Mark 1:5) flocked to see John the Baptist, to listen to him speak ‘the word of the Lord’ – their spiritual famine has at last ended! There is hope now for Israel!


And what was ‘the word of the Lord’ from John the Baptist?

Strangely enough, it was about the coming of their LONGED-FOR Messiah: “And preached, saying, there cometh one mightier than I after me, . . .” (Mark 1:7).

Should not the Jews be happy with this news?
Some were.

In Old Testament Messianology, the combined leadership office takes shape, combining the three anointed offices of Prophet, Priest and King in the Person of the coming Messiah.

The Messiah or ‘Anointed One’ became a national political and religious hope for the Jewish people. In this eschatological ‘Son of Man,’ who will hold all the offices of Prophet, Priest and King, they will see all the prophecies of their sacred scriptures fulfilled.

In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus’ favourite designation for Himself was ‘Son of Man.’ Fourteen times Jesus referred to Himself as the Son of Man, and this in a book containing only 16 chapters.

Could they not see this truth then?
Two did.


Peter’s confession of Jesus as “the Christ, the Son of the Living God” (Matthew 16:16) became the bedrock of the Church (Matthew 16:18-19).

However, we have to take note that Andrew's confession was even earlier than Peter's:

"Of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ." (John 1:40-41)


Old Testament Messianology has become New Testament Christology!
Glory to God!


The Gospel of Matthew pictures Christ as the fulfillment of Old Testament Messianic hopes.

Matthew was written especially to the Jews, to help them to see that the Messiah has indeed come, according to scripture!

Various Old Testament prophecies quoted by Matthew clearly pointed at Jesus as the Messiah: 1:22-23; 2:3-6, 13-15, 16-18, 23; 3:1-3, 15; 4:14-16; 8:16-17; 12:15-21, 39-41; 13:13-14, 34-35; 15:7-9; 17:9-13; 21:4-5, 12-13; 22:41-46; 23:34-39; 26:31-32, 53-56; 27: 3-10, 34-35.

Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of the Old Testament is also seen in the kerygma of the early church (Acts 2, 7).

The ‘Messianic secret,’[1] recorded in Matthew 16:20, “Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ,” was to tell the Jewish people, point-blank, as it were, that they need look no further for their Messiah, for their eschatological ‘Son of Man’ can be found in the Person of Jesus Christ.

The Jewish religious leaders could not see that Jesus was the ‘Suffering Messiah’ of the Old Testament scriptures (cf. Isaiah 53), and in their spiritual blindness they rejected the only Person who could save them. Sadly today, most Jews are still in a state of denial and have rejected Jesus as their Messiah.

Jews who have accepted Jesus as their Messiah are referred to as Messianic Jews.

In conclusion, in order to understand the Jewish mindset with regards to Jesus as the Messiah, here are some interesting comments made by a devout Jewess, who named herself Paperback, on ‘Yahoo Answers’ in response to a question, “What is the main difference between Jews and Christians ?”:

"Jews know that Jesus could not have been the messiah described in the Tanakh (old testament). We have extremely specific guidelines on how to recognise the real messiah; he/she must fulfill certain things, such as peace on earth. Clearly Jesus did not do this. Christians believe Jesus was the messiah. They insist that he is mentioned in the Tanakh but to support this, they use wrongly translated Hebrew.
Jews do not believe that G-d ever takes human form. Christians believe that G-d can and did do just this.
Jews believe that everyone, of any religion, gets to heaven, if they lead a moral life here on earth. Christians believe that everyone who doesn't accept Jesus, no matter how moral they are, will burn in eternal hell. . . .
. . . . Jews are not allowed to try and convert others to Judaism. It is forbidden. We do accept converts but they must approach a Rabbi; we are not permitted to try and persuade them. Christians are allowed to try and convert others. They can and do try and convince others that their way is the only 'true' way.
Jews do not believe that one person can take on the sins of another. We are all responsible for our own behaviour and if we wrong someone, we must make it up to them directly. Christians believe that Jesus died for everyone's sins. . . .
. . . .As Jews we read the Tanakh, or 'old' testament. We do not follow the new testament at all. Remember that the new testament was written after the Romans killed Jesus, and by people who never met Jesus. Jesus died a practising Jew. He never renounced Judaism.
There are no such thing as 'jewish christians' nor 'messianic jews'. They are Christians and should be honest about their beliefs and religion. A person CANNOT be Jewish and Christian. The two faiths are mutually exclusive and entirely contradictory. Jewish religious law alone can define who is Jewish. Once someone embraces another religion, and especially if they accept Jesus as messiah, then that person is no longer a Jew, but an apostate." (Yahoo Answers, 2007)

Certainly, there is none so blind as he/she who refuses to see [the truth]!

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6)

My sources:
Lesson notes
The Holy Bible (all quotations from KJV)
My Term Paper on ‘Mark’s Christology’ (BCM Third Trimester, 2003)
Yahoo Answers
[1] Messianic Secret Theory by Wilhem Wrede.