Download Ada’s Ep Vol 1] Ada – Ada’s Ep Vol 1

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Download Ada’s Ep Vol 1] Ada – Ada’s Ep Vol 1

Veteran gospel music songstress, Ada Introduces the intro to the ADA’s EP series with the release of Vol 1.
The project is a 5 track project with production credits to Johnny Drille, D Plus, Wilz and MayoMusiq. 
Download for free below

Two things we need to know about Grace.

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Economists say, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch.” Nothing in this world comes for free. Even when we don’t pay and a friend picks up our meal, someone is still paying for it. 
Grace works the same way. Now, before you say that I’m wrong because grace is free, don’t forget that grace was not free. It was costly. It cost God His son, and it cost Jesus His life.

You Can’t Earn What Is Free

What does that mean for us? It means we can’t earn our salvation or buy God’s favor. Jesus paid the penalty for our sin (Ephesians 1:7). Paul tells a church in Ephesus, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8). 
Salvation comes by grace through faith. It is not earned through attending church, memorizing your Bible, or avoiding alcohol. No amount of good works will earn God’s favor. God can’t love you any more than He already does. He loves us fully and completely. If we miss this, we’ll spend our entire lives trying to earn something we already have — like that person who searches for their glasses that already sit on top of their head. Instead of joyfully serving such a gracious God, we’ll find ourselves slaves to fear and doubt, spending our time trying to grasp and maintain God’s approval.

Grace Never Runs Away

Sometimes grace is hardest when we’ve messed up big time. When we sin and feel rightful regret because we have hurt the God we love, we want to earn His love back. Like a husband bringing home flowers for his wife to reconcile after a fight, we want to bring God something, anything, that will make us feel worthy of His love again. There is nothing we can bring God to change His disposition toward us. It is not your behavior that merits grace; it’s faith. C. S. Lewis wrote, “The Christian does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us.”
Maybe a free lunch and free grace do not exist, but because of God’s great love, He picked up your tab. And through faith, you have been lavished with free grace (Ephesians 1:8).

Download Album] Frank Edwards – Born In July (Full Album)

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Full Album] Frank Edwards – Born In July

The Rock town boss and the award winning gospel minister “Frank Edwards released the 8th track EP titled “Born In July” in remembrance of his birthday.
Frank Ugochukwu Edwards (born July 22, 1990), popularly known as Frank Edwards is a Nigerian Gospel minister, songwriter, producer. He’s the Boss at Rocktown Record Label. Frank Edwards is from Enugun, Nigeria.
This 8tracks released, is on all digital for downloading and streaming.
See tracklist below: Note all songs are linked from Zionstars blog
  1. Download Arrival
  2. Download Mojubare
  3. Download Joy
  4. Download Glad you did
  5. Download Loving the way (ft. Ada)
  6. Download Rhythm of Life
  7. Download Logo
  8. Download Champion
Get all the songs and remain bless:
Get connected with frank
www.zionstars.comfrankrichboy

Does Grace still Amaze You?

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Years ago, I spoke at a large event where the vocalist sang one of my favorite songs, “Amazing Grace.” But I was taken aback when I heard the first line: “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a soul like me.” The wordsoul was substituted for the wordwretch. Why? Because the wordwretch is considered by some to be demeaning to human beings.
I couldn’t help but think of John Newton, the writer of the song. He was an immoral slave trader and blasphemer — a man who knew he was a wretch and who had wept over the depth of his sins. Only because he understood that fact so profoundly could he then understand why God’s grace to him was so utterly amazing. And hence the immortal song he bequeathed to all of us.
Grace doesn’t minimize or ignore the awful reality of our sin. Grace emphasizes the depths of sin by virtue of the unthinkable price paid to redeem us from it. Paul said if men were good enough, “then Christ died for no purpose” (Galatians 2:21). If we don’t come to grips with the hideous reality of our own sin, God’s grace won’t ever seem amazing.

His Call to Sinners

God’s word tells us that Christ died for utterly unworthy people (Romans 5:7–8). The fact that he died for us is never given in Scripture as a proof of our value as wonderful people. Rather, it is a demonstration of his unfathomable and unearned love. So unfathomable that he would die for rotten people, wretches like you and me, to free us from our sin.
Because grace is so incomprehensible to us, we instinctively smuggle in conditions so we won’t look so bad and God’s offer won’t seem so counterintuitive. By the time we’re done qualifying the gospel, we’re no longer unworthy and powerless. We’re no longer wretches. And grace is no longer grace.
The worst thing we can teach people is that they’re good without Jesus. The truth is, God doesn’t offer grace to good people, any more than doctors offer lifesaving surgery to healthy people. Jesus said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:31–32).
Our Lord also said, “To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment” (Revelation 21:6). Without cost to us, but at unimaginable cost to himself — a cost that will be visible for eternity as we behold his nail-scarred hands and feet (John 20:24–29). Bonhoeffer was right: grace is free, but it is not cheap.

Life-Changing Grace

You and I weren’t merely sick in our sins; we were dead in our sins (Ephesians 2:1). That means I’m not just unworthy of salvation; I’m utterly incapable of earning it. Corpses can’t raise themselves from the grave. What a relief to realize that my salvation is completely the result of God’s grace. It cannot be earned by good works.
True grace recognizes and deals with sin in the most radical and painful way: Christ’s redemption. There’s only one requirement for enjoying God’s grace: being broken and knowing it. That’s why Jesus said, “Happy are those who know they are spiritually poor; the Kingdom of heaven belongs to them!” (Matthew 5:3, GNT)
Our justification by faith in Christ satisfies the demands of God’s holiness by exchanging our sins for Christ’s righteousness (Romans 3:21–26). When Jesus saves us, we become new creatures in him (2 Corinthians 5:17). Now we can draw upon God’s power to overcome evil. We start seeing sin for what it really is: bondage, not freedom.
The old summary is correct: God’s children have been saved from the penalty of sin, we are being savedfrom the power of sin, and we will be saved from the presence of sin. Justification, sanctification, and glorification are all grounded solidly in exactly the same place: God’s grace.

God’s Grace Hunts Sin

The grace of Jesus isn’t an add-on or makeover that enhances our lives. It causes a radical transformation — from being sin-enslaved to being righteousness-liberated. Paul writes of the life-transforming and sin-overcoming power of grace: “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives” (Titus 2:11–12).
Don’t ever tell yourself you may as well go ahead and sin since God will forgive you. This cheapens grace. Grace that trivializes sin is not true grace. Paul makes that clear: “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” (Romans 6:1–2).
John Piper says, “Grace is not simply leniency when we have sinned. Grace is the enabling gift of God not to sin. Grace is power, not just pardon.” So while God forgives when we sincerely confess (1 John 1:9), we prove that sincerity by taking necessary steps to avoid temptation. As Jesus said, “You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act” (Matthew 7:16, NLT).
No sin is small that crucified Christ. Sin matters, yet grace has power over sin, offering not only forgiveness but also transformed character (Galatians 5:22–23). Every sin pales in comparison to God’s grace to us in Christ (Romans 5:20–21).

Proclaiming God’s Offer of Grace

There is one sense in which God’s grace is unconditional — we don’t deserve it. Yet in his kindness he offers it to us. But in another sense it is conditional, in that in order to receive it we must repent, ask forgiveness, and place our faith in him. This is a paradox — an apparent (but not actual) contradiction. If we see God as the one who does the work of convicting us and drawing us to repentance, this helps. We did not merit salvation.
But even if we fail to understand this paradox of conditional and unconditional grace, I think God calls upon us to believe it and live in it. Sinclair Ferguson says, “The spiritual life is lived between two polarities: our sin and God’s grace. The discovery of the former brings us to seek the latter; the work of the latter illuminates the depths of the former and causes us to seek yet more grace.”
When we’re acutely aware of our own sins, we’ll proclaim and exemplify God’s “good news of happiness” (Isaiah 52:7). We’ll do so not with a spirit of superiority but with the contagious excitement of a sinner saved by grace — one person rescued from starvation sharing bountiful food and drink with others. We’ll face each day and each person we see with humility, knowing that we too still desperately need God’s grace — every bit as much as those we’re offering it to.

Why God Requires our faith.

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GOD’S FIRST COMMANDMENT: BELIEVE ME!

When God created Adam and Eve (the first parents of the human race), He placed them in the Garden of Eden. In that garden there was a special tree that God had created; the ‘Tree of the Knowledge of Right and Wrong’. God summed up the entire issue of morality by giving Adam and Eve one commandment to live by:

Of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it: for in the day that you eat thereof you shall surely die.

Genesis 2:17
    GOD’S COMMANDMENT WASSIMPLE: There was only oneLaw, not many.

    GOD’S COMMANDMENT WASEASY: It was a commandmentnot to do something. No effort was required.

    GOD’S COMMANDMENT WASCLEAR: God was indicating that righteousness cannot be achieved through learning the difference between right and wrong. To learn right from wrong would be a sin worthy of death. The way of righteousness would be to simply believe God; taking Him at His word and obeying His commandment concerning the forbidden fruit.

Throughout the Bible ‘believing God’ is also referred to as ‘faith in God’.

FAITH = ACKNOWLEDGING GOD

God presented a perfectly logical idea to Adam and Eve; that a knowledge of right and wrong would enable them to achieve righteousness. It makes sense, doesn’t it? How can a person do what is right if he does not know the difference between right and wrong? And God knows the difference between right and wrong, doesn’t He? And look at how holy God is! But God told Adam and Eve that learning right and wrong would be a sin worthy of death. He asked them to ignore ‘logic’ and take Him at His word; to simply trust Him.
Why would God do that? Why would He command Adam and Eve to act contrary to their own intelligence? Because God’s commandment represented the question of whether or not Adam and Eve would acknowledge Him, and His infinitely greater wisdom as the Creator of the universe. Adam and Eve were being asked to acknowledge the profound difference between God and ourselves; that the smartest of human beings are mere children in comparison to the One who created us. They were being asked to acknowledge that, no matter what might seem to make sense to us, if God says something different, then we are always smarter to trust Him rather than anything or anyone else.
Adam and Eve’s choice was simple; when challenged with the most important decisions of life, would they lean upon their own understanding, or would they acknowledge God’s glory and depend upon Him? In both the Old Testament and the New, God’s relationship with mankind is frequently compared to that between sheep and a shepherd. God wants us to acknowledge that in comparison to Him, we as human beings truly are ‘sheep’. We need the guidance and protection of our Divine Shepherd. Sheep who wander off often come to tragic ends; those who stay close to their master enjoy safety.

Man does not live by bread only, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.

Deuteronomy 8:3, Matthew 4:4

Know that the Lord, He is God. It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves. We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Psalm 100:3

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

Proverbs 3:5-6

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Isaiah 55:8-9

For you were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

1 Peter 2:25
I would ask my reader to bear with a personal story. Many years ago I was a public employee, working for my local county road commission. Some of the men who worked there had other careers on the side, doing construction and other things after work. Sometimes my co-workers would laughingly tease each other, saying ‘Man, if I had your money, I would burn mine!’ In other words they were saying that the other guy was so rich that, if they could have his money, they would throw their own money away.
Although this idea is silly, but it conveys the point that I am trying to make here. God’s wisdom is so much greater than ours, that if confronted with a choice between His wisdom or ours, every one of us would be well-advised to take His and ‘burn’ our own. This is what the forbidden Tree in Eden represented; the question of whether or not we would acknowledge God, and how much wiser He is than we are. When God’s wisdom is properly appreciated, it can rightly be said that it is He alone who really has any wisdom at all:

Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

1 Timothy 1:17

To the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and for ever. Amen.

Jude 1:25
It was not that God wanted mankind to be ignorant. He did not forbid Adam and Eve to build computers, split the atom or map human DNA. In fact, God commanded Adam and Eve to subdue the earth and rule over it. God loves human intelligence, industry and creativity. It was He who made us this way, and put these traits within us.
It is true that many professing Christians give people the impression that Christianity is a religion of ignorance and superstition, but this is not true. God does, however, require us to acknowledge that ultimately, when confronted with a choice between knowledge or simply believing Him, the truly intelligent person will always trust God above all else.

FAITH = OBEYING THE LAW

Roughly 3500 years ago, long after the days of Adam and Eve, God gave 10 commandments to the world through the prophet Moses (Exodus chapter 20). These 10 commandments sum up God’s moral requirements; what we must do if we would be blessed by Him and receive eternal life. These commandments are sometimes referred to as the ‘Decalogue’ (10 sayings).
The 10 commandments are divided into two sections. The first five address the ‘vertical’ relationship between ourselves and God (and our parents).


MOSES’ FIRST FIVE COMMANDMENTS

LOVE GOD


The second five address our ‘horizontal’ relationships with our fellow man.


MOSES’ SECOND FIVE COMMANDMENTS

LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR


When God gave His one commandment to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, it represented the first five of the 10 commandments:

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.

Deuteronomy 6:5, Matthew 22:37
The forbidden fruit represented the question of whether or not Adam and Eve were willing to acknowledge and give glory to God. It represented the question of whether or not they were willing to recognize:
    1) The infinite wisdom of God.
    2) The righteousness and trustworthiness of God.
    3) The goodness, kindness and love of God.
    4) The infinite power of God.

WHAT WAS GOD’S PLAN?

OK, so faith is a right attitude toward God, and a summation of the first five of Moses’ 10 commandments. But what about Adam’s everyday relationships with other people? How would Adam obey God’s commandment to love his fellow man?
God’s plan was simple. As Adam fulfilled the ‘primary righteousness’ of believing God, God was going to enter Adam’s body through the Holy Spirit and live inside him. The love, kindness, goodness and compassion of God Himself would flow out of Adam’s heart. If Adam was willing to acknowledge and glorify God, God’s intention was to share His glory with Adam.
This is still God’s plan today. God wants to share His own nature with us. He wants us to truly know what it is like to be God.

“Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit” says the Lord of hosts.

Zechariah 4:6

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the Law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin; He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Romans 8:1-4

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are sons of God.

Romans 8:14

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

Galatians 5:22-23

Wherefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.

Philippians 2:12-13

To whom God would make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Colossians 1:27

Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

2 Peter 1:4
Righteousness belongs to God alone. It is a supernatural trait. For instance, the ability to love our enemies is supernatural; we are not capable of it. But we can experience this divine righteousness if we are willing to provide the ‘primary’ righteousness of believing and obeying our Creator.

LOVE FOR GOD MUST COME FIRST

A proper attitude toward God is the foundation of all other righteousness. When our hearts are right toward Him, they are ‘tuned’ to relate properly with our fellow man as well. It is impossible to love our fellow man if we do not love God first. The logic of this is straightforward.
Suppose a thief commits murder during a bank robbery, killing a bank employee. Do you suppose that he will be concerned about running stop signs during his getaway? Of course not. If he has committed the greater crime, he will have no regard for lesser laws. The same thing applies to mankind. If we are willing to despise our Creator and even to declare war against Him, how can we love lesser beings who are mere creations? It is impossible to truly value a human being, if we are unwilling to value God.
The apostle Paul explained how all of man’s wickedness toward our fellow man flows out of our first and greater crime of disrespect for God:

And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting. Being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and evil-mindedness. They are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful. Who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.

Romans 1:28-32
King David also recognized this connection between how we view God, and how we treat our fellow man, confessing that his adultery and murder had their roots in his opposition to God:

Against You (God), You only, have I sinned and done this evil in Your sight.

Psalm 51:4
This connection, between faith in God and obedience to God’s entire Law, is seen in God’s two-part description of Abraham’s character. First God acknowledged the righteousness of Abraham’s faith, and then acknowledged Abraham’s fulfillment of His other laws:

Abraham believed in the Lord, and He counted it to him for righteousness.

Genesis 15:6

Abraham obeyed My voice, and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes and My laws.

Genesis 26:5
To believe God is to be pure in heart. When we repent of our unwillingness to acknowledge and glorify our Creator, forgiveness and reconciliation with Him become possible for us through His grace. The Lord Jesus referred to this in His sermon on the mount:

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Matthew 5:8
The apostle Peter also pointed to the ‘heart-purifying’ nature of faith. In explaining to his fellow Jews why he declared the gospel of Jesus Christ to ‘unclean Gentiles’, Peter said…

So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them (the Gentiles) by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us (Jews); and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.

Acts 15:8-9
Faith (believing God) represents obedience to the first and greatest commandment. And where genuine faith is found, love for our fellow man and fulfillment of the rest of God’s commandments will be certain to follow. This connection between faith and love is also found in the book of Revelation, where believing the Gospel and keeping God’s commandments go hand in hand:

And the dragon (Satan) was angry with the woman (Israel), and went to make war with the remnant of her seed (Christians), which keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

When Jesus says ‘I Love You’

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Often, those who have injured us the most have been love’s greatest spokesmen.
The unfaithful husband sang, “My bride, my jewel, I love you!” — only to kiss her cheek and depart to his mistress’s bed. A seemingly faithful friend swore, “Brother, I love you!” — only to leave the dagger in your back after his embrace. The co-dependent mother muttered, “It’s only because I love you my child!” as she devoured him like a black widow.
So we may conclude that talk is cheap. The inflation of pretty words and Hallmark sentiments bankrupt the three little words that should be most precious: I love you. In the midst of profuse pleasantries and sweet nothings, how can we — as a friend asked me the other day — trust these words when they come from our Savior’s lips?

A Love from Greater Heights

The answer I wish I had ready for my friend is this: Jesus professes his love from greater heights. Your Romeo may have sung up to you in your tower only to leave the next morning. Your father may have professed his love to you as he tucked you into bed, only to back down the driveway and never return. Your companion may have strode side-by-side with you, laughing with what seemed to be love’s affection, only to travel on and leave you behind. But Jesus does not proclaim his love from below your castle, beside your bed, or while walking alongside you. He declares it from above:

The Savior who loves you says so from above you,
From high on a hill and hung up on a tree.
The Savior who loves you cries so from above you,
His blood paints a picture of love you can see.

Jesus did not whisper he loves you over a candle-lit dinner. He did not tell you he loves you in a penthouse suite. He did not send a card and flowers from heaven. He did not write you a poem in the clouds. He came down to be crucified. He says that he loves you as your sin hammers nails through his hands and hangs him up on a cross. He did not simply say that he loved you, he died to display that he loved you in the most powerful way imaginable: “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
So how can you know that Jesus really loves you? How can you really believe that his love will not leave like others who abandoned you? Look to the place where God manifests his love for sinners. Each wound, each affliction, each nail flashes love’s lightning. Every thorn endured in his brow, every claw withstood on his back, every tolerated mock to his misery thunders behind his words of love. He did not give us a red rose; he spilled his crimson blood to prove his profession.

Where He Proved His Love

Don’t let experience steal your great Ruby. Do not let sinners, who vampired love of its blood, keep you from Jesus’s love evidenced by his blood. Jesus is not your ex-boyfriend. He is not your absent mother or abusive father. He is not Judas Iscariot — who came as a friend but kissed as an enemy. Jesus is not like them — nor is he like us. He received the betrayer’s kiss — our kiss — and embraced those cursed nails — our nails.
And he suffered more than nails. He was forsaken by his Father as he bore our sin. He cried out from the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). Mere men could not inflict this pain. Bring on a thousand bloody crosses before this. Bring on ten thousand thorny crowns and scourging whips before this. Jesus, forsaken by the world, forsaken by his people, forsaken by his disciples, is now forsaken by his Father.
Now consider: Did he writhe in agony on a cross, lay down his life, drink your cup of judgment just to abandon you later like sinners have done in your past? Did he cross the desert of wrath, slay the great dragon, and win his bride, with intentions to eventually divorce her?

Oh How He Loves

We dishonor him by looking at the cross and seeing an unfaithful human love. Others may have abandoned you; he did not. Others may have broken promises; he does not. Others’ love expired or were broken in death; his will not.
Lost soul, return home to God’s love. Beloved saint, warm yourself by the flames of this love.
The Savior built an everlasting memorial of love in his death atop a hill. From these heights, he proved his trustworthiness. He exalted his word of love by lifting up his mangled body. His word stands as far beyond questioning as his body now stands beyond the reach of Roman spears.
He is infinitely trustworthy — even with our love.

An Open Letter

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Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.
Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”
– Jesus in Matthew 7:13-14 (NKJV)
An Open Letter to Those Who Want a Relationship With God

Dear Beloved,

I hope this letter finds you well, and with a curiosity about knowing God. I’m not talking about religion as a hypocritical afterthought (as we too often see it today), for that is not of God. I’m talking about having a relationship with God. If you’re interested, please keep reading, and if you’re not, then please accept my apology for any inconvenience this letter might have caused you.

As very brief testimony, I can tell you that in years past, I personally ruined my life in sin and lost almost every single thing of Real Value I ever had. I am very much a Prodigal son who suffered greatly from the prison of pride and pain I had put myself in. But the Lord pulled me through and helped put all the broken pieces back together, refining me by His Word, His Spirit, and fire, all out of Love for me (as He Loves you too !). It was as though the Lord found a weary, scarred, and hungry dog amidst His trash, and was kind enough to take him in and heal him. So at this point, I am happy to say I’m a very loyal pup at my Father’s feet, and that’s where I will stay. But I’m wagging my tail that you’ve come to visit. 🙂

For anyone who is truly sincere about knowing God in a wonderful relationship and Walking with Him always, it’s really very simple. There are only two steps:

(1) knowing what Jesus teaches
(2) putting what Jesus teaches into practice.

And if you’re just starting out, don’t worry ! You know all those people who call themselves “Christian” and say “Lord, Lord”, even for many years, but somehow don’t seem very Christ-like to you as they continue to do the same things everyone else in the world does ? Let me tell you, they might know who God and Jesus are, and might even be able to recite some Scripture. But guess what ? The devil himself, Satan, knows who God and Jesus are, and how to recite Scripture better than anyone. And just like the vast majority of self-declared “Christians”, Satan doesn’t do what Jesus teaches either. This is why Jesus tells us clearly that no one like that will enter God’s Kingdom. But again, don’t worry, there are still a few True Christians left ! For you, just pray to God with a sincere heart and ask for the Holy Spirit to guide you as you follow the two steps above.

And if you don’t have a church yet, all the better. Just use God’s Word, the Bible, for now, and you’ll be fine. Frankly, a person should only go through the process of choosing a fellowship group after learning the Truth from Jesus. You see, many churches, as hard as it is to believe, don’t actually teach what Jesus does. Sure, they’ll pay lip service to Him, but in practice, their hearts are far from Him as they push their own denomination’s agenda and adulterating doctrines, covering it all with a veneer of false love. They avoid the fact that True Love actually contains the Truth, and that means teaching in completeness all that Jesus does.

Truly, according to the Bible, if we follow Jesus there would be no Sunday worship or even denominations at all. Each of those was formed later by the earthly motives of men, not the Word of God. God’s only Sabbath rest in the Bible – for ANY of us – is Friday evening through Saturday evening (just when we need rest !), and the only Christian church in His Word is the Original one formed by the Apostles and disciples after Christ’s crucifixion and ascension to Heaven, having no denomination at all. It was simply just Christian, based on God’s Word, and was modeled after Jesus’ earthly Ministry, with His Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) to teach all He taught.

Again, don’t worry about these things right now… with the help of the Holy Spirit’s guidance as you learn from Jesus, you’ll be able to discern the Truth from lies, and eventually find a fellowship group that suits you.

With that, here we go…

Step (1) – Knowing What Jesus Teaches:

There is no other way to know Jesus, and therefore His Father, God, except to read Jesus’ teachings in the Four Gospels – the Books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in the Bible – a few chapters a week, each and every week. If we will not give God that much time, it shows our heart to Him, and what our priorities are. But if we do give God that time, which isn’t much, then He will show His Heart to us !

So start in Matthew, a few chapters this week, a few the next, and so on. Then onto Mark. Then through Luke. Then through John. Then start over in Matthew. A few chapters a week on endless reel… for life. There is simply no better way to be continually well-fed by the Bread of Life. After all, if we make Jesus’ teachings second nature to ourselves, it becomes very easy to know God. God certainly does not prevent us from knowing Him, does He ? Yet it is only those who truly want to know Him who will take the very simple steps to do so.

And while the Ten Commandments are contained in the Four Gospels, as Jesus teaches us to keep them and expands upon them for us and lives them out by example, I can tell you that it’s helpful for someone new to God’s Word to also have a copy of the Commandments in their “list” form, from Exodus 20 or Deuteronomy 5.

Regarding the Ten Commandments, Jesus teaches the importance of knowing both theLetter and the Heart of them, for the Heartexpands the Letter to its full meaning, thereby revealing God’s Standard of Righteousness. For example, do not murder (the Letter of the Sixth Commandment) also means do not keep anger or ill will toward anyone (the Heart of the Sixth Commandment). In the same way, no adultery also means no lust or divorce. Not using the Lord’s name in vain also means not speaking His name lightly or frivolously. Not stealing also means not robbing God (we shall be freely generous with the resources God freely gives us, by tithes and offerings to share God’s Word and help others in need). Not coveting also means not participating in the many inwardly and outwardly destructive behaviors that stem from using this world’s superficial and wrongful measures to define ourselves (instead of pride, selfishness, vanity, and comparison driving a desire for approval, riches, status, power, or other exaltation, we shall be content with God’s providence and His measure of us only). And so on. (I won’t give them all away here; it’s up to you with the Holy Spirit, as you go through Jesus’ teachings, to learn the Letter and Heart of all the Ten Commandments, to see how they include every aspect of human behavior.)

Now, as we read the Gospels, we might first notice how Jesus heals many people. Then, we might take in His message of Faith, repentance, forgiveness of others, and bearing good fruit – all critical to our Salvation. And over time, as our eyes adjust to see even more, it comes into focus that Jesus’ teachings also directly relate to and expound on the Commandments… the very things about which Faith, repentance, forgiveness of others, and bearing good fruit revolve ! This is because God and Jesus want us to be healed as well.

Jesus not only teaches us to keep the Commandments (“Good teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life ?”), He also ties the keeping of the Two Most Important Commandments (Love for God and others) to the keeping of the Ten Commandments (Truth). (See Matthew 19:16-19, 22:34-40; Mark 10:17-19, 12:28-31; Luke 10:25-28, 18:18-20.)


In fact, this is God’s Law – the Two Most Important Commandments and the Ten Commandments working together – just as Jesus came to teach, and just as He came to fulfill as our example to do the same. (Yes, Jesus wanted the Jews of His day to also keep their Law of Moses regarding priests, feasts, rituals, and ordinances, because He knew it was in their minds and on their hearts as part of their Righteous devotion to God. And so it was good, IF they were also keeping God’s Law. Christians today might also have various devotional activities to God, and as long as they help keep a person’s heart right with Him, and don’t incorporate sin, it’s okay.)

With this, we should know that keeping God’s Law written in our heart and mind, and manifesting its Truth in our behavior because of Love for God and others, is the very definition of being a New Covenant Christian, just as God tells us in Jeremiah 31:31-34. There is also a New Testament reminder of this in Hebrews 8:8-12, and both succinctly state what Jesus makes clear to us.

I’ll tell you what… the next time you see a self-declared Christian, ask them out of interest if they are a New Covenant Christian. If they seem puzzled, ask them if they have God’s Law written on their heart and mind. If they say yes, then kindly ask them what the Two Most Important Commandments are. Most will be happy to tell you. Then ask them if they can list the Ten Commandments. If the blood drains from their face as they attempt to stammer through a few of them, know that this is a serious matter – nothing to judge, but an opportunity to serve, by discussing what was missed. And of course, to not be a hypocrite, you’ll need to know them yourself by having them in your own heart and mind, and you’ll also need to be keeping them. After all, none of us are to continue in willful sin once we know better. Remaining sanctified – that is, remaining in Christ, on the Path and moving Forward – means keeping all the revealed Truth we currently have to the best of our abilities.

We’re either keeping the New Covenant with God, sealed by His Son’s blood, or we’re not. It’s not meant to harm us, for God only wants to prosper us – His Way. The Father Loves the children, but He doesn’t want them only Born Again, He also wants them to Grow – in Him – in knowledge, character, and responsibility. He’s looking for Real and True Christians who mature according to the capabilities He knows they have and in the circumstances in which they live. It’s only those on the Path and moving Forward who will Walk into the Kingdom. Not all will be at the same place on the Path, but assuredly those going into the Kingdom will all be Walking Forward. The lazy, the insincere, the procrastinators, the stagnant, the backsliders, the exit-takers… Jesus warns over and over that dead wood and immature plants that don’t grow and bear fruit are good for nothing other than to be thrown on the fire and burned.

Let’s not forget, God and Jesus are Love AND Truth in perfect equal measure. Love and Truth are like Grace and God’s Law – they are meant to be married, working together as one. Many self-declared Christians just want the Love while attempting to throw out the Truth, wishing and hoping that Jesus’ death on the Cross will somehow allow them to continue in willful sin. But that’s not what Jesus teaches, so we’ll listen to Him instead. In fact, the True Love of the Father is not the approval of sin, but the opposite. As Jesus tells us clearly and repeatedly in John 14, if we Love Him, we’ll keep His Commandments; that is how He will know our Love for Him – by our keeping the Truth. God Loved us first; so much so that He sent His only Son Jesus here to enable us in Victory over sin AND death. But if we refuse to bother with the first one, we cut ourself off from the second.

Therefore, for our part, by a heart of Love, we must purposely seek to know our sin so we can willfully change away from it. Sin is a life-destroyer, so by His parental Love, God wants it out of our lives – by repentance, forgiveness of others, and obedience to His Commandments. Willfully ignoring this Truth God is trying to give us through Jesus is the same as willful sin itself, and is in fact the very basis of the Unpardonable Sin.

Again, Jesus tells us exactly what will happen to those folks who despise the Truth, pretending to be all about Him on the outside at various times while they’re really all about themselves and the world on the inside. We surely don’t want their final ending. It’s only a Love of the Truth that brings us Blessing now and Eternally.

With that reminder, be assured that you can stick with the Four Gospels to find your Salvation in completeness. I know many Christians who are proud to believe they know “it all” will tell you otherwise, that you must know the Bible backwards and forwards to not be lost. But I stake my own life in front of you that God Himself knows what I am telling you is exactly how He pulled me out of the pit of sin that was my former life. Yes, along with that, His Holy Spirit often placed a helpful sermon or a given life situation in front of me at just the right time to reinforce what I was learning, even as He still does. And yes, surely, as one chooses, they will find the time to read all of God’s Word as they Grow with Him (Jesus even points us to Old Testament Scripture that pertains to His message !). But always know that Jesus did not leave us incomplete in His earthly Ministry which is recorded in the Gospels. There is need-to-know and want-to-know, and it is most important to make sure we have the need-to-know working properly within us first. Then the rest is wonderful to consume, satisfying our hunger for more as we Walk steadily Forward in our Salvation.

A final point here regarding the rest of the Bible… if anyone you know attempts to read any part of the Bible in a way that refutes something Jesus teaches, they are on dangerous ground, rejecting Jesus Himself. But they too are wanted in the Kingdom, so by Love for God and them, and because you read and know what Jesus teaches, you may be able to gently help them re-make their discernment using the Light of the Gospels.

So, Step (1) again… read Matthew, Mark, Luke and John on endless reel, a few chapters a week with a True heart to know the Father, keeping refreshed in your heart and mind the Two Most Important Commandments and the Ten Commandments. Easy !

Step (2) – Putting What Jesus Teaches into Practice:

There is no better way to put Jesus’ teachings into practice other than to purposely think about what you read in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. It’s really quite simple. Each day, pray good morning to God when you wake up. Then, as you go about your day, keep your consciousness with Him, discussing and contemplating what you are reading, and how to apply it to your every thought, word, and behavior, leaving nothing out. Then at bedtime, pray goodnight to Him as you go to sleep.

A beautiful change begins to take place within us as we do this. As we get used to our new habit of thinking about God’s Word, and praying and conversing with Him during our daily routine, we begin to find God extremely comforting in all situations. If our heart is True, it isn’t too long before we crave to keep ourselves with Him continually, and in that way, we find our thoughts, words, and behavior increasingly conforming to His Will.

And since we can’t walk with Jesus in person at this time, we’re even given the Holy Spirit just for the asking, to be our daily interactive Friend and Counselor. We’re never alone ! As your Faith increases, you will be amazed at how the Holy Spirit interacts directly with you, especially as you get used to knowing it’s Him !

In your growing relationship with God, you will see how His Son, His Holy Spirit, and His Word all work together for the good within you. They will guide you and prompt you. They will uplift you with Love and convict you in the Truth, thereby filling in the valleys of life and lowering the mountaintops of pride, all to make your Path smooth and straight. They will help you apply God’s Word to your life, one realm at a time. They will use your current knowledge of Jesus’ teachings to reveal even more. They will help you Spiritually understand the world around you, the very field where you are to Grow. And They will challenge you, to direct and stretch your Faith even further. As the Love pulls and the Truth pushes, the tears will roll, my friend, and it will be amazing !

Is it easy ? Nothing truly Valuable is easy, but in a daily Walk with God, it’s more surrenderthan effort. The main challenge comes at the beginning, from a person’s human side. A person just starting out might still be toxic with the inner or outer habits of pride, sin, self-righteousness, hypocrisy, hatred, and a lack of forgiveness of others. But God takes us where we are so we can clean up withHim. If we persist with a True heart, we Grow, and through Jesus, our hardness dissipates. It’s like soft water flowing over hard rock in a stream… the rock is eventually worn away. Frankly, it would be much more difficult to continue a life in sin than to be persistent in changing some bad habits in order to come to know Peace in a Reclaimed Life in Jesus.

It’s a matter of understanding who we are. As Jesus tells us, we are to Love God with all our heart, Soul, mind, and strength. Different than the Holy Spirit, our Soul is the Spirit God put in each one of us at birth. But it essentially remains a lifeless, ungerminated seed until we feed it God’s Word. The rest – our heart, mind, and strength – is our “flesh”, also known as our mental, emotional, and physical states (or “human side”).

I tell you there is no better feeling in the world than to watch as our Spirit grows to become the Parent within us over our human side, all from the nourishment of God’s Word and our willingness to surrender in Faith to what Jesus teaches. As we persevere with Love and a True Heart, we see our “self” diminish as our Spirit increases, and Proper Order is established within us, solidifying over time. With Proper Order, our “flesh” (our mental, emotional, and physical states) no longer rules us, but is subject to our Spirit which is subject to God.

To see such Real Results spring forth, knowing how it pleases our Father and His Son and all the Angels in Heaven who rejoice for us… and all in the Light of Jesus’ Sacrifice, even as undeserving as we are… it breaks a person in a wonderful way, bursting their heart with humility and Joy as they learn to Walk in the Spirit with their Creator. It is indeed the Greatest Blessing of all.

So, to reiterate Step (2)… we must put Jesus’ teachings into practice, just as He tells us in Matthew 7:21-27. And the only way to do that is to focus on the Father and His Word in our daily living, just as Jesus shows us.

As an example of how other Scripture supports the Gospels, the way to put Jesus’ teachings into practice is also beautifully stated in The Message version of the Bible in Romans 12:1-2, shown here:

“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life – your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life – and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.”

——-

Well there we have it… Two Simple Steps to a great relationship with God, available to anyone !

Therefore, to start, don’t let any person or denomination block the door for you. Simply go straight to the source, Jesus, because His teaching is Pure and complete. With the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and a bit of surrender in Faith on your part, a fantastic, life-changing relationship with God will come to Life within you, all with the solid Foundation of His Word.

It’s time… the Father wants you with Him, and frankly, so do I. It will be good to see you in His Kingdom !

With Love and Truth,
A Witness

DOWNLOAD Album: Frank Edwards – Frankincense [Full Album]

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DOWNLOAD Album: Frank Edwards – Frankincense [Full Album]

Long awaited album from FRANK EDWARDS titled Frankincense is finally out and available in all digital platforms..
This album is wonderful check it out.
Then finally get this Fresh tune that you cant afford to miss..
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stream,download,share with friends and enjoy below…

NB: All tracks are copyright from @Gospel9ja

TRACKLIST

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