Reconciliation - the Gospel we have received is a Gospel of reconciliation. 

Long before the Gospel was preached to the Gentiles, people tried different ways to get things right with God. In Africa, we know God exists, and all tribes have idols they worship and offer sacrifices to. They saw these idols as the missing link to the spiritual world. Through them, they could communicate with the spirits of the dead and call these idols gods. 

In their minds, they are worshipping the God Almighty through these idols. But they did not know that behind these idols are demons of the fallen angels of Satan who accept and commune with them. 

Furthermore, knowing that death is just a transit into eternity, they know the spirit of a dead person is alive, and they pray to it for protection and help. I thought this was an idea of Africans until a friend in the UK told me she prays to her dead parents for help. She said she sees them sometimes. Telling her that evil spirits are using the forms of her parents to communicate with her yielded no results. 

Every form to access the spiritual realm without Jesus Christ will be a channel to the devil. 

All their works to reconcile with God through these mediums and spirituals are satanic and will only result in deception. The channel the Lord has created for Himself is Jesus Christ. Idols cannot be the mediators for us. Jesus Christ is the Mediator between God and man. Most nations consulted mediums out of ignorance, and God forgave them when they turned to Him by preaching the Gospel of Christ. No spirit or man was qualified for this role, but Jesus Christ did. Every reconciliation through any other means is rejected and rendered void. We cannot be mediators for ourselves because we are born out of sin; only pure and true God can do this for us. And He has done this through His Son, Jesus Christ. 

Reconciliation should not be a one-off event. If you backslide on the way, you must start the faith walk again. Don’t say, I once believed in the Lord, so it is enough, no. If possible, you might need a second water baptism, depending on how far you have drifted away. Having your name in a church register is not essential; your name must be in the register of God. It is only the reconciliation through Jesus Christ that makes this happen. 

Today is the day - there is no better opportunity to reconcile with God than today. Every day, we are prone to death, but the Mercies of God keep us all. You could be hit by a car, fall sick or die through your sleep, but God is so good; He saved us from death. It is an opportunity to put things right if you haven’t done so already. 

Isaiah 55: 6-7  Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Only the living can seek the Lord, and He will be found because He made that provision through Jesus Christ. He is near to us because of Jesus Christ. After death, all opportunities to seek the Lord cease. No excuses will be accepted. The Lord knows how to judge those without the knowledge of Him and those who knew but rejected it. Nothing could be as scary as this—no turning back to correct any mistake made. 

Believe in Jesus Christ - the true door to the Father is Jesus Christ. He is the chosen one because He is God who puts on flesh. Any other person is rejected because God has already placed His stamp on His begotten Son. He is not the Saviour of a particular group of people but the Saviour of the whole world. In Him, there is no Jew or Gentile; we are all one. 

To believe in Jesus Christ is to confess with your mouth that He is who He says He is. He is the Son of God, born a virgin birth, died for our sins and rose again for my eternal hope, and He will come again and establish an everlasting Kingdom on this earth. Because the mouth has said this, in the spiritual realm, authority is given to Jesus Christ to come and reside in you. What you have said became valid evidence against the devil that you are no longer his slave and the Lord Jesus Christ is your new Master. You are now a born-again Christian. Welcome to the family of God. Angels in Heaven rejoice today. Find a Bible-believing church in your local area and start fellowshipping with them.

If you are unsure which one is good for you, please send me your home address or postcode, and I will recommend good churches in your area.

Accept today's opportunity; it holds the key to your future.

Are you ready to meet your Lord?

If you were asked, 'Are you ready?' The following substantial question you could ask is, 'Ready for what?' Ready without a purpose leads nowhere. In our circular world, people get prepared for jobs by getting the right qualifications and training. Those who are not ready make themselves available for nothing. In this case, we are to get ready for Jesus Christ. He is the focus of our readiness. So, how do I get ready?

First, Jesus Christ must be formed in us so that we reflect Him anywhere we go.  We can ask ourselves this simple question. How did Jesus Christ approach people and issues during His earthly ministry? Will Jesus Christ approach a situation the way I do? Anytime I think of this question, I immediately judge and correct myself according to the scriptures. Jesus, being God, allowed Himself to be abused by people because they disagreed. Even at death, He prayed forgiveness for all those who cursed, abused, spat, bruised and nailed Him. He endured all these because of the glory set before Him; hence, He did not allow the difficulties He faced to distract Him. He is our example, and we are called to be like Him. A starting point is the Bible. Read the life and works of Jesus Christ and practice His lifestyle.

Secondly, in building the character of Christ, trials are set before us, not to trip us but to expose our weaknesses so that we mature. 

The purpose of the School of Trials

1. Exposes weaknesses

Through trials, we get to know that we are liars, thieves, murderers, proud, wicked, adulterous, idolaters and evil.
If these weaknesses are not dealt with, one will fall and may not be able to rise again. Many have their sins forgiven by the Lord, but they have lost their reputation with the public, which has dramatically affected their ministry, and they cannot move on. 

We have the ability not to sin because the Holy Spirit reveals our weaknesses to us when we read the scriptures and wait on Him. It is an excellent opportunity to deal with this before your shortcomings tempt you. 

If tempted and one falls, it produces an injury which can take time to heal. If you submit yourself to the Lord and are healed, you will face the same temptation again until you pass. But continuous failure, again and again, will make you unfit for service, and God will retire you. For this reason, many believers are trapped in sin and are long retired by the Lord, but they do not even notice.

Proverb 24:16 For a righteous man may fall seven times. And rise again.

It is not good to fall, but we should be determined to rise again if that happens. 

Readiness test

What account will you give to the Lord? Will He commend you and say, ‘Well done, faithful servant?’

The answer to these questions is in your heart. Have you allowed yourself to be trained well? Go into your heart and check if there are no wicked ways in you. Are your thoughts clean? Are your hands clean? Is your heart pure towards everyone? Are your lips pure? Are your eyes pure? Are your ears pure? Do you know what the Lord has called you for, and have you done it faithfully? 

If yes to all these questions, go to the Holy Spirit and ask Him for a thorough check. You should involve the Holy Spirit because all believers are sealed in Him for our redemption. He knows the mind of God and, therefore, can assess us better than ourselves. You are ready to meet the Lord Jesus Christ if He finds no fault in you. 

May the Good Lord help us all as we prepare to meet Him. Amen!