That Man of Calvary has won my heart for me

HOW CAN I BECOME SPIRITUALLY BORN AGAIN?

When God created the heavens and the earth, He saw that everything He had made was good. Man (human being) was the only living creature He created in His own image so that He could have fellowship with him. But the man, disobeyed the commandments and rules that God had laid down for them. Disobedience to authority is sin, so man sinned against God The thoughts and actions of man since the fall from grace have become continually evil. We have inherited the sins of the first man, Adam.

 Romans 5:12: Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. 

Romans 5:19: For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. What is the effect of sin? The initial fellowship that man enjoyed with God was broken because God is holy and cannot tolerate sin. Man became spiritually dead. 

Romans 6:23: For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

I have always done good deeds; I go to church every week; I give money to charity; I have good morals. Does God see me as a sinful person? Yes. 

Titus:3:5: Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost. 

Romans 3:23: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. 

Isaiah 64:6: But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

By acknowledging this, you open up your spirit to receive mercy and grace from God. Has God given up on man? No, God wants to reconcile us to Him. He wants to re-establish His relationship with us because He still loves us.

 Romans 5:8: But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 

John3:16: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 

John 3:17: For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 

How can you be saved from the wrath of God? How then can I re-establish my relationship with God? You must believe and repent of your sins.

 John 3:14-15, 18: And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 

Jesus died to save you and I from the bondage of sin and to free us from eternal damnation. He died and rose again so that we can have eternal life. It is only through Jesus that you can be saved. 

John 14:6: Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. You have the choice to choose eternal life or death.

Rom 10:9: That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 

God gave up his only begotten son, Jesus Christ to die and to pay the debt for our sins so that we can once again have a loving fellowship with Him. This is a free gift from God, the creator of the universe. We cannot buy salvation with money or by our good works.

 You can be saved by: 

A- Accepting your sinful nature and that you have fallen short of God’s glory.

B- Believing that only Jesus Christ can save you from all your sins.

C- Confessing your sins and repenting of them. 

D- Invite the Lord Jesus Christ to be Lord over your life. 

 If you accept all of the above, you can say the short prayer below and you can now experience a new life in Christ Jesus. Lord Jesus, I,__________________, acknowledge that I am a sinner and I cannot save myself except you. I ask for forgiveness of all my sins. Wash me and cleanse me in your precious blood that flowed on Calvary cross. Create in me a new heart and put a new and right spirit within me. I invite you Lord to come and dwell in my heart and to take control of my life from this day (__/___/___) and forever. Amen.

 You can now be confident that you have been saved. Enjoy your new life in Christ Jesus. I would like to encourage you to start fellowshipping with a Bible-centered, Christ-believing church near you.

LEADERSHIP – AN EXEMPLARY LIFE OF MOSES

What is leadership?

Leadership is the process of influencing the actions of an individual or group toward specific goals in a particular situation. 

Moses was a leader because he had to influence the decisions of the Israelites. Leadership involves administration and coordination of resources effectively and efficiently and in an effort to achieve the specific goals of the group. Moses was the link person between the God, the Israelites and the Egyptians, namely Pharaoh. 

Groups and organizations are formed to meet certain goals and objectives. For example, the Christian Medical Fellowship was formed to address the spiritual needs of medical students. Feed The Children was formed to provide food and relief to starving kids and their families. A leader must have a vision or goals. Without goals and objectives, groups would become defunct. Two people enter into marriage contract because the have worked out what they want to attain in their long term relationships, that is, they have long term goals and objectives.

Goal represent the overall picture of what the group or individual wants to achieve. It is the desired result or purpose towards which one is working. It is the level of accomplishment one wants to attain in a specific situation or circumstance. It is the aim or the intent of the group. The goal of Moses was to use all available resource at his disposal to deliver his people from bondage and slavery. The goals set by the group should always meet certain laid down criteria. 

They should be specific, that is, it must clearly state what is to be accomplished. This should be written in a simple language so that each member of the group knows exactly what is intended. Group function better if each member is aware of the ultimate aim. 

It should be realistic. Being realistic means that the goals should be potentially achievable. It should also be measurable. The group must have a minimum acceptable level of performance. There must be a set of criteria, gauge, mark, standard, test, touchstone or yardstick for ascertaining the performance of the group. This has to be done on periodic basis so that the group does not deviate from its aim. 

The specific steps needed to achieve the goals of the group are the objectives. The objectives are subsets of the overall goal. It breaks down the goals into time specific achievable aims. The goals of a group cannot be realized if there is no leader. A leader is a person who is elected by the group to influence the actions of the individual members toward the specific goals in a particular situation. Under certain conditions, a person volunteers to be a leader, the so-called self imposed leadership. 

The leader is invested with power by virtue of the position created by the group through mutual respect. This is known as positional power. For example, the president of any nation has positional power. Thus, irrespective of the person’s background, he or she is accorded that respect once he or she ascends the throne.

 Another source of power is economic power. A wealthy person in a society can be made a leader because of his or her riches. Such a person is usually chosen with the intention that he or she can contribute financially to help achieve the aims of the group.

 A person can also be invested with power by virtue of his knowledge or expertise. This is known as intellectual power. A professor has power because of his knowledge of the subject he handles. A priest has power because he has mastered the act of interpreting the Bible and performing spiritual rituals. 

These sources of power can be channeled into good use or abused. This, therefore, lead to the different styles of leadership.

 In the autocratic form of leadership, the leader seeks no input from any member of the group. He or she makes all the goals, plans, decisions and evaluations of the group. This type of leadership has been viewed by many as inappropriate but it has its own role to play in the society. It becomes very necessary in emergency situations where the leader has to act very fast without any consultation. He makes his own decision which he deems appropriate for the group in this situation. The decision taken may later be reviewed by the group and either be accepted, rejected or modified. 

In the democratic form of leadership, the leader always seeks a lot of input from the group. The decisions made are unanimous and the group shares the responsibilities of any action taken. 

The other form of leadership style comes from the French word ‘laissez-faire’. In the laissez-faire form of leadership, the leader exerts minimal input and control over the group. Each individual is allowed to make and implement his or her own goals. This is the easy-going or anything-goes type of leadership. 

The type of leadership one chooses to operate in is influenced by the individual characteristics of the leader, the environment and the cultural climate. However, an effective leader would have to use a blend of these styles depending on the circumstances, problems and people. Achieving your vision requires making tough decisions. You may encounter frustrations from the people you are leading. Despite the miracles that the Israelites witnessed, they still grumbled indirectly against God by their attitude to Moses. Exodus 14:11-12. How many times have we grumbled against God’s chosen leaders? Many of us would have reacted in the same way as the Israelites. When events do not turn out the way we want them, we turn our anger and frustrations on others and God. We shout , “ O God! Why has thou forsaken me? This a feeling of distress and hopelessness. But God does not forsake us. He is always with us through thick and thin. Isaiah 41:10 says, ‘fear thou not; for I am with thee; be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my salvation’. Isaiah 42:5-6 also says,’ Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west; I will say to the north, give up; and to the south, keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the end of the earth’. 

Moses had an encounter in the wilderness with God so he was well prepared to face the great task ahead of him. He was well prepared as a leader and commander of the Israelites. A leader should always have certain qualities which transcend those of his followers. Freedom is bought at an exorbitant price. Our freedom in the Lord was bought through the precious blood of Jesus. He had to lose his dear life for our sake. He had to sacrifice his life for us. Likewise, Moses had to sacrifice his life for his people. Leading a group of people involves sacrificing time, resources and money. Even after sacrificing, the people you are leading can easily turn against you because they may see some of your actions as irrational because it is beyond their imagination at that point in time. Moses was part of the household of Pharaoh. He had everything at his disposal. However, he gave up all his birthright to go back and fight for his people. Many of us have been called to be leaders by virtue of our educational, financial or occupational position. God has placed us in certain places for the sole purpose of delivering the less privileged in the society. 

A leader should be able to guild his followers as they travel through the wilderness. The wilderness is a place of uncertainties. A very dry hot and desolate place where one is surrounded by sand dunes. In one of the driest desert of the world – the Atacama of South America – the measurable rainfall averages 1 millimeter every 5-20 years. It is so miserable to be in the deserts. This gives an idea of the uncertainties and fears of the Israelites when they got to the wilderness. Their fears were very appropriate and warranted. They felt it was worth been in bondage in Egypt than to get stranded in the wilderness. It has now become a luxury to work for the Egyptian slave masters. What an unfortunate situation! When we are faced with certain difficult situations, we lose sight of the ultimate comfort and joy which would arise out of our endurance and persistence throughout this condition. We suddenly become complacent and settle down into our comfort zone. We do not want to face any challenges. Hence the Israelites said to Moses,“because there were no graves in Egypt, hast though taken us away to die in the widerness? Wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt. Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, let us alone , that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve Egyptians, that we should die in the wilderness”. Ex 14:11-12. 

The Israelites wanted to be free like any other nation but they were uncertain about the cost of freedom. Freedom entails some hardship. A price had to be paid. Moving out of Egypt into a new land involves some uncertainties. They have to govern themselves, build new homes, produce their own food, manage their limited resources and so on. They were not prepared to face the challenges and experiences on the road to freedom. Why should we die in the wilderness? They needed a leader like Moses to encourage them to forge ahead. They wouldn’t have reached the promised land if Moses had given up on them. A good leader does not give up when tough times arise. Tough times require tough leaders. Moses provided good leadership. He did not bow in the face of challenges. He took a stand and he encouraged them with these words, “fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will show to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today , ye shall see them again no more forever. The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace”. Ex. 14:13-14. 

The christian leader must have a word for each season. He has to be in tune with God at every point in time. Moses was in tune with God. God was his only source of strength. He communicated frequently with him. When all odds were against him, he asked God for his divine intervention. When the Israelites were hemmed in on all sides by the Egyptians and the Red Sea, God gave Moses the right words and action to take.(Ex 14:15-16). When you are at the cross-road of life, remember that God has already provided a way of escape for you. Moses did the impossible. He used his rod to part the Red Sea. What a narrow way of escape! He wouldn’t had been able to do this if he was not in tune with the Lord at that time. He had to be set himself apart from the Israelites. As a leader, do you give up when the masses get fed up with your ideology or do you consult God for implementation and administration of your God given ideas? By the action you take as a leader, you may either save or destroy the lives of the people you lead. Can you imagine the number of soul that would have been lost if Moses had not been in tune with God? A whole nation would have been wiped out.

Another hallmark of Moses' leadership was that he listened to advise. He valued the advise of others who were trustworthy and wise. 

"The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening. When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, “What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?” Moses answered him, “Because the people come to me to seek God’s will. Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God’s decrees and instructions. Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their disputes to him. Teach them his decrees and instructions, and show them the way they are to live and how they are to behave. But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you. If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied.” Exodus 18:13-23

With the advice received, he delegated responsibilities to others. A good leader values the talents and gifts of others and uses them as needed for the furtherance of the goals of the group.

I pray that as a leader, you will learn from the example of Moses. Amen!