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“Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. (Matthew 6:1-4 NLT)

Have you ever taken the time to consider what your motives are for what you do? Is your motive a selfish motive, to be appreciated by others, or is it to bring glory and honor to Jesus Christ? I pray and hope it is to bring glory and honor to our Savior. Whenever we extend our hand to someone in need, that’s not the time for us as children of God to boast about what we did for others.  Boasting about it to others causes a person to lose the reward they would have received from God (Matt 6:1). As children of God we should be careful of our motives, we should make sure our motives are pure.

St. Matthew 6:3 tells us ‘But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing’. This Scripture does not only apply to helping the poor but also in our giving of money. What is your motive for giving, is it to be appreciated and honored by the leaders of the church or to be seen by others? If that’s the motive, then you already received your reward according to Scripture. The Bible says we should not let our left hand knows what our right hand does. That simply means, do not call attention to yourself to show your good deeds. When you help others, give money to others, or give to the church it should not be made public.

My prayer for each of us as children of God, member or leader, is to consider our motives before we do a good deed. We will never be effective in ministry if our motives are not right. We never want to lose out on God’s reward because our motives are not right. Please keep in mind that nothing is wrong if someone appreciates or honors you for doing a good deed, the problem arises when our motives are wrong. Always make sure that your motives are pleasing to God. It’s better to get God’s reward than man. God’s reward is eternal, men’s reward is temporal. With man, if you do something to offend them they will throw you to the curb. Seek to get the reward that will last and only God can do that.

Misn. Judith A. Gilzene Moodie

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 1 Corinthians 13:4-6 (NLT)

The question I would like to ask today is ‘Do we really love those who labor amongst us in the gospel as we are instructed to love, or is it just a cliché that we use when we tell our brothers and sisters in Christ that we love them?’ It’s amazing how many Christians have animosity against each other or believe they are better than another person.

As children of God, we should strive to love each other as Christ loves the church. We do not have the ability to love as Christ loves, but we have the Holy Spirit within us to teach us how to. The greek word that is used for love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-6 is ‘agape’ which is God’s unconditional love for us and an unselfish love of Christians towards others.

1 Corinthians 13:4-6 gives fourteen characteristic of what Christian love should be amongst believers and we should practice these characters with others. As Christians, we should not try to get back at those who offend us or hold on to wrongs others have done. It is important for us to let go of past hurts and forgive. Forgiveness is extremely important in the lives of believers. If we hold on to un-forgiveness, God will not forgive us of our sins. The Christian walk is a process, none of us are perfect, and we are all striving towards perfection so we are to love each other with an unselfish love.

Missionary Judith A. Gilzene Moodie

When one of you has a dispute with another believer, how dare you file a lawsuit and ask a secular court to decide the matter instead of taking it to other believers! Don’t you realize that someday we believers will judge the world? And since you are going to judge the world, can’t you decide even these little things among yourselves?

1 Corinthians 6:1-2 (NLT)

In 1 Corinthians 6:1-11 Paul was writing to the church in Corinth because he was shocked to hear that they were taking each other to court to be judged by a secular judge instead of taking the matter to the believers. He expressed his disapproval of the matter by asking them ‘how dare you file a lawsuit and ask a secular court to decide the matter instead of taking it to the believers?’ Some people may disagree with Paul’s outburst of shame to the church of Corinth, but Paul saw this as an embarrassment to the body of Christ. He wanted them to know that as Christians we represent Christ and we are members of one body.  As members, we should show love to each other because filing a lawsuit against another believer contradicted Christian teaching and behavior.

Filing a lawsuit against another believer means going to a public court to be judged by unbelievers. As stated prior, this contradicts Christian teaching and behavior. In verse 2, it tells us that we (the body of Christ) will be judging the world. We should emulate Christ in every aspect of our lives, even when a brother offends us. Instead of taking the matter to the world for them to judge us, we should take the matter to a Pastor for them to judge over it. Going in front of the secular court to get justice over a fellow believer, shows the world that we cannot resolve simple matters by ourselves and it also shows the lack of love amongst the believers. This is also a poor witness to the body of Christ and will disenchant unbelievers to follow Christ.  Bringing disputes of the believers into the public eye damages the reputation and witness of the church.

In conclusion, we should seek godly counsel from those God has ordain to rule over us and not seek counsel from the world. The church has the good news, which is the gospel of Jesus Christ. The world lacks this benefit because it does not know Christ. The gospel is supposed to reconcile believers in fellowship with one another in Christ. If we run to the world to solve our problems, then the world will think that the gospel is in-effective. As people of God we know that the gospel is effective. So before any of us as believers file a lawsuit against another brother or sister in Christ, seek God’s guidance and go to your set leadership.

Missionary Judith A. Gilzene Moodie

Resource:

Pratt, Jr. Richard L. Holman New Testament Commentary 1& 2 Corinthians.

“Be still, and know that I am God!” Psalms 46:10A (NLT)

I can still recall as a child, my mom would actually slap me on the leg while combing my hair and said “Be still!” In my mind, while crying I would wonder, how can I be still when you are pulling my hair. Thanks be to God, as our heavenly Father he does not slap us around and shout at us to be still.

With the advancement of technology today, people’s attention span is extremely short and it’s difficult to get people to be still and listen. We live in a society where playing loud music with earplugs in both ears, while talking to someone is the norm. With all of these distractions, it’s very difficult to hear and listen to God. As children of God, we have to be careful not to allow the cares and pressures of this world to overtake us that we cannot hear nor listen to God.

The Lord wants us to know that despite what’s going on in our lives, we can trust him completely. He wants us to be still and know that he is God in our situations. The problem is many people fail to be still because they are so busy and cannot hear him speaking. We will not hear him speaking if we are constantly busy or distracted. Only when we are still, we will be able to hear him.

We should always keep in mind that the battle is not ours, it’s the Lord. He wants to fight our battles for us, but we have to practice to be still in our spirit. He promised us that he will fight our battles for us and we have to trust him completely knowing that he cannot lie nor will he forfeit his promise. God takes pleasure in fighting our battles. We should never think that God wants us to carry our burdens or circumstances. He is patiently waiting with outstretch arms for us to hand it over to him. The problem that many of us face is that we try to fix the situation first, we are not equipped to do his job. He wants us to hand it over to him, be still, and know that he is God.

Misn. Judith Gilzene Moodie

Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters. Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it! Hebrews 13:1-2 (NLT)

Benjamin Franklin once wrote that after three days fish and guests stink. This was a thinly veiled way of saying that no one should stay with someone else as a guest any longer than three days. Perhaps this statement reflected Franklin’s limited capacity for hospitality rather than any great truth.^[1] As Christians we should not exhibit the mentality that Benjamin Franklin has regarding entertaining guest in our homes, or churches. Hebrews 13: 2 instructs us as believers to show love and hospitality to our fellow believers. Everyone that enters our homes and churches should feel the true love of Christ and also feel welcome. When we show hospitality to our fellow believers they should not feel like a guest but more like a member of the household.

Hospitality is a very important role in the life of a believer. Christ expects us as His children to show hospitality to each other. In 3 John, the author devoted the entire book to hospitality. If it was not important for us as believers to be hospitable, he would not have written about it. During John’s day; the missionaries, preachers, and teachers did not have the luxury of hotels so they had to depend on their fellow brethren in Christ to assist with their lodging. These believers were responsible for supporting them while they were in their homes or churches. As believers, we are to support ministries that proclaim the name of Christ and help in every way possible to support missionaries in the mission field.

As much as we are to be hospitable to others, we should also be careful of whom we allow in our homes and churches to teach or preach. If a missionary or guest pastor does not believe or teach that Jesus Christ came in the flesh, we should not entertain such individual. In 2 John 7, John warns us that such individuals are a deceiver and an antichrist. We should never support ministries that do not teach the true doctrine of Christ. If we do, then we are deceivers and an antichrist.

Showing hospitality is not always an easy task because sometimes people over extent their stay and sometimes people take your kindness for weakness. There are times when being hospitable may be inconvenient, even if this happens, we should never fail to extent ourselves and welcome our fellow believers in our homes as our guest. Keep in mind that God will reward each individual that show hospitality to his children and we may even entertain an angel of God without knowing. Let’s continue to love others, show hospitality to the people of God, and be faithful to ministry.

Missionary Judith Gilzene Moodie

^[1] Walls, David; Anders, Max. Holman New Testament Commentary: 1 & 2 Peter, 1, 2, & 3 John, Jude

Jesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture he said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips. When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and released his spirit. (John 19:28-30 NLT)

Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air. And a mighty shout came from the throne in the Temple, saying “It is finished!” Then the thunder crashed and rolled, and lightening flashed. And a great earthquake struck-the worst since people were placed on the earth. (Revelation 16:17,18 NLT)

And he also said, “It is finished!” I am the Alpha and the Omega-the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. (Revelation 21:6 NLT)

In the post on March 25, 2015, I wrote on the topic “It is finished!” with my text taken from John 19:28-30. There are three places in Scripture that God the Father and Jesus the Son spoke these words. We will be exploring two other Scriptures, in which God said “It is finished!” Depending on which translation is used, you may find the words “It is done!”, they all have the same meaning. God is saying to us “It is completed!”

When Jesus had completed his missions that God had given him including the most difficult one-death on the cross, he said “It is finished!”(John 19:30). Jesus paid a great price on our behalf to free us from sin. When Jesus died on the cross a great exchange took place, he took our sins upon himself and exchanged it with eternal life in him. Romans 8:1-3 ‘So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So, God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. In that body, God declared as end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins’ (NLT). I pray that we never lose focus on the price Jesus paid for us. We should live in that newness of life that he has offered us and not live a condemned life.

The first “It is finished” has already taken place at the cross, the next two are future events that are about to take place. Most people avoid reading or studying Revelation because of its contents but, chapter 1:3 tells us that there is a blessing for those who read and hear the words of the prophecy written in the book. Chapter 16, tells of the seven vials of God’s judgment upon the earth during the tribulation period. Verse 17 tells of the final vial being poured out into the air. God’s final judgment was poured into the air because Satan is the prince of the air, then God said “It is finished!” We should always find time to share the good news about Jesus to those who do not know him, so they can avoid the wrath of God that is coming. If we follow the instructions in chapter 1:3, we would have noticed that the signs of the end times is at hand.

This is not the time to get scared and worried. If we read the book of Revelation as instructed by God, then we would be prepared and try our best to witness to our unsaved families and friends. Everything that is mentioned in this book is going to take place, some already have taken place. The final vial that is poured into the air will cause a great earthquake that man has never experienced before. If we look back in history the worst earthquake recorded was in Shensi, China on January 23, 1556, which was a magnitude of about 8 and killed about 830,000 people.

That earthquake will be nothing compared to the one that will be poured out of the vial. The Bible tells us that the whole earth will feel the effect. Every island will disappear, all the mountains will be leveled, and there will be a terrible hailstorm. The hailstones will not be like what we are used to, the Bible states that they will weigh as much as seventy-five pounds. These hailstones will be falling on people killing them. My question to each of us as believers, including myself is, “Are we doing our best witnessing to draw unbelievers into the Kingdom of God?” God is going to hold us accountable if we fail to do what he has commissioned us to do in Matthew 28:19-20.

The final “It is finished!” spoken by God is in chapter 21:6. This is when God sends down the new Jerusalem upon the new earth in-order that men may dwell with God and God with them. This will only be for believers, no unsaved person will be there. “To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life.” God is sending out an offer for those who are thirsty for him and know they have a spiritual need. The water in this verse suggest ‘need’, so the offer is to those who need Jesus in their lives.

Misn. Judith Gilzene Moodie

Resources
Easley, Kendall. Holman New Testament Commentary: Revelation
Elliott, Dr. Ken. The Offer (Revelation 21:6). Logos Bible Software
Mohan, Rev. Roy. Heaven A Place For Saved People. Logos Bible Software
Spence, H.D.M. The Pulpit Commentary: Revelation
The top 10 deadliest earthquakes in history. NBCNEWS.com

¹² Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” John 8:12 (NLT)

 Jesus was teaching in the temple during the Feast of Tabernacle, which is also called the ‘Feast of Booth’ when He made this bold statement in the presence of the Pharisees. During this time of feast the Israelites were to build tents and sleep in them for seven days outside. The Feast of Tabernacle was celebrated once a year and the Israelites were forbidden to work during this celebration. This celebration was to commemorate the Israelites wilderness journey.

On the first night of Tabernacles and apparently on each night of the feast except on Sabbath, the worshipers awaited the signal of the special lighting of the festive golden lamps of Tabernacles in the court of women. The lamps were intended to remind worshipers of God’s leading the people of Israel through the wilderness at night by a pillar of fire. The lighting of lamps also signaled Israel’s re-commitment to the God of light.

During Jesus’ three years of ministry on this earth, He was involved in many confrontations with the Pharisees and Sadducees because He went against many of their traditional rules and belief. They saw Him as a trouble maker and a child of the Devil. They were focusing on the past with what the lighting of the lamps symbolized, while He was trying to let them understand that He was the God of Light and the Light of the world.

The Messiah that their Scripture talked about who was to come was right in-front of them and they were blind to it. The Light that David mentioned in Psalm 27:1 was in-front of them but they were still in the dark. The Light who came into the world to illuminate it was in-front of them but they were blind to His Light. The Light who was shining in the hearts of those He encounter was in-front of them but their hearts were still in darkness.

The point here is to not be like the Pharisees, living in darkness when The Light is present. The Lord wants each of us as Christian to be beaming with His Light. When we have The Light within us, He will shine in our hearts and the world will be able to see the Light within us. Our Light should be shining in such a way that when we are around darkness (sinners), that darkness should be subjected to the Light within us. We should never forget or lose track of who we are and whose we are. We are the light of the world because we have Jesus living within us and we are children of The Light.

Missionary Judith Gilzene Moodie

Resource:

Borchert, Gerald L. 1996. The New American Commentary, John 1-11

Jesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture he said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips. When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and released his spirit. (John 19:28-30 NLT)

 It is such a joy to know that while in times of sorrow there is joy. Every detail of Jesus’ last day on this earth was full of sorrow because He was tortured and humiliated to the lowest degree. The joy that we as Christians are now experiencing comes about when Jesus shouted out “It is finished”. He did not just speak it as John 19:30 would lead you to believe but He shouted it out “It is finished” (see Matt. 27:50; Mark 15:37). What exactly was ‘finished’, have you ever taken a moment to think about Jesus’ last three words before He bowed His head in humility and give back His spirit to the Father?

Jesus came on this earth to fulfill one specific mission which was mentioned in Genesis 3: 15 ‘And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel (NLT).’ This verse points to Christ as the vindicator of the woman (Rom 16:20) who will crush Satan’s head and this was accomplished at the cross. God crushed the Serpent’s (Satan) head through the bruising of His Son on the cross.

Jesus accomplished many other missions while here on earth which leads to the main mission. His other missions were preparation for the grand finally, His death. So what are some of the ‘It’ that was now finished? Let’s dig deeper into the Scripture to identify some of them. Keep in mind that the ‘it’ are the works that God the Father sent Jesus to accomplish on earth. We will never be able to identify all of them because everything is not recorded in the Scriptures.

He obeyed the Father by being the perfect fulfillment of the Law of God and the prophesies regarding the Messiah (Matt 5:17).

1. He did not come to bring peace on the earth but division. He made it clear that you are either with the one true God or against Him (Matt 10:34-36; Luke 12:51).
2. He came in the name of the only true God and to perfectly do His will (John 5:43; 6:38).
3. He came to perfectly do the works of His Father so people could understand that He and the Father were one (John 10:30, 37-38).
4. He came as the light of the world, giving fallen mankind the opportunity to move from utter darkness into His marvelous light. He came to save people (John 12:46-48; 14:6).
5. He came as fully God and fully man to be the incarnation of the truth of God (John 18:37).
6. He came to make propitiation for our record of sin against God (Romans 3:21-26; Hebrews 2:14-18).
7. He came to make reconciliation between God and man possible (Romans 5:6-11).
8. He came to die for and to purify His Bride, the Church (Ephesians 5:25-27).
9. He came to glorify His Father through His life, death, and resurrection (Philippians 2:5-11).
10. He came to make a way, the only way, for people to find mercy, grace, and peace in time of need (Hebrews 4:14-16).

These are some of missions that God gave Jesus to accomplish and He finished all of His work, including the great exchange. A great exchanged took placed at the cross, Jesus paid the eternal sin debt of the world in full on the cross. So as we approached the celebration of Easter, let’s keep in mind that it’s not about the Easter bunny. It’s about the great price that Jesus paid on our behalf to free us from sin.

While on that cross, He could have drank the vinegar mixed with myrrh and gall to sedate the pain but He refused it (Matt 27:34; Mark 15:23) to stay alert and focus on the final mission  which was the most difficult one of all. Once He knew that His mission was completed, He drank the sour wine. This wine was different from the first one offered. The first wine was mixed with drugs and used as a sedative pain killer, while the sour wine would contract the throat muscles to keep Jesus from screaming loudly in pain. The bitterness of the wine would prolong the pain by extending the life of Jesus on the cross. He died a horrible death, so that we can have eternal life. Let’s never lose focus of the eternal debt He paid and always remember that ‘It is finished!’ 

 Missionary Judith Gilzene Moodie

Resources

1. Borchert, Gerald L. 2002. The New American Commentary: John 12-21.
2. Gangel, Kenneth O. 2000. Holman New Testament Commentary: John.
3. Mathews, Kenneth A. 1996. The New American Commentary: Genesis 1-11:26.
4. McFadyen, Phillip. 1998. Opening Door on John, A Gospel for Our Time.
5. Miano, Tony. “It Is Finished!” Jesus Does Not Need Your Help. Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry. http// www.carm.org
6. Robertson, Archibald Thomas. 1930. Word Pictures In The New Testament.

¹⁵ “If you love me, obey* my commandments. ¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate,* who will never leave you. ¹⁷ He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.* ¹⁸ No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you. ²⁶ But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. ²⁷ “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. ²⁸ Remember what I told you: I am going away, but I will come back to you again. If you really loved me, you would be happy that I am going to the Father, who is greater than I am. ²⁹ I have told you these things before they happen so that when they do happen, you will believe. ³⁰ “I don’t have much more time to talk to you, because the ruler of this world approaches. He has no power over me. (John 14:15-18, 26-30 KJV)

 As we are about to celebrate Easter in the next few days, we should reflect back on the sacrifice Jesus Christ has made on our behalf. He paid the price we could not paid by dying on Calvary’s cross for our sins. God loves us so much that He sent His only Son into this dying world to die in our place. Have you ever taken a moment to consider how God felt seeing His only Son beaten, thorns on His head, hands and feet nailed to a cross, and His side pierced by a sword? We should also take into consideration that God saw them giving His Son vinegar instead of water when He thirst. The crowds laughed at Him, spat upon Him, and shouted insults upon the Messiah.

Many of us would not voluntary give our only child to die in the place of someone else. We would refuse in a minute.  But God, in His infinite wisdom, knew that it was necessary for Jesus to die for us. He knew that only Jesus’ blood could wash away the sins of the world. He was the only one without sin that could be offer up as a holy sacrifice. We should never think that Christ’s death on the cross was in vain. If Christ did not die, we could not have had the privilege of the Holy Spirit that Jesus promised would come after He leaves.

As Christians, we should desire more of God’s presence in our lives. It is not good enough to taste a little of His presence but we should seek to get a deeper and richer relationship with Him. We should always keep in mind that Jesus died so we can have life and have it more abundantly. We should seek to have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit within. It is not good enough to have the Holy Spirit with you; you need that power in you to live right and to be an effective witness for Christ.

During the Old Testament period, the Spirit of God would come upon individuals to perform a service, and then He would leave that person. The Holy Spirit at that time did not reside in an individual because Christ did not die yet. In John 16, Jesus told His disciples that it was necessary for Him to leave them, in order that the Comforter can come and dwell in them. We serve such an awesome God that is concerned with every aspect of our lives.

He went to Calvary’s cross so that we will not only have the Spirit of God with us but most of all He will be residing in us. Just think for a moment – that means Jesus is living in us. He is not just beside us but actually living inside of us. The best example of this would be a mother with a child inside her, while that child is in her womb she nurtures that child by eating the correct food, rubbing her tummy, and talking to her tummy. She spends time nurturing and communicating with her unborn child so the child can feel her love.

If a biological mother can do that for her child, what about us who have the Creator of heaven and earth dwelling inside of us? We should spend time nurturing and communicating with Jesus. We should not allow any unclean things in our lives because our bodies are the temple of Christ (as long as you receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit as describe in Act 2:4, you have the Holy Spirit dwelling inside you . If a Christian has not yet received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, then you have the Holy Spirit beside you).

The Holy Spirit is present in our lives to teach and direct us into the right path. He is also our Advocate. The word ‘Advocate’ means ‘a person who pleads the cause of another in a court of law’. The fact that we have the ‘Advocate- our lawyer’ living inside of us permanently, we will always win. Jesus has never lost a case and He will never lose a case! We need to understand that we have The Lawyer of lawyers in us and no matter what charges or case Satan presents before the Judge (God), he will not win because we have the greatest Advocate fighting on our behalf.

Missionary Judith Gilzene Moodie