GRACE TO PREACH.

Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; Ephesians 3:8.

My dear friends we all know salvation is all of grace from beginning to the end [ Eph 2:8ff]. But I want also  to add that even those who God has called to preach it is all of grace and therefore we have nothing to boast about.
The great apostle here say that grace was give to him to preach. Can that be said of you or you are using and relying on your own expedience, knowledge or strength. Paul states that grace was given to him, it was not his own effort but the Lord granted to him this grace.

What was his massage or what was he to preach ?  The unsearchable riches of Christ. In other words Paul was to preach Christ. Yes Christ who is fully God and Fully Man, Christ the only savior who saves completely, Christ who is the only way, truth and life, Christ who lived sinless life, Christ who died and rose again on the third day, Christ who is interceding  for us, Christ who is coming back again as King of Kings and Lord of lords.
Yes he preached his three offices as Our Priest, Prophet and King.

What are you preaching my friend. Have you forgotten Christ and Him crucified. I am pleading with you my friend to come back and preach Christ.

The Fall of Man' With Specific Reference to Genesis 3.

The ‘Fall of Man’ with specific reference to Genesis 3.                          Article by Kennedy Owiti[1]

Introduction.

     Although popular philosophy that emphasizes the dignity and mental capabilities of man would flatter men into thinking that they can produce from within themselves the desire to do good and avoid evil,  and that there is nothing wrong with humanity, the bible teaches differently on this matter. God did make man pure, good, special and even noble in nature [Genesis 1:27-30; 2:19], for unlike all other creation he was made in the image of God, who went ahead and placed him in charge of the rest of the entire creation! But a reading of Genesis 3:1-7 teaches us that when Adam and his wife Eve disobeyed God and ate the fruit that He had instructed them not to eat, they fell out of favour with God and the goodness, purity and nobility of man was thence corrupted and he turned into a being that was no longer able to choose good but rather became inclined toward evil.[2] This disobedience that led to this fall is called sin for essentially Adam and his wife went against the clear command or law of God, and sin is lawlessness [Titus 2:14; 1John 3:4], disobedience [Romans 5:19], trespass [Ephesians 2:1] and unrighteousness against and before God [1John 1:9]. Wayne Grudem defines sin thus;

Sin is any failure to conform to the moral law of God in act, attitude or nature. Sin is here defined in relation to God and his moral law. [emphasis mine][3]

     Prior to the incident in the Garden of Eden, when Satan deceived Adam and Eve to doubt God’s word and rely on their own strength and ability in discerning good and evil, Satan,

himself a fallen angel, rebelled against God and became evil [2Peter 2:4; Jude 6]. The strategy Satan employed was to use Eve and get her to lure her husband into disobeying the command that God had given to him more so as he knew that Eve was not the covenant head, having not received the command directly like her husband and so would not have the same sense of responsibility apart from being the more likely vulnerable in the arguments. Satan thereafter cast doubt in them by questioning the goodness, wisdom and care of God to them and suggesting instead that God was a miser and legalist who did not have their interest at heart. He persuaded them that God’s directive was really an interference with man’s liberty and rights, a command that had been issued out of pure selfishness and a desire to by God to keep man in subjection. Satan then simply lied “you will not surely die” [Genesis 3:4], suggesting to man that he would instead become like God! The desire for autonomy and independence from God, the seeds of pride and unbelief that had been sowed as well as a rejection of God’s sovereign authority led Adam and Eve, like Satan before them, to rebel against God![4] Roger Weil grimly says of this first temptation and fall into sin;

Satan by tempting him caused Adam to fail the test of pure obedience to God. Adam believed that by choosing his own way he could be like God himself. Adam thus became the servant of sin. Because he was the representative of the whole human race he transmitted to his descendants the pollution and guilt of sin (Romans 5:12, 18-19). We therefore inherit our fallen natures from Adam our earthly head.[5]

     Somehow the Devil continues to tempt people today to sin against God by basically using the same strategy that he employed with Adam and Eve in Eden and a look at the temptation of Jesus as recorded in Matthew 4 bears witness to this. In the first temptation and clearly seeking to cast doubt in the mind of Christ about whom God had said in Matthew 3:17 “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased”, Satan starts by saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” Then he lies by misquoting and negating the intent of what God has said in his word just like he did with Adam and Eve and it takes the clear and perfect knowledge of the Scriptures by our Lord to put him off this line of attack! Basically he employs the same trick in the second temptation and upon realizing he has failed in both cases uses the third trick of creating a desire to reject God’s authority, to seek to be autonomous from God and to reject God’s clear command that He alone is to be worshipped when he asks Christ to worship him so that he gives Christ his own kingdom! [Matthew 4:8-11] These are really the same strategies and ways that Satan uses today to tempt us. He has kept sinners in false comfort zones by conning them that there is no God, or that the demands of God upon sinners are too burdensome, or that God really doesn’t love us when He denies us the ‘pleasures’ of sin that this world offers, or that God is tyrannical and really just does not want the best for us and that his commands deny us the ‘right’ to acquire the best things in life which we would acquire, say through corruption! No wonder that David in Psalm 73:2ff says that ‘his feet almost slipped when he saw how the prosperity of the wicked and how they appeared healthy and unburdened by the cares common to men’, and Satan uses these same kind of tricks on us today.

     As God had indicated that the penalty for sin would be death, the disobedience of his command indeed caused Adam and Eve to ‘die’ in several ways. First and foremost they died spiritually in that the communion with God that they had hitherto enjoyed ceased. God is holy and cannot consort with sin and the sin of Adam and his wife separated them from God such that they became as good as dead from that point of sin onwards for it is only in communion with God that they could truly be alive![6] Other than this, they also now became susceptible to physical death so that in Genesis 3:19 man is told that just as he had been made from the dust of the earth, then to that dust he would return. Indeed and in fulfilment of this promise we see in Genesis 5:5 that Adam physically died after he had lived for 930 years. Lastly, the penalty of death for sin meant that Adam, unless he repented and was forgiven by God would face eternal death: the culmination of spiritual death or separation from God. This is the unending form of death reserved for sinners spoken of in Revelation 14:11 thus;

And the smoke of their torment rises forever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name.

Unrepentant sinners would and will therefore be sent into hell where they shall die continuously and for all eternity.

    On account of all the foregoing and going now to Genesis 3:8 onwards, we see that sin has quite adversely affected the various relationships that existed prior to its entry into the Garden of Eden. As between man and God, it must be noted that prior to the fall man who had been created upright and in God’s image had full communion with God. Louis Berkhof says of the consequence of this sin,

As a result of it man lost the image of God in the restricted sense, became guilty and utterly corrupt, and fell under  the sway of death, Gen 3:19; Rom 5:12; 6:23[7]

Man became separated from God [Deuteronomy 31:17f, Psalm78:59-62], felt guilty and no longer wanted to be near God or even to encounter him. Little wonder then that when God came into the Garden that evening, man decided to hide away from him, naked and ashamed [verses 8ff][8]. And this was an effect not only on Adam but a consequence that by transmission befell all of humanity. In an article in the ESV study Bible and while including a quote from Romans 3:10ff and Isaiah 53:6, the authors thereof make the following startling and grim comments on the effects of the sin;

The curse brought physical and spiritual death, separation from God and alienation from him and others. All people are now conceived, born, and live in this fallen, depraved condition: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands, no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one”[9]

This means that man is no longer capable of pleasing God and God in turn banished man from his presence  [Genesis 3:23f] having lost the favour of God and the communion hitherto existing.

     The relationship between the man and the woman was also affected in that the woman who hitherto had been referred to by Adam as ‘bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh’ [Genesis 2:23], was now referred to disdainfully and most regrettably as ‘this woman you put here with me!’ [Genesis 3:12] But that was not all, for in verse 16 we find that there would eternally exist a power struggle between these erstwhile good companions with the woman always seeking to be either like or above the man who had already been given authority over her. The man who himself had shown much love, companionship and understanding towards the woman would now exercise an almost authoritarian rule over her!

     The relationship between man and his work was also affected. A look at Genesis 2:15 which is the point at which man is put in charge of all that God had created and when he is tasked with working the Garden seems to show that the work was joyfully accepted by man as not burdensome. Indeed even thereafter, but before the fall, we do not see man having any complaints of any sort about his work in the Garden as God had mandated. However in Genesis 3:17ff we see God cursing the ground such that man’s labours are no longer enjoyable but rather a most painful experience! Says the LORD in part b of verse 17;

…Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. ¹⁸It will produce thorns and thistles for you…¹⁹By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground since fro it you were taken…

Derek Prime, commenting on the immediate consequence of sin in so far as man and work are concerned says

The first man and woman’s experience of the wonder of God’s creation was immediately spoilt: childbearing became associated with pain (Gen. 3:16); daily work became a matter of toil (Gen. 3:17-19).[10]

     In Conclusion we can say that although God gave the earth to the children of men, designed as a comfortable dwelling for them, sin has altered the property of it and it has instead become cursed for man’s sin and has become a dishonorable habitation.[11] Its spontaneous productions are now weeds and briers and to even get some amount of good from it must require hard toil, ingenuity and labour from man. The beautiful relationships that existed prior to man’s fall: whether between him and his God or even with fellow man are all destroyed. It can only get better through God’s intervention and we can indeed only thank God that He has intervened through the perfect sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ, our Saviour.

    

      

Bibliography

               Derek Prime, Bible Answers to Questions about the Christian Faith and Life. [Ross-shire, Scotland] Focus

               Publications, 2004.

ESV Study Bible, Biblical Doctrine: An Overview. [Wheaton, Illinois] Crossway, 2007.

John Calvin, Biblical Christianity. [Arlington London, England]; Evangelical Press, 1982.

Louis Berkhof, A Summary of Christian Doctrine. [Edinburgh, UK] The Banner of Truth Trust, 2005.

               Mathew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible. [USA]; Hendrickson Publishers, 1999.         

Roger Weil, Foundations of the Christian Faith. [Arlington, England] Grace Publications Trust, 2007.

Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. [Leicester, England]; Inter-Varsity Press, 1994.

---

[1] Kennedy is a member of  Grace Baptist Church Kisumu

[2] John Calvin, Biblical Christianity. [Arlington London, England]; Evangelical Press, 1982. 55-70

[3] Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. [Leicester, England]; Inter-Varsity Press, 1994.  490

[4] ESV Study Bible, Biblical Doctrine: An Overview. [Wheaton, Illinois] Crossway:2007. 2530-2531

[5] Roger Weil, Foundations of the Christian Faith. [Arlington, England] Grace Publications Trust, 2007. 71

[6] Supra note 2 at 497-498

[7] Louis Berkhof, A Summary of Christian Doctrine. [Edinburgh, UK] The Banner of Truth Trust, 2005. 57

[8] cf Daniel 9:7; Amos3:2f and Isaiah 59:1f ; The physical separation of man from God is displayed starkly when in Genesis3:23f, we are told that man was banished from working in the Garden of Eden  [apparently he had enjoyed working there] and was driven out from the Garden [read ‘from God’s presence and communion with God’] and to ensure Adam understood that he was no longer welcome, God stationed a cherubim with a flaming sword at the gate of the Garden to guard the way to the tree of life!

[9] Supra note 2 at 2530

[10] Derek Prime, Bible Answers to Questions about the Christian Faith and Life. [Ross-shire, Scotland] Focus Publications, 2004. 48

[11] Mathew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible. [USA]; Hendrickson Publishers, 1999, 14-15

Prayer Letter.

.

Written by Hilary Mwende Murithi
Bethesda Baptist Church (BBC) began in 2010 as a small Bible study that met in Valley of Truth Learning Center led by Pastor Michael Maura. As the numbers grew, the church had the necessity of finding another meeting place. God answered the prayers of his people when a door was opened to rent a shop from Brother Elisha who is now a member of the church himself. Since then, there have been a number of new developments that this newsletter will attempt to highlight.
In July of 2013, BBC was officially constituted as a church in Kenya. This was a big step for the church. When a church becomes constituted, that is when it can formalize membership, offices are officially formed (secretary, treasurer, etc.), and the church functions in a more official way under the direction of its constitution that has been written. The church was also pleased to be able to begin serving communion after making this step.
Despite being constituted, the church is in continued need for prayers on a number of issues. The search continues to fill one or two of the offices, including the office of deacon. Praise God that the church continues to grow, and the church is again in need to begin looking for a place to relocate to! Particularly since the New Year began, the church has seen a number of new visitors, several of which have returned subsequent Sundays. In January, three people officially joined the membership as well.
This need is not only based on lack of space in the building during the church service. At the current time, children meet between the church and the buildings behind the church for Sunday school. This poses a problem when the rains hit. In addition, the setup of the church can make it a bit more complicated when trying to host seminars or conferences.
A great desire of the church is to be able to purchase land within Tassia Estate on which to build a church building. It is important that the land be in Tassia since that is where the majority of the members and regular attendees are from. Most of these people do not have the means to travel to another location. Additionally, Bethesda’s presence in Tassia is vital because of the Truth that is proclaimed there. Within this community, there are countless churches. When walking down the main street through Tassia on a Sunday morning, it is not unusual for a person to hear five church services going on at any given point during his walk. It is disturbing to realize, though, that the vast majority of these churches do not teach the true gospel. Rather, it is a so-called gospel of “Come to Jesus, and you will receive health, wealth, and prosperity.” This is a common teaching worldwide, but it has truly taken over Kenya. The community of Tassia is no exception, which is a major part of why BBC and its members would like the church to remain within the community.
The problem with purchasing land in Tassia, however, is that it is incredibly expensive. The rough estimate received so far is 8 million ksh (about $96,000 USD) for a plot measuring 50 feet by 100 sfeet. Of course, there are even more expenses to be incurred following the purchase of land. BBC earnestly requests your prayers that God would provide for His growing church. Please also thoughtfully and prayerfully consider making a financial contribution for this need as well.
Despite various needs the church may have, that is not holding anyone back. Bible studies continue to be held weekly in an effort to build up Christians and evangelize to others in the communities in which they are held. Currently there are fellowships that meet in Tassia, Donholm (a neighboring estate), and Ngomongo slum across town. These meetings have proved to be beneficial due to the clear teachings provided and the prayer time that follows. The time of sharing afterward also provides an opportunity for the brethren to truly get to know one another as well.
The fellowship in Ngomongo takes on a little different look than the other two. The meeting is filled with children! It is such a beautiful thing! It is definitely true, though, that it is a bit different to teach children rather than adults, and it can be rather challenging to try to teach both populations simultaneously. The teachers are in need for prayer for wisdom on how to clearly communicate biblical truths. Another great desire would be for the parents of many of these children to attend with them as well. At the current time, many of the families of Ngomongo are being forced to move to other locations. Prayers that these people would continue to be able to be educated in rich, biblical doctrine would be much appreciated. It is of utmost importance for these people to know God’s Word regardless of who is teaching it.
Pastor Michael has continued to take part in a number of ministry opportunities outside of the church as well. He takes part in leading Bible studies at Openhand Children’s Home based in Kitengala (a town just south of Nairobi) and Valley of Truth Learning Center in Tassia on a regular basis. Pastor Michael has partnered with both organizations for a few years now and enjoys having the opportunity to minister to the children as he eagerly waits to see God’s transforming work in their lives.
The church rejoices that God has opened a way for Pastor Michael to preach to students at Egerton University in Nakuru and Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) in Juja. As Christian books and materials become available, many are distributed to these students as well. When Pastor Michael is invited to go to JKUAT, he is frequently able to bring some fellow parishioners with him. It is such an encouragement to those who are able to join him to see so many young people with a passion for God’s glory and to observe such a gathering that is so doctrinally sound. Truly, it is a rare finding and such a beauty to behold!
Following the designated time for meeting, the people from BBC are served tea and are often surrounded by a handful of students who are loaded with practical questions on how to live out Christian beliefs and values in certain situations as well as deeper theological questions. All around the globe it is not common to run across people who think so deeply about such important matters. This is definitely an incredible ministry opportunity as Pastor Michael and those who regularly join him are able to see the spiritual growth in some of the students and the huge opportunity to preach the gospel to others on campus. Regardless of who may be in attendance during the preaching session itself, the passion evidenced in a number of the students goes to show that Pastor Michael’s sermons are encouraging and have great potential to be passed on to others long after Pastor Michael leaves the campus. We only pray that Truth does not get distorted in the process, but the Bible promises that His Word will not return void. His purposes will get accomplished.
This is just a short overview of Bethesda Baptist Church and its current happenings. Many other ministry opportunities remain that may not be as regular. Additionally, there are numerous dreams that Pastor Michael and the members of BBC possess. Such dreams include ways to disciple other believers and evangelize to the community. Please continue to unite with this young church as it seeks to glorify God above all else. Glory be to God for His continuing all sufficient grace!

Brother Gamel wrote this to his pastor he visited our Church.

Dear Pastor Kcofie,

Greetings from Nairobi in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

By God’s grace, today I was able to attend the church service at Bethesda Baptist Church at Tassia, a suburb of Nairobi. Locating the church was quite a hassle even with the help of mobile communications - and when I got to the church, I understood why my driver, Pastor Maura and I were all struggling to get us there.

In spite of our struggle, I got there before the Sunday School which ran from 10.00 to 10.40am or so. Pastor Maura took the adult class and taught from 2 Samuel 7. He taught us lessons about God’s election of David according to grace, David as a type of Christ because he is an anointed person, and God’s covenant with David as one of the announcements of the eternal Covenant of Grace between the Father and the Son Jesus Christ (a covent which is enduring and sure in spite of death, sin and time). He taught very soundly. He used the lessons to encourage us to have absolute trust in God no matter what our circumstances are and will be, and to be thankful to him for predestinating us to be conformed to the image of Christ even before the foundation of the world.

In the main service, we read Psalm 27 and the Pastor preached an evangelistic sermon from Romans 1.16: “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel …” Using the suffering examples of the Apostle Paul, he talked about the Gospel as the good news which is better than all other news in a man’s life and in the world. He uplifted Christ considerably and stressed that whosoever is ashamed of the Gospel is most likely not saved. He pressed home the fact that anyone who has been saved by the Gospel would know that it is more precious than anything, and will not be ashamed to preach it to others. Secondly, he used the first reason, “for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone ...,” to advance very lofty arguments for why the Gospel is pure. His premise is that salvation is entirely of God, and does not require gimmicks/methods such as altar calls, crusades, instruments and rock music for souls to be converted. To unbelievers, he used this power of the Gospel to encourage them that God is capable of saving them no matter how much/many they estimate their sins to be, whatever their backgrounds are. Thirdly, he used the second reason, “to the Jew first and also to the Greek ...,” to emphasise justification by faith alone apart from works of self-righteousness. He urged unbelievers to seek for the imputed righteousness of Christ, and to renounce any Arminian thoughts of free-will, citing examples from Martin Luther’s experience which led to the Reformation.

The service was very solemn. We sang about 6 hymns (3 English, 3 Swahili) and my heart was more moved by Isaac Watts' “I’m not ashamed to own my Lord …” Although there was no organ, the congregation (less than 30 adults) sang well.

Clearly the church is struggling in terms of material and financial resources perhaps because it is only about 3 years old. It is using a room which is about 1/6 or 1/8 the size of our church auditorium. It appears their space is actually meant for a shop. It is located in an area which is almost a slum, and that’s why we struggled to locate it. In spite of all this, my heart is full of praise to God for His light which is shining in Pastor Maura. Given that the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation as we learned afresh today, their material and financial resource constraints are nothing compared with the knowledge and zeal He has given the Pastor to preach His Gospel to the salvation of souls. One other remarkable observation I made is the simplicity of the people who made up the congregation. They look very modest and humble, and were very friendly to me.

His main helper, I suppose, is bro. David Otieno who conducted the service and led the Prayer Session which preceded the Sunday School.

On the whole, my day has been made at Bethesda Baptist Church today; and I’ll be very glad to fellowship with the church again. I hope we’ll remember the labours of Pastor Maura in our private and public prayers continually. He really needs them because immorality and perversion of God’s word and ways are increasing in the country.

Please find attached some pictures (in this mail and another I’ll send afterwards) which I took with the Pastor and some members of the congregation after the service. The other pictures were taken when I was enjoying roasted lamb and bottle of coke at a local food joint. Kenyans like and eat a lot of meat/mutton/chicken, and I hope I haven’t just developed the same like :-).

Greetings to all the brethren at TMBC whom I miss. God willing, I will see you all soon.

Gamel.

Can you give reasons why the first testimony is wrong?

Dear Saint, 

Hear this: 

It was the Last Friday of the year when my life turned around a year ago. I felt like ending my life, everything was a failure until someone invited me to the Kingdom Church. On that day the Man of God Bishop Yom Yom anointed me and gave me a prophetic word. A year has passed now and my life is full of prosperity, progress and surprise.

This testimony is is man centered and full of praise for the Church and Bishop. Christ, and scripture is not refereed to at all but anointing and prophesy. This is not how to give a testimony.

This how to testify. 1 Timothy 1:12-17.

 I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, 13 though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. 16 But
 I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus 
Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who 
were to believe in him for eternal life. 17 To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

Here God's Character revealed . God's grace, mercy, love and power to save even the chief of sinners. 

Stand Up For Jesus.

The Pharisees

Who were they? Where did they come from? What did they believe? How did they get it wrong? The origins of the Pharisees are not easy to trace. The only thing many people to know about them is their strictness about the law. They even criticized Jesus for not keeping their law. Matt 12: 10-14, 15: 1-2, John 9:6.

Some people believe that after the exile, these people came up as a small group who looked at Scriptures with idea of interpreting it to other people. This was probably the time of Ezra 7:25. They came from the working class and tried to preserve traditional Jewish practices from the corruption of foreign ideas and political ambition. The name Pharisee means separated one. They separated themselves from the people. They were more concerned with maintaining traditions than with producing the type of character and behavior that God’s law aimed at Matt 5:20. The Pharisees lived this way until the time of  Maccabean period. When Alexander the great began to influence the whole world with the creek culture, the Pharisees tried to stop him and it was when the book of Daniel appeared, Dan 12:9-10. The Pharisees fought so hard and made Israel a power to be reckoned with in the near East. In fact you could sympathize with them at this time, around 167 B.C. the unspeakable crime was committed in the temple, it was the time Antiochus slaughtered pigs in the temple and burned the scrolls of the law and prohibited circumcision. Many Jews chose to die rather than see the defilement of the temple or break ancient covenant read Gen 17: 7-14. The local priest at that time was Mattathias. He had five sons. These people with a number of Pharisees were consumed with righteous rage at the sight of a Jew obediently offering a sacrifice on one of the altar which Antiochs had erected; slew everybody including the king’s agent. This was the time some Jews who preferred to face death, rather than break Sinai law lived Exodus 19:20. This war came to an end in 63 B.C when Pompey, the Roman general was called upon to mediate. Who were fighting? The Pharisees along with others and Jesus found one of his disciples from these fighters Luke 6:15, Simon the Zealot. They were fighting for their identity as a nation. They stood firm. They knew Messiah was coming soon. Their faith consumed them John 7:32, 50-52.

Whatever their motives, the Pharisees became a party with considerable popular influence, Josephus, a Jew historian described them as having the ability to sway the masses, even against kings or high priest. They had their dangers as I have said. Their outward show not spiritual conviction, our Lord told them Matt 23:23-26, please don’t forget what they stood for, not how they did it, they are a people worth studying. Do you stand for Jesus as a Christians now? 2 Tim 4:1-5. We are living in a time when the true gospel has become unpopular; we need men and women who can stand up for Jesus, who protect God’s kingdom. 2 Tim 3:10-12. If earthly people can depend their earthly kingdom this way. How would Christians stand up for Jesus because of the heavenly kingdom?

                                                                          

By Pastor Paul Onyango Odera. Elder at Kisumu Grace Baptist Church.