Currency is a widespread acceptance or use of an idea, theory, word, or phrase use to explain an exchange.

Purchase is to buy something using money or its equivalent in an object of worth.

Some find it hard that they are worthy of something. They go as far as say they are unworthy of anything good happening to them.

The devil wants you to think you are worth nothing; thus rejecting the hand of God and His love.

We need to experience the love of God to be saved from hell!

What are you worth?

Relative means not permanently fixed, but having a meaning or value that can only be established in relation to something else and will change according to circumstances or context.

Subjective is based on somebody’s opinions or feelings rather than on facts or evidence.

Standard gauge is the Bible.

What does the Bible say about our worth or value to God?

Under the Law in Exodus 21:28-32, if a servant, slave, man or woman is killed by a farm animal then the penalty for the owner of the animal is the death of an animal, the death of another person or thirty shekels of silver. When we consider the betrayal of Jesus by Judas for thirty shekels of silver and the payment of Jesus blood for our sins we see that mankind dead in sin is worth the death and blood of the man Jesus or at least thirty shekels of silver. ‘At least meaning a slave to sin; is worth thirty shekels of silver’

Jesus fulfils the Law and then under grace we are absolved by the payment of Jesus blood for our sins.

We have a wide scale from thirty shekels of silver to the death of Jesus. But we were bought and you only buy something you place a value on.

The lips of knowledge are a Rare Jewel

Proverbs 20:15 There is gold and a multitude of rubies (Pearls H6434); but the lips of knowledge are a rare jewel. (MKJV)

God’s Word says that we are precious, treasured, valued, crowned, exalted, favoured, and a blameless pleasure to God.

Luke 1:77 to give knowledge of salvation to His people by the remission of their sins, (MKJV)

We have been brought to Christ by the Holy Spirit and then with the knowledge of Him we have confessed our sins with faith in Him; therefore our lips have become rare jewels and these jewels are valuable to God.

In Luke1:77 the knowledge of salvation is to know about Jesus and the redemption of our sins he has given us. God gives us His Spirit who gives us wisdom. Then our lips become valuable as soon as we repent and we share about Jesus and our salvation. We can tell other people about Jesus Christ so that they can be saved and go to the heaven. It is nothing we have done to make us important, it is what God does in us that He uses us to touch other people.

Proverbs 8:10-11 Receive my instruction and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold. 11 For wisdom is better than rubies (Pearls H4480, H6434); and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it. (MKJV)

In Proverbs 8:10-11 and 20:15, we can see that if we know Jesus our lips from the Hebrew word paw-neen’[1] are probably pearls and very special. . We will see more about pearls in the last chapter of this book.

Makeup

Some girls put on lots of makeup and red lipstick because they want the boys to look at their lips. They want to tell boys, they are interested by having bright lips, which makes the boys look, that is the way in the world. When you are in Christ your lips will speak of Jesus. They become very special; they are jewels because you know Jesus Christ. God wants nothing but to bless you and for you to bless others with the wisdom of knowing Christ. When you share about Jesus you look more handsome and beautiful (Isaiah 53). People will see in us the comeliness and beauty of Jesus; this beauty comes from within our heart, from our innermost being.

Ephesians 1:17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, (MKJV)

In Ephesians 1:17 we are told that we have spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of His salvation Luke 1:77. Add to this Proverbs 20:15 and we can see that our lips are rare jewels, because God has given us His Spirit. He gives us the knowledge that changes us so we can tell others.

Coal is from the ground, it is cold and you can handle it, but within it is potential heat, which comes from its stored energy. Put a flame to it with some wind, and you will get a fire. It is too hot to hold. When you have the Spirit of God in you, you start to burn. It is after your burn, you become changed. When we first became Christians, maybe inside of us there was a little fire, and when we read the Word of God, God blows in our hearts, and a fire starts as the wind of Holy Spirit blows and intensifies.

You will look different; different from other people in the world. I do not know how many times people have said to me: “Why are you so different?” I say, “Because I am a foreigner?” They say “No, but you are so different to other foreigners we know.” I say, “Oh, maybe I am old because I have white hair.” They replied, “No, that’s not it.” I know what they want to hear, but perhaps they do not know what they are seeking. To answer the question, “Why you are so different?” I say, (tongue in cheek), “Because I am young and handsome.” They say, “No you’re not! So what is it?”  The answer they are looking for, even though they don’t realize it is, “I love Jesus, and I fell in love with Him”.

I have a question: “When we fell in love does that makes us valuable to your partner?” “Yes” Jesus loves us and we love Him. He is valuable and our lips that speak of Him are valuable too, because these are the lips that tell others about Jesus’ salvation. Without someone to tell them, people cannot come to Him (Revelation 3:18).

Hebrews 13:15 By Him, then, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips, confessing His name. (MKJV)

The knowledge of Jesus fills our hearts. If you ask people about the emptiness in their hearts, they do not want to admit it, but they know their hearts are empty. You should have the knowledge to make the empty full, through Jesus. God gives us that knowledge to say: “I know what Jesus did to make me complete, I know He lives because he lives in me”.

Do we know that the word we speak can be precious? To be precious, to be valuable, to be important, something with great importance is to share about Jesus to a lost person.

The Revelation

The revelation is that we have been accepted by God, through what His Son did on the Cross.

Acceptance

Accepted is to receive grace, that is, endue with special honour: – make accepted, be highly favoured. Acceptance is “surrender” or “voluntary submission” to act by taking or receiving something offered to you. Acceptance is being loved for who you are and what you could be. It is a two-way agreement with God and man to show appreciation, validation and support.

Ephesians 1:6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, in which He has made us accepted in the One having been loved. (MKJV)

Romans 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (MKJV)

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind but now I see.

John Newton (1725–1807).

Once we were covered by the filth of our sins like pigs in their mire; and now we are covered by Jesus’ robes of righteousness. His blood soaked sacrifice upon the Cross of Calvary not only covers us but also cleanses internally; removing all sin. It is not our efforts or our self-evaluation that gives us value. Our value is found in the symbiotic relationship we have with the Son of God, the Lord Jesus the Christ who paid for us with His blood. We are sons transposed into the Kingdom of God, justified instantaneously by the faith of Jesus and washed clean. As He shines in us, we shine in Him.

Not only do we get a new spirit, new heart, mind of Christ, the Word of God inscribed on our new heart and the Holy Spirit, which in themselves are tremendous set of changes to bring about our regeneration-cum-renovation, we still get more. We become sons of God transposed into the Kingdom of God, justified instantaneously by the faith of Jesus in us and our faith in Jesus accompanied by our act of repentance.

We are saved by the faith of Jesus

Galatians 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. (KJV)

In Galatians 2:16 it says we are saved by the faith OF Jesus and not by the works of the law. It is Jesus who initiates this free gift of grace on the cross. We now need to take responsibility for our sins by willingly repenting even though our understanding of faith is small, and from this point on our faith in Jesus will help us in life.

In the case Zaccheus in Luke 19:1-10; it was the revelation that Jesus is the Son of God, and the need to repent that set him free. Mark 1:15 urges us to “Repent, and believe the Gospel.” In Luke 13:5 the consequences of not repenting are stressed “But unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” Jesus commands it in Matthew 4:17 “From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand.’”

He died for me; giving me some value; a currency hard to bear; or is it?

The Christian is accepted by God based on their personal expression of repentance and belief that Jesus came to take away their sins. We have been vindicated and given a new Legal Standing where our sins are not accounted to us anymore. This is all achieved by the Act of Salvation. The warrant of death and sin against us through the fall of man has been absolved and we have been exculpated and exonerated. We have been vindicated, validated, legalized and exonerated by what Jesus has done; therefore we are now sons of God. It is God through His Son who upholds and maintains our position in His Kingdom. We have been exculpated from any effort to win favour from God in regards to our Salvation; we receive this by His grace and love.

We are freed from our fallen state, so does that mean that we no longer have a feeling of insecurity or inferiority? Regrettably the answer is, “Yes”, but it should be a resounding, NO! The Word of God is plain. Galatians 2:20 and Romans 7:24-25 gives us assurance that we are free from guilt and shame.

We are made in God’s image and after His likeness and it is the revelation that we need to accept Jesus as our Saviour that transposes us into the Kingdom of God. We need to accept the gift of salvation that Jesus has given us. God does not have an insecurity complex but He wants us to accept Him as the Saviour and the answer our needs. Acceptance has the values of love, joy, caring, giving, tolerance, strength, serenity and peace outworking from our (regenerated/renovated) spirit to conscious mind. God wants us to accept Him, as He has accepted us.

God is grieved and broken hearted by those who do not accept Him (Genesis 6:5-8, 1Corinthians 2:7, Psalm 69:20). The inverse is true. God is well pleased by the obedient believer. Colossians 1:21-22 “ ²¹ And although you at one time were estranged and alienated from Him and were of hostile attitude of mind in your wicked activities,²² Yet now has [Christ, the Messiah] reconciled [you to God] in the body of His flesh through death, in order to present you holy and faultless and irreproachable in His [the Father’s] presence.”  (AMP). Colossians 1:14 “In Whom we have our redemption through His blood, [which means] the forgiveness of our sins” (AMP).

Ephesians 1:6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, in which He has made us accepted in the One having been loved. (MKJV)

To God we are worth everything!

[1] Strong’s, Hebrews and Greek Dictionaries – paw-neen’ H4480, H6434;

Death does not discriminate nor does it show any restraints with saints or sinners; it takes and it takes and it keeps on taking; without giving back. We know that this is the end of the matter for all of us. BUT how we live in this life now will have an implication on where our eternity will be!

Most days when our daughter comes home from school I ask her, “how was your day, did you have a good day?”

To all parents, we are concerned with the dangers found in this world, as we let our children go off into this world; even if it is only going to school. We pray that our children will come home at the end of the day safe-and-sound. We are well aware that some children never get home. God has the same feelings.

My cousin, Thomas Touhey, USA, said, “You are always a blink of an eye or the twitch of a heart away from your life being changed forever. It could be a million dollar lottery or the loss of your most precious loved one. So, act in such a way that no matter what happens, you can rejoice, or know you have nothing to regret.”

We all face death at some point in time. In the twinkling of an eye our life can stop or could I say it can be taken away. At that moment the Bible says we have two destinations depending on what we have chosen in this life. Heaven or Hell!

We need to live the Word of God letting it be our ammunition to fight a good fight.

At a certain time

1 Corinthians 15:52 -58 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.  54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.  (KJV)

• In a moment – an appointed time that we do not know
• In the twinkling of an eye – all of a sudden
• at the last trumpet, – It is an appointed time that will hear if it is too late or not.
• for the trumpet shall sound – a certainty that everyone will hear the last call
• and the dead shall be raised incorruptible – this resurrection into an eternal state
• and – in addition
• we shall be changed – the result of the resurrection is a spiritual being to live in eternity
• Death is swallowed up in victory – is only for the repentant Christian
• The sting of death is sin – the sinners realisation that there is a punishment for sin
• victory through our Lord Jesus Christ – rejoicing of the repentant sinner who has become a saint in this life
• 58 Therefore, – In addition encouragement to stay strong in the Faith in Jesus

If your motivation is to be popular, rich or powerful in the way the world see it then you will most likely compromise many times to get there and end up in hell.

Many may go to church when it suits them and they all want to get to heaven, but when the final trumpet call comes, sadly because some still wanting to live in their sin too, the outcome will be of disappointment. Many want to break the commandments of God. Some may say it’s not a big thing as everyone else is doing it; so it must be OK to do it. Well it’s not! We must all stand before God one day.

The judgement seat of God is not a trial, but a place of receiving a reward or penalty. Life now is the trial.

The judgement from God is not based on the number of people doing any one thing; but on whether it is in accordance with God’s Word. God has written His Word to warn us on what we should not do and what we can do. There is much more about ‘can do’ than ‘cannot do’ in the Bible.

If you want to lie, cheat, steal, hate and commit immorality or simple go against God’s Word; then you are in sin. Don’t wait for God’s judgement in heaven! Do it NOW, by comparing the trend in the world or the Church to the Word of God. Any doubts don’t move.

There is no sliding rule on sin. That means a small sin is the same as a big sin in the penalty by our Holy God. Remember this one thing; there is no right of appeal in heaven; you are going there or not. No middle ground!

If your position is to serve Jesus with a holy and righteous life; then you will have the power, popularity and riches’ that He wants you to have; then compromise is a dirty word.

The danger of compromise

Compromise with the Word of God leads to more compromising and deception, trickery, dishonesty and cheating which are all sinful and after death we either will find ourselves in the eternal presence of God or in an eternal separation.

Revelation 2:12 -17 And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write: He who has the sharp sword with two edges says these things.  13 I know your works, and where you live, even where Satan’s seat is . And you hold fast My name and have not denied My faith, even in those days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwells. 14 But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the teachings of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumbling-block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit fornication. 15 So you also have those who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. 16 Repent! But if not I will come to you quickly, and will fight with them by the sword of My mouth. 17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give to him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knows except he who receives it. (MKJV)

The sharp sword with two edges means; to divide, segregate and separate. It can be worded this way, “Sheep to one side and goats to the other”.

Some say that sin is Ok, but WE should not trust anyone with our eternal destination! It is our choice and our freewill at work. Don’t give your eternal rite to your eternal destination to another. If you do you may end up in hell because of some preacher manipulation of the Word of God. Take responsibility! We need to check in the Bible to find if a trend in the world or the Church is OK. If there is any conflict with some Scriptures, Old or New Testament, for me, I would stick to the Scripture and not the trends. If you go with a trend you need to know that it is 100% safe in evidence from Scripture. You would not want to be found testing God by saying that the pastor said it’s OK when it conflicts with Scripture.

Dear saints, check up on the preacher, not based on your feelings, but looking into the Word of God.

Isaiah 5:20 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil; who put darkness for light and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! (MKJV)

Acts 20:30 Also men shall arise from your own selves, speaking perverse things in order to draw disciples away after them. (MKJV)

1 Timothy 4:1-2 But the Spirit expressly says that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and teachings of demons,  2 speaking lies in hypocrisy, being seared in their own conscience, (MKJV)

Ephesians 4:13-15 And this until we all come into the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a full-grown man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 so that we no longer may be infants, tossed to and fro and carried about by every wind of doctrine, in the dishonesty of men, in cunning craftiness, to the wiles of deceit. 15 But that you, speaking the truth in love, may in all things grow up to Him who is the Head, even Christ; (MKJV)

It is better to stand on the Rock of righteousness and holiness alone, than on the quicksand of compromise with a multitude going to hell.

Ephesians 4:22 For you ought to put off the old man (according to your way of living before) who is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, (MKJV)

Dr. Ian Traill

Are we totally separated or estranged from God?

If you are reading this, and you are, then you are physically alive, but that does not mean you are necessarily spiritually alive to the things of God, nor does it mean you are totally separated from God. At least you are reading a Christian’s post so you are pretty close.

I believe that the Bible should bring HOPE and not condemnation, but if you are outside of Christ then you should read John 3:16-18 and see what your inaction or action will bring you.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him. 18 He who believes on Him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God. (MKJV)

Verse 16 is unconditional

Verse 17 is the disclaimer

Verse 18 verifies salvation is conditional

Where in the Bible does it say we are totally separated from God?

Are we totally separated from God?

If we are separated or estranged are we still God’s creation?

Before answering these questions please allow me to explain some perspectives.

Augustine the Catholic teacher wanted people to feel totally inadequate in dealing with their own sin and therefore it was easier for the Church and Government of the day to enforce control and manipulation on the people for their own gain.

Augustine wanted to create a distance between man and God so that the Church of the day could place itself between man and God to fulfil the antichrist role. The Church assumed the position of God on earth to have the power to forgive sins through the implementation of teachings which led to more control such as: penance, purgatory and indulgences. His teaching brought about the pinnacle of abuse in the Church with the condemnation of children and the unborn through the lack of understanding of growing and gaining of the knowledge of righteousness and sin.

In my King James Bible, I found the word separate 33 times separation 26 times, separated 33 times and separating only 1 time.  In most of these applications the significance of separate is with dividing or selection a group or camp of allegiance.

The closest verse which uses the word SEPARATED from God because of SIN is found in Isaiah 59:1-2.

Isaiah 59:1-2 Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: 2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. (KJV)

Please note the Scripture above starts with, “LORD’S hand is not shortened” thus indicating He is near.

The next part says, “that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear” in this sense the, “IT” is referring to God’s body part and not Him as a person. Thus indicating He is all powerful and can save a sinner.

Then he says, “and your sins have hid his face from you” only indicating that the sinner has a spiritual blindness.

The final section of this verse is where it says; “that He will not hear” indicates without repentance you cannot make supplication to God. This is confirmed when it is read in context with the whole chapter of Isaiah 59.  Isaiah 59 is all about deliverance, salvation and the interaction of the Israelites with God.

In the following two Scriptures we see the same concept. Please note the use of the words being aliens, strangers, and alienated from the life of God, thus having a spiritual blindness.

Ephesians2:12  That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world (KJV)

Ephesians 4:18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: (KJV)

To fully understand our condition weather saved or unsaved, we need to realize the parameters of God.

Omnipresent – Our God the one true and living God being everywhere.

Omnipotent – Our God the one true and living God who has unlimited power, being all-powerful nothing is impossible for Him.

Omniscient –  God is eternal ALL knowing, understanding all things past, present, and future. He knows the motives of our hearts.

Immutable – Our God is stable, changeless, perpetual, never changing or varying; unchangeable, He is not capable or susceptible of change or able to lie. Because He permanently exists in eternity, He shows no partiality. His Word or the judgments are set in eternity. He is a just God.

Infinite – God is seen in all of creation, but He is not creation… He is the creator and He has no limits. He is absolute supreme authority and His love endures forever. He has no beginning and He has no end. He lives in eternity, He is boundless. He is infinite power with infinite wisdom. He created all things. He is endless, unconfined, countless, incalculable, interminable, inexhaustible, bottomless, unfathomable, without end, limitless, tremendous, immense, having no limit, and immeasurable.

His Name is God – His name is for Him alone and no one has the right to call themselves God.

We know that on the cross Jesus was so filled by sin, pain and the ills of creation, realizing that He became the first man to feel totally separated from God. It is remarkable that man has not experienced this state as yet. Even those who have died in the past have not experienced total separation. Total separation is reserved for the judgment at the second resurrection where all who have rejected God will go into hell to spend an eternity without the light of God.

Calvinists and Armenians believe in the total depravity[1] of man, but total means total. If that is the case can anyone be heard by God in a prayer of revelation of the need of God and repentance? No we are not totally separated because of sin.

Man is deeply lost or estranged and spiritually unaware of God being near to Him, but in the spiritual sickness of sin with an unwillingness to repent. However, as man has deposited or a possibility to repent in him at varying levels of faith, based on the fact that man was created in God’s image and after His likeness. God did not withdraw His image and likeness nor the awareness of eternity from man at the fall, even though man had become corrupted. Thus we still have hope.

Our revelation in the working of God in us and around us will help in our defence, victory and our advancement as we walk and serve an all powerful God.

To answer my first question: Where in the Bible does it say we are totally separated from God?

No where! Not while we have breath and God is everywhere.

Having just read the parameters of God we cannot say we are totally separated from God while a person still has breath in the lungs to repent.

The second question: Are we totally separated from God?

No! Not while we have breath.

Again knowing the parameters of God and having a breath to say we are sorry for our sins means our estranged relationship can be repaired.

To say we are totally separated from God because of our sins is an incorrect understanding of Scriptures. “Totally,” is an extreme or absolute term! Man is not totally depraved and does have some glimmer of hope to respond to the leading of the Holy Spirit, thus the synergy of Scripture is maintained.

If we are separated or estranged are we still God’s creation?

Yes we are still His creation, His children but we may be in rebellion.

The gift from God of salvation through Jesus is set in eternity but not everyone will respond to the call to repent.

How can any Christian believe that an Omnipresent, Omnipotent, Omniscient, Immutable, Infinite, God can be separated from His creation? It’s not possible!

God is involved in all parts of His creation.

While we are still alive we are not totally separated from God, but we may be alienated or estranged. God is still the Father of all, but our lines of communication are out of order, as if it were like we are trying to see through a thick fog. God the father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit are the repairers of our lines of communication, but at some point we need to repent for full restoration to take place.

It is through our sins we are alienated, estranged from God, but NOT totally separated from God. The only separation that we can be in is the camp of the sinners or the righteous.

2 Chronicles 7: 14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. (KJV)

God is still near; waiting for our repentance and this will invoke all the dynamics of the Kingdom of God to open your eyes to see Him all around you.

When we read Psalms 139 7-17 we find God is near the sinner too.

Psalm 139:7-17 Where shall I go from Your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from Your presence? 8 If I go up into Heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. 9 If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the furthest parts of the sea; 10 even there shall Your hand lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me. 11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me, even the night shall be light around me.  12 Yea, the darkness does not hide from You; but the night shines as the day; as is the darkness, so is the light to You. 13 For You have possessed my inward parts; You have covered me in my mother’s womb.  14 I will praise You; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are marvelous and my soul knows it very well. 15 My bones were not hidden from You when I was made in secret and skillfully formed in the lowest parts of the earth.  16 Your eyes saw my embryo; and in Your book all my members were written, the days they were formed, and not one was among them.  17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them!  (MKJV)

Remember; total means just that; and if you use that word then are you totally sure there are no Scriptures that contradict your position of understanding?

We need to bring hope to people by saying, “God knew you were going to sin and now you need to take responsibility for that and repent.”

Repentance invokes or appropriates the power of the blood of Jesus.
God had judged sin at the beginning of time.
The verdict on sin is that it has no place with Him in eternity.
Sin with the lack of repentance sentences a person to hell.
Adam was put out of the Garden because he did not repent.
God did not turn His back on Adam or us.
Sin is the spiritual sickness of mankind; but the medicine is repentance, and the cure is Jesus.
Sin is in the spirit realm not in the physical, although it is in the physical realm where we may see its outworking.
Repentance is stronger than sin.

In the end if a person does not repent the outcome is not heaven.

Dr . Ian Traill

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[1]Cottrell, J,  What About Those Who Reject Total Depravity? http://arminiantoday.com/tag/total-depravity

There are some who identify with Arminians who reject total depravity. Most of those who reject total depravity would not claim to be Arminian. For instance, F. Lagard Smith who wrote the book, Troubling Questions for Calvinists…and the Rest of Us, rejects total depravity but does not claim Arminianism either since Arminians hold to a form of total depravity much like the Calvinistic view.

The question then arises, should we accept those who reject total depravity as taught by John Calvin or James Arminius? While Arminius was not in full agreement with Calvin or total depravity (with regard to the loss of free will), Arminius did teach the traditional Augustine view that we are born depraved. Arminius would not doubt agree that we are born sinful and that our only hope is the grace of God to move upon us for salvation.

Hello to all our brothers and sisters who are reading this message.

We are drawing to the close of the year 2016 and as normal we look forward to the future as we see the Lord Jesus doing His handy work.

We know as Christians that there are many problems in the world and we can be weighed down by looking at them; when we should be looking at the answers to them all. “Jesus”

I want to encourage you to not to focus on the problems of the world or the apostate church but be focused on the lost souls going the hell and the answer that lies in Jesus. Let us be busy about the Fathers work.

The harvest is vast and ready; it is time for us to bring it in. It can be done by us all doing our little bit. Please look at this short clip of our children coming to the Lord. . https://youtu.be/0B1HfvcEPC0

Our Traillblazer Tony Smits Bible College is doing well in South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, China and other places too. In the New Year some of them will be holding graduations, so please pray for them. God bless them all. We want to say thank you to Ps. Tony and Barbra for all your support and direction over the years as we chip away at the work of the harvest.

Here in China we are seeing peopled saved every week and the shortage of Bible still weighs on us; but the Lord has been faithful and sent helping people from all over the world. We were sent a gift from a church only last week and we were able to to buy two boxes of Bibles. A church in Newcastle, Australia is sending us new and old Bibles for the children who are coming to the Lord. This week more than 70 came to the Lord. If you would like to send a Bible please do so. Our team of teachers are doing a great job, but the Children’s Bibles are really very helpful. https://traillblazer.com/support-our-mission/

We have other supporters and churches that send us financial gifts which is surely a blessing to us so that we can do more. Thank you to all of our supporters and we pray you will be blessed in 2017 as you have been a blessing in 2016.

In HIS hands Ian and the team in China with all of our love

God moves through faith and through the faithful steward. God welcomes the faithful servant into heaven with these words “enter in good and faithful servant”.

Matthew 25: 21″His master replied, `Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’<sup>:</sup>22 “The man with the two talents also came. `Master,’ he said, `you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.’ 23 “His master replied, `Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ (NIV)

God responds, as I have stated, to faithfulness in his stewards, but what makes a faithful servant?

The practical steps of a faithful servant

Matthew 7:23 – You don’t want to hear this

Matthew 25:14 -30 – Which one do you want to be?

Acts 14:8-28 – We should learn from Paul and Barnabas what a faithful servant of Christ, will face and the cost

What is it that I must do to be a faithful servant?

A faithful servant:

1. Will point people to Jesus the living God

2.     Gives glory to God for what God has done in him or her; and what God doing through him or her.

3.     Perseveres with proclaiming the Gospel in spite of persecution

4.     When trials in the Christian life come upon others, he or she will encourage and strengthen the brethren

5.     Is a supporter of Godly leadership, by showing accountability, responsibility and submissive to the vision and the leadership

6.     Is one who is a disciple of a mentor and makes disciples of others

7.     Takes time to spend with the Lord in Prayer.

 You can do it I believe in you and Jesus does too.