Seeking First the Kingdom,
and His Righteousness
Matt
6:33
In this issue:
* BACK IN KIGALI - MISSION A SUCCESS! Bro Robert
* UPDATES -
* SAFARI MISSION REPORT - BRO JAMES E AFRICA REGIONAL
* KABUGA MARKET PREACH - BRO ROBERT & BRO CHARLES* BUJUMBURA FBF - BRO JEAN BOSCO PLANS ORDINATION
* MATT 19 – EXPOSITION
CONTINUES
My Beloved Brethren... be
ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the LORD, for as much
as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the LORD.
1 Cor.
15:58
Greetings from the Heart of
Africa!
THANK YOU FOR
YOUR PRAYERS!
Praise the Lord!
Pray that all of you are BLESSED in JESUS Christ!
May the Lord Bless you and keep
you in all you do...
ALL Glory to our Father in heaven... Amen 1 Thess 1:5
Praise the Lord!
Pray that all of you are BLESSED in JESUS Christ!
Greetings from E Africa! Pray our Lord is Blessing and
granting you increase with Him in these last days. These are most provocative
and important days that we live in! What opportunity we have with Jesus and the
Kingdom of God Today!
On my side. I have been back in E Africa since the
first part of April. Just completed a large Safari Mission that took me around
the Lake Victoria for about 5 weeks, preaching and teaching with FBF Teams from
5 nations that varied from 3 to 25, and visiting some of the FBF churches along
the way. It was very blessed indeed... all I can do is thank the Lord for His
gracious Providence. Many were set FREE from the Old Adamic Nature as they came
to the Lord, and were delivered from demons. We were preaching in the markets
and other venues 2-5 times a day.
Home base is now in Rwanda, where we have a Life Skills
Training facility that gives opportunity to the under-privileged folks here...
empowering them to get a ‘leg up’ in this life, and the next—as we have
devotions everyday at 7:30 for all students and staff alike. This is a mission
center, and all the Staff sees this as their mission field with every new
class. There are about 200 students this year and our staff is presently at 12.
We have one team visiting now... and we expect another team of 18 in another week. Life is full and catching up on emails may take a while.
Certainly there is much that could be said here, but
will defer for future updates. Suffice to say that because of the Grace of
Yahweh God:
the Poor are ministered to; widows and orphans are nourished; the
prisoners are visited ...
The Brethren are edified; Glory is given to the Father... and credit for the Gospel is given to Jesus Christ is every place.
Again... none of this is possible except it be given of the Lord Jesus Himself... and your faithful prayer support.
ALL Glory to our Father in heaven... Amen 1 Thess 1:5
So PRESS ON
Dearly Beloved in Christ!! Go Forward!!
Demonstrate the Peace and the Joy of the Lord in you... that no one can
take from you! Rejoice Always!!! Amen.
Bro Robert FBF
Staff
FBF would like to Thank you
again for your prayers and encouragements as the Teams in East, Central, South
and Western Africa are experiencing many advances and serious revival that
continues in the East and Central sections... all Glory to God! East India
continues to open up new territories with the Gospel, and the Open Air preach
continues in the US. All teams are training new recruits at this time. We
thank the LORD for the good work of participating with His Kingdom advance...
and with all His Church Bride who is eagerly awaiting His soon return. This is
the hour for all of God’s children to ‘rise up’ for the gospel of Jesus Christ!
It’s TIME to do all we can in Christ. His return is more certain than ever
before! Amen.
The focus of the Pastoral
Letter (PL) is along the lines of generally edifying and encouraging Preachers
to establish more of Christ in our lives, promoting the Kingdom of God where
ever we go, Establishing God fearing Churches, mission updates (Africa, India,
US), missions reports, focus points, teaching, exposition, a short list of
mail-ins (with some excerpts). We are committed to the Great Co-Mission for
all, as being salt and light are not an option in the church of Jesus Christ.
Matt 5:13-16 ... We continue to bless all those who are at work in the
advancement of the Kingdom of God... for Jesus sake. We continue to call all
men to Jesus, and to the simplicity of Christ that we find in the Book of Acts
Church... to His Glory and Praise!
Acts
2:42, 46-47, Mark 16:15-16
May the LORD leave His
richest blessings upon each one of you as you Press On with
Jesus!
"'Not
called!' did you say? 'Not heard the call,' I think you
should say. Put your ear down to the Bible, and hear Him bid you go and pull
sinners out of the fire of sin. Put your ear down to the burdened, agonized
heart of humanity, and listen to its pitiful wail for help. Go stand by the
gates of hell, and hear the damned entreat you to go to their father's house and
bid their brothers and sisters and servants and masters not to come there. Then
look Christ in the face — whose mercy you have professed to obey — and tell Him
whether you will join heart and soul and body and circumstances in the march to
publish His mercy to the world.
~William Booth, founder of the Salvation
Army
FBF THANKS YOU FOR YOUR
PRAYERS
BRO ROBERT IS IN AFRICA AT THIS TIME
HOPE VOCATIONAL TRAINING CENTRE
KIGALI BASE SITE
41 Come into the Kingdom!
As
the Lord leads, this will continue to be base camp for now. It is
centrally located for the great lakes region... and provides a good
working 'hub' for missions sortie's as there is much to do in the 12
nations that are fairly active. Hope VT is currently running about 200 students, up from 65 last year... and we will be adding to classes this year, with IT skills and English... both of which are in demand now. We also offer life-skills sets as: construction, woodworking, masonry, welding, hair-salon, tailoring, and soon to come culinary as well.
Hope
VT has a professional staff of 12 as we speak, each duly given over to
Jesus Christ and labors at the campus here as missionaries for these
young adults. We are just putting together a chapel on campus for the first baptism of the 41 above who have just come into 'His Service!'
We ask for your prayer support as there are many dynamics daily... there are always many opportunities to share the Everlasting Gospel. We have a staff bible study every Friday from 3 to 5 or so... and daily/ morning devotions at 7:30 for both student body and staff. The Lord has been working mightily, as much conviction and public confession have been coming forth; Teaching has been on what constitutes sin and salvation. There are requests to continue in that venue. Praise the Lord!
Just now, we have one team from US now, and another due in next week--team of 18 to help out for a short season. Further updates will be forth coming... we have plans for a self-sufficient community with animals, crops and methane generator to list a few... ... developing.
Pan-pix of campus below... Please keep our student body in prayer... for the advancement of the Kingdom. Thank you... FBF and Hope VT staff
FBF Sarari Mission
Around Lake Victoria in 5 weeks
Around Lake Victoria in 5 weeks
FBF Safari Mission around the
Lake Victoria in 8 regions... complete! FBF is strong in the Lord! HE is
leading and continuing revival! It is most wonderful to be living in the Book
of Acts II Bro James Samo serves as E Africa Director and attache` for Bro Robert... serving in Tanzania, Kenya and E Uganda
Dear Brother Robert
Greetings!
Please I enjoyed our mission of proclamation together in our eastern leg of the three nations, it was powerful and reviving as we witnessed revival coming down to churches.
Therefore I have made a report of the experience we saw during our evangelism time. I trust this finds you well and in good stature and that the lord keeps you going to keep the fire burning Amen. Check the attachment to see the report and that I never took any picture but your camera help a great deal.
It's exciting to let you know that the place where we went in Kenya where they were brewing local brew some of the guys came to tell me that they need Jesus and that they are attacked by the gospel of peace we preach ... isn't it wonderful?
BOILING STILL ABOVE SOME OF THESE MEN CALL UPON JESUS
and Glory back to God.
Nyanza Chapter team.
BRO JAMES SAMO
E AFRICA REGIONAL
MISSION FIELD REPORT:
Our mission as FBF is to see Christ
proclaimed in all great lakes in Africa and
Beyond with the
gospel of truth Mat.6.33
Over the last three years we have been
reaching out to countries around Lake Victoria such are 
Last April this year we had a mission
around 
motivated with the passion and the big heart from the
brother and his team. After spending sometimes here in 
our hearts together, see how
God’s power was eminent in the eyes and body of the ministers and church
members. Bother spoke of Jonah and the repentance heart before the calling of God.
I remember one of the Sunday which was our last meeting in Mwanza many pastors
wanted us in different churches at a go after receiving the blessings of the
lord in
proclaimation.Our priority went to Pastor James to minister in his
church building first and the to reach out to others. We ended doing a three service
in three different congregation as we visit Bishop Alpha who wanted us to bless
his church and finally coming back to preach to interdenominational gathering
in the evening. The only offer we could give was to preach the purity and saviour of Christ which is lost in this end time and as we were preaching we could realise that many people have not been made aware of the end time and that it is like a season compared with the chief as our lord will come like a thief and everyone will rupture. I trust this is part of the reason why people love our messages and what we could tell them whenever they needed more was that they were referred to our website.
After finishing our preaching that evening
we realised the areasof need for the church to come up and speak and prayed that God will wake up the church at Mwanza and other parts of
Next day we boarded a bus to the border of
Kenya and Tanzania at sirari where we experience many challenges as we could
witness our bus escaping narrowly an accident which was going to ram over bus
and kill us this was an attack of the devil which the enemy of the work we do. We
arrived at the border safely did the immigration thing and carried on with our
safari to our mission in Kenya .
We were in Kisumu by 6pm and rested for the night. The next day we had an open
air proclaimation in one of the big market called Oile mkt in Kisumu.
We saw
people with mixed mind those with the soft spirit and those with the hard
spirit and that did not deter us from preaching but to soldier on until it was
dark.
We saw
people with mixed mind those with the soft spirit and those with the hard
spirit and that did not deter us from preaching but to soldier on until it was
dark.
We saw those lost soul coming to Christ
because they hid to the teachings and accepted Christ to the lord and as we
could move around many received the gospel and
soften their hearts to follow
Christ praise to God.
soften their hearts to follow
Christ praise to God.
Next day we took time to minister in the
Hospital where two of our team where shot with unknown people these were plots
to undermine the pure and holy message of Christ. But Christ is the answer to
all the problems only Christ can change the situations around us and we believe
in Him to see lives transformed to obey and walk in His command this is the
will of God.
The following day during our time in Nyanza we met with key leaders in these areas like Apostle Bweyu who is also the Bishop eighty churches and over two hundred church networks;
Pastor Dan who was also shot on his arm
ona cold blood by unknown people at night and we believe that this happened to him because of his stand in the gospel. He leads churches in
On Friday 17 of may we set out our feet to
Bungoma and Malaba it was powerful talking about Jesus in the bus and
attracting fellow passengers to hear and react to the gospel. I remember a
Muslim who was angry with the word at first but later listen to the very word
that Jesus is lord. When we arrived in bungoma my brother Robert start
preaching heading to ben’s house and a large crowd follow which were attracting
everyone wherever we passed. These were school children who really enjoyed their time with us at their lunch break they asked Jesus into their lives and we prayed for them.
We were warmly welcomed by ben’s wife who
heard of our being in her house while she was planting flowers in the church
and came an hour later despite ben’s knowledge that were around and didn’t
bother welcome his spirit was different.
After spending sometimes at ben’s house
were escorted and took on our trip to Malaba which we arrived in the evening to
meet with Charles. We found when Charles had some domestic problems and my
brother Robert really tried to get into a position to bring things together and
with the gospel of truth He placed Charles home and family in God’s hand I
trust Christ in the answer.
The next day we cross over to 
After enjoying our time in Muwayo next day
we proceeded to Bugiri in one of the remotest areas village this village had
ups and downs to reach with lots of bumps and potholes it had a rough road
which can be compared with a path. This road meant to take us to the village
for 40minutes from where we were but we ended up arriving one and a half hour
later.
Since it was a Sunday we arrived at 1pm and
found more thank two hundred members gathered and were eagerly waiting for us
with joy and celebration. We came with full of dirts from the muddy road clothes.
Brother Robert straight away entered in to the preaching about holiness in the
church from Hebrew 13 the whole chapter and other references. People were
touched by the gospel and 58 in number gave out their lives to Jesus the son of
the living God. 
We prayed for them and asked them to be constantly being under the teachings from the Pastor there Pastor Moses. Then immediately after finishing we left for a big conference in
Please remember the names of key regional leaders in Kenya ,
Uganda , and Tanzania
Thank you Brother Robert.
Here at Hope Vocational Training Ctr. we now have had 2 Teams visiting from US... with a teacher and photographer still on campus for another week.
We are preparing for another Team Wednesday the 19th... and as it will be BUSY, we ask for Wisdom from above... for planning and protection for each member of the Team. Thank you.
MARKET PREACH IN KABUGA
Just up the street from HOPE VT
TUES AND FRIDAYS
BRO CHARLES AND BRO ROBERT
Every Tues and Fri there is the largest market of around 3-5 Thousand people.
I was praying for someone who had a desire for the Open Air Proclamation... and our Lord sent me Pastor Charles--a mature man of about 50 who speaks 10 languages!
He was totally impressed with the FBF market preach... learned how to use a No Bull horn and stood under a 14 foot banner!
He loved it!
Called the next day to say that was all he could talk about!
We only had one hour last Tues... but we preached in 2 locations... 2 young women came up while we were preaching and insisted on getting saved! We complied with confession and public prayer... then they all started coming in!
12 came to the Lord in the first station... and another 24 came on the next round... we give Glory to Adoni Jesus!
During the preach, Charles wife came with 2 other women... and we asked people who came home to Salvation to get directions to the local church for Baptism.
1 Cor 14:40
We are looking forward to the Preach Friday
BURUNDI FBF
BRO JEAN BOSCO - ORDINATION
Bro Jean Bosco is planning some big meetings in DR Congo and also in Bujumbura, as he is going to be ordained for having established 60 churches over the last 2 years. He has been a major inspiration to many in FBF and we salute him at this time for his achievements. We also have a big meeting with the CPA Christian Police Association... as we are part of the speaking panel.
The below writing is from our Dear Brother Jean Bosco
I am glad to hear from youmy friend.
Oruase tge Lord for all missions last week. We have a
revival crusade of 4 days in kanyahua near my house.
we had a visitor from Kenya Kakamega.
Now, I am with the women in the retratit of reconciliation
the ministiress we sork with other pastors
we will finish saturday and sunday... I will be in Kirundo in the crusade, monday will have feelowship smeinar
for 3 days. After I will go back to bujumbura because next week friday I will have a seminar of bishops and I will be one of the hosts.
The work of prisons I like it and are doing very well.
Remember it is my calling I have many plans for those.
Thank you a lot for your last week prayers and pass my
hello to that Team... and that they are welcome to burundi and wel love them.
I will take a time of prayers for market missions .
About the conference... it will start 21-25 August
but, the day of my consecration will be the 25th. I will
send invitations soon.
Remember me in your prayers because now I haven't the car.
Blessings!
Yours from Burundi FBF
J Bosco
The work of prisons I like it and are doing very well.
Remember it is my calling I have many plans for those.
Thank you a lot for your last week prayers and pass my
hello to that Team... and that they are welcome to burundi and wel love them.
I will take a time of prayers for market missions .
About the conference... it will start 21-25 August
but, the day of my consecration will be the 25th. I will
send invitations soon.
Remember me in your prayers because now I haven't the car.
Blessings!
Yours from Burundi FBF
J Bosco
Bro Jean Bosco and Bro Robert enjoy a quiet
dinner together after a long day of preaching
2-5 times a day... very wonderful!
MATTHEW 19: AN
EXPOSITION
Bro Renier
MATTHEW 19
DIVORCING & MARRIAGE
DIVORCING & MARRIAGE
(Matthew 19:1-2) And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these sayings, he departed from Galilee, and came into the coasts of Judaea beyond Jordan; And great multitudes followed him; and he healed them there.
After
completing His ministry in Galilee, the Lord turned southward to Jerusalem.
Though His exact route is unknown, it seems clear that He travelled through
Perea, on the east side of the Jordan. Matthew speaks of the area loosely as
the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. The Perean ministry extends from 19:1 to
20:16 or 20:28; it is not clearly stated when He crossed the Jordan into
Judea.
(Matthew 19:3) The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?
Probably it was the multitudes that
followed Him for healing that alerted the Pharisees to the Lord's whereabouts.
Like a pack of wild dogs, they began to close in, hoping to trap Him by His
words. They asked if divorce was legal on any and every ground. No matter how
He answered, He would anger some part of the Jews. One part of the Jews took a
very liberal attitude toward divorce like Rabbi Hillel who said that a man can
divorce for any reason like bad cooking for example! Another portion of the
Jews was stricter on this issue like Rabbi Shammai who taught that a man can
divorce only by reason of adultery. This was a major dispute among the sects
of the Pharisees.
(Matthew 19:4) And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
Jesus confirmed that the creation of Adam and Eve was a real historical event when He quoted Genesis 1:27 and 2:24 in His teaching. Genesis is quoted more than sixty times in seventeen books of the New Testament. Here we also see Jesus teaching the truth of creation as opposed to evolution. Almost all forms of complex life have both male and female—horses, dogs, humans, moths, monkeys, fish, elephants, birds, etc. The male needs the female to reproduce, and the female needs the male to reproduce. One cannot carry on life without the other. Which then came first according to the evolutionary theory? If a male came into being before a female, how did the male of each species reproduce without females? How is it possible that a male and a female each spontaneously came into being, yet they have complex, complementary reproductive systems? If each sex was able to reproduce without the other, why (and how) would they have developed a reproductive system that requires both sexes in order for the species to survive? Malcolm Muggeridge, a British journalist and philosopher, once said: “I myself am convinced that the theory of evolution, especially the extent to which it has been applied, will be one of the great jokes in the history books of the future. Posterity will marvel that so flimsy and dubious a hypothesis could be accepted with the incredible credulity that it has.”
(Matthew 19:5) And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
This quotation from Genesis 2:24 were quoted 2 times by Jesus and 2 times by Paul. The concept of cleaving also involves the concept of leaving mother and father. The God who created male and female decreed that the marriage relationship should surpass the parental relationship. Our Lord explained that God's original intention was that a man has only one living wife for a lifetime. No polygamy or bigamy, but man and wife, singular.
(Matthew 19:6) Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
He also said that marriage is a union of persons. When a man and a woman come together and consummate their marriage over an intercourse union between the two, they become one flesh. One man and one woman become one flesh. Period. In every culture. This is a shadow of Christ and the Church! This pure and intimate covenantal union that exists between a husband and a wife is the same relationship that God has always intended for man and Himself! God's ideal is that this divinely ordained union should not be broken by human act or decree. Before God established civil government, He established the family, starting with a man and a woman united in a lifelong commitment of loyalty. It is by His design that men and women become one in holy matrimony and express their intimacy by procreating and raising up children to be stewards of God's blessings when they are gone. Some people twist verse 6 into saying that God does not join two unbelievers together, so therefore He does not acknowledge that marriage. Verse 6 actually means that man should not put asunder the “covenant of marriage” that God joined together. Where do we get that? Note very carefully that the Word of God says “what” He has joined, not to “whom”. God is not necessarily talking about people, but He has built marriages. The issue in God’s mind is don’t separate; don’t split up something God has put together. That word “separate” is a good word to follow through the Scripture. That’s the thing we are supposed to do with sin! Not each other! God’s Word is an absolute body of information. We are to be separate from sin, from the world, and be holy, as God is holy. This word “separation” is very big. But one thing that does not separate is godly relationships, even when we sin.
(Matthew 19:7) They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?
The
Pharisees thought they had caught the Lord in a deliberate contradiction of the
Old Testament. Hadn't Moses made provision for divorce? They wanted to find some loophole.
A man could simply give his
wife a written statement, and then put her out of the house (Deut 24:1-4). This was actually a misquote on the
Pharisees’ part. Moses did
not command, Moses allowed.
(Matthew 19:8) He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.
Jesus said that God has never intended for husband and wife to divorce one another. Moses … because of the “hardness of their heart” allowed it! NOT God! Someone who divorce and remarry must acknowledge that he has a 'hard unforgiving heart!' If our hearts have been truly transformed by the Spirit of God, then hardness of heart is no longer an issue. The fact is, the only way that men can be divorced and remarried is by the modern-secular courts and laws of the pagan lands they live in. Although the courts of a nation may give a man or a woman a ‘legal’ divorce, the heavenly court above decrees ‘not so.’ God has never intended for husband and wife to divorce one another.
(Matthew 19:9) And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.
Mark and Matthew both say that once God has joined a marriage, men may not separate it. This means that the exception cannot not refer to any ground that might arise AFTER God has bound the two into one. Since ADULTERY is a sin which takes place AFTER God has joined a marriage, it cannot be included in the exception. If that is so, then the sexual sin covered by the exception, must refer to something which arises BEFORE a "marriage" is joined by God. We are not left without a "case history" which will help us to understand the exception. It is significant that the only Gospel to record the exception is also the only one to include the story of Joseph and Mary. This is the only New Testament EXAMPLE of what Jesus might have meant by "fornication" or "unchastity" as a ground for divorce. It is this case which defines for us the ground on which a "just man", (Matt 1:19), as opposed to a hard hearted one, might divorce his wife (or betrothed wife) without guilt before God. God says bluntly, "I HATE DIVORCE ". (Malachi 2:16). Who amongst us, except the hard hearted, would choose to do or condone what God hates? It seems that this is just one more area in which the church has become ashamed of the words of Jesus, no longer confessing him before men.”
(Matthew 19:10) His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry.
If divorce stayed the same as Moses’ time and Jesus thought the marriage covenant ended at divorce why did the disciples say “If this is the case, it is better not to marry?” They were as surprised as people are today. They had just heard something that blew them away. The words of Jesus were much stricter than the views that people held on this issue at that time. A certain writer had the following to say concerning the views of the day:
“There were two religious Jewish schools in those days that disagreed sharply over Deuteronomy 24:1-4. The school of Hillel was very liberal and said that the man could divorce the wife for any reason. The conservative school of Shammai said a man could divorce his wife for adultery or some type of sexual immorality. Jesus, as we all know, didn’t make too many friends with the Pharisees of the day. When they wanted to test Jesus, to trap Him about the divorce issue, Jesus did not agree with either of their positions and He took the permanence of marriage back to the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:24), where there were no courthouses, no paperwork, and where they were no longer two but one. This is why He called it adultery if the divorce, then the wedding of another person took place while the spouse was still living. If Jesus took the side of one of the schools, He would have become very fast friends with that school of thought. That did not happen and this is one of the reasons I’m sure they hated Jesus.”
(Matthew 19:11-12) But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given. For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.
Jesus’ mind went to eunuchs. Why eunuchs? Celibacy might have to happen for the Kingdom of God if divorce or separation has taken place. In order to leave the door of reconciliation open the apostle Paul gave only 2 options to the divorced/separated: “Remain celibate/single or be reconciled to your spouse”. (1 Corinthians 7:11). The Lord Jesus explained here that there are three types of eunuchs. Some men are eunuchs because they were born without the power of reproduction. Others are so because they were castrated by men; oriental rulers often subjected the harem attendants to surgery to make them eunuchs. But Jesus especially had in mind those who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. These men could be married, and they have no physical impairment. Yet in obedience to the King’s teaching on “divorce and remarriage” they willingly stay celibate in order to obey the King’s command in 1 Corinthians 7:11 to “remain unmarried, or be reconciled”. Their celibacy is not physical but a matter of voluntary abstinence.
(Matthew 19:13-15) Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence.
It is
interesting that children are introduced shortly after the discourse on divorce;
often they are the ones who suffer most severely from broken homes. Parents
brought their little children to Jesus to be blessed by the Teacher-Shepherd.
The disciples saw this as a disturbance and annoyance, and rebuked the parents.
Apparently the disciples had already forgotten what Jesus said earlier about the
worth of children and the seriousness of causing them to fall (cf. Mat 18:1-14). But Jesus intervened with those words
that have since endeared Him to children of every age, “Let the little
children come to Me, and do not forbid them, for of such is the kingdom of
heaven.” Several important lessons emerge from those words. First, they
should impress the servant of the Lord with the importance of reaching children,
whose minds are most receptive, with the Word of God. Second, children who wish
to confess their faith in the Lord Jesus should be encouraged, not held back.
No one knows the age of the youngest person in hell. If a child truly wishes to
be saved, he should not be told that he is too young. At the same time,
children should not be pressured into making a false profession. Vulnerable as
they are to emotional appeals, they should be protected from high-pressure
methods of evangelism. Children do not have to become adults to be saved, but
adults have to become like children (Mat
18:3-4; Mar 10:15). Thirdly, these
words of our Lord answer the question, “What happens to children who die
before they reach the age of accountability?” Jesus said, “ ... of such
is the kingdom of heaven.” That should be adequate assurance to parents who
have suffered the loss of little ones. Sometimes this passage is used to
support the baptism of young children in order to make them members of Christ
and inheritors of the kingdom. Closer reading will show that the parents
brought the children to Jesus, not to the baptistery. It will show that the
children were already possessors of the kingdom. And it will show that there is
not a drop of water in the passage.
This incident provides a study in contrasts. Having just seen that the kingdom of heaven belongs to little children, we will now see how difficult it is for adults to enter. A rich man interrupted the Lord with an apparently sincere inquiry. Addressing Jesus as “Good Teacher” he asked what he had to do to have eternal life. The question revealed his ignorance of the true identity of Jesus and of the way of salvation. He called Jesus “Teacher,” putting Him on the same level as other great men. And he spoke of gaining eternal life as a debt rather than as a gift. Note the basis is on works.
If Jesus was God, why did He seem to rebuke the rich young ruler for calling Him good? The rich young ruler called Jesus “Good Teacher,” and Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.” Yet on other occasions Jesus not only claimed to be God (Mark 2:8–10; John 8:58; 10:30), but He accepted the claim of others that He was God (John 20:28–29. Why did Jesus appear to deny that He was God to the young ruler? Jesus did not deny He was God to the young ruler. He simply asked him to examine the implications of what he was saying. In effect, Jesus was saying to him, “Do you realize what you are saying when you call Me Good? Are you saying I am God?” The young man did not realize the implications of what he was saying. Thus Jesus was forcing him to a very uncomfortable dilemma. Either Jesus was good and God, or else He was bad and man. A good God or a bad man, but not merely a good man. Those are the real alternatives with regard to Christ. For no good man would claim to be God when he was not. The liberal Christ, who was only a good moral teacher but not God, is a figment of human imagination. So in asking “Why do you call Me good? There is no one good but One, that is, God,” Jesus was not denying His own deity, but was providing the man with an opportunity to say, “That's why I call You good—You are God.” To test him on the way of salvation Jesus said, “But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” The Saviour was not implying that man can be saved by keeping the commandments. Rather, He was using the law to produce conviction of sin in the man's heart. The man was still under the false impression that he could inherit the kingdom on the principle of doing. Therefore, let him obey the law which told him what to do.
(Matthew 19:18-20) He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?
Our
Lord quoted the five commandments dealing primarily with our fellow man,
climaxing them by saying, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Blind to his own selfishness, the man boasted that he had always kept these
commandments.
(Matthew 19:21) Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
Our
Lord then exposed the man's failure to love his neighbour as himself by telling
him to sell all his possessions and give the money to the poor. Then he should
come to Jesus and follow Him. The Lord did not mean that this man could have
been saved by selling his possessions and giving the proceeds to charity. There
is only one way of salvation—faith in the Lord. But in order to be saved, a man
must acknowledge that he has sinned and fallen short of God's holy
requirements. The rich man's unwillingness to share his possessions showed that
he did not love his neighbour as himself. He should have said, “Lord, if
that's what is required, then I'm a sinner. I cannot save myself by my own
efforts. Therefore, I ask You to save me by Your grace.” If he had
responded to the Saviour’s instruction he would have been given the way of
salvation.
(Matthew 19:22) But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.
His
unwillingness to give up his wealth showed he did not love his neighbour as
himself. Thus he had not kept all the commandments, and he lacked salvation.
Nothing more was written about this young man; probably he never left all and
followed Jesus. He loved his money more than God, and thus he violated even the
first commandment (Ex 20:3). In this passage,
Matthew 19:16-22, we see the
Master Evangelist showing us how to deal with a proud, self-righteous person—a
typical sinner. This is noticeably different from the approach of modern
evangelism. When the man asked how he could obtain eternal life, Jesus did not
ask, “Would you like to have the assurance that if you died tonight you would
go straight to heaven? You can have that confidence right now simply by
acknowledging that you have sinned against God, and by trusting in the finished
work of Calvary’s cross. Would you like me to lead you in prayer right now so
that you can have that assurance?” Instead, Jesus pointed him to the Law so
that he could recognize his sin. Biblical evangelism is always “Law to the
proud, grace to the humble.” John Newton said, “My grand point in preaching is
to break the hard heart and to heal the broken one.” This young man is a
prime example of an unregenerate person. He had no understanding of the word
“good.” Jesus reproved him, then gently gave him five horizontal
Commandments—those dealing with his fellow man. When the man revealed his
self-righteousness, Jesus showed him that in his vertical relationship with God
he had transgressed the First of the Ten Commandments. God wasn’t foremost in
his life. The rich young man loved his money, and the Scriptures make it clear
that we cannot serve God and mammon (money). The Law brought him “the knowledge
of sin.” In light of the way most Christians share the gospel, Jesus failed
because He didn’t get a “decision.” However, heaven doesn’t rejoice over
“decisions.” It reserves its rejoicing for repentance, and there can be no
repentance without a God-given knowledge of sin—and that, according to
Scripture, can come only by the Law (Romans 7:7).
The
rich man's response prompted Jesus to observe that it is hard for a rich man to
enter the kingdom of heaven. (Notice that the expressions “kingdom of heaven”
and “kingdom of God” are used interchangeably in verses 23 and 24; therefore,
the two terms are synonymous.) Riches tend to become an idol. It is hard to
have them without trusting in them. Our Lord declared that “it is easier for
a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the
kingdom of God.” He was using a figure of speech known as hyperbole—a
statement made in intensified form to produce an intense, unforgettable effect.
It is clearly impossible for a camel to go through the eye of a needle!
A common interpretation of
“the eye of a needle” is that Jerusalem had a main gate, beside which was a
smaller gate called “the eye of a needle.” When the main gate was closed, a
camel had to forsake its load, then get on its knees and crawl through the
smaller gate to enter the city. This is what a rich man must do to enter the
heavenly city. He must forsake his riches and humble himself to enter.
Interesting though it may sound, it is unlikely that this is correct, because of
the response of both the disciples and Jesus. If that’s what Jesus was saying,
the disciples would have more than likely responded with something like, “That
makes sense.” Instead, they were “exceedingly amazed.” What Jesus had
said astonished
them. He didn’t then
respond to their astonishment by saying that it was “difficult” for a camel to
get through the eye of the needle. Rather, He used the word “impossible.” It
would seem therefore that the analogy was to a literal camel and a literal
needle. Charles Spurgeon once said: “The gate of heaven, though it is so
wide that the greatest sinner may enter, is nevertheless so low that pride can
never pass through it.”
(Matthew 19:25) When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?
The
disciples were astonished by these remarks. As Jews living under the Mosaic
code, by which God promised prosperity to those who obeyed Him, they correctly
viewed riches as indicative of God's blessing. If those who thus enjoyed God's
blessing couldn't be saved, who could?
(Matthew 19:26) But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
Some might be wondering: “Is anything impossible for God?” According to this verse, “with God all things are possible.” However, Hebrews 6:18 declares that “It is impossible for God to lie.” The context in Matthew indicates that Jesus is speaking of what is humanly impossible, whereas, Hebrews informs us that some things (e.g., lying) are actually impossible for God. Note that in the former passage, Jesus said, “with men this is impossible,” indicating that He was only speaking of what was humanly impossible, but not divinely impossible. However, there are some things that even God cannot do. For example, He cannot do anything that would contradict His nature, such as, cease being God, or be unholy, or do what is logically impossible (like making a square circle, or forcing people to freely love Him). God cannot make a stone so big that He cannot lift it, since the created cannot be greater than the Creator. However, God can do anything that is possible to do. But humanly speaking, it is impossible for anyone to be saved; only God can save a soul. It is also more difficult for a wealthy man to surrender his will to Christ than for a poor man, as evidenced by the fact that few rich men are converted. They find it almost impossible to replace trust in visible means of support for faith in an unseen Saviour. Only God can effect such a change. Commentators and preachers regularly inject here that it is perfectly all right for Christians to be rich. It is strange that they use a passage in which the Lord criticizes wealth as a hindrance to man's eternal welfare, to justify the accumulation of earthly treasures! And it is difficult to see how a Christian can cling to riches in view of the appalling need everywhere, the imminence of Christ's Return, and the Lord's clear prohibition against laying up treasures on earth. Stored wealth condemns us as not loving our neighbours as ourselves.
(Matthew 19:27) Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?
Peter caught the meaning of the Saviour’s
teaching. Realizing that Jesus was saying, “Forsake all and follow Me,”
Peter gloated that he and the other disciples had done exactly that; then he
added, “What shall we have?” Peter's self-life was showing, the old
nature reasserting itself. It was a spirit each of us must guard against. He
was bargaining with the Lord.
(Matthew 19:28-29) And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.
The
Lord assured Peter that everything done for Him would be rewarded handsomely. As
to the twelve specifically, they would have places of authority in the
Millennium. The regeneration refers to Christ's future reign on earth; it is
explained by the expression, “when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His
glory.” At that time the twelve will sit on twelve thrones, judging the
twelve tribes of Israel. Rewards in the New Testament are closely linked with
positions of administration in the Millennium (see Luk 19:17, Luk
19:19). They are awarded at the Judgment Seat of Christ, but
manifested when the Lord returns to earth to reign. As to believers in
general, Jesus added that all who have left houses or brothers or sisters or
father or mother or wife or children or lands for His sake shall receive a
hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. In this life, they enjoy a world-wide
fellowship of believers that more than compensates for severed earthly ties.
For the one house they leave, they receive a hundred Christian homes where they
are warmly welcomed. For lands or other forms of wealth forsaken, they receive
spiritual riches beyond reckoning. The future reward for all believers is
eternal life. This does not mean that we earn eternal life by forsaking all and
sacrificing. Eternal life is a gift and cannot be earned or merited. Here the
thought is that those who forsake all are rewarded with a greater capacity for
enjoying eternal life in heaven. All believers will have that life but not all
will enjoy it to the same extent.
(Matthew 19:30) But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.
The Lord closed His remarks with a warning against a bargaining spirit. He said to Peter, in effect, “Anything you do for My sake will be rewarded, but be careful that you are not guided by selfish considerations; because in that case, many who are first will be last, and the last first.” Those who have faithfully focused on Jesus will be startled by the impact that their lives have had on others. While those keeping score may be in for some unpleasant surprises. This is illustrated by a parable in the next chapter. This statement may also have been a warning that it isn't enough to start out well on the path of discipleship. It's how we finish that counts.
William MacDonald – Believer’s Bible Commentary
John Walvoord & Roy Zuck – The Bible Knowledge Commentary
Ray Comfort – Evidence Bible
Chuck Missler – Supplemental Notes on the book of Matthew
Norman Geisler – When Critics Ask (A popular handbook on Bible difficulties)
Robert Ephrata – Christian Care & Concern for Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage
Casey Whitaker – Have you not read?
FBF
Staff - Renier {Ref sources: The Holy Spirit, W McDonalds, Walvrood &
Zuck, Evidence Bible}
Much emphasis is
given by our LORD and the Apostles in their teaching on the importance of the
PREACHING or DECLARING the Gospel of Jesus Christ! It is the POWER of God on
earth as given to men (Rom 1.16)... as it provides the most coverage in every
area.
The words used for
PREACH, PREACHING carry with it the Open Air Proclamation just as a TOWN CRIER!
It is never a 2 way conversation... but a DECLARATION TO ALL! The Church Bride
of Christ is to be the VOICE of the Bride and the Bridegroom in this untoward
generation.
It has been, and
remains the privilege of this ministry to expose men to this dimension of the
Gospel as prescribed by our LORD JESUS CHRIST! May we present the Truth in
Love... as Jesus did. Amen.
Mark 16:15-16,
1:14, Matt 9:35, 24:12-14, Luke 4:18, 4:43, 24:47,
Acts 5:42, 10:42,
1 Cor 1:18
FBF Admin Staff, Bro Robert
edit
FBF - Sons of thunder - Time
for Christ
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we welcome all your comments and inquires ~
