Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day

First Written on 14th Feb 2012

Posted  Feb-14th, 2012
Shan Sharma

If Jesus said “Happy Valentines”, what would he mean? Many people use this day as a day to express love or admiration towards another person. Christ did that too for us, however He saw love in a different way than most view these days.

Definition: In the English language we often use the word "Love" to express feelings from a general liking to a deep fondness. However, with Valentine’s Day in picture lets use the Greek language which breaks it down into 3 more specific words to express specific attributes of the word.

Agape (a·ga·pe/əˈgāp/, /äˈgäˌpā/) – is a word used to express a self sacrificing love, agape is a choice, it is not an emotion, it is defined always in action which is according to the plan of God. Example, Jesus spoke about many things but when it came to Love, he died on the cross to express that Love towards us.

Phileo – this word is used to express an affectionate love, it is a brotherly love that is rooted in relating to the other person as a brother.

Eros – The third and most narrow kind of love is Eros, which is related to physical love. It is limited to a physical desire or attraction. This is often and almost always confused with lust, which is a greedy desire to self-gratify, not being rightly related to others, to self, and certainly not rightly related to God. Lust of flesh, lust of eyes and pride of life are all defined precursors to sin.

What if Jesus appeared to you and said “Happy Valentines”, what would He mean?

Jesus and God are one (John1:1, John1:14). To know what Jesus would mean if He said "Happy Valentines", we could look at the word of God and explore the great riches of God’s love towards us. The epitome of His love for us is Agape in action, (John 3:16) For God so loved (Agapeo) the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. God said, I love you so much that I will give all it takes to save you from eternal hell, furthermore, I will give all so that you may be reconciled to me, for which your absolute purity is essential. But I know you cannot attain it by yourself, so I will fulfill that for you, by dying on the Cross. Remember, this was God, the world was made by the word and He was the word. It is like a king who is also a doctor who leaves His palace and all the luxuries to visit a sick child out in the country in a small dark hut where there is no food to eat. The child did nothing to deserve that visit, that healing, and the food that the King brought along, in fact the child only knew how to cry. I hope that paints a picture of Agape. God is love (1 John 4:8).


This is the perfection of Love, agape is true love. It is not a respecter of persons, it is not motivated by self or a need to gratify self. The recipient is undeserving, and perhaps doesn't have the capacity to understand much. The recipient has no way to respond except by receiving or rejecting it. God didn’t expect anything of us, but to only Believe (John 3:16). The word here means to have faith in, to trust, to build up or support; to foster as a parent or nurse; figuratively to render (or be) firm or faithful, to trust or believe, to be permanent or quiet; morally to be true or certain, believe , assurance, faithful, sure, established, trust, verified, steadfast, continuance.

The question one could ask is, "Why did God do all this and why is it so important to God?” Just as when you pour water in a pan having oil in it, the oil floats and drains away because water and oil cannot mix, in the word of God 2 Corinthians 6:14 mentions “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” Every word written in the Bible, spells out Gods nature and character, He can not contradict Himself. Therefore, because man was in a sinful state, and the result of sin is separation from God (Romans 6:23), Christ came into this world to join us with God again. Hence we stand perfect and holy in front of God through the blood that was shed for us on the cross. This is the meaning of Love as God is, and intended for us. Learn more about Gods love in related articles on this blog. Seek a local assembly which preaches the bible and the finished work, and if you haven't yet done this - Accept Jesus Christ - Just believe. 

A simple prayer for salvation: "Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner and there is nothing good in me. I stand before you knowing that there is nothing hidden from you. I am lost, God save me, Jesus save me. I repent of all I am, and I want to enter into the narrow gate, I want to walk in the way, the truth and the light of life from above. In Jesus name, save me from this body of sin and death. I want to know you God and I want to know what Love is. Save me in Jesus name. Amen."

Grace Overcame

Why the Cross has overcome the world through Grace

First Written on 3rd Feb 2012

Posted  Feb-3rd, 2012

Shan Sharma

Introduction

  The Cross is a sign of victory. It is a sign of a door. It is a sign of an eternal state of separation from the world which is marred by sin and death. Sin, is a state of hollowness. It is a state of an empty mind, body and soul. Knowing that God created us in His own image (Genesis 1:27), through sin, the wages of which is separation from God, that image is reduced from a tabernacle, to an idol. An idol is not sanctified; it is glorified not in God but in its own esteem. God says “your righteousness is as filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). As Lucifer puffed up in his own vain imaginations, so does this empty idol, alien to the Kingdom of God. There are only two kingdoms that ever were, the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness. There is no grey scale, of acceptance in either or both Kingdoms,  (1 John 1:5) states, "This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all."

The Cross over came the world through grace. John 1:14 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 3:18 say “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ”. What does it mean to grow in grace and knowledge? How does it relate to the Cross overcoming of the world?

The fruits of the world 

  All of us experience emotions and feelings of being lonely, unaccepted, rejected, overthrown, lost, “sinful”, regretful, remorseful, sorrow, grief, plain sad, dejected, gloomy, introspective, dismayed, and so on. These are the fruits of the world.

The truth is that though we may like to preoccupy ourselves with pursuits of this world, at the end of the day, at the end of the week, every morning, there are thought’s deep within that we either turn away from, or glance and decide to leave them undefined.

Gods Perfect Plan

    God created man in His own image (Genesis 1:27). He did that so He could see His own reflection, not physical but His essence. The essence with which He created the world and made man to subdue the earth. When man sinned he broke fellowship with God. Romans 6:23 states “For the wages of sin is death”. Before Christ came to this world, a man could follow God, keep his commandments, seek Him, and God would be pleased and have fellowship with the man of God. However, when man did anything contrary to the nature of God in the capacities that were given to man, God could not continue that fellowship, since it is written, 1 John 1:5 “that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all”. But men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil (John 3:19). Find yourself in a dark room, and soon you will find that you would get lost, you could produce the same effects by blind folding yourself in a well lit room. The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. (Luke 11:34). Therefore, when we live in sin, we live in darkness.

It all changed with Christ, who came into this world to overcome it. John 3:16 states, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”. God’s heart was always the same, of love and grace towards man, yet He is righteous, and did destroy the whole earth with a flood in the days of Noah. Would He stand forever and watch mankind do all kinds of abominations forever? No, but He could not contradict Himself, God is Love (1 John 4:8). Therefore, He sent Christ, to be the walking living Word of God. John 1:1 states "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.",  (John 1:14) And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. He was full of Truth, He was the truth, since He was the Word of God. You are what you eat? He was also Grace, the same Grace that God has asked us to grow in. It means, that unlike before Christ JESUS came into this world, every time we sinned the Glory of the Lord departed from us. It departed. It left us, because it could not stand the darkness that was in us. But Christ changed it all. According to the truth that is in the Bible, which we experience daily, God said whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be delivered. Meaning, he shall be delivered, he will be delivered and this is how. Every time you sin, you can grieve the Spirit that convicts you but it never leaves. So you if you are "born again", you can fall a million times a day, but you cannot grieve the Holy Spirit away. You experience rebound, and every time the Spirit convicts you, you repent, and you get purged, and clean, and God through all of this only sees Christ in you.

This is "growing in grace", you are covered and sealed, while you struggle, God sees Christ in you. Then you rebound, and grow in degrees using measures of Grace to be conformed to measures of truth. It’s an unfailing plan. You overcome the world, by the Spirit of God, no longer bound by your weaknesses, you soar on the wings of Grace. You overcome by Galatians 2:20, " I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me”. God not only makes you overcome the world but promises you what is to happen, and is inevitable for those who overcome.  Rev. 2:7 To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God.’ Rev. 2:11He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.’  Rev. 2:17 To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows. Rev. 2:26 And he who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations. Rev. 3:5 He who overcomes shall thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels. Rev. 3:12 He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write upon him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God.  Rev. 3:2 He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. Rev. 21:7He who overcomes shall inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. We could say so many things about it, but God has said it all. It is finished, it is done, the world has been overcome, and Christ did it on the Cross for us.

Want to join the Heavenly hosts? Say this simple prayer....
 " Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner and there is nothing good in me. I stand before you knowing that there is nothing hidden from you. I am lost, God save me, Jesus save me. I repent of all I am, and I want to enter into the narrow gate, I want to walk in the way, the truth and the light of life from above. In Jesus name, save me from this body of sin and death. I want to know you God. Save me. Amen."