COMMENT FROM PASTOR JACOB - WEST AFRICA (FRIDAY 30 JULY 2007

I agree with you man of God - POVERTY IS DEAD!!!

If you are a born again believer in Jesus Christ, there’s nothing the devil can do to tear you away from God. There’s nothing he can do to keep you from experiencing the abundant life that Jesus wants you to live. How do I know that? Because Jesus goes on to say in John 10:28 “I give my sheep eternal life, and they shall NEVER perish, NO ONE can snatch them out of my hand.” People say “Oh, the devil is so scary. The devil is so sneaky. The devil is so strong.” But the power of the devil is no match for the power of Jesus Christ. Nothing in all creation is able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord!

The devil wants to take life; But Jesus says “I am here to GIVE life!” He’s talking about SPIRITUAL life.

Millions of people wake up in the morning. They go to work. They come home. Eat dinner. Watch TV. Go to bed. And after 75 years, they kick the bucket and that’s it.

And Jesus is saying “I don’t want that to be it! There’s more to life than just taking up space on the earth! There’s more to life than just the rigors and the routines of daily existence. I came down here to give you a life that will last far longer than your years on the earth. I came down here to give you a life of fulfillment and satisfaction that comes from having a relationship with God! I came down here to give you a life of significance that comes from serving God in the way you were created to serve God!

Without Christ in my life, I would have about 40 more years to look forward to, and that’s it. If I keep drinking diet soda, it might not even be that long. But WITH Christ in my life, I have FOREVER to look forward to! I have ETERNITY WITH GOD to look forward to! In John 11:25, Jesus says “I am the resurrection and the life, He who believes in Me will live, even though He dies, and whoever lives and believes in Me will NEVER die!” And 1 John 2:17 says that “the world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever!”

Jesus came to earth to give us spiritual life. Then He goes on to describe it as an abundant life. He says “I have come that you may have life, and that you may have it TO THE FULL!” He’s not just talking about the duration of the life. He’s talking about the RICHNESS of the life! He’s talking about the QUALITY of the life!

New Testament scholar Leon Morris writes “Not only does Jesus give the best of things in the life to come; He gives the best of things in this life now! Yes, there are difficulties. Yes, there are problems. Yes, there are challenges. But the constant fellowship that we enjoy with the Father far outweighs the temporary trials of this life.” Amen?

There are some beautiful pictures of this abundant life in the Word of God. In John chapter two, Jesus attends a wedding with His mother and with His disciples. When the wine was gone, His mother says “Jesus, there’s no more wine. You gotta do something.”

Jesus says “My time has not yet come.”

But then he tells the servants “Fill these six jars with water, and take some of the water to the master of banquet.

But when the master took a sip, the water was turned into wine. He said, “Usually, people bring out the cheap wine this time of the night, but you have saved the best for last!”

And when the disciples see how Jesus Christ has revealed His glory, they put their faith in Him.

Jesus is trying to say “I’m saving the best things in life for the people who put their faith in ME. Instead of giving you the cheap wine of Judaism, I’m giving you the new wine of Christianity. Instead of giving you the cheap wine of the devil, I’m giving you the new wine of God’s grace and God’s love and God’s acceptance. Because I have come so that you may have life, and that you may have it to the full.

We have another picture of the abundant life at the end of John’s Gospel. In chapter 21, the disciples go back to fishing in the Sea of Galilee. They fish all night, but they don’t catch anything.

The next morning, Jesus is standing on the shore, but the disciples don’t recognize Him. He says “Haven’t you caught anything?” “No! The fish just aren’t biting!”

Jesus says “Try throwing your net on the right side of the boat.” So that’s what they do, and they end up catching so many fish that they can’t even bring the net into the boat!

THANK YOU PASTOR, I WILL CONTINUE CONNECTING WITH YOU.

Pastor Jacob West Africa