AlwaysFragrance

Temptation does not come from God and He does not entice us to evil. Although He may test our faith, He does so without a solicitation to evil. By His very nature, God is UNABLE to either be tempted or to tempt with evil. James in his Epistle (James 1:12- 15)shows the great cause of sin. He accentuates that our unbridled desires have a greater hand in temptation than either the devil or his instruments, who cannot make us sin without our consent; as they sometimes tempt and do not prevail....

Paul argued in 1 Timothy 5:6 that a life lived for mere pleasure and unnecessary ease is no life at all; it is a living death. Is he against pleasure and comfort? Of course not! He is against irresponsible and ungodly pleasure-seeking. Pleasure is irresponsible when it costs our family and the church, and ungodly when it cost us our conscience and soul! How then should a Christain enjoy the good things of life? This episode tries to answer this question.

John the Baptizer was a prophet with a novel message and man of good repute. This drew multitudes to him in the wilderness at the climax of his ministry. Soon he got himself arrested by the king and was on death roll. From the prison, he sent his disciples to confirm if Jesus was the Messiah. Jesus affirmed his messiahship and went on to affirm the authenticity of John the Baptizer's ministry and virtue. Indeed the people went out to see a man of virtue and character but even in his most...

What is the significance of the burial of Jesus Christ according to scriptures and why was He buried the way He was? This question may not be a crucial question to us who live in the 21st century, particularly to those who live in the parts of the world where the dead are buried and not cremated. However, it is very significant that Jesus was buried because those who died by crucifixion in those days like Jesus did, were not typically given any decent form of burial rites at all. The victims...

In John 12:23, for what seemed like the very first time, Jesus said: "The hour has come, that the Son of Man should be glorified". Before this, he has told his mother and brothers otherwise on different occasions. In John's Gospel, we see Jesus as the saviour of the world and evidently, John wants us to understand that what happened in John 12 has ushered in the climax and Jesus sees it as evidence that His mission has climaxed and His time has now come. The fact that His hour had not yet...

Both in his ministry and personality, John the Baptist was styled after the bold prophet Elijah. It wasn’t that John the Baptist decided on his own to make his lifestyle and public ministry like the predicted Elijah-like forerunner of Christ but as he faithfully lived his life and carried on with his ministry, he fulfilled the prophecies of Malachi (Malachi 4:5). He became the grand finale of the messianic prophets and a man whose fashion, diet, message and mien fulfil scriptures...

In this role as a forerunner, John’s purpose was to prepare hearts for the Messiah as well as to bring an awareness of sin among Israel so they could receive the salvation from sin offered by the Messianic King. Isaiah's prophecy about John the Baptist had the imagery of building up a great road for the arrival of a majestic king. The idea is to fill in the holes and knock down the hills that are in the way, a preparation that must actually take place in our hearts. Charles Spurgeon once...

The main message of John the Baptizer was “Messiah the King is coming.” For him, repentance ought to be everyone's response to the news that the King and His kingdom were coming. If the kingdom of heaven is really at hand, then we must get ready now! This is why John was so urgent in his call to repentance... How then should you and I respond if for us the kingdom is not at hand but among us right now?

The third chapter of Matthew's gospel began with "In those days...", a statement which he used to ground the historicity of the account of John the Baptist that followed. In addition, those days preceding the ministry of John the Baptist were days when the Word of God was as scarce as hen's teeth. His advent on the scene in the wilderness of Judea raised a lot of dust, not just because he was calling Jews to be baptised but also because he PREACHED that God's kingdom was around the corner....

When Apostle Paul's conscience was made good by the revelation of Jesus Christ, he continued in his good conscience by diligently acting on it because it is now schooled by the Scriptures and taught by the indwelling Spirit of Christ. Living a good conscience based on God’s standards is the best way to live as it gives the believer the fortitude to persevere in the face of slanders, delays and uncertainties.

... ' who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves, their thoughts accusing or else excusing them'... Romans 2: 15

We round up our study of Matthew chapter 2 as the evangelist Matthew highlights the providence of God. The Messiah is saved from the cruel plan of Herod to kill Him and He returns to His homeland under the directive of an Angel. In the plan of God the Father, embraced by the Son, the Messiah was to be raised in the pretty despised town of Nazareth and this brought Him reproach. Hardly would anyone be intimidated to meet a Nazarene; it is more likely to think of one’s self superior to anybody...

As believers, we have received a kingdom that cannot be shaken (Hebrews 12: 28). This is the kingdom of God, which Jesus has inaugurated. This is the ONLY ENTITY that will remain when He returns to consummate all things (Hebrews 9:28). What then should a believer live for whilst we await Jesus' return? This teaching answers this question from Acts 17:17

Herod's envy brewed into an unjustifiable rage as soon as he realized that the wise men have returned to their country via an alternative route. His reaction re-enacted a bitter experience that Isreal is yet to recover from, which Jeremiah the prophet had spoken of and predicted that an overwhelming consolation would follow. The Consolation is however here, but momentarily in Egypt!

An angel appeared to Joseph again in the dream. This angel is now a frequent visitor to Joseph but this time the angel did not talk to Joseph about Mary but about the child Jesus and the evil plot against Him. Joseph task was clear and his obedience was prompt and exemplary. What did the angel tell him to do to avert the evil plan against the Holy Child Jesus? Find out in this instructive study of God's word!

After a revealing study of the scripture about the birthplace of the Christ and His mission as the Shepard-king of God's people, Herod adamantly conceives an evil plan to harm God's Christ. Knowing that the birth of Christ is no ordinary occurrence but God's eternal plan did not stop Herod from fighting against it, in his fruitless bid to hold on to power. Herod tried to use the wise men in his cunningness but God in His omniscience outsmarted him, working everything according to the counsel...

Wise men journeyed to Jerusalem with the assumption that leaders and people of Jerusalem would be fully aware and exhilarated about the birth of their Messiah. The wise men are about to find that this wasn’t the case; the whole of Jerusalem was troubled instead. Why were they troubled and how was the Scripture able to help them in their confusion?

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the little hometown of King David lived up to its name. Although Jesus' birth caught the attention of wise men in the east, He was born in the days of Herod. Herod was a great ruler, administrator and loyalist of the Romans but his cruelty exceeded these all. What does Jesus' birth in the days of Herod mean? Find out in this study and sequels!

Emmanuel (which means 'God with us'), one of the many titles of Jesus refers to both His deity ('God') and His identification and nearness to man ('with us'). Although this 'Emmanuel prophecy' was given by prophet Isaiah hundreds of years before Jesus was actually born, the import of this name is most truly affirmed and acknowledged to be fully made good in Him. This reveals that scriptures culminate, climax, and are ultimately fulfilled in the person, purpose and mission of our Lord Jesus...

Being a just man, Joseph knew that if Mary had been unfaithful, it would be difficult to carry on with his plans of getting married to her. Yet in his make-up as a just man, he also did not want to make this an unnecessary disgrace or misery for Mary. As Joseph made the justifiable decision to privately divorce Mary, he was effectively grafted into the salvation plan!