SENSE OF GRACE MIDWEEK SERVICE:

SENSE OF GRACE MIDWEEK SERVICE

WEDNESDAY 10 NOVEMBER 2021

A TOPIC OF FOCUS:

JESUS: THE EMBODIMENT OF LIFE (SUMMARY)

Scripture Reading - The Good Shepherd and His Sheep (John 10:1-21)

John 10:10 (NIV) "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."

Someone asked a question: In this verse, does Jesus mean that the thief comes to steal your money?

My Answer: No! This is not what Jesus is talking about here. Jesus is not talking about false preachers trying to take your money; He is talking about your relationship with God. This is why He introduced Himself as the Good Shepherd. A shepherd has a good relationship with His sheep. Before I answer this question, we have to consider the life of David, as a shepherd.

In 1 Samuel 17:34-36, David said to Saul, "Your servant was tending his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a sheep from the flock, I went out after it and attacked it, and rescued the sheep from its mouth; and when it rose up against me, I grabbed it by its mane and struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear..."

Here, David explained to King Saul that while tending His father's sheep, he killed a lion and bear that came to take a sheep from the flock in order to have lamb chops for dinner. What did the lion and the bear come to do? To steal the sheep from David, and once stolen, to kill the sheep and to destroy the sheep. So there are two more steps of doing away with the sheep once stolen, which means the life which the shepherd gives and protects is the main target, not money or any other thing. This is why as David was protecting his flock, he delivered and rescued the sheep from the mouth of the lion and bear and saved their lives.

Now watch this: "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." From David's brief story, could you now understand what the thief comes to steal? The life that is given to the sheep. This is why Jesus as a shepherd said, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." If it were money that Jesus was talking about, he would be specific. So you don't have to associate this Scripture with money. The same Scripture also said to kill and to destroy. Does that mean that the thief came to kill and destroy your money? No! This is not what Jesus is talking about. Jesus is talking about your relationship with God which sustains and reveals the life you've been given. The thief comes to steal that relationship and life from you by using the wrong people and deceptive teachings.

Don't ever use this Scripture to back the fact that you don't have to give to God through the right means or channel. Giving from your heart to God is the right thing to do (2 Corinthians 9:6-8). I give to God wholeheartedly when led; so does any serious Christian. So this Scripture is not really talking about giving offerings to church leaders or in church service, although it mentioned false leaders. So the wrong understanding must be corrected, again - although there could be false teachings about giving. Moreover, if Jesus meant financial offering, He would've said, "But I have come so that they may have money, and have it to the full." After all, in several Scriptures, Jesus shared about giving to God and it was specific and straightforward. So He meant life received after salvation and your active relationship with God.

2nd Question: This is about GOLDEN NEWS ARTICLES and the pictures that come with the posts. I have never shared anything about the gospel to favour any race. So kindly understand this and detach yourself from such limited idea. Maybe stop reading meaning and start letting the Spirit of God impart your spirit with the truth it communicates. In fact I didn't know that such thing is highly considered until I began to minister the Word fully. People even takes sides against you for no reason, even without you knowing it. Meanwhile I'm very much innocent in my thinking while sharing the Gospel. Sense of Grace is communicating life and a mindset and that mindset is the mind of Christ. Jesus came to die for all and sundry and so the Gospel I preach has nothing to do with preference for any race over another (Galatians 1:10-12). God loves everyone of us, the Jews and the Gentiles.

Coming back to John 10:10, when you hear about stealing, killing and destroying, think about what the lion and the bear came to do to David's sheep. The wrong teachings and false preachers can steal the joy of your salvation and your new life by misleading you until you backslide, but this will never be your portion in Jesus' Name, Amen!