The BIG Picture (Shorts)

The eyes of our faith are not to be fixed on the outer man—his health, his wealth, his circumstances, or his religious performance, as these things may change, fade, or even deceive. But the inner man, renewed day by day, is where the Spirit works and where truth dwells. Our faith is not grounded in what we see, feel, or experience. It is grounded in what we know—specifically, in the words of our sound doctrine: the gospel of Christ according to the revelation of the mystery, found in Paul’s epistles and rightly divided from prophecy. Not vague impressions, not mystical signs, not emotional highs. But the written Word of God rightly divided, believed with understanding, and held with assurance. “For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16). That renewal comes not through external effort or change, but through spiritual truth. And spiritual truth is found in our doctrine. So, we do not chase the visible—m...

It’s not always obvious. The weaker brother isn’t the one who skips church or struggles with prayer. He’s often the one who looks the most committed. He avoids meat, steers clear of certain days, and holds tight to rules that make him feel holy. He’s sincere. He’s serious. And in his own mind, he’s strong. But Paul says otherwise. The weaker brother is weak in faith—not weak in effort. He’s not rebellious, he’s just unsure. His conscience is sensitive, sometimes misinformed. He’s afraid of dishonouring God, so he builds fences where God gave freedom. He’s shaped by tradition, not truth. And while his heart may be in the right place, his understanding hasn’t caught up. He sees liberty and feels guilt. He sees others walking free and assumes they’re careless. He equates restraint with righteousness. And when someone enjoys a freedom he avoids, he’s offended—not because they’re wrong, but because he’s unsettled. Now here’s the twist: He thinks he’s the strong one. He sees his strictness a...

The Christian journey should be one of continual growth. Even the Apostle Paul, long after his conversion, confessed that he still had more to attain to and apprehend of Christ, Phil.3:12. Those who have been believers for a long time are expected to have a deeper understanding of the Scriptures than those who have been saved for less time. It is God's will that we develop in spiritual knowledge 1Tim.2:4, and we do that by first choosing to separate ourselves from traditions and denominational beliefs that we have been taught, and then to dig into the written Word for ourselves, to read it, to study its dispensations, to rightly divide its doctrines, and to learn of God's divine plan for both heaven and earth. To honor the Lord, we are to follow the example of Paul's life and ministry. The sound doctrine entrusted to Paul is crucial for allowing Jesus Christ to manifest His life within and through us. The key to our spiritual growth is parallelled only by our increasing kno...

Paul implored Timothy to adhere strictly to the teachings he had imparted, emphasizing the need to remain true to the doctrine which was divinely revealed to him. In 1Tim.6:3-5, Paul closes his epistle with the statement in the image above. Paul presses upon the need to be faithful to the message given him by revelation, which he says in Tit.1:2-3 was, "promised before the ages began" but made known "in due time… through preaching which is committed unto me…" Today however, it is sad to note how religious leaders have either replaced, or completely skewed, the doctrine that was committed to Paul by Jesus Christ. This has resulted in confusion and division within the Church, teaching a different doctrine that puts focus on Jesus of Nazareth, social improvement, and political reform, and keeps believers in an ignorant state towards truth, stunting their spiritual growth.  More than ever, we need to take to heart this warning and admonition of Paul and come back to tea...

Paul divides people, by the Spirit, into four classes: the natural man, the babe in Christ, the carnal believer, and the spiritual believer. All four of these are referred to in 1Cor.2:14-3:4 and they are classified by their ability to appreciate and assimilate “the things of God” as revealed in His Word. THE NATURAL MAN is unsaved and spiritual things are foolishness to him. THE SPIRITUAL MAN through diligent study of the Word, and with a sincere desire to obey it, has come to know God and Jesus Christ more and more intimately. BABES IN CHRIST and CARNAL BELIEVERS are saved, but cannot “discern” him, not being able to bear the milk, thus, they seek to know him through temporal things; through works, emotions, traditions, and ordinances. But he, having grown to spiritual maturity, is among those of whom it is written:  Heb. 5:14 “But strong meat [deeper doctrine] belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good...

It is interesting to note that the Apostle Paul rarely talks about his own love for Christ. Instead, he often talks about Christ's deep love for him. He doesn't tell us to love Christ, but he highlights how much Christ loves us. This is in line with the special message committed to him: "The Gospel of the Grace of God" (Act.20:24). The Law commands, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God" (Matt.22:37), which is its core principle. Indeed, we should love God, but the law cannot make us love Him. Therefore, in grace, God tells us, "I love you." It is for this reason that Paul's letters are full of mentions of "the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus" (Rom.8:39). Just because God interacts with us through grace doesn't mean that believers shouldn't or don't love Him. In fact, love begets, or leads to more love. It is through learning and growing in understanding of Christ's love (through the written Word) that people...

Romans , Paul’s first epistle in the canon of Scripture, describes the Gospel of Grace by which we receive forgiveness, justification, sanctification, and redemption. His next three epistles— 1 and 2 Corinthians plus Galatians —expand on Romans and correct any misconceptions or confusions. Most church members, if they ever (!) grasp Romans through Galatians, never get beyond here. Remember, the Corinthians and Galatians failed to learn and apply Romans truth! Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians are a higher plane of understanding. Very few gain this maturity, “the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery” being the second step to establishment as per Romans 16:25,26. Finally, 1 and 2 Thessalonians are the ensample of established believers, operating in faith, love and hope. Paul’s last four epistles— 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon —are handbooks for running the local church efficiently, also rarely mastered. ______________ Join my WhatsApp channel...

Faith is not emotions or feelings. Faith is knowledge of the truth. In other words, if the Bible says, "God is near you" (Eph.2:13), then faith believes that, irrespective of emotions and feelings. If your emotions rule you, then your life will be like a roller coaster, constantly tossed between the highs and the lows. Emotions cannot provide you any stability in your relationship with God. However, if you stand on faith, then no matter what your emotional state, you have a firm grounding, and God will be near, because truth says so, not because you think you feel Him. How do you learn to have faith? Well, remember that your whole being, your flesh (or human reasoning), defaults to emotions and feelings. Your default response to everything is feelings since you are conditioned on these since you were born. But faith comes by the Word. You grow in faith by learning the Word, studying the Word, gaining knowledge in the Word. As the Word starts to fill your thoughts, you will st...

When Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, he praised them for their strong growth in faith, (2Thes.1:3). How did he know they were growing spiritually? Because of 3 important things: Paul commended them for their love and kindness to one another (2Thes.1:3). They displayed patience, They had unwavering faith in persecution and tribulations they faced for the sake of Christ (2Thes.1:4).  Without true love, there can be no real spiritual growth, (1Co.13:1-8). Also, staying positive in tribulation is a clear sign of spiritual growth. These attributes demonstrated their spiritual maturity and their reliance on Christ's indwelling life.  So, what caused them grow spiritually? Only one thing! They received the Word of God as the truth, not just the words of men (1Thes.2:13). They had genuine interest in the scriptures and allowed the truths they learned to transform their lives. From the above we can learn, 'What is true spiritual growth', and also, 'How does it come about'.