9
Oneness
| Bro Melusi Ndlovu (Kwe Kwe, Zimbabwe)
J
esus showed those who wanted to see, just
what God is like. He said to his disciples,
“Have I been with you for so long, and yet you
have not known me? He who has seen me has
seen the Father. The words that I speak to you
I do not speak on my own authority, but the
Father, who dwells in me does the work.” He
had come in His Father’s name with God’s
authority, because He came to fulfil God’s
initiative to display the Divine characteristics
of love, mercy, grace, kindness, compassion
and suchlike. For he was God’s only begotten
Son. He lived, died and rose again to bring us
to the Father and give us an opportunity to
become members of the family of God.
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive
power and riches and wisdom, and strength
and honour and glory and blessing.” This was
his own sacrifice, and in so doing he would
unlock the chains of sin and death and set His
people free (John 14:9-10, Rev. 5:12).
God formed Adam from the ground and then
formed Eve from Adam. Eve came from Adam,
thus Adam and Eve were originally one. When
a man and woman leave their parents and are
joined together in marriage, they become one
flesh. They are again one, denoting a very
close and intimate relationship. They are
made for each other – this is what God
intended. Though the beginning of marriage is
clearly marked by a man leaving his parents
and being united to his wife, no end is
indicated; clearly it is intended to be a life-
long relationship. No other partners are
mentioned, marriage is with one husband or
wife. A man or woman cannot be one flesh
with many people. Marriage should be
honoured by all, and the marriage bed kept
pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all
the sexually immorality (Rom.7:2, Hebrews
13:4).
Can two walk together, unless they are
agreed? asks the prophet. Will a lion roar in
the forest, when he has no prey? Will a young
lion cry out of his den, if he has caught
nothing? If a trumpet is blown in a city, will
not the people be afraid? If there is calamity
in a city, will not the Lord have done it? Those
who read the words of the prophets will learn
God’s plans from them. Surely the Lord does
nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His
servants the prophets. More than that, like
Jeremiah at a later stage, Amos was unable to
keep quiet when God had given him a
message. A lion has roared! Who will not fear?
The Lord God has spoken! Who can but
prophesy? There is a simple Biblical test. If
what the prophet claims really happens then
he really is a prophet of God.
A Virtuous Mind
| Bro Gaius U Egwu (Ohafia, Nigeria)
T
he mind of man is the human conscious-
ness that originates in the brain and
is manifested in thought, perception,
emotion, will, memory and imagination.
The mind is what makes us do what we do
and be who we are. To have a virtuous mind
is to be a virtuous person.
The greatest virtue that the human mind
can possess is a deep love for God. Jesus
Christ said, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy
God with all thy mind: this is the first
commandment” (Mark 12:30). Faith in God
is wonderful, and hope in God is indispen-
sable, but love for God is the greatest
virtue, now and for ever. “And now abideth
faith, hope, love, these three, but the
greatest of these is love” (1Corinthians
13:13).The mind that loves God is a
virtuous mind:
1| Virtuous minds are also courageous. An
obvious form of mental courage is the
willingness to hold unpopular views,
graciously. Another important charac-
teristic of a courageous mind is its willing-
ness to look at its own views and
conclusions analytically, and to rethink its
positions where it is necessary to better
conform to truth.
~ continued ...