Eternal Nuggets
Timeless Truths for a Dynamic World
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
THE POWER OF GOD’S GRACE IN YOUR LIFE Grace is God’s free, eternal, unmerited, undeserved favour towards His creatures. All of God’s dealings with His creation and all His benefits and His blessings towards us are based on His grace or benevolence alone. Grace is also God’s divine ability working in man and making him able to do what he cannot do in his own ability. His grace is His divine influence on our lives to make us able beyond our human ability. God’s grace is always aggressive and relentless in its pursuit as when He located David, a shepherd boy in some remote woodland and laid hold of him, transforming him into the sweet psalmist and Israel’s greatest warrior king. God seems to have a flair for picking armed robbers, murderers, idol worshippers, whore mongers and turning them into His instruments of choice for His glory as He did in the case of Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Rahab, David, and many modern day heroes of faith. What else would cause a couple who have had a bitter divorce several years earlier to hear the message of grace and fall back in love all over again. His aggressive grace is best illustrated in the story of the wealthy father of the prodigal son who was always on the look-out for his wayward son, and ran to meet him when he saw him come back after his riotous experience. His love for us is the reason why He does us good, but His grace is the vehicle for making that love available to us. Where sin abounds, His grace superabounds. It is like where sin has done its dirtiest work, His grace rises to its highest degree. He supplies the amount of grace commensurate with the need. All of God’s dealings with His creation are rooted in His grace, even when it is not readily apparent to us. For instance, Noah’s flood by which the then world was destroyed by water, saving only eight people in the process, was an act of His grace. Had he not destroyed mankind and start over again with Noah, the entire human race would have been polluted (gene wise) by the Nephilim, and the promised Messiah could not have come into the world as a perfect human species to redeem mankind. He had to destroy the polluted race to preserve our redemption. The same is true of His instructions for the Jews to destroy the polluted Canaanites to preserve the coming of the Messiah to redeem us all. The same consideration of His grace demanded that He banish Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden so they could not lay hands to eat of the tree of life and remain immortal in their sin and sickness ravaged bodies. Can you imagine living in this corrupted body for a thousand years, not to think of for ever. What about slaying an innocent animal, not just to cover Adam and Eve’s nakedness, but foreshadowing the atonement His Son Jesus Christ was to provide for man’s sin and to bring justification and imputed righteousness to man. Even behind every one of the seemingly harsh Old Testament laws such as stoning for adultery and fornication, was His grace to protect the unborn baby from the curse of illegitimacy and ensure that every child in Israel had a biological father and mother growing up. And when enlightened New Testament Christians read it, if they do at all, they dismiss it as archaic Old Testament stuff that was given to ancient Israel, and therefore does not apply to us. Just look at how far our touted enlightenment has brought us. Families lay in ruins and societies are tearing themselves apart. Our bodies are riddled with unnameable ailments and our neighbourhoods have become war zones simply because we got smarter than God. His entire creation was an act of grace as much as His continuing sustenance of the same. In the New Testament, we were all called in grace as Galatians 1:6, 15-16 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood, Isaiah 49:1, 5; “Listen, O coastlands, to Me, And take heed, you peoples from afar! The LORD has called Me from the womb; From the matrix of My mother He has made mention of My name. “And now the LORD says, Who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, To bring Jacob back to Him, So that Israel is gathered to Him (For I shall be glorious in the eyes of the LORD, And My God shall be My strength), Jeremiah 1:5; “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” Romans 1:16-17; 3:22-24, 28; 5:8; 9:10-13; For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. And not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by one man, even by our father Isaac 11 (for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls), 12 it was said to her, “The older shall serve the younger.” 13 As it is written, “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.” Other useful scriptures on God’s grace include Ephesians 1:4-17; Genesis 25:23 WE HAVE RECEIVED THE FULNESS OF HIS GRACE IN CHRIST John 1:16-17 says And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. God’s grace has always been available to His creatures but with the coming of Christ, we have received the fullness of God’s grace or grace upon grace. Jesus and His atoning sacrifice is the embodiment of God’s grace. We live in a period of God’s extended mercy. That is why it appears as if God is overlooking sin and wickedness. He is not overlooking sin and wickedness but He is longsuffering towards us, not willing that any should perish but all should come to repentance as Peter explained in 2 Peter 3:9. There are degrees of grace, and all grace is not received at once due to a lack of knowledge and faith on our part. According to our knowledge, we have faith, and according to our faith, we receive grace or God’s favour. In Exodus 34:6-7, God unveiled a glimpse of His grace to His servant Moses in the wilderness: And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.” Accept the fact that you serve a God with a big heart, who is kind, merciful, gracious and compassionate. He loves you so much to die for you according to Ephesians 2:8-9. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. Look back at the great bible characters who were mightily used of God and you will see it is all an act of God’s grace: Moses was a murderer, Jacob cheated Esau and Laban, Abraham tricked king Abimelech, David was an adulterer and murderer, Peter denied his master three times, John and James fought for the highest position in His Kingdom
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
It is generally known that the spirit realm is the transcendent or absolute reality that actually gave birth to our temporal reality or what we know to be physical, material, temporary realm. Because our existence owes its source to the spiritual realm, the latter is actually what dictates events in our realm. It takes no effort to realize that not only is the bible an integrated message but also one that has its origins in another dimension of existence, beyond what we are accustomed to. Have you wondered how the Bible accurately describes scientific phenomena millennia before science arrived on the planet? How on earth did Moses know how the world was created when no man was on the scene at the beginning of creation? It does not take a genius to fathom that there has to be a supreme being, a God out there, who is the source and sustainer of all life. Like I said earlier on whether we are aware or not, life in this temporary material realm is influenced, even directed from another realm—the spiritual. That is why it is important that we understand this realm and cooperate with it to get it to work with and for us. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:18, “While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” He is saying that our focus should be on the unseen, eternal realm, which is the real reality because that is permanent as opposed to this realm that is but a passing shadow. The need to focus on the things that don’t change becomes even more crucial because of the sheer amount and complexity of change that we have to contend with in our lives. Changes in technology, science, medicine, career, and the work place are so fast and complex that we need something strong enough to provide the necessary moorings to hold our lives in place and provide the necessary balance to our lives if we are not to be swept away by the change. Even though change is unsettling, disruptive, and can be scary, even good change, it brings opportunities and progress. So how do we maintain our sanity and embrace the necessary change? It is my conviction that we do this by turning to and focusing on the things that do not change. The things that do not change include God and his word; humans in our basic makeup and constitution; and our biological makeup and sexuality, family, society, relationships, parenting, etc. Of course, the way these may be defined may change over time, but the fact is that they are there. This is why it is important to access the right information from the source of this realm, the spirit realm, to influence and direct our lives in this realm because even though the way man has come to view certain things may have changed over time, the spirit realm is not subject to same change as this. This is the reason why it is important to know God’s truth on every issue of life and apply it accordingly. Now the Bible says that Jesus is the only legitimate door to the spirit realm. According to John 10:9–10, Jesus says, “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” He is the only authorized dealer mandated by God to take people into the Father’s presence and, hence, the only mediator between man and God. As you embrace the truths enshrined in this book, understand that you are calling on a power greater than yourself, from a source beyond this temporal realm to intervene in your life and that of your family. Make the truths enshrined in Eternal Nuggets your truths by incorporating them into your life and see the invisible but real hand of God move in your life to bring much needed blessing, peace, and contentment into every area of your life.
About the Author
Originally from Ghana in West Africa, I have lived in the UK for almost 35 years. I am married to Victoria Bosompimaa, a very industrious and talented woman, who has encouraged me to tell the world my story since the day we met. We have a lovely daughter Chantelle Nyarko . Together we pastor a small but dynamic Word-based Church in Streatham, South London named Mount Zion Revival. I thank The Holy Spirit, the greatest teacher, for His grace on my life that enabled me write this and other books. How can fail to mention Mrs Vivian Sackey and Mrs Sheilagh Ashiley for their commitment, support and loyalty over the years. Pastor Michael Boadu Mensah of Spurgeon’s College, London, deserves a mention for assisting with the I.T aspects. I have been a teacher most of my life, starting first at the School of Administration, University of Ghana, Legon, in the early 80s, where I was a Teaching Assistant for a couple of years, after graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Administration Degree, and then in several Colleges in London where I have been teaching Business studies to young adults. I have always enjoyed sharing with others, whether it’s my food, money, clothes or knowledge. My greatest passion is to share the word of God with other believers. As a consequence, I have a passion for disciplining believers in their faith to become mature in their walk with the Lord, apply the bible to their daily lives and to meet the standards of our high calling by the enabling power of the Spirit of God. For over 2 decades, I ran a one man Charity OPERATION HOPE to help disadvantaged children in my native Ghana, using most of my personal earnings as a teacher to sponsor their education at all levels of the educational strata, educating several hundreds, perhaps a few thousands, in the process. Through the charity I built a number of fully equipped computer suites in several communities and schools in Ghana, fifteen of them, to be precise. By the same token I shipped secondary level books to many schools in Ghana, refurbishing many libraries in the process with books withdrawn from UK college libraries. We were also able to supply photocopiers to several schools and colleges. We even had occasion to provide clothing and school uniforms to very needy schools and individual students and pupils. From this I learnt that you don’t have to be rich to be generous, and that you can always start where you are. At 63, I think I have learnt a few lessons in life to share with others in my writings, especially the young, in their life’s journey. A good mentor could be worth more than a university degree, and that is what I hope to be to the many who would read my books. This I hope to pursue with the same passion and vigour as I have anything I have had to do in life. Regards, Mark Nyarko