The Magnificence Of The Temple – 3

Apostle Grace Lubega

Acts 3:1-8(KJV); Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple; Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms. And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk… And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.

Years ago, the Lord asked me, ‘why do you give coins to lame men?’ I did not have much of an answer, but he told me, ‘it is because that is all that you have.’

Look at Peter and John in our theme scripture. They told the lame man, ‘Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.’

Silver and gold should never be a substitute for Christ and what He can do.
But in how many ways has silver and gold replaced what Christ can do?

We give money to the sick without healing them because we are compensating for our lack of faith.

We develop programs to support the disabled because we think silver and gold will cover up for our failure to perform miracles.
Churches sponsor centres for the physically infirm and develop agendas on how to make them more comfortable and acceptable in their weakness because we think that for those, silver and gold is enough, Christ has no place for them except to give them hope in their suffering.

What is in you to give that is more than silver and gold?

Smith Wigglesworth was accused by the police of practising medicine without a license because he healed people.

Alexander Dowie spent time in courts of law fighting allegations that he practised medicine without a license because he healed disease by the power of God.

In you is the very power that raised Christ from the dead.

Before you think of giving silver and gold, think of giving Christ!

Glory to God!

FURTHER STUDY: Luke 9:1, Mark 16:17-18

GOLDEN NUGGET:

Silver and gold should never be a substitute for Christ and what He can do.

PRAYER: Father, I thank you for the power that you have placed inside me. Thank you for the anointing, thank you for the things that follow me because I believe. Today, I walk out in boldness, to demonstrate your spirit, to heal the sick and to cast out devils. I believe that I am anointed for these things and I do good everywhere that I am. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Temple’s Magnificence – 2

Apostle Grace Lubega

Acts 3:1-8(KJV); Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple; Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms. And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk… And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.

The beauty of the Church is not merely outside beauty, it is what is on the inside of us.

Our theme scripture speaks of a man who was lame from his mother’s womb and was always laid at the gate of the temple called beautiful.

This was beauty on the outside but there was no beauty on the inside because the man had not found an answer to his life’s issues inside the temple.

When Peter and John met him, they introduced him to a different kind of beauty.

Their’s was an inner beauty that came with answers.
Peter told the man, ‘Such as I have, I give thee…’ He reached within himself and what came out was beautiful!

The spirit of God in the inside of us is the perfection of beauty. It is beautiful when we heal men of disease, it is beautiful when we cast out devils, it is beautiful when we deliver them from all forms of affliction.

The bible says, out of you shall flow rivers of living water. That is the beauty on the inside.

Some people are too busy perfecting the outside to define beauty.

Stir up beauty on the inside. That is what attracts. That is what got the lame man from outside the temple to follow Peter and John into the temple.

Stir it up by speaking it forth. Stir it up by continually believing that greatness and beauty are inside you.

Hallelujah!

FURTHER STUDY: John 7:37-39, Psalm 50:2

GOLDEN NUGGET:
Stir up beauty on the inside. That is what attracts. Stir it up by speaking it forth. Stir it up by continually believing that greatness and beauty are inside you.

PRAYER: Father, I thank you for this day. More than ever I acknowledge what you have placed on the inside of me. The Bible says that you have placed eternity in my heart. What is in me is everlasting, unending and incorruptible. What is in me beautifies my world, it heals, it delivers, it uplifts and it refreshes. I am an answer to the world because of the beauty of the spirit that is flowing out of me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Temple’s Magnificence – 1

Apostle Grace Lubega

Acts 3:1-6(KJV); Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple; Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms. And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.

During the age of Catholic Christianity, (315 to 590 AD), the Church had grown excessively wealthy.

In this period, a story is told of Dominic, a Friar who had started an order of clergymen living lives of simplicity and poverty. When he was in Rome, seeking authorisation for his order, he was given a tour of the treasures of the Vatican.

The clergyman with him said, ‘Peter can no longer say, silver and gold have I none.’ To which Dominic replied, ‘No and neither can he say, Rise and walk.’

They had built great and impressive structures and this was their definition of magnificence.

They had buildings but without power, structures without the presence of God.

This was a misunderstanding of the magnificence of the Church.

It does not mean that the church should not have good physical structures. It should because this brings glory to God. It does not mean that the church should not have silver and gold or participate in the political arena where counsel is needed.

Regardless of the wonderful buildings, money and political influence, the author of beauty in the Church is the person of the Holy Spirit.

The manifestation of God’s glory and the demonstration of His power give the Church its magnificence.

Hallelujah!

FURTHER STUDY: 1 Corinthians 4:20, 1 Corinthians 2:4

GOLDEN NUGGET:

Regardless of the wonderful buildings, money and political influence, the author of beauty in the Church is the person of the Holy Spirit.

PRAYER: Lord, I thank you for the Word for today. I know that the kingdom of God is not mere talk but it is in power. For Christ is both the wisdom and the power of God. I carry the fullness of God and so I carry power. I have been anointed for great things, to shake and empty hell and to demonstrate you everywhere that I am. This is my life and story. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Life Of True Confession

Apostle Grace Lubega

Hebrews 3:1(KJV); Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus.

Christ is the High Priest of our profession.

The Greek word for profession as used in our theme scripture is ‘homologia’ which is translated to mean confession.

When you got Born Again and received Christ, He was your first right confession. You were Born Again into a life of right confession.

Every word that proceeds from your mouth after confessing Christ must be aligned to His Word.

It is expected by heaven that the confession of your lips be in agreement with the scriptures.

This is why Philemon 1:6 emphasises, ‘That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.’

When you entered Christ, you entered a life of acknowledging the good things that are IN HIM.

That is why with boldness, we acknowledge that we are blessed in all that we do.

It is why regardless of a doctor’s report, we declare that by His stripes we were healed.

It is why we declare that we are above and not beneath, the light of the world, agents of change, we have the life of God and we can never fail!

This is the life we were born into.

Glory to God!

FURTHER STUDY: Philemon 1:6, Romans 10:10

GOLDEN NUGGET:

Every Word that proceeds from your mouth after confessing Christ must be aligned to His Word. When you entered Christ, you entered a life of acknowledging the good things that are IN HIM.

PRAYER: Father, I thank you for this knowledge. The confessions of my lips are aligned with your Word. Regardless of the circumstance, my lips resound the truth of the scriptures because this is my life. I have mastery over my words and exercise myself in this every day. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Seed That Begs Not Bread

Apostle Grace Lubega

Psalms 37:25(KJV); I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.

As a child of God, the Lord is your source.

David emphasises this truth when he says that he has not seen the righteous forsaken nor his seed begging for bread.

By the testimony of Luke 8:11, the seed is the Word of God.

The true message of Christ does not beg for bread.

If a man of God must manipulate his congregation to give to him, that is seed begging for bread.

When a Christian who has sat under the gospel for years has to depend on others for sustenance, that is seed begging for bread.

The true message of Christ gives seed to the sower and bread to the eater.

It empowers us to be creators of wealth and not victims of lack. It gives us the ability to be answers and not questions, solutions and not problems.

This is the message of grace because it gives us divine ability outside our personal efforts towards success. It is the message that makes God the wealth creator in us; God the answer in us and God the solution to life’s issues in us.

Glory to God!

FURTHER STUDY: Philippians 2:13, 2 Corinthians 9:10

GOLDEN NUGGET:

The true message of Christ gives seed to the sower and bread to the eater. It empowers us to be creators of wealth and not victims of lack. It gives us the ability to be answers and not questions, solutions and not problems.

PRAYER: Father, I thank you for this Word. Thank you for because every day, you expose me to the true message of the gospel. The Word has empowered me to be a pioneer of great things, to not just impact my world but to transform it for the sake of your kingdom. I humble and yield my spirit to sound doctrine. I hear the truth. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Branded

Apostle Grace Lubega

2 Corinthians 3:2-3(KJV); Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men: Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.

God has branded you.

Sadly, some men are in the business of misrepresenting themselves to their own selves and to other men.

Look at Gideon. Here was a man who thought himself weak and incapable of leading an army. God called him a mighty man of valour. That was a brand.

How about Abraham? By the testimony of heaven, he was a father to nations but there he was crying for a seed. When God asked him to count the stars, he was asking him to understand his brand.

How about Elijah, the chariot and horsemen of Israel, an army in one man. But there he was fleeing Jezebel. He did not understand the brand.

How about you child of God?

The Bible is full of your brand attributes.

Strength–You can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens you.

Consistency–We are not of them that draw back into perdition.

Relevance–The path of the just shines brighter and brighter unto a perfect day.

The list is endless child of God. The Spirit has branded you to the entire world.

You are your best salesman and He does not expect you to misrepresent yourself. Live in the consciousness of a branded spirit. Speak the things you know you are in God. Act like who He has declared you to be because that is your brand.

Hallelujah!

FURTHER STUDY: 1 Peter 2:9, Isaiah 60:3

GOLDEN NUGGET:

God has branded you. Live in the consciousness of a branded spirit. Speak the things you know you are in God. Act like who He has declared you to be because that is your brand.

PRAYER: Loving Father, I thank you for my identity in you. I am set apart for greatness, molded for exploits and fashioned for wonders. I know who I am! Nothing can change the truth of what you have made me. Because of this consciousness, doors are opened to me and men listen when I speak. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Of Who We Are

Apostle Grace Lubega

1 John 5:19(NIV); We know that we are children of God and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.

The entire world is under the control of the evil one.

It means that they of this world are susceptible to disease because they are under the control of the evil one.

They fail because they are at his mercy.

They suffer whatever things they suffer because they are subject to him.

That is not your story.

In our theme scripture, God draws a severe line.

The fact that you are a child of God means that you are not and shall never be under the control of the devil.

When you crossed from death to life, the devil lost license over your health, your finances, your marriage, your children, your life!

Believe it!

The devil is not your problem! Never look at evil in this world and imagine it is your part too simply because you are in the world.

The poverty in a nation is not yours to own. The mortality rates in a nation are not yours to identify with and hug as your lot in life simply because you live there.

No. You are in the world but not of the world.

The devil cannot control a being that does not operate by the rules of his territory.

Glory to God!

FURTHER STUDY: John 17:16, Jeremiah 31:11

GOLDEN NUGGET:

When you crossed from death to life, the devil lost license over your health, your finances, your marriage, your children, your life!

PRAYER: Father, I thank you for this Word. What a liberating truth! I live in this confidence and consciousness. I am born from above and I have been ransomed from the hand of he that was mightier than me. I view life through this lens of victory. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The New Creature

Apostle Grace Lubega

Galatians 6:15(KJV); For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.

Why are some Christians so powerless? Why are some tossed about by every whim of the devil? Why do they struggle with the things that afflict the men of this world?

They don’t know who they are.

In our theme scripture, the Lord reveals to us that in Christ neither circumcision or uncircumcision avails anything but the new creature.

The most important thing, the central issue in the Christian life is not in what you do(circumcision) or do not do( uncircumcision) but in what Christ did( the new creature).

Circumcision and uncircumcision have built institutions. Circumcision and uncircumcision have strengthened affiliations. They have drawn boundaries of doctrinal correctness; they have written books, laid down dogmas, initiated sacraments and canonized saints.

But what is the new creature?!

Who are you in Christ? What kind of thing was begotten by His death and resurrection? What does it mean to be born of God and not of flesh and blood? What does it mean to be a partaker of the divine nature?

God begat. When he begat, He did not beget a mere man. When he begat, He did not beget weakness. When he begat, He did not beget limitation. He eliminated the constraints of flesh and blood from your story!

You will never do enough to build the kingdom, never preserve yourself from any form of corruption, never exercise enough willpower and restraint against temptation until you understand what Christ did in you.

His name be praised!

FURTHER STUDY: 2 Corinthians 5:17, John 1:13

GOLDEN NUGGET:

The most important thing, the central issue in the Christian life is not in what you do(circumcision) or do not do( uncircumcision) but in what Christ did( the new creature).

PRAYER: Loving Father, I know who I am in you. I know what your love and power have accomplished. I see and behold my identity in the spirit. I am not a mere man. I am born of God. Your life is in me, it is in my veins and in my bones. I refuse to think and live as an ordinary human being because your life is in me. I live in the consciousness of a partaker of the divine nature. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Of Faith And Love

Apostle Grace Lubega

Galatians 5:6(KJV); For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.

Faith works by love.

This means that there are miracles and breakthroughs we can only experience when we understand the love of God.

Think about a Christian who has believed God for deliverance from a long-standing struggle with a disease.

Think about the one who has prayed for a breakthrough in their finances for years.

They claim to have believed and done everything under the face of the earth to demonstrate their faith.

Faith is activated by the understanding of the love that God has for us.

The reason we believe that God heals is that we know Him as love and love compels Him to heal.

The reason we believe that God provides is because of His love for us is what makes Him the supplier of all our needs.

Faith cannot be separated from the revelation of God’s love because faith finds expression in love.

Hallelujah!

FURTHER STUDY: 1 John 4:8, Romans 8:35-39

GOLDEN NUGGET:

Faith cannot be separated from the revelation of God’s love because faith finds expression in love.

PRAYER: My loving Master, thank you for this great truth. I live in the blessed assurance that I am loved and treasured by you. I have been accepted in the beloved. I know that whatsoever I ask is yes and amen because you love me too much to deny me any good thing. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Realm Of Love

Apostle Grace Lubega

1 John 3:14(KJV); We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.

The love realm is of life. When you walk out of love, you start to die.

The only guarantee we have that we no longer dwell in the realm of death but of life is the love we have for the brethren.

Like our theme scripture reveals, he that does not love his brother abides in death. The message version says that anyone who does not love is as good as dead.

Why do some people die before their time? They walked out of the paths of love.

Why do some ministries fade in relevance and their brooks dry up early? Some of them walked out of love.

The paths of love are the paths of preservation.

Love begets life. This is why through God’s sacrificial love demonstrated in Christ, life returned to the world.

When your ministry is founded on love, it will bring life to those who listen to you. When your business is founded on love, it ministers life to your nation. When your career is founded on love, it ministers life to your company.

Glory to God.

FURTHER STUDY: 1 John 4:8, John 3:6

GOLDEN NUGGET:

Love begets life. The paths of love are the paths of preservation.

PRAYER: Father, I thank you for this incredible truth. Your love has been shed abroad in my heart. Love is in my nature and it pours out of my spirit effortlessly. Because I am always responding to your love for me, you love the brethren through me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Purpose Of Instruction

Apostle Grace Lubega

1 Timothy 1:5(AMP); But the goal of our instruction is love [which springs] from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.

Love is the foundation of all sound doctrine.

In our theme scripture, Paul reveals that it is the goal of his instruction.

This means that every time we preach the gospel or minister Christ, the end of it ought to be the love for God and the love for men.

Even if it is a rebuke, it should never be weighed and found wanting on the scales of love.

This goes to more than merely teaching.

Healing the sick and the demonstration of the spirit must be in line with the standard of love.

Christ set the pattern. He healed because He was moved by compassion. He taught because His heart bled for Israel that seemed scattered as sheep without a shepherd.

Even when men fight your doctrine and the truth on your lips, one thing should never be questioned: the love you minister and by which you minister.

It is love that draws men to God. It is love that ministers to the sick. It is love that brings true deliverance.

Glory to God.

FURTHER STUDY: Galatians 5:6, James 2:8

GOLDEN NUGGET:
Love is the foundation of all sound doctrine.

PRAYER: Father, I am grateful for this truth. For you loved the world that you gave your only begotten son. Humanity’s greatest gift started with love. Love upholds our world. I choose to live the love walk in the revelation you have given me, to teach in love, win souls in love and serve you with all my heart in love. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

To Need Him

Apostle Grace Lubega

Psalms 42:1(KJV); As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.

The need for God is a revelation.

There are three kinds of people in this world. There are those who genuinely need God, those that think they need him but their actions speak otherwise and those that do not believe they need him.

Lifting up one’s hands in worship and singling to ‘Lord I need you’ does not mean that one genuinely needs God.

Claiming to need him does not mean that you need Him.

The need for God is more than the desire for His intervention in a financial situation. The need for Him is more than wanting him to deal with a health issue, family issue or other problem.

It is when He opens your eyes to your true state as a man and His true state as the saviour of your soul.

It is the realisation that even if you had all the wealth and accomplishments in the world, only He can fill the void in your spirit.

May God continually flood your spirit with this understanding.

FURTHER STUDY: Psalms 27:4, Psalm 84:10

GOLDEN NUGGET:

The need for God is a revelation.

PRAYER: Father in heaven, I thank you for this Word. Thank you for opening my eyes to the truth of how much I need you. I desire more than what your hand can give but what your heart can reveal. I know in my hearts of hearts that I need you more than the air that I breathe and more than my next heartbeat. I live my life in this revelation. In Jesus name. Amen.