April 12 Devotion - Understanding Christianity - Part 5 - We are Sanctified

By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Hebrews 10:10

فَبِهَذِهِ المَشِيئَةِ نَحْنُ مُقَدَّسُونَ، بِذَبِيْحَةِ جَسَدِ يَسُوعَ المَسِيحِ مَرَّةً واحِدَةً إلَى الأبَدِ.

 Sanctification:                                                                                                                                                                   

Sanctification which is ‘hagiasmos’ in Greek, means “making holy”. It also means “consecration” or “setting apart” something for a special holy purpose. Sanctification is God’s cleansing and process of setting us apart unto Himself for His purpose and His will. He sanctified us when we were saved, and He continues to sanctify us to make us clean vessels properly prepared for His good works. Sanctification is an ongoing work in our lives as Christians. There may be moments of special consecration and powerful change worked by God, but a Christian could be deceived if he/she considers he/she has reached full sanctification. In the Christian life, sanctification has two parts - God’s part and ours. In the Christian life God is playing the major role, our part is to respond in faith and obedience to what God is saying.

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your deep, everlasting, and inseparable love for me and for Your abundant blessings. Thank You God that when I accepted Your Son Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour, You sanctified me unto Yourself through the atoning blood of Christ, by and through whom I am presented to You holy, and blameless, and above reproach in Your sight. Lord please continue to sanctify me, making me into a clean vessel and setting me apart for Your special holy purpose. Lord God I love You, praise You, bless You, lift You up on high, and glorify Your Holy Name. In the name of The King of kings and Lord of lords, my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, I pray. To Jesus be the majesty, the glory, the power and the dominion forever and ever and unto ages of all ages. Amen.

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

April 11 Devotion - Understanding Christianity - Part 4 - We are Reconciled

For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, ²⁰ and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.

²¹ And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled ²² in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight—

Colossians 1:19–22

 لانه فيه سرّ ان يحل كل الملء.

20 وان يصالح به الكل لنفسه عاملا الصلح بدم صليبه بواسطته سواء كان ما على الارض ام ما في السموات.

21 وانتم الذين كنتم قبلا اجنبيين واعداء في الفكر في الاعمال الشريرة قد صالحكم الآن

22 في جسم بشريته بالموت ليحضركم قديسين وبلا لوم ولا شكوى امامه

Reconciled: It is now possible for us to have a personal relationship with God. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, Jesus’ blood makes it possible for God to change our status from being an enemy of God back into a right relationship with Him. Christ’s blood is the bridge, the peace offering that reconciles us to God.

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings and love. Lord I praise You and glorify You. Thank You God that when I accepted Your Son Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour, You reconciled me to You through the atoning blood of Christ, by and through whom I am presented to You holy, and blameless, and above reproach in Your sight. Thank You God that You now see me through Christ’s righteousness instead of through my sin. Abba Father, I pray that out of Your  glorious riches You strengthen me with power through Your Spirit in my inner being, so that I can continue to declare to the world that Christ is my Lord and Saviour and Jesus may continue to dwell in my heart through faith. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

‘Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.’ Ephesians 3:20-21

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

April 9 Devotion - Understanding Christianity - Part 3 - We are justified

Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.

By Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.

 Romans 5:9, Acts 13:39

  God justified us, which means He declared us not guilty, because by the gift of faith we have accepted Christ as Saviour. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

 Acts 13:39 basically says to me, you cannot be justified by works, the Law of Moses, but only through accepting Christ.

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You for Your abundant blessings and Your inseparable, deep and everlasting love for me.  Thank You Lord that through Your grace You declared me not guilty, even though I am, because I was purchased with the precious blood of Christ. I know God that if I could have been saved by works You would not have allowed Christ to be crucified on my behalf. Thank You God that You now see me through Christ’s righteousness instead of through my sin. Thank You God that Your justifying love allows me to stand accepted before You. LORD, I pray that out of Your  glorious riches You strengthen me with power through Your Spirit in my inner being, so that I can continue to declare to the world that Christ is my Lord and Saviour and Jesus may continue to dwell in my heart through faith. I pray in Jesus’ Holy Name. To Him be the power, the glory, the majesty, the blessings, and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein

April 6 Devotion - Understanding Christianity - Part 2 - We are Redeemed

Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace

1Galatians 3:13, Ephesians 1:7

المسيح افتدانا من لعنة الناموس الذي فيه لنا الفداء بدمه غفران الخطايا حسب غنى نعمته

To redeem means: to purchase back at a cost.

Jesus went to the cross for the primary purpose of purchasing us back from a life of slavery to sin, to a life of freedom as children of God.

Be freed from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

تُحَرَّرَ هِيَ أَيْضاً مِنْ عُبُودِيَّةِ الْفَسَادِ إِلَى حُرِّيَّةِ الْمَجْدِ الَّتِي لأَوْلاَدِ اللهِ.   

Romans 8:21

Does this apply to everyone? I believe it applies to those who have surrendered their lives to Christ and accepted the fact that He bore their sins in His own body at The Cross, and have declared Him as their Saviour and have made Him Lord over their life. At that moment they are born again through the spirit and become children of God.

I invite you to repeat the following prayer for yourself:

Abba Father, thank You Lord that I was not redeemed (purchased back) with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ. Thank You Lord that You redeemed me and granted me forgiveness of my sins, according to the riches of Your grace. LORD, I pray that out of Your  glorious riches You strengthen me with power through Your Spirit in my inner being, so that I can continue to declare to the world that Christ is my Lord and Saviour and Jesus may continue to dwell in my heart through faith. Father God, I praise You, revere You, worship You, I stand in awe of You, I lift You up on high, and glorify Your Holy Name.In the name of the King of kings and Lord of lords, in the Holy Name of Your only begotten Son Jesus I pray. To Jesus be the power, the glory, the majesty and the dominion since the beginning of time, now, and forever and ever and unto ages of all ages. Amen.

Jesus loves you,

In Him,

Wagdi Henein