This Week at ACA | 01.08.20

Dear Church family,
 
Wish you all a very blessed and prosperous New Year 2020!

As people in the world everywhere make new resolutions, let us be thankful to the Lord our God and make a conscious effort to celebrate victory, not just for entry into the new year, but also for the many hundreds of victories that the Lord has given us in 2019, in different fields.

Think of all those times, when you thought last year that this is it, I’m going to give up on this issue, or I am not going to dream any more dreams, or I am not going to try to mend this relationship. There were so many occasions where many of us thought, this is not even possible in my life. Today, when you look back, you can rejoice in this, that the impossible things have been made possible by God, who is the God of impossibilities.

So, instead of just moving on casually with life in this new year 2020, let us take a moment and time to be thankful to our God, who has not only given us life, but has fulfilled so many desires of our hearts. Let us celebrate victory, and be thankful to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, through whom we got this victory.        1 Cor 15:57

This new year we started with the series, 'Victory Celebration.' The verse that we are meditating on, is in connection with death and resurrection. As we go further in our study, we will look at different types of resurrections, and times and other details in the weeks to come, if the Lord delays His coming.

Meanwhile, let us start this 1st week of this new year, celebrating the victory over death. There were many who desired to see this new year 2020, but many have passed away in 2019, including many of our loved ones. We must even celebrate their lives, which they lived in God’s faithfulness and now are resting in the Lord. Whenever we are reminded of them, in some cases daily, let us be thankful to the Lord for their strong faith life and their walk with the Lord.

When you ask people a general question, how are things in the new year, they just casually, without thinking say, it’s just same old things, nothing has changed. In fact, they do not even feel any different. While that may be true as to the things around us, but we know that we have all grown one more year younger(older) from last year.

We need to celebrate that God has given us one more day and one more year to live in His grace and to be a witness in this world, for the world to see that this victory of ours is not by our might or strength, but it is through Jesus Christ, who has won all our battles in 2019, and will continue to win them for us in 2020.

Trusting in His grace and depending on Him, we will celebrate each day of this year 2020.
The word of God says in Ps 20:5-6. May we shout for Victory and lift up our banners in the name of our God. The Lord gives victory to His anointed.

This victory celebration in the new year is not because of our strength and intelligence, it is all the grace of God.  We do not put our trust in our bow and sword.     Ps 44:3, 6-7.
The Psalmist clearly says that this victory is the doing of the Lord God.
Let there be shouts of the victory celebration in the dwelling places of God’s righteous people.      Ps 118:15.
Let there be victory celebration, for the Lord God takes delight in his people and has given us all this victory. Let us humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord.  Ps 149:5
Our victory celebration is because Jesus Christ came to this world and has given us the victory. He came to proclaim justice to the nations, as prophet Isaiah had prophesied and it is quoted in  Mt 12:18-20.

John the beloved apostle writes in 1 Jn 5:4, that everyone who is born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.
So, the question is, how do we get this faith?

Paul writing in Rom 10:17 says, that this faith comes from hearing and the hearing from the Word of God, not just hearing all kinds of things.

This means clearly that we must listen to the Word of God more and more in this year 2020.
Our ears must be open and hearts ready to follow what the word of God speaks to us.
How do we hear? From the Word of God. Meditating on the Word of God morning and evening.
Then we will be able to celebrate victory every day of 2020.

Also, when we are celebrating victory meditating on the word and hearing God’s voice.
The same word clearly tells us in just the preceding verses that we need to share the good news of the gospel or send people who can go, so that others may hear from the word of God and have faith. Rom 10:13-16.

Many may not believe, but we got to continue celebrating the victory and keep sharing the good news. Even when Jesus was walking on the face of this earth, many did not believe. That did not stop Jesus from proclaiming the word. The word became flesh and dwelt among people and still they did not believe.

Why should we hesitate to share the good news?

Let us continue to reach out to people around us with the love of God. Amen!


God Bless!