THE MESSAGE NOW
Vol. 3, No. 48 – Monday, 26th November, 2018
(Jn.11:1-46)
THE MYSTERY AND THE MIRACLES OF BETHANY (PART 3)

Let the question be re-echoed; why did the Helper of humanity weep? (Jn.11:35). Why wouldn’t the Lord weep? Wasn’t the unbelief exhibited by Lazarus’ family enough to trigger the Lord’s sympathy which led to Him weeping.

For where faith has failed in anyone’s heart, what more was left? One answer is mercy. But is mercy so common as faith? For the exercise of mercy is discretionary. Besides, the exercise of mercy does not lie with him/her who needs the mercy.

Rather, it is always a second or third party disbursement. Mercy is wield at the kind disposition and sole prerogative of His sovereignty. To attempt to determine what triggers divine mercy is to attempt to tie air inside one’s handkerchief. For mercy is obtained, not earned (Heb.4:16).

Understand that this exegesis is not an attempt to demonise God. NO! The point is faith is more easily common and attainable than mercy. I pray that the mercy of God shall locate everyone reading this piece, in Jesus name, Amen.

Why wouldn’t the Lord weep? The foundational problem of Lazarus’ family and the miasma of sleas that surrounded the names of the three in Lazarus’ family were all no doubt very concerning.

Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus means ‘bitterness’ or ‘rebellion’. The meaning of Martha could not be qualified by any adjective but it simply meant ‘lady’. What sort of lady by the very meaning of her name could not be told. A useless lady or useful lady was altogether left in abeyance.

Of course, completing the tricycle of the three in Lazarus’ triangular family, the name Lazarus could not take any other meaning but such awkward meaning as ‘without help’. No wonder, none came to his rescue even after the Lord had raised him from the dead after four days.

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THE MESSAGE NOW
Vol. 3, No. 47 – Monday, 19th November, 2018
PROPHETIC PRAYERS

What prophetic prayers can do is more than enormous. But to achieve the enormous effects of prayer, we must understand certain facts about prayer especially prophetic warfare prayers.

In the main, prophetic prayers can and should:
Be made in the power of the Spirit of God.
Prayers preceeded and accompanied by the word of God produces unspeakable effects.
Until any man arrives at that point when his/her prayers are seasoned with heavenly language, such prayers are less potent, ineffective and nonprophetic.
Just as a man can be anointed, so prayers too can be anointed. Seek to know about anointing your prayers to become anointed.

Prayers not commenced by praises, re-echoed midway and re-engineered at the end will not shake the heavens and the heavenlees.

When prayers made do not have a conviction from within that such prayers have hit the target, such prayers is yet a child’s play.
Except prayers affect the individual making the prayers visibly and the environment where such prayers have been offered, any such prayers is yet to begin.

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THE MESSAGE NOW
Vol. 3, No. 46 – Monday, 12th November, 2018
(Jn.11:1-46)
MIRACLES AND THE MYSTERY OF BETHANY
(Part 2)

Welcome to ANOTHER section of the message which commenced last week on the Miracles and the Mystery of Bethany. Since God is in the business of teaching us through this magazine, The Message Now, it is our wish that our readers will spread the good news of the Bible being dispensed through this magazine. Take note however that this magazine is not a substitute for the Bible and must not be allowed to replace the bible.

Recall that only one out of five questions was answered last week. The task at hand in this edition therefore is to unravel by salient and subtle means the mystery behind the events at Bethany. This unravelling without doubt will provide answers to the posed questions.

The questions once again are as follows: (1) why did the Lord wait until Lazarus was four days in the grave before turning an eye of attention to his plight?

(2) Why couldn’t anyone come to assist Lazarus remove the grave clothes he was yet putting on until the Lord requested that to be done for him?

(3) Why couldn’t the Lord take off those grave clothes Himself?

(4) The Lord stood at Lazarus’ grave and wept, why?

In addition, in the overall, what lessons may be learnt from the Bethany account? What antidotes are spiritually available for healing and for solving bad situations of life when they arise?

To begin with, understand that there is none as compassionate as the Lord. Understand also that of all things created by the Lord, only man is saddled with the duty of giving reverence, worship and praise. So then why would it interest the Lord in any instance to fail to keep alive him/her that was created to give him praise? By the way, for whom is the Lord so compassionate? For angels? Absolutely not. It is strictly for man. Why? Man is the object and the subject of God’s love. He loves man so much that He allowed Jesus Christ of Nazareth, God’s ONLY BEGOTTEN SON to pay the price for man’s iniquity.

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THE MESSAGE NOW
Vol. 3, No. 45 – Monday, 5th November, 2018
(John 11:1-44)
MIRACLES AND THE MYSTERY OF BETHANY

A careful read through the gospel according to Saint John chapter 11 reveals both salient and subtle lessons. Salient, because some lessons contained therein are obvious. Subtle, because mere surface interpretation will not be sufficient to understand certain lessons subtly embedded therein.

Why?Because those lessons are encoded in mysteries. A glance through this chapter tells us about a family of three: Mary, Martha and their brother, Lazarus living in a city called Bethany. It is possible for the Bible to tell us about these three without a reference to their place of abode.

But it did. Remember that God who penned the Bible will refer to nothing in His word except there is a reason. After all, Christ said: ‘heaven and earth will pass away, but not a jot or little from God’s word will pass away without its fulfilment (Matt.5:18).

So then, the question arises: why the reference to Bethany? One answer is to say that referring to the family of three without the mention of their hometown would have left a vacuum in the story line. I contend that such answer would not have done justice to the question. So what is the reason?

We see another mystery in the attitude of the Lord to the news about His friend, Lazarus who was reported to be sick. We are further informed that despite this news, the Helper of humanity (that is the Son of the Living God) shifted no foot in the direction of Bethany. Again, Why?

Eventually, this friend of the Lord was reported dead. And yet, it appeared that the Lord simply made light of the situation by refusing to agree that His friend was now dead. The Lord rather said: ‘Lazarus our friend is sleeping’.

Sleeping! One who has already been buried! Indeed, he was four days in the grave. I mean, already four days beneath the heated earth crust! And yet Lord, you say that Lazarus is merely sleeping! No Lord, your friend is not just dead but very dead.

A further read through the text of John chapter 11 tells us that after Lazarus’ return to the region of the living through the restoring grace in the life, blood and body of the Lord, no one came to assist him to remove the grave clothes he yet had on.

Why? Why couldn’t this man Lazarus simply get simple help? Common sense would inform that one who has been dead, and now alive, would easily obtain the sympathy of all. But why was this man’s case different?

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