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  1. 5D AGO

    Implications of the New Covenant | Mar. 01 2026 | Pr Raph

    The Implications of the New Covenant Most pastors think that the book of Hebrews is not in touch with people’s reality in their practical lives. This could not be further from the truth. Hebrews 8: 10-12 10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 11 And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. 12 For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” Honestly, much of the preaching and teachings often focus on self-help, leadership, management, and even food health. While informative, they rarely teach the true message of the New Testament.  Most people have heard little or nothing about the New Covenant; for many believers, it's just the name of a church, like 'New Covenant Church.' Now, we come to chapter eight of Hebrews. Here are the specific reflections regarding the content found in the provided teachings: Many pulpits today have been hijacked by psychology under the guise of spiritual help. While psychology has its place in universities and clinics, it is fundamentally incapable of solving the core human problem: death. \ A person does not need their personality adjusted or their self-esteem boosted; they need to be born again. Psychology cannot give life to the dead, but the Word of God can. Real transformation is not a psychological "re-wiring" done by man; it is a spiritual "upload" of God's desires directly into the heart by God Himself. Imagine a dog told to behave like a cat—meowing, jumping, eating. Self-help may try to teach it "cat-like" techniques. The dog might meow for hours, but eventually, its true nature surfaces because it remains a dog. Motivational speakers and coaches emphasize "keys" to success based on human willpower, discipline, and energy. This "performance-based" approach echoes the Old Covenant, placing man at the center with the message, "If you do your part, things will improve." The Gospel isn't about motivation but proclaiming what Christ has already accomplished. The New Covenant relies on God's "Better Promises" fulfilled in Christ, not on your motivation or resolutions. If you see someone drowning in the middle of the ocean, you don't throw them a book titled How to Swim in Five Easy Lessons.  That is what coaching and motivational preaching do—they give instructions to a person who is currently dying. Grace is the Savior diving in; coaching is just shouting from the dry land. Our message is not leadership principles, management, or self-help; it is the "present truth" of the New Covenant. Transformation is not cosmetic; it happens simply by beholding Christ through faith. (Hebrews 8:12) "For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” This is the ultimate "clause" of our contract. While the world tells you to "manage" your mistakes, God says He has deleted the record of them forever. We all receive spam or junk mail—unwanted, often inappropriate messages filled with immoral or shameful content. Many believers imagine that God is constantly receiving "emails" about their failures, their past mistakes, and their secret struggles. They think the "Accuser" has God’s direct personal email address and is flooding His inbox with "junk mail" about them, making God angry or disappointed. But under the New Covenant, God has changed His contact information. Jesus is the ultimate, unhackable Divine Firewall. In the New Covenant, you don't communicate with God through your own "server" of performance. You are in Christ. This means: Legally speaking, the "junk mail" of your past has been permanently deleted.  Because Christ mediates every communication, when God looks at His inbox regarding you, every "message" is "signed" by Jesus. Every communication God receives about you now carries the "righteousness of Christ". You never have to wonder if your prayer "went to junk." You can have the same confidence that Jesus had when He stood before the tomb of Lazarus. (John 11:41–42) 'So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me."' Because you are a child in the New Covenant, you can now be sure of your prayers. A new World View (Hebrews 8:6) “But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises.” Many pastors overlook the book of Hebrews, thinking it only discusses doctrines. However, the more I study Hebrews, the more I realize that my behavior, fears, and emotions are largely shaped by my belief system. In essence, changing your beliefs can fundamentally transform your life. Many live in a 'mixture,” believing in Jesus (New Covenant) but still connecting with God through the rules of the Old Covenant. Galatians 2:16 6 yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. The law exposes and highlights the problem, the sickness, and the inability, but it cannot fix it. Religion reveals the sickness, but it cannot heal us. The World operates under the law Why does it seem hard to believe in relying on the reality of the new covenant? Because we all came from a world system, a world view based on meritocracy.  Every system in the world is ultimately like this. Now you come to Grace. In here, the system is upside down. It dares to say. Romans 4:5) 'nd to the one who does not work but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness.’ (Romans 5:20) 'Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,' The way of the world, the self-help, the religious mode, can diagnose that you have a trauma, a family problem, a hurt from the past, but it does not enable you to forgive. It simply says you have a problem. But it does not give us the power to overcome the problem. But the world has a nature problem, not a behaviour problem. Sinners will never become saints because of a demand for change. To display the Ten Commandments in public schools doesn't change the hearts of the students.  Did you know that there was a recent wave of state-level legislation to get the Ten Commandments into public classrooms? First, it made headlines when Louisiana passed a mandate in 2024, which then created a domino effect in several other states. A poser, of at least 11 by 14 inches, must be displayed in every single public classroom, from kindergartens to state-funded universities. I would rather have John 3:16 in every school classroom. I'm not saying that the law has no right use. Actually, without the law, it would be unbearable to live in this world. Paul explains that to Timothy. 1 Timothy 1:8-10 8 Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, 9 understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, 10 the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, The law can enforce rules, impose restrictions, and set boundaries that help make our lives in this world manageable. However, ultimately, it does not alter the fundamental nature of things, nor does it transform a sinner into a saint. Currently, about 31 of the 54 African nations have penal codes that criminalize same-sex relationships. Penalties in these countries vary from fines and imprisonment to life imprisonment or, in some cases, the death penalty. Do you genuinely believe that a person struggling with sexual dysphoria, gender or identity crisis would suddenly say, "Now that the law forbids it, I won't be a homosexual'? No thief will become an honest man because of the law. It inhibits, but it does not change people’s hearts. Only the New Birth can change the behavioral code in the hearts of the sinner. That is actually the first clause of the New Covenant. new birth, a New heart. Hebrews 8:10 … I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.  The only way is a new birth. We are of the opinion that the godly lost are approved. However, we have no expectation that those losses would transform people’s nature. The new birth is the solution. Before we were born-again believers, we were like caterpillars—bound to the earth, crawling in the dust, and spiritually blind. We bumped into every obstacle of sin, trying to follow the Law but only finding ourselves exhausted and trapped by our own nature. We were "dogs" trying to "meow," struggling to meet a standard we weren't designed for . But then, the Lord called us. Through the New Covenant, He initiated a divine, metabolic transformation from the inside out. By the power of the Holy Spirit, you have been turned into a beautiful butterfly. You have a new "flying lifestyle" in Christ Jesus. Now, you might notice other creatures that fly, like flies or mosquitoes. From a distance, they seem to be doing the same thing as you—they are in the air. But their natures are worlds apart. A fly is instinctively drawn to decay, carcasses, and stinking, rotting things. It thrives on what is dying.  You are drawn to the sweetness of the flowers. You were made

  2. FEB 22

    In the New | Feb 22, 2026 | Pr Raph

    In the New Covenant Hebrews 8: 10-12 10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 11 And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. 12 For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” Let’s be honest with each other for a moment. Most of us live with a constant, low-grade fever of anxiety regarding our relationship with God. Many Christians have their spiritual life like a gym membership. We signed up with great intentions, but we haven't shown up in weeks, and every time we see the "gym" (the Bible or the Church), we just feel guilty. We feel like we are constantly failing a test we didn't study for. The problem with man-centered preaching is that it replaces the powerful news of what Christ has finished with a powerless moralistic "to-do" list for what you must finish, achieve, or improve. That turns the church into a classroom for self-improvement, a motivational and life-coach platform. But Jesus is way more than a Rabbi. Jesus is not a teacher giving you a "to-do" list. According to Hebrews, He is our legal representative in the highest court of the universe. We live from our identity, not for identity. Hebrews 8:11 (ESV) 11 And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. Today, you are here to learn what you already are. To know that you are approved by grace. I talked to my son Pedro in Brazil recently. He was raised in the United States, but he is a young Brazilian man. He is there now to practice his Portuguese and immerse himself in the culture. But here is the beautiful thing: he isn’t going to school to pass a test so he can become Brazilian. He is already approved; his citizenship is a settled fact. He is simply there to discover who he already is. Like my son Pedro, we are often challenged to speak a "new language" under the Grace of the New Covenant. But this language isn't foreign; it is actually our original "mother tongue". We are learning the culture of Heaven, but this isn't a new culture we are trying to adopt—it is the original culture we truly belong to. We aren't "faking it" until we make it; Living in Grace can be challenging because we have to unlearn the "accent" of the Law, but it is also deeply fun. It is not a demanding weight; it is a return to the original purpose of our real citizenship. Now, does this mean we just go out and live however we want? Does grace make us lazy? Absolutely not. But the motivation changes. We don’t obey to get God’s love; we obey because we already have it. Old Covenant: "Obey, and then you will be accepted.” New Covenant: "You are accepted, therefore, you will find yourself wanting to obey." Your exhortation today isn't to "try harder.” It’s to believe deeper. To act out of faith. And when we fail, don't run from God in shame; run to your High Priest. The New Covenant made the Old obsolete. Hebrews 8:13 In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away. The law was a shadow of the reality found in Christ. The old system was divided into three categories. Some people think that Jesus fulfills only some portions of what is considered “the law.” But He brought it to an end by fulfilling it perfectly and completely. 1. The Ceremonial Law: These were the rituals, sacrifices, hygiene and purity, and priestly garments described in books like Leviticus. Because the priesthood has changed from the tribe of Levi to the order of Melchizedek, the entire ceremonial system has been changed and made obsolete. 2. The Judicial Law (Curses and Judgments): This was the system of penalties and "hereditary curses" for those who failed to keep the Law. God has sworn an oath that He will never be angry with you or rebuke you again on the basis of that covenant because He remembers your sins no more. We are disciplined but not for demotion, but for reward and inheritance. 3. The Moral Law (The Commandments): This refers to the 613 commandments, including the Decalogue (Ten Commandments), which defined righteousness.  This last one is what many preachers says it did not pass. The idea is that faith and grace are for "salvation," and the “moral laws” and our effort are for “sanctification.”  However, the good news is that Jesus lived a life of perfect, complete obedience to every requirement of the Law. In the New Covenant, God no longer demands righteousness from you based on your performance; instead, He imparts Christ's perfect righteousness to you as a gift, and by faith, you live it out. You don't work for righteousness; you live from the righteousness that has already been imparted to you. Grace is a Better System (Hebrews 8:6) “But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises.” Many of us try to live in a “mixture." We believe in Jesus (New Covenant), but we still relate to God through the rules of the Old Covenant. The Old Covenant was meant to be like a mirror—it could show you that your face was dirty, but it didn't have the power to wash you. It was "faulty" (v. 7), not because God made a mistake, but because it was never intended to make one righteous. Romans 3:20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. The New Covenant is better because it relies on God’s faithfulness. Imagine you’re trying to cross a massive, turbulent river. The Old Covenant is like God giving you a perfect set of instructions for swimming. The instructions are flawless, but they don’t help because you’re a terrible swimmer. The New Covenant is God putting you on a massive, unsinkable ocean liner. You aren't crossing because of your swimming skills; you're crossing because the ship is designed to get you there. Jesus is the “guarantor." μεσίτης (mecí-tes). He didn't just sign the New Covenant; He is the New Covenant. If Jesus stands, you stand. Coming to the End of Yourself We are notoriously bad at keeping our own word. Let’s be honest: how many of you even remember your New Year’s resolutions for 2026? We are simply bad at keeping our part of a bargain. God wasn't surprised by this. In fact, He gave the Old Testament Law specifically so we would reach the end of our own strength. Consider the "arrogance" of Israel at the foot of Mount Sinai. Before God had even finished stating the standards of His Law, the people made a sweeping promise they had no power to keep. Exodus 19:8 All the people answered together and said, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do.” And Moses reported the words of the people to the LORD."  Before they had even heard the 613 commandments or the Ten Commandments, the people declared they were capable of fulfilling divine requirements. They were making a promise they fundamentally could not keep because they were unaware of their own inability and God's absolute holiness. (Exodus 24:3) 'Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the rules. And all the people answered with one voice and said, "All the words that the Lord has spoken we will do."' They were tragically unaware of how holy, clean, exalted, and righteous God truly is. They thought they could meet divine requirements with human effort. This is the same trap so many fall into today: we think we just need to "try harder," not realizing that our very nature is the problem. The Law doesn't cure the disease; it just reveals that you are terminally sick.  This is the "End of Self." Have you reached that point yet? Have you finally admitted that you cannot be "good enough" for an infinitely holy God? Grace only begins where your effort ends. Until you reach the end of yourself, you will never truly lean on the sufficiency of the New Covenant. Grace is The Finished and Ongoing Work We often think grace is for the start of the Christian life, and then "hard work" takes over to keep us there. That is a lie. Grace is what saves you, and grace is what keeps you.  Grace introduces you to a new dimension. The New Covenant. In the Old Covenant, the law was on stone tablets—external and cold. In the New Covenant, God does the work in us. This is sanctification. It isn't you trying really hard to be "holy"; it's the Holy Spirit applying the finished work of Christ to your heart, changing what you love so that you actually want what God wants. Think of it like a "heart transplant" rather than "heart surgery." God doesn't just patch up your old, rebellious desires; He gives you a new nature that beats in sync with His. The fundamental difference between the Old and New Covenants is the location of the Law. In the Old, it was on stone; in the New, it is "downloaded" into the heart. At the beginning of my adult life, I worked in a public school and helped with their Basic Computing course. The school had various old computers that it was suppose to be used in that course. The first thing you need to learn about computing language is that every computer requires an Operating System (OS) to function, but that OS is strictly limited by the machine’s hardware requirements. God did not simply give you a software update or a new "patch" for your old life. Until you are acomplete new machine, there is no way to walk and live out the new system. He knew that the Old Covenant was "faulty" because the old "hardware"—the fallen human heart—could not process the perfect requ

  3. FEB 15

    Beyond the Shadow | Pr Raph | Feb 15, 2026

    Beyond the shadow, into real Light.  Only when you fully embrace the new covenant and put God’s salvation back over your performance and merit will you have complete peace to live a godly life with joy. In the everlasting covenant, your security does not rest on how perfectly you behave, but on how long Jesus lives and reigns – which means your salvation is held steady by an unchanging High Priest, not by a fragile human track record. Hebrews 7:16 who has become a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life. Hebrews 7:18-19 For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness 19 (for the law made nothing perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God. God’s will for you is not constant anxiety, but settled rest—because your salvation is held up by a living High Priest, and King of Peace. Melchizedek.  Hebrews 7:25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. He is able to save to the uttermost The phrase "is able" is a present active indicative. That is a continuous, current power. This capacity to save is an active reality rooted in the indestructible life of Christ (Heb. 7.16) The term "uttermost" suggests that no part of the man’s salvation is left to chance or human effort; it is a total work. To save "to the uttermost" means that Christ’s work is exhaustive; it reaches into the depths of a man's past, covers his present, and secures eternity. We pray because Jesus prays perfectly for us. Think about it. How many of you ask for prayer for yourself, and you expect that your brother or sister’s prayer will help you go through life’s uncertainty? But Jesus continually intercedes for me so that I persevere to the end, and I will, because God always listens to Jesus’ prayer for me. The historical narrative of Ezekiel 22 depicts a landscape of total moral and social disintegration. Within this "bloody city," the God details a catalog of abominations—ranging from slanderous lies and sexual immorality to systemic injustice and murder. It is a dark scene in which every level of human leadership failed to preserve the land. However, the tragedy of the vacant breach in Ezekiel’s day serves as the perfect backdrop for the gospel of grace. When God sought a man to stand in the gap and found none, He was demonstrating the total insufficiency of the fallen man to mediate his own salvation or hold the hand of divine judgment through his own willpower. Ezekiel 22:30 "And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none." It points directly to the Messiah’s ultimate intercessory power, Jesus Christ. Where the first Adam failed, the Last Adam succeeded. The darkness of Ezekiel 22 only serves to magnify the brightness of the grace that now covers the believer. Isaiah 59:16 He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no one to intercede; then his own arm brought him salvation, and his righteousness upheld him. God provided for Himself the lamb. The righteous one prayed for us. While our "righteousness" is described as "filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6), God’s own righteousness serves as the sufficient support.  His holiness requires that sin be dealt with, and His mercy and love require that His people be redeemed. That makes the cross the point of intersection of perfect justice and complete love. Psalm 85:10 "Steadfast love and faithfulness meet; righteousness and peace kiss each other. Luke 22:31-32 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, 32 but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” The image that you must have of this sifting of wheat is in a threshing floor. The sifting process was a forceful separation of the valuable from the worthless. It involved intense agitation to break apart the plant and isolate the heavy, nutritious grain from the light, useless chaff. For Peter, this meant a period of testing designed to strip away everything superficial, leaving only a pure and resilient faith. The wind would blow away the useless straw and chaff.  Jesus did not pray that Peter would be spared from the test. But that his faith would not fail. Jesus wanted Peter to have a resilient Active Faith. Now the calling for intercessory prayer is a duty for all of us. As we approach the upcoming fast, I urge you to prepare your hearts for our 21-day prayer campaign.  While the Lord Jesus Christ provides a perfect and perpetual intercession that secures our standing. As overcomers, we must recognize that He has invited us to participate in His work through the ministry of prayer. It is time to pray The fact that He is the perfect High Priest does not render our prayers unnecessary; rather, it makes our prayers effective. We pray and fast to bring our wills into harmony with His and to exercise the spiritual authority bestowed upon the Church. Apostle Paul instructed Timothy like this: 1 Timothy 2:1–2 "First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way." Prayer is a privilegeand a duty for the man of God. By praying for our leaders, we cooperate with the Holy Spirit to build an environment where the gospel can be proclaimed without hindrance. Additionally, a specific posture and mindset are required: 1 Timothy 2:8 "I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling." The lifting of hands is a physical expression of a heart that is surrendered and a life that is set apart for His purposes. As we fast over these 21 days, we are disciplining the flesh. Romans 15:30 "I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf," 2 Corinthians 1:11 "You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many." While the High Priest intercedes for our invisible needs, we intercede for the temporal and visible needs of our brothers, our leaders, and our nation. James 5:16b “… The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." Let us enter this campaign with the confidence that we are heard. We do not fast to move God but to move ourselves into a deeper sense of His power. Secured to enter the New Covenant The conclusion of Hebrews 7 is that a born-again believer does not lose his salvation due to his own inconsistency; he would only lose it if Christ ceased to live. Since Christ can never die again, the believer can never be lost. Rest in this truth. Stop centering your sin and start centering the Man at the right hand of God, who sympathizes with your weaknesses and intercedes for your perseverance. The first thing to consider is that the Old Testament is only a very long illustration of Christ's reality.  Hebrews 8:5 5 They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, “See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.” Imagine an architect who has designed a magnificent, hundred-story skyscraper. Before the first foundation is poured, he constructs a meticulously detailed scale model in his studio. This model is crafted according to a precise "pattern" that exists in the architect's mind and on his blueprints.  A man can look at the model and see the exact placement of the windows and the beauty of the facade. He can learn much about the building by studying the model. However, no man would ever attempt to move his family into the model. He would not try to find shelter or rest within its miniature rooms.  The model is merely a "copy and shadow.” The value of the model is found only in how accurately it reflects the "pattern" of the real building. The Lord Jesus Christ is the end of the law, having fulfilled every requirement to inaugurate a superior ministry as the Mediator of the New Covenant. While the law of the Lord is perfect, the Old Covenant system was found to be faulty because it depended upon the inconsistent obedience and willpower of man. Romans 3:20 "For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin." In contrast, the New Covenant is firmly established upon better promises and the indestructible life of the Son of God, ensuring that you, as a believer in Christ, can be secure.  Hebrews 8:6 "But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises." What is a Covenant? A covenant is fundamentally distinct from a contract; whereas a contract contains a termination clause allowing for its dissolution, a covenant is an indissoluble bond that only death can conclude. The Old Covenant, though it contained the perfect law of God, was found to be faulty, so God established a superior New Covenant, enacted (made it law, the new norm, the new standard) on better promises. This is a formal legal term. It signifies that the New Covenant is not merely a divine preference; it is the established law of the New Testament. The better promises have been codified into a divine statute. Because these promises are enacted, the believer is secure in his standing. The grace he receives is not a violation of justice but the fulfillment of a new, superior legal standard—the new norm. In this new system, everythin

  4. FEB 8

    He is able to save | Feb 8, 2026 | Pr Raph

    Active Faith: He is able to save Today, we're gonna cover Hebrews chapter 7. You need to understand that Hebrews Chapter 7 is the continuation of the opening statement made in Hebrews 5:9-10 Hebrews 5:8-10 8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. 9 And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, 10 being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek. Every believer should possess a firm and unwavering confidence in their salvation. Why is that such a cardinal foundation for your Christian life? If salvation depends even slightly on our own initiative or participation, there is always a risk that at any moment, if we fail in our own efforts, we might jeopardize our salvation. If we had an active participation in the process of our salvation, then the consequential thought is that a believer may also choose to renounce such a great gift. However, Hebrews explains that this is not possible because you cannot lose what you have not gained. Similarly, you cannot renounce what you have never requested or achieved. Yes, you heard me right—you did not find Jesus; He found you. Luke 19:10 (ESV) “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Romans 3:11 (ESV) “no one understands; no one seeks for God.” You did not choose Jesus; He chose us. (John 15:16 (ESV) “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you…”) Ephesians 1:4–5 (ESV) “God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world…” We did not come to Him; we were brought to Him. John 6:44 (ESV) “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him… Ephesians 2:4–5 (ESV) “even when we were dead… made us alive together with Christ…” Your confidence in your salvation influences every part of your life, especially your usefulness and ministry effectiveness. (Check again Heb. 6:9-12) Hebrews 6:9-12 9 Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation. 10 For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do. 11 And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, 12 so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. I understand that in a service like this, some may resemble "those" in Hebrews 6—people who are convinced of the truth but not truly converted to it. I cannot judge your faith, but I am confident in what Christ has done in me. You also need a personal, unwavering certainty of salvation—not based on emotions or knowledge, but on complete trust, surrendering your life to Christ and His ways. Accepting as true that by His priesthood, His perfect sacrifice and representation, you are completely and fully forgiven. May the Lord bring revelation to our hearts today. Hebrews 6:17-20 17 So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, 18 so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. 19 We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, 20 where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. I want you to notice how much God wants to give us assurance. Your salvation is not secured by your promise to God; it is secured by God’s promise to Himself. John 10:28 (ESV) I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. This is eternal life; it never ends.  I like the expression in Hebrews 7:16 Hebrews 7:16…but by the power of an indestructible life. When I was a kid, I went through a tropical storm that felt like the end of the world. The wind never stopped—constant, loud, relentless. Patio chairs scraped across the ground and bumped into things like they were alive. The trees bent and groaned, and every gust sounded like it was coming for us next. In my child’s mind, the storm wasn’t just outside the house—it was reaching for me. I honestly believed the wind could pick me up and carry me away. So I did the only thing that made sense to my little heart: I grabbed my father and held on as tight as I could. I remember thinking, If I can hold firm enough, I’ll be safe. If my grip doesn’t slip, I won’t be carried away. What I didn’t understand then is that my safety was never in my grip—it was in his strength. My father wasn’t panicking. He wasn’t even unsettled. In fact, he looked almost… peaceful. He had been waiting for that drop in temperature the storm would bring, and while I was trembling, he was calm. Then he did something I’ll never forget: he gently pulled me onto his lap, wrapped his arms around me, and just sat there—steady, unshaken—until my breathing slowed down. And with a quiet confidence, he said, “Son, you’re always safe with me.” The anchor of our soul isn’t how tightly we can hold onto Him—it’s the fact that He has taken hold of us in Christ, and His promise is unchangeable. Hebrews 13:5 … “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” That is what the apostles always intended to communicate to the believers.  You don’t need to be afraid of losing your salvation, as you are losing the grip of the “salvation rope” because you are not holding anything; you are being carried by God. 1 John 5:13 (ESV) I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life. We are sealed. Ephesians 1:13 (ESV) In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, The New Testament is overflowing with evidence that our salvation is secure, and Hebrews makes the reason unmistakable: your salvation is not held together by the strength of your promise to God, or by your flawless dedication, or by your ability to keep every commitment—you and I were never meant to be the foundation. For those who believe, salvation stands because God promised, and then God swore by Himself—and since it is impossible for God to lie, your confidence rests on His unchangeable character, not your shifting performance (That is how Hebrews 6 ends). In other words, the anchor of your soul is not what you vowed to God; it’s what God vowed to Himself in Christ. Unfortunately, many believers wrestle with fears about losing salvation— What if I commit suicide? What if I get divorced? What if I fall into the same sin so many times that God won’t forgive me anymore? But God already saw these fears and addressed them through the New Covenant by giving us an anchor. So instead of living tormented by “What if I don’t persevere?” the better question is, “What if God is faithful?”—because He is. 2 Timothy 2:13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself. God has placed His Spirit within us, joined us to His Son, and He will not contradict His own covenant faithfulness. That’s why this security matters: without it, you live like a boat with no anchor—drifting with every fear, every failure, every emotional wave. The assurance doesn’t cause complacency; instead, it stabilizes you. You can’t truly rejoice in salvation if you believe God is constantly threatening to send you to hell. It’s like a wife who never feels secure in her husband’s love—she may stay in the house, but she won’t live in peace; Insecurity turns love into anxiety and the relationship into pressure. Some people assume that’s good: “If believers feel insecure, they’ll avoid sin.” But the gospel logic is the opposite—security produces holiness. Assurance doesn’t make you careless; it makes you steady, grateful, and free to grow. Hebrews 6:19-20 19 We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, 20 where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. Our High Priest changed everything. Hebrews 7:1-2 1 For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, 2 and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace. Only after you experience the spiritual reality of God’s righteousness by faith can you enter the kingdom of peace. Jesus is the one who gives us God’s righteousness and God’s peace. He is our perfect representative. Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. The author of Hebrews emphasizes that the Aaronic Priesthood has ended.  Remember that the book often uses comparisons; for example, Jesus is superior to Abraham, the founding patriarch, and to the Levitical tribe, from which the priests descended. Tithe is a permission for blessings In Hebrews 7, we are taught the principle of the tithe. Understanding that Melchizedek is Jesus, the author states that Abraham granted God permission to bless him by surrendering. Tithe is a spiritual statement of honor, not a transaction to manipulate outcomes. Hebrews 7:4 See how great this man was to whom Abraham the patriarch gave a tenth of the spoils! The tithe functioned as worship—Abraham was recognizing the superiority of God’s priesthood represented by Melchizedek, and Scripture adds, Hebrews 7:7 It is beyond dispute that the inferior is ble

  5. FEB 1

    From Tasting to Trusting | Feb 1, 2026 | Pr Raph

    Active Faith: From Tasting to Trusting The book of Hebrews calls us to a new level of faith. Mature faith that introduces us into God’s promises and leads us to a godly life. Today, we will start a series we are calling Active Faith.  This series reaches its high point in Hebrews 11, but we will start in chapter 6 today. We will try to address the controversies related to this chapter, which is often taken as the ultimate statement of “losing one’s salvation,” when the context clearly aims to give assurance of eternal salvation and to persuade readers to a godly, fraternal, serving and generous life. God calls us to abandon self-righteousness and to trust completely in Christ’s completed work. Beyond mere intellectual understanding and emotional excitement, God desires real conversion and sincere trust in His word. Hebrews 6:1-2 Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. Hebrews 6 says the Christian faith has basic starter truths. Like the concrete slab a house sits on. Christian life starts with a foundation, but can’t stay there. Here are the six truths in this chapter. Scholars understand them as three pairs. The first pair is Repentance from dead works and Faith in God. Repentance from dead works: It is very important to define repentance here. Repentance in Hebrews 6 is not a mood, an emotional state—it’s a change of mind (μετάνοια), a turning from one way of thinking to another. Sometimes that change comes with grief and remorse: you realize you’ve trusted yourself, your performance, your religion, your “good deeds,” and you feel the weight of how empty and exhausting that striving has been. So you grieve. You commit a wrongdoing and regret that, so you mourn your wrongs. But repentance can also come with joy—because the moment you finally see that you can’t buy what God only gives, it’s a relief, not a funeral.  It’s like a person who has been working overtime to pay off a debt, only to discover the debt was already paid in full; they might feel sorrow for the wasted years, but they also laugh with joy at the freedom. In Hebrews 6, the context shows that repentance here was turning away from trying to earn God’s acceptance through performance, religion cerimonies, or self-effort. We repent from dead works by changing our mind about trying to earn God’s approval through performance, religious effort, or “good deeds as payment,” and we put faith in God by resting in what Christ has already finished for us; The second truth is linked to the first one. Faith toward God Faith toward God is the other side of repentance from dead works: when you change your mind about earning, you must also choose what you will trust instead. Repentance says, “I’m done paying with performance,” and faith says, “I will rest in what God has provided—Jesus has already finished the work.” So faith isn’t just believing the Cross happened; it’s placing your full confidence in the Cross as enough for your acceptance, your forgiveness, and your future. It’s like a person who has been trying to climb to God on a ladder of good deeds, only to realize the ladder is leaning against the wrong wall. Repentance is when you step off the ladder, and faith means you start walking on the solid ground of Christ. It is when you stop serving God to be loved and start serving because you are loved; you stop obeying out of fear and begin obeying out of trust. The second pair is Instructions about washings and laying on of hands. Instructions about washings (baptisms) Remember that this letter is written to a Jewish audience; therefore, "Instructions on washings” addresses the differences between many of the Jewish purification rituals and the once-for-all Christian baptism. Under the Law, “washings” included repeated purification rituals such as (1) priestly washing at the bronze basin before approaching God’s service (Exodus 30:17–21), (2) washing clothes and bathing after becoming ceremonially unclean through bodily discharges (Leviticus 15:5–13), and (3) purification using “water for impurity” after contact with a dead body (Numbers 19:17–19). Once you stop trusting dead works and start trusting God, the next most basic step is to accept that your old life has ended and a new identity has begun. You do that through baptism. Your baptism is the funeral of your old practices, the end of the old man, the closing of a chapter where you tried to define yourself by effort, cycles of sin, or attempts toward self-salvation. Baptism is when you are identified with Christ. Practically, this means when you’re tempted to return to old patterns—whether shame, striving, or religious performance—you remind your soul:  “That person died with Christ through the baptism; I’m not living that life again.” Active faith doesn’t just feel cleansed; it walks as someone cleansed—leaving the old behind and living from the new life God has given. Laying on of hands is the companion truth to the teaching on washings. Laying on of hands If continuous washings are compared to the once-and-for-all baptism, now the comparison is turned to the laying on of hands. In the Old Testament, when a worshiper laid hands on the sacrifice, it was a moment of imparting and transfer of sin and curses:  “This animal, that would be sacrificed, now represents me, with my sins and my curses.” Leviticus 1:4 — “He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.” Now, in the New Covenant, laying on of hands is the way God wants His gifts, not sin or curses, to be transferred to one another. Laying on of hands is the way we bless one another.  Today, laying on of hands is used to transmit spiritual gifts, anointings, and impartation. The final pair is the Resurrection of the dead and the Eternal judgment. The resurrection of the dead In the Old Testament “law-and-temple” world, the resurrection of the dead was a real hope, but it sat mostly on the horizon. No certainty guaranteed. Youcan perceive that in some of the Psalms, such as Psalm 88. Psalms 88:1-3 O LORD, God of my salvation, I cry out day and night before you. 2 Let my prayer come before you; incline your ear to my cry! 3 For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to Sheol. Psalms 88:10-12 Do you work wonders for the dead? Do the departed rise up to praise you? Selah 11 Is your steadfast love declared in the grave, or your faithfulness in Abaddon? 12 Are your wonders known in the darkness, or your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness? In the New Covenant, the resurrection becomes clearer and closer because it is anchored to a historical fact: Jesus has already died and risen. So resurrection isn’t just a distant doctrine we agree with, it’s a secured promise we stand on. Under the old covenant, the believer looked forward, saying, “God can raise the dead”; under the new covenant, the believer looks to Christ and says, “God has raised Christ, therefore my future is guaranteed.” We don’t cling to rituals to feel safe—we rest in Christ’s finished work, and we live today with steady hope because resurrection life is not a wish, it’s a certainty established by the empty tomb. 1 Corinthians 15:53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When your body is weak, when a situation looks “dead,” when you grieve, don’t collapse into despair. Stand and say, “Because Jesus conquered death, my future is secure, and God can bring life where I see none.” In Christ, and even if the worst happens, death doesn’t win; God raises the dead and fulfills His promises. Philippians 1:21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. The final foundational truth concerns eternal judgment. That is paired with Resurrection of the Dead because both look ahead—your future is resurrection, not condemnation The Eternal judgment In the Old Testament Hebrew worldview, eternal judgment was understood through the covenant lens of God as the holy Judge who holds His people and the nations accountable, with a coming day when God would set everything right—rewarding the righteous and judging the wicked. Ecclesiastes 12:14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil. The New Testament sharpens this truth around Christ: judgment is still real and final, yet for those in Christ, it is no longer a terror of condemnation because Jesus has borne condemnation in our place. Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. The Old Covenant highlighted God’s holiness over the sinners, while the New Covenant proclaims that whoever actively trusts in Jesus will face God’s holy judgment and be secure from condemnation. Romans 5:9 — “Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.” Yet the one who rejects Christ remains under judgment because there is no other remedy. The danger Hebrews 6:3 And this we will do if God permits. The author of Hebrews mentioned only six essential truths and focused on the major danger facing Hebrew believers. The true danger is not that a believer did not profoundly understand all the implications of those truths and end up stumbling or missing the fullness of God’s promises and plans. The problem was that some listeners of the word, church goers, sympathetic to the faith, people who had been near the truth, were now rejecting Christ and going back to the sacrifice system of the Law. In our case, some church attenders, religious ones, have not yet completely given their li

  6. JAN 18

    Restitution Multiplied | Pr Raph | Jan 18, 2026

    — Newsletter of the Week: January 18–2 God is the Covenant-Maker and Promise-Keeper. He binds Himself by oath in Christ, writes His law on our hearts, and declares, “I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” He does not answer lack with mere survival—He answers lack with overflow. Like the Shunammite woman, we honor God’s presence, make room for His word, and discover that grace initiates what we did not demand. The son given was gift, not wage; and when the promise seemed to die, faith refused to speak death. Faith is not denial; it is defiant confidence that the Righteous One fulfills His word at the appointed time. Elisha’s ministry foreshadows Jesus: Elisha stretches himself over the child; Jesus enters death and speaks life—He is the Resurrection and the Life. God preserves His people through famine, leads them to move and to return, and meets them with providence at exactly the right moment. When the Shunammite appeals to the king, the testimony about her miracle collides with her need, and the decree is not only “restore,” but “restore with all the produce since the day she left.” That is covenant favor. That is restitution multiplied. Therefore, we stand, not in momentary optimism, but in enduring faith: God does not lie, delay, or tease His people. He assumes responsibility for His word. Expect timely guidance, precise providence, and public, decisive blessing. Not just what was lost returned—but what should have been multiplied restored. Not only restitution. Restitution multiplied. Key Scriptures: “Restore all that was hers, together with all the produce of the fields from the day that she left the land until now.”— 2 Kings 8:6“For still the vision awaits its appointed time… If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay… but the righteous shall live by his faith.” — Habakkuk 2:3–4“…by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we… might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.” — Hebrews 6:17–18

  7. JAN 11

    God’s answer to our crises | Jan. 11, 2026 | Pr Raph

    God’s answer to our crises Video Intro: Multiplication is God’s answer to all of our crises. When Jesus faced a hungry multitude, the disciples focused on the small supply, but Jesus lifted His eyes to heaven and multiplied what was in His hands. He did not reduce the crowd, send people away, or minimize the need—He multiplied the provision. God does not remove the battle; He releases provision that overwhelms it. This is how heaven works—God answers impossible problems not by shrinking them, but by increasing His supply. Sin created a massive crisis, yet God did not lower His standard; He released a greater supply. “Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more. Grace did not merely forgive—it overpowered sin and broke its dominion. From generation to generation, God has always answered a curse with a far greater blessing, proving that His heart is not one of scarcity but of overflow. God begins not with what we lack, but with what we have. God does not just give back what was taken—He gives what should have been produced. That is multiplication. God answers loss with increase, famine with harvest, and lack with overflow, because He solves every crisis not by making it smaller, but by making His provision greater. Intro: Multiplication is not God’s reward for those who have no problems.  Multiplication is God’s solution for those who have big, impossible problems. If that is you, get ready for God’s multiplication. Lift up your eyes. When Jesus faced a hungry multitude, the disciples measured the size of the multitude, focused on the size of the supply, and lost sight of the one Who was ready to multiply the provision. John 6:9-11 9 “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?” 10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number.  11 Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. When Jesus fed the multitudes, He did not reduce the crowd. He did not send people away. He did not shrink the need. He multiplied the supply. How? Jesus lifted His eyes to heaven. Matthew 14:19 19 Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. He did not reduce the problem—He increased the supply. God never asks us to minimize the need; He answers it by multiplying provision. He does not tell us to deny reality. Instead, He introduces a greater reality: His provision.  God’s answers do not come by shrinking the crisis, but by releasing something from heaven that overwhelms it. In the wilderness, Israel was attacked by poisonous snakes. The camp was infested. People were dying. God did not remove the snakes. He did not give Moses a strategy for extermination, relocation, or defense. He gave something far more powerful: a supernatural source of healing that overruled the venom. Numbers 21:8-9 8 And the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live. The problem remained. The snakes were still there. But the supply exceeded the threat. Healing was stronger than poison. Life overruled death. Jesus explained later that the bronze serpent was a symbol of what He would be in reality. John 3:14-15 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. God did not change the environment; He changed the outcome.  This is how multiplication works: it does not remove the battle—it ensures victory in the middle of it. Multiplied grace for an overcoming life. This is also how grace works in the New Covenant. Sin created a massive problem.  To understand that the best is to see the comparison of how long God took to create the universe. 7 Days. But to resolve the problem of sin, it was about 4 thousand years in the “Finished work” of Christ on the cross. God did not lessen the standard. He did not excuse the fall. He released a greater supply. Romans 5:20 20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, Sin increased. Grace multiplied. Grace did not merely match the problem—it exceeded it. Religious people always try to take this declaration and distort it, affirming that we are preaching licentiousness and debauchery. But the multiplication of God’s provision of grace means that He gave us abundant grace to make us victorious over vices, addictions, districtive habits.  Under grace multiplied grace, the Holy Spirit in us makes sin no longer a problem. The Holy Spirit takes residence in the believer, and sin is no longer our master. Grace does not give us permission to fail—it gives us power to live free. Paul makes this unmistakably clear. Romans 6:1-2 1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” Grace is not an excuse to stay in bondage; it is the divine force that breaks that prison.  The same grace that forgives also transforms. When grace multiplied, a new life was released inside us. Romans 6:14 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.  This is the power of multiplied grace: sin no longer rules, addictions no longer define, destructive patterns no longer control.  Grace does not coexist with slavery—it replaces it with freedom. Where sin once had dominion, grace now reigns. Romans 5:21 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Grace reigns. Not struggles. Not guilt. Not addiction. Not shame. Grace is now in charge.  Where sin once increased destruction, grace now multiplies life, holiness, healing, and victory. Even in the Old Testament, God showed us that paradigm of curses and blessings. 2nd commandment. Exodus 20:5-6 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. This is the heart of God. He does not reduce our circumstances according to scarcity. He answers it with overflow. Whether it is poison in the camp, hunger in the crowd, sin in the world, or lack in your life, God’s solution is never reduction—it is multiplication. The snakes stayed. The healing was greater. The crowd stayed. The food multiplied. The sin remained. Grace overflowed. That is how God resolves problems: not by making them smaller, but by making His provision bigger. God will use what we have in our hands. Scarcity looks at what is missing. Faith looks at who is present. The story of the multiplication of the bread and fish illustrates a principle of God's multiplication. For the disciples, that provision seemed insignificant, but in God's hands, it was enough to feed over 5000 people. God always uses what is already in our hands. Scarcity looks at what is missing, but faith looks at who is present. That is the difference between human reasoning and divine multiplication. The miracle of the loaves and fish was not about how small the supply was—it was about who was holding it. In God’s hands, what looks insignificant becomes more than enough. That same principle appears powerfully in the stories of the widows and the prophets in Kings. The first is the widow of Zarephath, who had only a handful of flour and a little oil. She was preparing what she believed would be her last meal before she and her son died. God did not send food from heaven. He used what she already had. 1 Kings 17:12-14 12 And she said, “As the LORD your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die.”  13 And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said. But first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son. 14 For thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the LORD sends rain upon the earth.’” God did not remove the famine. He multiplied her supply inside it. Her miracle was not an instant warehouse—it was a daily multiplication. Each day she reached into the jar, there was still enough. Scarcity remained in the land, but provision ruled in her house. The same principle appears again with another widow in Elisha’s time. She had nothing except a small jar of oil, and her sons were about to be taken as slaves to pay a debt. Once again, God did not cancel the problem—He multiplied what was in her hand. 2 Kings 4:2 2 And Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me; what have you in the house?” And she said, “Your servant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.” God did not give her money. He gave her multiplication. The oil kept flowing as long as there were empty vessels.  2 Kings 4:6-7 6 When the vessels were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not another.” Then the oil stopped flowing. 7 She came and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on the r

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