"And He answered and said: because it has been given to you to know the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, it has not been given to them" (Mt. 13:11).
There are many mysteries in life, many things we don't know.
What is life? It's a secret! People try to know the secret of life, but it is hidden in God.
Believers have a great advantage over unbelievers, and Christ explained this way: "...it has been given to you to know the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but it has not been given to them."
Through His Word, God reveals many secrets to us.
I would like to draw attention to a topic that interests everyone: children and teenagers, young and old, single and family, rich and poor, noble and simple... How to become happy and joyful?
God did not create man so that he would be sad and oppressed by endless worries. He wants us to be happy and joyful. Because of disobedience, man lost all this. Jesus Christ came to earth to make people happy.
Humanity is in constant search: everyone is looking for good, joy, health, well-being, wants to be happy, successful...
Many books, brochures, newspaper articles have been written about the secret of happiness, but everyone has their own understanding of happiness...
If you ask a poor person who he considers happy, he will say: "The one who has wealth, a house, a car, a good job..."
If you ask a hungry person who is happy, he will say that he is happy who has bread and can feed his family.
If you ask a sick person who he considers happy, he will say that the one who has good health.
An orphan will say that he is happy who has a father and a mother, who feels their care, affection, love, and warmth.
The blind man will answer that happy is he who has sight and can see the world: wonderful nature, parents, friends...
People look at life differently, at faith in the Lord, and look for happiness in different ways, and this is written in the Bible.
Mary Magdalene thought that true happiness was hidden in a sinful life. Therefore, she sought him in sinful pleasures. But soon she became disappointed, because there is no happiness in this.
Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector, sought happiness in wealth. He really got rich, but he realized that money does not make a person happy.
Saul thought that true happiness was in education and a religious position, in having honor and glory. He made a lot of efforts to achieve all this, but he did not find happiness there.
When Jesus Christ began to preach and teach about the Kingdom of God, one of His first sermons was on the topic of bliss, about who is truly happy.
Christ knew that people want to be happy, but they look for happiness where there is none. Therefore, in His Sermon on the Mount, He explained this mystery. It is worth noting that happiness and joy can be temporary, fleeting, and can be permanent and eternal.
Jesus sent 70 disciples to work, and when they returned, they rejoiced that even the demons obeyed them. But Jesus said to them: "Do not rejoice that the spirits obey you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven!" (Luke 10:20).
King David had everything: wealth, fame, health, kingdom, power, honor. He said who is really happy: "Blessed is the one to whom the crime is given, to whom the sin is forgiven, the blessed is the person whose sin the Lord will not impute to him, who has no malice in his spirit!" (Ps. 31:1–2).
King David considered a happy person to whom God forgave all his sins, who has peace with Him and a pure heart...
Theologian Lopukhin explained as follows: "True happiness is that which no mortal can give or take!" The Word of God reveals to us not only how life appeared and what awaits us in the future, but it also shows people the source of joy and happiness, where and how to find it. True happiness is hidden in Christ Jesus. The Apostle Paul explained what all believers in Jesus Christ receive (1 Cor. 1:5–8; Phil. 4:4; Col. 2:6–10).
You need to have the desire to be happy and make the right choice. The Word of God gives great advice. "Today I have taken heaven and earth as witnesses against you, life and death I have set before you, blessing and cursing. And you choose life, so that you and your seed may live" (Deuteronomy 30:19).
Happiness and joy also depends on what we say. "For whoever wants to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his mouth from speaking deceit" (1 Pet. 3:10).
If we want our family to be happy, the father must bless his wife, children, and grandchildren every day. A mother should do the same…
Jews try to bless their children seven times a day, and that's why their children are happy...
Our joy and happiness depend on purity of heart. Jesus Christ explained as follows: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God" (Matthew 5:8).
Our happiness and joy depend on intimacy with the Lord and on the fulfillment of God's commandments. "get close to Him, and be at peace, and good will come to you" (Job 22:21). "Do not let the book of this Law depart from your mouth, but you will meditate on it day and night, so that you will observe to do everything that is written in it, because then you will make your ways happy, and then you will be happy" (Nab. 1:8).
It should be noted that those people who sincerely sought happiness: Mary Magdalene, Zacchaeus, Saul and many others found happiness in Jesus Christ...
Happy is the person who believed, who can come to Jesus Christ, repent, reconcile with God and receive salvation. And unfortunate is the one who does not do this.
The Word of God reveals that those who die are also happy or unhappy. The Apostle John wrote as follows: "And I heard a voice from heaven saying to me: Write: Blessed are the dead who from now on die in the Lord!" (Revelation 14:13).
Everyone dies, but in eternity there will be a big difference. Jesus alone will say: "Come, blessed of My Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundations of the world" (Mt. 25:34). And to others he will say: "Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his messengers" (Mt. 25:41).
"And these will go to eternal torment, but the righteous to eternal life" (Matthew 25:46).
The God of hosts himself explained as follows: "And you will again see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not serve Him" (Mal. 3:18).
One more thought about happiness. There are two situations. You can just be a happy person. "Suddenly a great wind came from the desert, and it struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young men, and they died..." (Job 1:19). This person, who was saved, can be called lucky. Everyone died, but he survived.
But there is another situation and another consequence. The Apostle Paul was taken as a prisoner to Rome, and a great storm arose at sea, so that all hope for salvation disappeared... (Acts 27:14–44). God sent an angel who prophesied, “Do not be afraid, Paul, for you must stand before Caesar, and behold, God has given you all who sail with you” (Acts 27:24).
Everything happened as the angel said. The ship sank, but all 276 people on board survived. No one died because there was a man of God on the ship who was happy and for whose sake God saved everyone else.
In the Old Testament we read about Joseph, the happy son of Jacob. "And his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that in everything he did, the Lord prospered in his hand" (Genesis 39:3).
Through Joseph, happiness spread to other people. So it was in Potiphar's house, so it was in prison. And then - in Egypt, when he became the second after the pharaoh. Everyone clearly saw that through Joseph a blessing was being transmitted to others.
Through Abraham, the blessing spread to his nephew Lot (Gen. 13:5–6; 14:12–16).
Through Jacob, the blessing was passed on to Laban (Gen. 30:27–30).
What was special about these people that through them poured blessings and happiness on others? The Lord was with them!
I want to confess that one day, while reading the Gospel of Matthew, the 5th chapter, the Sermon on the Mount of Jesus Christ on the beatitudes, I asked myself the question: when was the happiest day in my life? Have you had a similar question? I began to remember, and such days turned out to be many in my life.
But which of all those days was the happiest and happiest? I analyzed and weighed everything. I want to say that the happiest and happiest day was the day of my repentance. The day when the Lord forgave everything, removed the sinful burden, filled me with the Holy Spirit - and I received great joy. The Lord has written my name in heaven in the book of life. I rejoiced, my parents rejoiced, the church rejoiced, the angels rejoiced, and Jesus Christ rejoiced.
Commentator and theologian Lopukhin said: "True happiness is something that no mortal can give or take!"
Australian Nick Vujicic can be called one of the most amazing personalities of modern Christianity. He was born without arms and legs, but despite his disability, he leads an active lifestyle, writes books, preaches, and helps thousands of people accept their shortcomings. Together with his wife, they raise four children. And this family is very happy...
Nick Vujicic has helped thousands find happiness. God is especially close to such people and gives them comfort and the joy of salvation. No one can give what God gives. When you visit the seriously ill, you see many happy faces. This joy is given to them by faith in Christ as their personal Savior. The Lord calls everyone to Himself (Mt. 11:28) and He makes people happy...
Dear friend, whoever you are and whatever problems and shortcomings haunt you, come to Jesus, tell Him everything in prayer. Ask Christ to enter your heart. Repent before God - and He will give you peace and eternal life.
God gives everyone a special destiny. And no matter how difficult it is, in Christ Jesus we can be happy. The Apostle Paul said: "But I am not worried about anything, and I do not consider my life valuable to myself, so that I finish my journey and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the Gospel of the grace of God."
(Acts 20:24).
In the capital of Austria, Vienna, a bus driver returned money that an elderly woman had left on the seat. This was reported in the press, referring to the statement of the local police. In total, the package found by the driver contained 390,000 euros. The forgotten package with a large amount in 500 euro bills also contained the documents of a local resident. It turned out that 390,000 euros were the woman's savings, which she withdrew from her bank account and took home.
When the driver Wolfgang R. noticed the package, he thought that it was someone's things or medicine. Opening the package, he found money in it and contacted the police. The case that happened in the Austrian bus proved that there are very honest people...
The transport company noted that they are proud of their employee, who showed unusual honesty. The owner of the money did not have to be searched for a long time, as her documents remained in the same package. When the money was brought to the owner, she burst into tears of joy and said that it was the happiest day of her life, because all her lost savings were returned to her by a good person.
The basis on which the Christian faith is based is the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 3:11). Christ is called the Word of God (John 1:1–3, 14; Revelation 19:1–13; 1 Pet. 2:4–5). The basis of true knowledge about God and about oneself is Christ - the Personality, and Christ - the Word of God.
God reveals himself to people in two ways.
The word of God is a creative force: "By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all his host" (Ps. 33:6).
"And God said: Let there be light! And there was light" (Genesis 1:3). "...the heavens were in the beginning, and the earth was made of water, and the water was formed by the word of God" (2 Pet. 3:5).
"By faith we understand that the ages were established by the Word of God, so that the invisible became visible" (Heb. 11:3). "...so will be My Word that comes out of My mouth: it will not return to Me empty, but it will do what I asked, and it will behave in what I sent it!" (Is. 55: 11).
The word of God is spirit and life. "It is the spirit that gives life, but the body does not help anything. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life" (John 6:63). "For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, it penetrates even to the division of soul and spirit, joints and brains, and is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12). The Word of God works in us, believers. "That is why we thank God without ceasing that, having accepted the Word of God heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as the true Word of God, which works in you, believers" (1 Thess. 2: 13).
When we receive the Word of God, it works in us. "Therefore put away all filthiness and the residue of malice, and receive with meekness the whole word, which is able to save your souls" (James 1:21). Faith comes from hearing the Word of God. "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the Word of Christ" (Rom. 10:17).
This is how a new birth takes place. Jesus said to Nicodemus: "...Jesus answered and said to him: Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (Jn. 3:3).
To enter the Kingdom of God, there is a condition - it is necessary to be born of water and spirit. When we accepted the Word of God into our hearts by faith through the Holy Spirit, a new, spiritual life from God began in us (1 Pet. 1:22-23). The Word of God has enormous incomprehensible power, it brings about a new, incorruptible, eternal life in us. The Word of God is spiritual food. Food is necessary for the maintenance of physical and spiritual life. If a person does not eat, he will die. Therefore, in order to grow spiritually, spiritual nourishment is needed (1 Pet. 2:1–3; Mt. 4:4; 2 Tim. 3:16; Heb. 5:12–14). Through the Word of God, the Lord offers us healing and health. "...and in their misery they called upon the Lord, and He delivered them from their oppression, He sent His word and healed them, and saved them from their sickness!" (Ps. 106:19–20). God sends His Word to our implacable prayers for healing. He saves, He heals, He frees.
God's Word gives victory over sin and Satan. How to overcome sin? "How can a young man keep his path clean?" And the answer: "How will I keep Your words!" (Ps. 119:9). Either the Word of God will keep us from sin, or sin will turn us away from the Word of God...
How to defeat the devil? God gives us weapons. "… Take both the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God" (Eph. 6:17). The "spiritual sword" is the Word of God, which we proclaim with faith. Satan fears this (Matthew 4:1–11).
Purification and sanctification: "...to sanctify her, cleansing her with a watery font in the word, to present her to Himself as a glorious Church, not having spot or blemish, or anything like that, but that she should be holy and blameless!" (Eph. 5:26–27).
The Word of God cleanses (John 15:3); sanctifies (John 17:17), i.e. makes us holy (Heb. 12:10, 14).
The Word of God as a mirror of the soul: "For whoever is a listener of the word, and not a doer, is like a person who examines the features of his face in a mirror, because he will look at himself and go away, and now he will forget what he is like. And whoever looks into the perfect law, the law of the will, and abides in it, he will not be a forgetful listener, but a doer of the deed, and he will be blessed in his actions!" (James 1:21–25).
When we read or listen to the Word of God, it, like a mirror, shows what is in our heart. When we read the Bible, it "reads" us and shows us what we really are.
The Word of God as a judge: "Whoever shuns Me and does not accept My words has a judge for himself: the word that I spoke will judge him on the last day!" (John 12:48). We can avoid God's judgment if we judge ourselves: "For if we judged ourselves, we would not be condemned" (1 Cor. 11:31).
In the 60s of the 20th century, when preaching was forbidden, Christian weddings were organized in order to evangelize non-believers. Only unbelievers were invited to weddings in our area, and believers came and went without an invitation. It was difficult to predict how many people would be at the wedding - 500, 700 or 1000. Big tents were erected near the house - and the wedding ceremony, evangelization and refreshments took place there. The police and the KGB put up various obstacles, and then fined them. Some were even tried.
In 1968, in Boryslav, Ukraine, the wedding of Volodymyr Sokhan's brother and Galina Magola's sister took place. Before the wedding, on Saturday, two policemen came to our house and took me and my wife's father, who came to the wedding from Sambor, to the police. An employee of the KGB (state security committee) was waiting for us there. He asked how many people would be at the wedding. I explained to him that we do not know. A KGB major told us that cosmonauts O. Nikolaev and V. Tereshkova had 300 people at their wedding.
- And who are you to gather so many people? At these gatherings, you intoxicate with your religion and mutilate children...
And I explained to him that we believe in God, because everything that is written in the Bible is the truth: what the prophets, Jesus Christ and the apostles predicted - everything will definitely come true.
- Even you, KGB employees, do what is written in the Bible.
The major reacted sharply, assured that they do not believe in God's Word and even more so do not fulfill it. I explained to him how they fulfill the Word of God. Jesus Christ said: "Remember the word that I told you: a servant is not greater than his master. As they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; as they kept My word, they will keep yours. But all these things they will do to you in My Name, because they do not know the One who sent Me" (John 15:20-21). The Apostle Paul predicted: "And all who want to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted" (2 Tim. 3:12). Christ also said: "Blessed are you, how they will shame and persecute you, and they will falsely say every evil word against you for My sake. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven! For in this way they also persecuted the prophets who were before you" (Mt. 5:11-12).
"So," I said to him, "you are doing what is written in the Word of God, and this proves once again that the Bible is right that even the enemies of Christ, without realizing it, are doing what is written in the Word of God. And we believers, experiencing these persecutions, are strengthened in faith, because the Word of God is fulfilled even through you.
In Philip. 1:28, the apostle Paul strengthens all believers: "Only live according to Christ's Gospel, so that whether I come and see you, or even if I am not there, I hear about you, that you stand in one spirit, fighting with one accord for the Gospel faith." We pray for you too, so that God will save you too."
The KGB major got angry and said: "I didn't summon you to preach to me here, but to forbid you from such gatherings," and kicked us out of the office... The Word of God worked on him, and this time we were not fined...
There is an article in the magazine "Faith and Life" that describes the life and service of believers in the 20s of the 20th century. After the First World War, Russian prisoners of war were released to the Motherland. Serhiy, one of almost three million Russian soldiers, ended up in a foreign land as a prisoner. And in the camp for prisoners of war, the "Light in the East" mission organized evangelization and many prisoners believed in God and repented of their sins. Everyone who accepted Christ was given a Bible. Serhii repented and returned to the Motherland. He also received a Bible, but, unfortunately, he could not read. When Serhiy arrived in his village, he asked his relatives and friends to read him something from the Bible. But no one wanted to.
A young communist came to the village, and Serhii asked him to read the scriptures to him. He agreed. And soon the young communist believed. In a few months, about 60 souls gathered in the village to read the Bible. About a year later, the community already had 200 members. Almost all the people in the village believed. And it all started with the illiterate Serhiy and his request to the former communist to read to him from the Bible. "And they gathered in the Church for a whole year, and taught many people, and in Antioch the first disciples were called Christians" (Acts 11:26).
From the magazine "Faith and Life" No. 1, 2019).
Pastor Serhii Pochapskyi told his life story. The professor of Vinnytsia University came to the House of Prayer several times, would stay for a while at the service, listen and leave...
One day she approached the pastor to talk to him, and said that preachers are a little weak in terms of professionalism, but there is something about them that attracts her to us at the House of Prayer. The woman noted that the text written upon leaving the House of Prayer had a powerful effect on her: "Go and sin no more" (Jn. 8:11).
- For more than a month, the words of this text of the Bible have kept me from saying something bad to someone, or condemning or humiliating someone... - and she added:
- I just want to say something bad, and then a text from the Word of God immediately appears in front of me: "Go and sin no more."
The professor concluded that she sees how the Word of God affects her, her life, how it changes her. "For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, it penetrates even to the division of soul and spirit, joints and brains, and is able to judge the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Heb. 4:12).
Pastor Yuriy Ilchenko from Khabarovsk (Russia) testified about himself, how he believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. Yuriy was born into a family of non-believers and became an ardent atheist, often mocking believers, proving that everything written in the Bible is false. One brother asked him if he had read the Bible? Yurii said no. The believer explained to him that it is foolish to belittle what you do not know.
- Read the Bible first, and then we'll talk, - suggested the believer.
Yurii set himself the goal of reading the Bible in order to prove to Christians that it does not contain all the truth. He read, although he did not understand everything. He was not interested, but forced himself to read the entire Book.
Once Yurii got into a big disaster, and no one could help him. It occurred to him: in the Bible it is written that those people who fell into trouble prayed, and God helped them. Yuriy decided to try it. He knelt down, begged God to help him, as He did to those people written about in the Bible. The law of sowing and reaping is still valid today. Yuri, an atheist, read the Bible - and the seeds of faith in the Word of God fell into his heart and mind, and in a difficult moment bore fruit. That's how Yuri became convinced that the Bible is the truth. He believed and now serves as a pastor.
Pavlo Cherny, a member of the "Source of Life" church, visited the American congregation and there he heard the story of a pastor who went to India for a conference for ministers. He was to read an essay on the topic "How to work hard to have spiritual success?"
Almost 500 ministers gathered at the conference. They reported on their ministry: how they work and what results they achieved. When the American pastor heard how zealously they serve the Lord, how sincerely they pray, that in 10 years approximately 3 million people believed in Jesus Christ, he asked how to truly serve the Lord. The American pastor began to ask about the structure of the brotherhood and what plans they have for such great success... The Indian ministers explained that it is only in the USA that everything in the brotherhood is organized: there is a structure, plans, seminars, conferences... But they have only prayer and the Word of God - and nothing else. However, God blesses them, who are so simple, in a special way, and there is success... The apostles said: "And we will always be in prayer and in the service of the word" (Acts 6:4).
The Gideon brothers visited the "Source of Life" church. Their servant told the following story. It was in Sacramento. Young Richard decided to be an atheist, but one day people came to the college handing out blue books. Richard refused the gift, stepped back a little, and noticed that another person was also handing out the same books. Richard looked around and saw that people were distributing the Gospel everywhere, and decided to take this book so that he would not be disturbed anymore. He became interested in what was written in it. He flipped through the pages. Then he started reading and became so engrossed that he missed all his college classes that day.
He read the Gospel until late in the evening. On the last page was a prayer of repentance. Richard knelt down and with tears read this prayer before God. The Lord changed his life...