Jepkemboi

It is necessary to be aware of your spiritual poverty before you can become a Christian because it is the only way that you will appreciate Christ's sacrifice and the gift of salvation. I don't think it's possible for you to accept the gift of salvation without first realizing how far you are from the Father. The kind of mourning that is necessary for a person to become a Christian is that over sin and separation from God, and the ultimate punishment that comes as a result thereof. Many Christians today mourn as a result of the sin that they see in the world around them, and also as a result of the trials and tribulations that they endure by merely being children of God. We see in Isaiah that God sees their ashes, mourning and despair but He promises them beauty, joy and praise!

Jesus in the Beatitudes defines the state and needs or weakness of man in the first part and, the way in which God fulfils the need in the second part. The paradox or irony is that Jesus says that those who are weak or needy are the ones who are blessed. It is only when we realize our position of need and dependence to God that we can truly be blessed because God is a loving God who meets the needs of His children. The relationship of the Beatitudes and the Fruit of the Spirit is that the latter is a direct result of the blessing that one gets from God arising from our need of His need for strength, comfort etc.

Hello everyone, My name is Caroline from Nairobi, Kenya. It is a great blessing for me to be a part of this study and to be a member of the forum. I have previously taken part in the study on the Names & Titles of God which I did jointly with my bible study group. We were greatly blessed and challenged and I am praying that as I join in with all of you the Lord shall change our perspectives to be Christ-like and Kingdom focused. Kindly uphold our nation in prayer as we undergo one of the darkest times that we ever faced. God bless, Caroline