Covenant Christian University: Covenant Theological Seminary Pakistan

07/06/2025

When Satan (the devil) is mentioned in the NT, are the writers talking about a supernatural being? Or are they really personifying a group of people? We need to remember that Satan’s first business was to lie about the word of God (Genesis 3)—mixing evil with good and vice versa (Isaiah 5:20). According to OT usage, Satan signifies an adversary—one who withstands and/or accuses (Numbers 22:22; 1 Sam. 29:4; 2 Sam. 19:22; 1 Kings 5:4; 1 Kings 11:14; 1 Chron. 21:1; Job 1-2).

The scribes and Pharisees were called children of the devil (John 8:44) and offspring of vipers (Matt. 23:33).

“You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
‭‭John‬ ‭8:44‬ ‭RSV‬‬

“‘Serpents! brood of vipers! how may ye escape from the judgment of the gehenna?”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭23:33‬ ‭YLT98‬‬

In the NT, they appear disguised as an “angel of light” (2 Cor. 11-14) while prowling about seeking whom to devour (1 Peter 5:8). They were the chief accusers against Christ and the brethren, and withstood Paul. But they were to be cast down at the overthrow of Jerusalem and the establishment of Christ's kingdom.

“And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭10:18‬ ‭RSV‬‬

“And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.”
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭12:10‬ ‭RSV‬‬

Paul told the Romans that Satan would be crushed under their feet shortly (Romans 16:20). It’s been 2,000 years since Paul wrote. Was he really referring to a fallen supernatural being? Or was he using symbolism to say something that was too risky to communicate in unveiled language? You decide.

07/06/2025

☦️ WHY ORTHODOX WORSHIP REPEATS—AND WHY IT’S HOLY ☦️

"Lord, have mercy."

"Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us."

"Again and again in peace let us pray to the Lord.."

Some ask:
"Why all the repetition?
Isn’t once enough?
Shouldn’t we get to the point?"

But in the Eastern Orthodox Church, repetition is not redundancy.
It’s reverence.
It’s formation.
It’s how the soul is shaped—not just informed—but transformed.

In this world, repetition dulls.
In Heaven, repetition glorifies.

"And they do not rest day or night, saying:
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty,
Who was and is and is to come!"
— Revelation 4:8

The angels repeat,
not because they forget,
but because they are overwhelmed by God’s holiness, and each moment reveals a glory deeper than the last.

So it is with us.
We repeat because we are not angels yet.
We are dust learning to breathe eternity.
We are souls bent inward, learning to turn outward to God.

Repetition in worship is how the heart is trained.
Like a mother rocking her child.
Like the ocean waves crashing the shore.
Like Christ in Gethsemane who prayed the same prayer three times.

"O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done."
— Matthew 26:42

🕊️ We say "Lord, have mercy" not because He didn’t hear, but because we haven’t yet fully meant it.
We sing "Holy God" again because He is still Holy,
and our hearts have more to offer.

In Orthodoxy, worship is not entertainment.
It is not aimed at stimulation.
It is aimed at communion, and communion requires discipline, beauty, and sacred rhythm.

Every repetition becomes like a drop of water
slowly wearing away the stone of pride, and gently etching the image of Christ in the soul.

So no, Orthodox worship isn’t about novelty.
It’s about eternal truths, sung over and over
until the heart starts to remember Heaven.

We do not worship to express ourselves.
We worship to be remade, and to glorify God. ☦️

07/06/2025

"Joel 2:25 – 'And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten…' 🕊️
No season of loss is beyond God’s power to redeem. He is the Restorer of wasted years, broken dreams, missed opportunities, and silent tears. What you thought was gone forever, God can bring back—better, stronger, and full of purpose. Trust Him. Your restoration is not a maybe—it’s a promise. 🌿✨



👉 Follow for more life-giving truths from God’s Word!"

07/06/2025

07/06/2025

Are you walking in a manner worthy of your calling in Christ? This calling is not only an invitation to salvation, but a summons to be conformed to the likeness of Christ. Such a life is marked by humility, gentleness, patience, forbearance, and love. It reflects a sincere eagerness to preserve unity with fellow believers. Click on the link below to listen to Rev. Ken Kunkel's sermon on Ephesians 4:1-6.

07/06/2025

Is confession of sin a regular practice in your life? Scripture teaches that true confession means agreeing with God about the gravity of our sin. When we humbly confess, God is faithful to His promise: He cleanses us completely and remembers our sin no more. This assurance is ours only through Christ, our Advocate, who stands before the Father on our behalf, not pleading our merit, but His perfect righteousness. Click on the link below to listen to Rev. Ken Kunkel's sermon on 1 John 1:9-2:2.

07/06/2025

"Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ" Colossians 2:8.

There was this guy. And he loved his family and friends. He had thought about turning his life over to Christ many times throughout life.

This man constantly did good and he even attended Church regularly. Yet, at every opportunity to fully commit to Christ he just didn't.

You could say this guy simply sat on the fence.
And was happy to be there.

Feeling confident about life and having not committed much sin; this guy lived his whole life sitting on the fence. Happy and robust he couldn't wait to go to Heaven.

At the end he told his friends and family that he would see them in Heaven.

As he left us; he awoke to the smell of ash and brimstone staring at the face of the most hideous creature he said no, no, no this has to be wrong.

This monstrous creature look at him and said:

"Your soul is mine for eternity"

After thousands of years in hell this guy finally received understanding.

The devil owns the fence

Attending Church and following a set of moral principles and standards is a wonderful thing.

However.

How many people have you invited?

How man people have you told that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

Do not sit on the fence.

Talk about what God has done for you.

Tell others about your relationship with God.

For many, too many years...

I was a fence builder

Today, I'm here to say that a relationship with Jesus Christ has changed my life...

It changed everything about my life

EVERYTHING...

Have you been a fence builder?

Spread joy and happiness
Tell someone about God today.

Tell someone who owns the fence

Tell them about your time on the fence. Tell them how you wrestled with yourself on the fence.

Tell them about your relationship with Jesus...

Tell them how you couldn't see the fence.
Until you decided to do something

Christian life isn't about how biblically educated you are...

Christian life isn't even about how many Church services you attended

Christian living is about telling others about your answered prayers

Christian life is about you telling others about God and your path having faith in God...

Your faith in God is the answer

Show your faith... Tell everyone

07/06/2025

Remember that no matter what we do, we do it in Christ alone!

07/06/2025

🍂📚 𝗙𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗸!

Courses include:
➡️ Old and New Testament
➡️ Church History
➡️ Marriage & Family Counseling
➡️ Elementary Greek

Don’t wait—register now or schedule a meeting with an advisor at CTS.

“𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺…𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘴 𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘶𝘱 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦, 𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬.”
– Ephesians 4:16

07/06/2025

THIS COMING SUNDAY, JUNE 8, IS PENTECOST. Please consider wearing red, the liturgical color of the Holy Spirit, reminding us of the flames of fire that descended upon the church on this day.