During the Covid outbreak, some part of Nigeria was declared to be on lockdown. Businesses were locked up. Movements were restricted. Churches were closed. Everyone was ordered to stay closed.
During the lockdown, in order to support the citizens and keep them strong, the government began to send food items to these starving homes.
The food items were known as Palliatives. They weren’t much, but they were enough to sustain the families until the pandemic was over in Nigeria.
These Palliatives were simply basic requirements for survival during the pandemic.
In 1 Peter 2:11, we are called strangers and pilgrims in this world. We belong to a better world. We are citizens of heaven, even while we journey here on Earth.
We are here to serve God, fulfill His Counsel for mankind, and draw more people to Him.
Nevertheless, God has not and will never leave us stranded. Even though we are pilgrims on a journey to eternity, we are not left to fend for ourselves here.
2 Peter 1:3: “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue”
As you serve God here on Earth, He’ll definitely provide financial breakthroughs for you, but you mustn’t be complacent when they start coming.
You must realize that these things are like Palliatives. They’re temporal and not lasting. They are only meant to keep our body strong as we do God’s work here on Earth.
The cars aren’t the rewards for serving God, neither are the houses or abundance of currency. These things might be given unto you in large measure. But in some cases, God chooses to give them in measures likened to the droplets of the drizzling rain.
Hence, the Saint must decide that whether he amasses great wealth here on Earth, or earns only little for sustenance of himself and his family, his eyes will remain fixed on the Eternal reward.
The Palliatives here are only temporal. They are corruptible and perishing. A brand new car bought today would cause a lot of celebration and Thanksgiving. It will be valued and treasured like gold.
But there is no doubt, that within five years from now, that car will lose its value. It will begin to rust, having sufferered severely from the potholes in the roads, the collusion with other cars and dealings from the mechanic.
The same can be said for every material gift.
Woe unto the one who serves God for material gain. You will be the most miserable of all saints.
Work for that reward which is eternal. Labor for the kingdom as much as you can, that on the last day, you shall receive a crown of glory decorated with several glittering stars.
1 Timothy 6:17: ‘Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God….’
Let not the rich trust in their riches. But let the rich and the poor trust in God.
Let them serve with all diligence. Whether you are in the choir, or in the Evangelism unit, or in the pastoral department, or in a secular engagement, labor for the kingdom.
Use every opportunity you have to work for the kingdom. Because God takes record of every single thing you do for Him. For every sweat that trickles down your face, for every tear you shed, every cent you spend, every sound you make, every loss you incur, for the promotion of God’s kingdom, there is a huge reward for it.
Set your eyes upon it. The day of the Lord is coming. The day when He will reward all of us justly.
Will your labor be worth rewarding?
All posts by Nwodo Divine
DON’T KILL THAT CHILD!
Genesis 19:14: “Early the next morning Abraham took some food and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He set them on her shoulders and then sent her off with the boy. She went on her way and wandered in the Desert of Beersheba.”
15 When the water in the skin was gone, she put the boy under one of the bushes.
16 Then she went off and sat down about a bowshot away, for she thought, “I cannot watch the boy die.” And as she sat there, she began to sob.
Abortion is now a trend in almost every country regardless of its legal repute. In fact, out of over 200 million pregnancies worldwide that is recorded each year, approximately forty-six million which is about twenty two percent , end in abortion.
Where abortion is legally restricted, botched abortions are a major cause of maternal death.
Young Ladies in particular are at high risk for unintended pregnancy, because they have limited access to enough funds, and are more likely to seek abortion than advanced women.
At another view of reference, most women above 25 years will only seek for abortion for two main reasons. One of which is pregnancy that resulted from illicit affair while the other is melted on the palm of poverty.
A significant percentage of those women who end up in the hospital with complications from unsafe abortion are young.
Young ladies may be afraid to tell their parents or guardians about a pregnancy and may attempt to get an abortion on their own accord. How be it such decisions are always a matter of life and death.
As Christians, we need to ensure that females most especially the teenagers, are well informed about unsafe abortion and the options available to them should they have an unwanted pregnancy.
Most often, the primary cause of pre marital pregnancy, is not in anyway far from self.
One of the primary causes is sexual immorality.
Although, it might have been said of Hagar that she wasn’t the one who made advances towards her master, Abraham, but without doubt her relationship with him ended her as ‘‘the other woman’’ and while she was sent away from the home she nearly disposed her child as a victim to death.
Your entanglement in sexual activities might differ from hers. It might even come in form of fornication or rape, which might eventually lead to pregnancy. And as a result, you want an abortion.
Listen, in this kingdom even when we walk on paths that resulted in falling short of Grace, there is yet a hope for us and that hope is the truth.
John 8: 32 ‘‘And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’’
Thinking abortion is a means of escape or a cover for your flaw is a lie. It will get you held in more shackles. Of a truth, illicit pregnancy is bad but the life of the baby wallowing in your womb matters to God just as the son of Hagar mattered to Him.
Beloved reader, it is only accepting the truth that will set you free. Drop the decision that propels lie. Do not kill that child. That life in your womb matters!
Abortion, simply defined, is murder. You made a mistake in getting involved with someone. Abortion will not eliminate that mistake, it will only compound it.
Hagar wanted to abandon her son to die, because she did not have enough to take care of him.
But God sent an Angel, and a well of water was revealed to her. That well sustained her and her child.
In the midst of the shame and financial troubles involved in unwanted pregnancy, God has a well He has prepared for you and your baby, to sustain the both of you.
All you have to do is Trust Him. Go to Him in remorse for your mistake. Seek for forgiveness. And decide to trust Him for a bright future.
Moses of the Bible days, was born in a time when Jewish male babies were being murdered. As soon as the government discovered you had a male child, they would take him from you, and kill him.
But Jochabed delivered a baby boy, and saw that he was good, so she hid him.
He was born in the time of turmoil, yet, she saw goodness in him.
He was born in the time when they were poor, wretched slaves, yet, she saw goodness in him.
She would have aborted him while he was in the womb, since male babies only caused trouble.
She would have gotten rid of him, herself. But she decided to keep him, and nurture him.
And that little boy grew up to be the Prince of Egypt and eventually the Great Prophet of Israel.
That seed you are carrying which you think is the fruit of your mistake, can also turn out to be the recompense of your mistake.
Don’t abort that baby! This is not all about being liberal or pro-life. This is about choosing what is best for your future and health.
Keep the Baby.
You can win this. At first, it will be hard, but with God on your side, everything will work out for your good.
©voicequo
©Nwodo Divine
© Koinonia Art
A Christmas Story: From The Physics Lab
Matthew 2:1-2, 9
“”In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.”
…When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was.
THE SUN is a star. It’s a small star. Many stars we see in the sky are many times larger than the sun. They are just so far away. Other stars are roughly of equal size with the sun, some are smaller.
In much the same way, some stars are much brighter than the sun, emitting far more dazzling light, while others are dimmer.
The light from the sun takes 8 minutes to get to the earth. Light is the fastest known traveller. It travels 300 million metres every second. All lights have this speed.
Traveling at this speed, light from the sun covers a distance of 150 million km in 8 minutes.
NASA’s spacecraft embarked on a journey to Pluto in 2006, traveling at 60,000km/hr; it took it 9 years to arrive there in 2015. If it was journeying to the sun, it would have taken it 78,000 years!
Think about that.
Your sports car at 200 km/hr that will go from Lagos to Ibadan in 40 minutes, if there is no traffic hold-up; but if it were to get to the sun, that will be some 24 million years!
Light does the distance in 8 minutes.
THIS MEANS THAT light leaving the sun at this moment, would reach you in 8 minutes. And the light hitting your eye now, left the sun 8 minutes ago. THIS MEANS THAT: NO ONE SEES THE SUN AS IT IS, EVERYONE SEES IT AS IT WAS 8 MINUTES AGO. I read this in a geology or an astronomy text in my secondary school library. It was quite fascinating.
Going a little farther- after the sun, the star nearest the earth, is the PROXIMA CENTAURI. This star is 4 light years away from the earth. This means that just as light from the sun takes 8 minutes to get here, light from the Centauri takes 4 years to get here.
That’s an astounding 40 trillion kilometres, but only 4 light years. If you see the Centauri tonight, the image reaching you was produced 4 years ago in 2013, and is just arriving today, at the speed of light. You are seeing it as it was in 2013
SIRIUS is twice as large and as bright as the sun. It’s almost 9 light years away. Putting kilometres and sport cars aside, if you see the Sirius tonight, we’d be seeing an image 9 years old.
When therefore you see the Centauri, the Sirius, and the Epison Indi (12 light years) in the night sky, one image is from 2013, one from 2008, and the third from 2005.
There are 45 stars within 17 light years of the earth, bringing us images from the past 17 years. What is more?
We have at least 200 billion stars in our galaxy, several tens to hundreds of light years away, many of which are visible from the earth with the unaided eye, on a clear starlit night sky.
The Deneb for instance is one of the farthest stars in our galaxy that can be seen with the unaided eye. It is said to 200 times larger, 200,000 times brighter than our sun, and about 1400 light years away.
If you see the Deneb tonight, you’re looking 1400 years into the past at an image from the 7th Century! Stars in the sky are a time map.
The light from those stars reaching your eyes are coming from very different distances and from very different times. You are seeing images from different generations and different eras.
NOW, IN GENESIS 22:17, WHEN GOD preached the gospel to Abraham, when he showed him the stars and said to him ‘so shall your seed be!’; God was showing him his descendants shining from different times.
The sky was like a mirror. Whereas normally, it shows time spreading back over days and years and centuries; God was showing the man stars in a time sequence spread forward over centuries.
He said ‘Abraham look, that star 45 years from now is Jacob, and that star 430 years from now- is Moses, rising from the backside of the desert to Mount Horeb; look, that one 600 years from now is Debbie, arising a mother in Israel…and that over there is David rising 700 years from the head of Goliath to the throne of Israel.
That is Daniel, that’s James, Martha, Paul, Apollos, Lydia, John, Augustine, Luther, Wesley, Ajayi Crowther, Parham, Elton, Cho,… He showed Abraham all these stars shining in their generations.
THEN GOD SHOWED Abraham the Source of the light. He showed Him the true Light, that gave light to other stars. (John 1:9)
He showed Him the Daystar. This Star is different from other stars (1 Corinthians 15:41) Every star shining in the sky, is shining because of the Daystar. They emit some light, but He will bring the morning. He will bring the Day.
John 8:56
Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.“
LITTLE WONDER the wise men saw a star in the sky when Christ was born which led them to him (Matt 2:2,9). They were not the first to see it though. Balaam saw it hundreds of years before that time (Num 24:17). It had always been in the sky. And God showed it to Abraham that night too.
Galatians 3:16
Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ.
Galatians 3:29
And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
God said to Abraham – He is the CHRIST, whose goings have been from everlasting, arising from Bethlehem Ephrathah, of Judah (Micah 5:2), lifted onto the Cross, whose circuit extends to the lower parts of the earth, and the third day shall rise, and afterwards you ascend Lord of all. This is the Star that gives all others light and causes them to rise.
THAT STAR entered into earth’s orbit 2000 years ago, terrified and defeated the rule and dominion of Night, and birthed the kingdom of Light in the realms of men. He is coming again with the fullness of Day, to forever destroy the Night.
This is the essence of Christmas.
So many have lived for and served God, with the beautiful hope of heaven, whose names are not in our history books- unnamed and unsung. Nevertheless, because of Christ, God knows their names, and their lives shine before Him with great brightness.
2 Corinthians 4:6
“for God who commanded THE LIGHT to shine out of darkness has shone in our hearts the light of the glory of God, in the face of Jesus. Psalm 147:4 says ‘He telleth the number of the stars; HE CALLETH THEM ALL, BY THEIR NAMES. Their names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.”
When He showed Abraham that night- if you are Christ’s- Your star was also there. Your light has come, and the glory of God is risen up on you.
His name is Jesus, Christ; the Son of the living God.
Arise.
SHINE!
Merry Christmas.
The True Christmas Message!
There is a preaching that does the expected; exciting young men and women; and a teaching that makes the elderly nod in deep thought, say the occasional Amen, and afterwards shake the hand of the preacher as a measure of appreciation. We bless God for that.
Yet, we also know that the teaching of a good orator that knows understands oratory and connecting to people’s emotions, may be able to do the same. One who knows how to steam a powerful message in a broth of rhetoric and cadence, spiced with an impassioned voice and well timed gesticulations; will surely steer the audience, but only the expected will occur.
Only those who like speeches will be impressed. Only those who are happy, will smile. Only those who are okay will clap. Only those who are young will, hoot, and make a great deal of noise, “yea!”, “aye!”, “on point siiiir!”, “preach!”
Yet…
The rich will not embrace the poor. The hypocrite will not relent. The sinner will not repent.
The aged will not dance. The hurting will not be healed. The agnostic will not be persuaded . The stingy will not give, and The offended will not forgive.
However, there is that preaching that readily produces the unprecedented, and easily accomplishes the impossible.
THAT PREACHING that is the current ministry of the Holy Spirit. That is a ministry of weakness, brokenness, fear, and much trembling, and yet one of the demonstration of the Spirit and of power.
THAT PREACHING that is a ministry of love. A ministry of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. That chooses the least likely, and exalts the most unexpected; that destroys artificial barriers, dissolves race, casts out caste
THAT PREACHING that is the message of the Cross. That confounds the wise and turns the knowledge of this world into foolishness
THAT PREACHING that knows no man after the flesh, but beckons to all, man or woman, black or white, great or small, Jew or Gentile, to come to the Cross – the place where everything previous, everything Adam may end, where Christ and Him crucified becomes the common denominator by which all old things are passed away.
THAT PREACHING which by the same vital force that raised up Christ from the dead, becomes the platform alone upon which we here the glorious shout that breaks the hold of darkness “Behold, All Things Are Become New!”
THAT GOSPEL that
Thoroughly forgives the sinner,
And makes him completely new.
Restores the brokenhearted,
Broken dreams, broken minds, broken homes.
That heals the sick,
And restores the life of the dead.
Dead lives, dead bodies, dead marriages,
That turns sworn enemies into trusted friends.
That sets the solitary in families,
And gives the desolate an inheritance.
That enriches the poor,
And makes the barren more fruitful than the fertile.
THAT PREACHING that fixes teenagers to their seats for the quarter of a day, taking notes, resetting the tiny visions which they had previously thought mighty, and digging deeper stakes, all the while praying under their breath, and seeking the face of God; replacing ambition with vision, so that instead of preparing to take over the world, rather deciding to let the Lord take over their lives; [for it is only when Jesus is Lord of one’s life that one may gain the whole world and still possess and keep his soul]
THAT PREACHING that turns a roomful of elders in their 70s and 80s, loose in tongues, pacing, jumping, laughing, and running about prophesying and rejoicing, for hours on end…judging God faithful, speaking of things to come, against hope believing in hope, receiving strength to bring forth, and giving glory to His name.
That pregnant virgin, king in a manger, God in a diaper, Savior on a cross, criminal in paradise, graveyard dwelling madman-into-sound evangelist,
pharisee terrorist-into-apostle and bond servant of Christ-making, sinner-into-saint,
blind-seeing,
lame-walking,
enemy-reconciling,
dumb-speaking,
dead-raising…….GOSPEL.
That is the message of Christmas.
Merry Christmas!
Ebele UzoPeters
The Gate and The Way; An Exposition on Matthew 7:14
It is written in the scriptures that: strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it (Matt 7:14)
There is therefore a GATE, and a WAY.
A gate is a crisis point, requiring one to pass through. You are either on this side of the gate, or the other side.
Passing through a gate is not a gradual process, it occurs at once. A way on the other hand, is traversed gradually.
Walking on a way does not occur at once. Rather, we make progress over time. We have gate experiences and way experiences. And both are essentially distinct, though connected.
From the scripture above- the gate comes first, then the way. There is that hymn (To God be the glory) that says Jesus yielded His life an atonement for sin and opened the life-gate THAT ALL MAY GO IN.
That’s the truth.
When people ‘give their lives to Christ’ over and over again thinking they did not do it well the previous time, or because the meeting is intense, or because of the things they have done since the last time they received Christ.
When we rededicate our lives to God several times, and confess sins and ask for forgiveness regularly, especially before bed- jolted and even scared by messages of the appearing or coming of Christ and messages of hell.
When we feel guilt about past sins and even go ahead to say things like ‘we are all sinners, except for the blood of Jesus.’ When we are always stumbling over the same sins and repenting of them….
We are trying to walk upon the way without acknowledging that there is a gate to pass through.
It will never work.
We need to know what happened to us at the gate. Without the gate, we will struggle to make heaven- an impossibility in itself.
Until we see the gate, progress upon the way will be impossible, and we will keep going back to start point- repenting again, starting again, instead of moving on to perfection.
There is nothing as frustrating as trying to enter into a room you are already in.
THEREFORE, there is a GATE
At the gate is Christ, at the gate is the Cross, at the gate the Lamb was slain, and our sins forgiven, and guilt rolled away.
At the gate Christ met us- He loved us, He took us unto Himself. He died for us and rose again. When He died, we died with Him, and when He rose, were raised together.
If anyman is in Christ therefore- He is a new creature. The gate is not about what we have done or what we should do, but about what God has done in Christ. Changes here are instantaneous.
God has done everything in Christ, and then put us in Him. The moment we believe it, we receive it, and we become it- not in a hidden way, but manifestly.
It is credited to our account as righteousness.
Therefore at the gate we are free, at the gate there is therefore now no condemnation. At the gate old things are passed away. At the gate all things are become new, at the gate we have passed from death to life. At the gate we are a new creation, at the gate we have been healed by His stripes. At the gate, we are seated with Christ in heavenly places.
It does not occur gradually- but if anyman is in Christ, He is- not that he will be, but he is.
Not that old things are passing away, but they have. Not that all things are becoming new- but they have.
That is the strait gate.
LIKEWISE, THERE IS ……A WAY.
Sometimes we focus on the gate, and forget the way.
Sometimes we don’t know the difference between where we are seated, where we are walking, and where we are standing.
We forget that while we are seated with Christ in heavenly places, we are pressing towards the mark for the prize of the upward call of God in Him.
We forget that we are seated with Christ in heaven, walking in Him on earth, and standing with Him against hell.
And that while our seating position is fixed on high, it does not change the fact that progress has to be made here in this realm.
We claim everything has been already done and there is nothing left for us to do.
But faith is both he who comes to God and he who diligently seeks Him.
A W Tozer says to have found God and to pursue him is the sweet paradox of Christianity.
Those who pass through the gate must be prepared to walk the way.
At the gate God found us, on the way we find Him.
At the gate- God loved us, on the way we love Him.
At the gate- we are planted in Christ, on the way Christ is expressed through us.
At the gate victory is delivered, but on the way battles will be fought.
At the gate inheritance has been entrusted, but on the way the heirs will be tested.
At the gate- we are forgiven, on the way- we must forgive others.
At the gate- we are perfected, on the way- we learn perfection.
At the gate- we are born again, on the way- we live again.
At the gate- we are justified, on the way-we are sanctified
At the gate- we repent as sinners, on the way- we repent out of righteousness.
At the gate, faith is received…on the way we add to our faith.
At the gate- the Cross carried us once…On the way we carry our cross daily.
At the gate- the old man is crucified with Christ; on the way we mortify its members which are on the earth
At the gate- Christ died for us; on the way, we live for Him
At the gate- Christ becomes the Author of our faith, and on the way- He is the Finisher
At the gate- we become children of light, on the way, we walk in the light.
At the gate is the new birth, on the way is the new life (the new and living way)
At the gate- we become sons by birth, on the way- we become sons by (training, which is by) adoption
At the gate- we receive eternal life as a seed (the seed of God); on the way, we develop eternal life as a fruit
At the gate- we receive (as some like to say) God’s DNA, or genotype; but on the way, we develop God’s phenotype
At the gate- we are made partakers of the divine nature; on the way, we are made partakers of His holiness
That is the narrow way.
And at a time when some of us have indeed constituted ourselves super-teachers, we need someone to again teach us the elementary principles of Christ and have become dull of hearing and for all our verbosity, are unskillfull in the word of righteousness and unable to discern good from evil.
For he that does not make progress, being waylaid by the inertia, it seems these days, of false doctrine; is shortsighted, and cannot see afar of; and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his past sins as well as other ‘gate experiences’ though he makes a great noise about them.
Let as many therefore who claim to have entered in at the gate know that the one proof thereof, and the only,
Is to walk the way.
Cheers.
Ebele UzoPeters
Faith over Feelings
Even though God can be touched by your feelings, and even though He became flesh to bear your sorrows, and even though He is the Comforter, remember that He is not an emotional God.
God is spirit, not soul. Faith is spiritual. Emotions are not spiritual. They are soulish. God is a faith God. He is a God of Love. There is spiritual love and humanistic love. They are not the same thing.
Human love is very nice. Human love is superficial.
Human love can change to hate in a second.
God’s love is kind. God’s love has a red fount, in the blood of Christ Jesus. God’s love is transforming.
Always learn to separate your emotions from your faith. Don’t be stoic. Have feelings. Pour them out before God; but remember that they are your feelings.
God can touch your feelings and know them; but if you want to touch His feelings and know them, have Faith. Only faith. Just faith.
When a baby is crying and the mother comes to carry it, it stops. Why?
Is it because the tears have run dry? No. The baby has some faith in its mother.
If you needed one million naira today, and the richest man in the world met you and asked you what you wanted, will you keep crying?
No. Why? You have some faith in his ability.
1 Samuel 30:4
Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.
1 Samuel 30:6
And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: BUT DAVID ENCOURAGED HIMSELF IN THE LORD his God.
1 Samuel 30:8
AND DAVID ENQUIRED AT THE LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.
.
John 11:35
Jesus wept.
John 11:38
Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it.
John 11:41
Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. AND JESUS LIFTED UP HIS EYES, AND SAID, FATHER, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.
.
When you have finished weeping.
Do likewise.
Jesus is alive, and He is Lord.
———————–
THE GREAT PEARL OF SALVATION
St. Matthew 13:45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.
St. Matthew 13:46: “When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.”
In the Bible days, Pearls were very precious commodity. They were rare and quite expensive.
The Pearl is remarkably because,
A. It is durable. Other gems may rust away, but the Pearl stays. Other gems may lose their beauty as they get older, but the Pearl never loses any single of its glitters. Hence, in the ancient days, of was passed on from a royal generation to another generation. It never fades, never gets worn out.
B. It is little in size, but great in worth. The Pearl can be the tiniest object on your palm. It can be impercitible. Yet, it is of great worth. It’s worth is not in the size, its worth is in the quality of beauty and virtue it emanates.
C. A Pearl of great size brings wealth to you. A merchant could discover a pearl in his farm, and at the moment of discovery, take it to sell, and becomes a wealthy man over night.
What lessons do we learn from these?
1. Salvation is of a great value. Yes. It is the greatest gift you can ever possess. Your salvation is worth more than the biggest of buildings. Do you know what it cost God? It cost God His own son. The salvation of your soul is worth more than pearls and dollars and pounds and gold. It is worth more than all these things.
And so you must seek for it. Just like the man in the parable sought for it. And even after getting born again, you must keep working out your salvation.
In order to get this perfect salvation which we desire, you must sell all that you have. Not your material possessions. Not your skills and talents. You must give away your sins. Your pride. Your impenitence. Your hate and malice.
You must let them go, if you must procure the great Pearl of salvation.
Salvation is an exchange. It is the letting go of the lower to purchase the higher. It is the letting go of the Earthly, to procure that which is Heavenly. It is letting go of the sensuality and carnality, to procure the treasures of the spirit. It is letting go of the temporal, to procure that which is permanent. It is letting go of your burdens, to carry His yoke which is light and gentle.
There is no salvation without an exchange. You cannot obtain the Great salvation of being united to the Lord in flesh, if you cannot sell off your earthly lusts that stand between you and God.
This Great salvation is costly! You must be ready to let go of your positions and stature in the society to procure it at the last day.
Hebrews 12:1: ‘Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles’
There must be a throwing off, for there to be an obtaining. Let go of those besetting and entangling sins. Cut them off and sell them at the market of life.
You must sell off,
Your sins,
Your old worldly friends,
Your worldly habits,
Your self righteousness.
And choose to hold unto this great Pearl of salvation.
And here’s another thing, once procured, it never fades away.
This great Pearl was present with Stephen when he was being stoned to death. It was present with James when he was beheaded. It was present with Paul from the prison, to trial to judgment.
It never goes old. It stays with you, till you go and meet your Master.
I’ll conclude with this excerpt from a profound teacher of God’s word;
“When the pilgrims were in Vanity Fair, one chanced mockingly to say to them. “What will ye buy? “ But they, looking gravely on him, said, “We buy the truth.” At that there was occasion taken to despite them the more; some mocking, some taunting, and some calling upon others to smite them. Nevertheless, in spite of all the abuse, these good pilgrims would only buy the truth; and when they bought it, not for any price would they sell it again. Usually, in ordinary merchandize, what we buy we are at liberty to sell; but it is not so here, for the command is express, “Buy the truth, and sell it not.” And a most merciful provision it is; for, as one says, “Those who sell the truth sell their own souls with it.”
(Robert Macdonald.)
God Bless You 🙂
Cherish what you have!
What shall it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul.
Your soul is the most precious thing on Earth. It is worth more than hard currencies. It is worth more than Business opportunities. It is worth more than carnal pleasure.
Do not lose your soul. Do not lose your faith. Hold unto it. Keep it! Guard it with all diligence!
And,
Cherish it.
Cherish your Faith ❣️
Watch, and be blessed.
The Infinite Power of Christian Fellowship
We are living in an age where people are losing the sense of need for christian fellowship. In some parts of the U.S, church attendances are dropping. Our youths are leaving the church one after the other.
Even when souls are being won to join the church, we cannot help but cry at the souls who have not just left the church, but have left the sheepfold. But as I wrote in one of my previous posts, The Bible has something to say about instances like this.
Let us see what it has to say:
Hebrews 10:25 (TLB) "Let us not neglect our church meetings, as some people do"
Even in the days of Paul, athere were persons who neglected church meetings. But the Apostle spoke vehemently against such.
Is there a power that is hidden underneath Church meetings? What makes it so powerful that it must not be neglected?
1) COMMUNAL FELLOWSHIP IS THE FASTEST MACHINERY FOR GLOBAL REVIVAL!
Every great revival that ever took place in history, took place while God’s people congregated together in worship to God.
Acts 1:13-14
13 When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 14 They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.
Jesus had left His disciples. But He left with an instruction; He instructed them to remain in Jerusalem until they had received the promise of the Holy Spirit. Jesus could have told them to be dispersed across the nation of Israel.
But He knew the importance of communal living and togetherness if the Holy Spirit must be poured out in His fullness.
The disciples obeyed His instruction. They did not just wait idly for the promise of the Spirit, they prayed constantly. They had prayer time at different sections of the day.
In Acts 2, we are told that while they were together, observing the feast of the Pentecost, in piety, the Holy Spirit descended upon them and set their hearts ablaze for the Gospel. There is nothing that prompts the move of the Spirit faster than corporate worship and prayer meetings by believers.
One of the ways Satan uses to get a Christian out of faith is to get him out of the church. The moment that believer stops going to the church, is the moment he is exposed to the prowling of the enemy.
Ninety per-cent of genuine conversions that ever happened in Christendom, happened in church gatherings.
2) THERE IS PROTECTION IN THE SHEEPFOLD
In Matthew 18, Jesus told a parable of how a Sheep left the 99 sheep, in a shepherd’s sheepfold, and wandered about in the wilderness.
Although that passage is used as a salvation message for sinners, it is also very applicable to believers.
The sheepfold represents the communal body of Christ. It signifies the congregation of Christians.
The sheep that left signifies those believers who leave their various churches, for worldly living. It refers to those Christians, who feel too proud to identify with other saints in the church.
So they rather live their lives the way they want it, in the world, than to be governed by the counsel and doctrines of the Body of Christ.
The Shepherd in the parable ran after the sheep, and providentially found it. The shepherd was concerned about that sheep that wandered out, because he knew outside the sheepfold, that sheep is the most vulnerable creature in the forest.
No matter how smart you think you are. No matter how strong you think you are, as long as you choose to believe in God, to be God’s sheep, you cannot afford to ignore church meetings. Do not decline to belong to a church where God’s word is taught with soundness and purity.
Every saint who’d ever backslid first got tired of the church, before he got tired of God. He first got tired of worshipping in the church, before he got tired of worshipping God.
But there is protection, when we identify with one another in our various denominations and assemblies. There is a sense of belonging and identification that it creates within us. We are protected from several dangers; because we are in a place, where everyone prays for everyone.
3) THERE IS STRENGTHENING IN THE SHEEPFOLD
1 Thessalonians 5:11 : “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”
Romans 1:12 “That is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.”
It was Watchman Nee who said, ‘Fellowship means among other things that we are ready to receive of Christ from others. Other believers minister Christ to me, and I am ready to receive.’
In fellowship, we are gingered up to serve more with more fervency. Seeing the passion with which the pastor preaches the Gospel, and the accuracy of the pianist’s fingers, as well as the sincere worship from the lips of the congregation, has a way of challenging a believer to serve God better.
How about when you see a poor widow in your neighborhood, serving God in joy within and outside the church,
Or you sight that poor family, seated together at the front pew, in sincere, corporate worship, certainly, your heart will be touched.
And if you are wise, you will say within yourself, “If this poor widow, can serve God in her poverty and loneliness, then what excuse do I have not to serve God”.
4) EDIFICATION
Ephesians 4:11 to 14
11. It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers,
12. to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up
13. until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
14. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.
15. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.
God knew there would be a rise of wrong and deceitful doctrine, to lead believers astray from the true doctrine as taught in God’s word.
So in every generation, God raises men who would be custodians of the true doctrine of Christ. These men belong to what we know as the five-fold ministry.
But they do not work independently. They work with God, in ministering life and sound doctrine to believers. If you do not belong to a church, how can you hear sound doctrine? And if you do not hear the sound doctrine of Christ, how can you grow?
It’s time to keep your sentiments aside, humble yourself, and identify with a Church, where the undiluted word of God is taught. Receive that word with meekness; fellowship with the saints there, and you will be amazed at the great change you will witness in your Christian life.
AN ADVICE TO YOUNG PEOPLE
Resolve, by God’s help, to shun everything which may prove an occasion of sin.
It is an excellent saying, “He that would be safe from the acts of evil, must widely avoid the occasions.”
There is an old fable, that the butterfly once asked the owl how she should deal with the fire, which had singed her wings; and the owl counseled her, in reply, not to even look at its smoke. It is not enough that we determine not to commit sin, we must carefully keep at a distance from all approaches to it.
By this test we ought to examine the ways we spend our time–the books that we read, the friends that we visit, the part of society which we interact with. We must not be content with saying, “There is nothing wrong here;” we must go further, and say, “Is there anything here which may cause me to sin?”
This is one great reason why idleness is to be avoided. It is not that doing nothing is of itself so wicked; it is the opportunity it affords to evil and empty thoughts; it is the wide door it opens for Satan to throw in the seeds of bad things; it is this which is mainly to be feared.
If David had not given opportunity to the devil, by walking on his house-top in Jerusalem with nothing to do, he probably never would have seen Bathsheba bathing, nor murdered her husband Uriah.
This, too, is one good reason why worldly entertainments are so objectionable. It may be difficult, in some instances, to show that they are, in themselves, positively unscriptural and wrong. But there is little difficulty in showing that the tendency of almost all of them is most injurious to the soul.
They sow the seeds of an earthly and sensual frame of mind. They war against the life of faith. They promote an unhealthy and unnatural craving after excitement. They minister to the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eye, and the pride of life.
They dim the view of heaven and eternity, and give a false color to the things of time. They take away time for private prayer, and Scripture reading, and calm communion with God.
The man who mingles in them is like one who gives Satan an advantage. He has a battle to fight, and he gives his enemy the help of sun, and wind, and hill. It would indeed be strange if he did not find himself continually overcome.
Young men, endeavor, as much as you can, to keep clear of everything which may prove injurious to your soul. People may say you are too conscientious, too particular, and ask where is the great harm of such and such things? But don’t listen to them.
It is dangerous to play tricks with sharp tools: it is far more dangerous to take liberties with your immortal soul. He that would be safe must not come near the brink of danger. He must look on his heart as a barrel of gunpowder, and be cautious not to handle one spark of temptation more than he can help.
What is the use of your praying, “Lord keep me from temptation,” unless you are careful not to run into it and “keep me from evil,” unless you show a desire to keep out of its way? Take an example from Joseph–Not merely did he refuse solicitation to sin from his master’s wife, but he showed his prudence in refusing to even be “with her” (Genesis 39:10).
Take to heart the advice of Solomon, not only to “Not set foot on the path of the wicked,” but to “Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go your way” (Proverbs 4:15); “Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly!” (Proverbs 23:31).
The man who took the vow of a Nazarite in Israel, not only took no wine, but be even abstained from grapes in any shape whatever. “Hate what is evil,” says Paul to the Romans (Romans 12:9); not merely not to do it; “Flee the evil desires of youth,” he writes to Timothy; get away from them as far as possible (2 Timothy 2:22).
Oh, how needful are such cautions! Dinah just had go out among the wicked Shechemites, to see their ways, and she lost her virginity. Lot just had pitched his tent near sinful Sodom, and he lost everything but his life.
Young men, be wise with your time. Do not always be trying to see how near you can allow the enemy of souls to come, and yet escape him. Hold him at arm’s length. Try to keep clear of temptation as far as possible, and this will be one great help to keep clear of sin.
~ JC Ryle
BUILDING STRONG FAITH
WHAT IS FAITH
Hebrews 11:1: Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”
Faith is confidence in God’s promises. It is a strong persuasion that God will fulfill everything He has promised.
The Life we live is a life of faith. It is a life of absolute trust and dependence on God. Faith is the pillar of Christian living.
This is why Satan is desperately after the faith of believers. The reason he stirs men against them is not mainly because he hates them. He would never have disturbed them that much if they were in the world.
Satan is after you, because of your faith in God. Everything he does against you, is done to cripple your faith. Because once your faith has been crippled, Satan finds it easy to dominate your life.
Churches were locked up, and many believe it is because of the Pandemic. The question is,
Ever since the churches got locked up, has the pandemic’s mortalities increased or reduced?
Whether we accept it or not, it doesn’t deny the fact that the locking up of Churches is part of Satan’s attempt to weaken the faith of believers.
Because our Faith is strengthened when we gather as a Body in fellowship.
But there’s little we can do to get our churches opened back in times like this, other than to pray.
So how does one build up his faith. How does one stay strong even when there is no reason to be strong.
How does one keep living, when everyone he’s ever loved, are dying?
1. THE WORD OF GOD IS OUR FAITH FEED
Romans 15:4 “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope”
God’s word is the feed of faith. God’s Word feeds our faith. It strengthens it and makes it to blossom.
HOW TO STUDY THE WORD
A. Study the lives of those who have been in similar conditions as you are. Are you facing persecution for your faith? Are you living a place where Christianity is banned, and the punishment for bring a Christian is torture or death?
There are people in the Bible days who experienced the same thing.
People like James, who was killed by Herod.
People like Peter, who was arrested and thrown in jail for the Gospel.
Stephen, who was stoned to death for preaching the Gospel.
Or shall I speak of Paul, who suffered from several assassination attempts because of his resolve to preach the Gospel.
The Book of Acts is full of stories about the travails of the Early Church. Create time to read it; it will bless you beyond doubt.
If your faith isn’t wavering because of persecution, but because of the harsh conditions and circumstances of life. The Life of David and that of Joseph is worth reading.
Joseph – Genesis 35 down to the end
David – 1 Samuel – 1 Chronicles
No matter the situation you find yourself in, God’s word has something to say about it. Spend time digging it up.
B. LISTEN TO SERMONS
God speaks faith to us through His Prophets.
1 Thessalonians 2:13: “And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.”
The Word of God that we receive from genuine men of God, has a way of working faith into our spirits. When you’re depressed, confused, not knowing what to do, instead of listening to the complaints of your mind and emotions, listening to the word of faith from your pastor.
But, be careful the kind of Pastors you listen to. The Bible instructs us to, ‘Test all spirits’.
The true word of God will make you love God more. It will boost your faith and make you cling unto God. It will instruct you and guide you in the path of light.
Only Pastors whose teaching can work this into your spirit should be given ears to.
2. SATURATE YOUR ATMOSPHERE WITH GODLY AND INSPIRATIONAL MUSIC
Music is one of the greatest gifts of God to man. Good music has a way of lifting the heavy burdens of grief away from our souls.
Good Music puts our thoughts and our emotions in order. It is like a good mistress, that massages our turbulent emotional storms into tranquility.
Good Music helps, Godly music helps better. Godly music doesn’t just soothe our soul, it edifies our spirit.
Godly music is like the balm of Gilead that heals the broken hearted. When your faith is weakening, and you’re falling into despair, saturate your Atmosphere with songs of praise and worship to God.
This was David’s secret to surviving the greatest of his challenges.
He had a lifestyle of singing Melody to the Lord. He strengthened himself through his songs.
Act 16:25: “And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.”
Paul and Silas were beaten severely for casting a demon out of a slave girl.
Have you ever been tortured for doing the right thing? Have you ever been persecuted just because the right thing you did negatively affected other people?
Paul and Silas were in such condition. They were not just beaten, they were thrown into a dark prison and held bound by chains and painful cuffs.
Imagine Paul and Silas, two educated preachers of the Gospel, in the prison, with criminals.
Picture the blood flowing from their lips, the stripes on their bodies and the swelling on their legs.
Yet, in the midst of these, at the midnight, they lifted up their voice and sang unto the Lord.
They had the option to complain and wail faithlessly. But they heard songs in their spirit, and they released these songs of praise to the Lord.
When you are the depressed, and weak in faith, that is the time to praise God more. That’s the time to play songs of worship and sing along with them.
Because Praise exalts God above our condition. The Psalmist called it, ‘Magnifying the Lord’.
Praise makes us see the light in the tunnel. And nothing strengthens faith than seeing God in the midst of darkness.
3. AVOID THE VOICE OF UNBELIEF
1 Kings 18:41: “Then Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.”
1 Kings 18:42: “So Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees,”
1 Kings 18:43: “and said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea. So he went up and looked, and said, “There is nothing.” And seven times he said, “Go again.”
What befuddles me in the aforementioned text, is that when Elijah told Ahab that there was the sound of rain (Verse 41), there was no evidence of rain anywhere.
Normally, it is the downpour of the rain that causes the sound. But in this text, Elijah was hearing the sound, even before there was any evidence of rain.
This is what Faith is all about. In the midst of the drought, famine and hunger, he heard in his spirit, that it was about to rain.
He sensed it in his spirit.
He sent his servant to check the clouds for any sign of rain, while he prayed.
But his servant checked six times and saw nothing.
Sometimes, your can be in a situation where your spirit is bubbling even when there is complaining all around you.
God’s word in you at that moment, could be rising up to keep you strong, that something better is coming.
But when you talk to your neighbors or even church members, their statement almost renders you hopeless.
Like Elijah, you heard the sound of the rain in your spirit,
You heard God’s word in your spirit, that you will not be struck by the plague.
But no other person could feel what you felt in your spirit.
Every other person claims there is no sign of hope.
The clouds are empty,
as well as our stomachs,
And our bank accounts
They wail.
In conditions like this, be like Elijah. Choose not to let listen to the voice of people when it is contrary to the voice of your spirit.
Those things only cripple your faith. Know how to look into your spirit and hold unto what the voice of the Lord is speaking to you.
KOINONIA ART 