Tag Archives: fellowship

Spirituality

The Holy Spirit: Our Helper

Leave a comment

John 14:16: “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;” (NASB)

While on Earth, Jesus was the most powerful man. He lived His whole life full of wisdom and mighty demonstrations of God’s power. It earned the awe and respect of His 12 disciples. Imagine being the personal assistant to the most influential man on Earth today – this is the status Jesus’ disciples occupied in the thousands of years ago.

Then out-of-the-blues, Jesus brought a very sad news to them.

John 13:36: “Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, where are You going?” Jesus answered, “Where I go, you cannot follow Me now; but you will follow later.”(NASB)

He was getting ready to leave. The mention of this broke His disciples’ hearts. How could the One in charge of their upkeep abandon them? Throughout Jesus’ time with His disciples, there was never a shortage of good things.

They got money from the mouth of a fish when they needed it to pay taxes. When they needed bread to feed the masses, they raided a child’s lunchbox. Everything they required was presented to them on a gold platter. And now, the man who had done these favors was about to leave the planet.

What’s more heartbreaking than that? What would life be like without Jesus? Who would they turn to for assistance?

These were the thoughts that raged in their hearts, Jesus knew. “I will send you another Helper,” he said as he looked at them.

To put it another way, “I will send you someone who will be to you what I was to you.” Someone who will assist and guide you in the same way that I did.’ Jesus revealed in John 14:26 that this “someone” was none other than The Holy Spirit.

In this turbulent world, the Holy Spirit was given to us to be our guide, comforter, and helper. The Holy Spirit is present in every believer. The theory that the dispensation of the Holy Spirit has ended is completely false as without the Holy Spirit, there can be no conviction of sin, no repentance and no regeneration. John 3:6, NLT: “Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.”

It is the Holy Spirit that gives us spiritual life.

Romans 8:16: “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God” (NASB)

If you are a God’s child, you have the Holy Spirit living within you. But it takes more than just knowing the Holy Spirit lives in us to share in His blessings. We must grow in our understanding and friendship with the Holy Spirit.

He must be more than a fact to us; he must be more real to us than even our next-door neighbour.

Here are four important facts about The Holy Spirit

1. He speaks (Acts 13:2)

2. He hears (Psalm 65:24)

3. He can be pleased, grieved or stirred up (Eph. 4:30)

4. He loves us (2 Thess. 3:5)

5. He lives in us (1 Cor. 3:16)

The Holy Spirit’s primary role in our lives is to lead and guide us into the fullness of God’s will. We can never know God’s will by speculating or gambling. We’re going to make a lot of mistakes.

  • He knows God’s will better than us (1 Cor. 2:11): The only person who can accurately know God’s thoughts in any situation is the Holy Spirit. As a result, if we can learn to walk with Him and listen to His instructions, we will never be in a quandary or lack wisdom in deciding what to do.

The Holy Spirit helps us in prayer (Rom. 8:26):

Source: GettyImages

If we do not walk with the Holy Spirit, we will pray amiss a lot and our prayers will not get answered. When we allow the Holy Spirit to lead our lives, He ensures our prayers are aligned with God’s will. He helps us know the right prayers to pray; sometimes, while praying, He might even drop prayer points into our hearts. He also inspires us to pray by giving us burdens. The Holy Spirit helps us to pray and He helps us while we pray. Thus, with Him, prayer becomes easier and more accurate.

He is the Wisdom Spirit (Acts 6:8):

The Holy Spirit illuminates our understanding.

The fullness of the Spirit provides us with practical wisdom, insight, and understanding for daily living. Daniel possessed the Spirit of Wisdom, which enabled him to interpret a dream that all the wise men in Babylon found difficult to interpret. Stephen was filled with the Holy Spirit, and when He spoke, men were astounded by the profundity and wisdom of His message.

The Holy Spirit’s work is numerous, but these three are the most important ones that should compel us to seek guidance from the Blessed Spirit of God. He serves as a conduit between us and God. Our prayers reach God through Him, and God’s thoughts reach us through Him. /p>

But the Holy Spirit can’t do it without our co-operation. He will not speak unless we acknowledge Him; He will not hear us unless we pray, and He will not give us wisdom unless we seek His advice in everything we do.

Therefore, let us make our walk with The Holy Spirit a priority. Here are three ways one can do this;

  • Spend time each day worshiping Him. Every morning, it should be the first thing you do. The Holy Spirit should be the first person we speak to in the morning and the last person we speak to in the evening. In His presence, we must sleep and awaken.

  • Be aware of His indwelling presence: Do not lose this awareness. Ask yourself, “Will the Holy Spirit be pleased?” before doing anything.
  • Do not be afraid to ask for His help.

Will you do this? Will you allow the Holy Spirit to lead your life? Say this prayer;

You, Holy Spirit, are the third Person of the Blessed Trinity. You are the Spirit of truth, love, and holiness, descended from and equal in every way to the Father and the Son. I adore You and will devote the rest of my life to You. Teach me to recognize and seek God, who made me for and with Him. Fill my heart with both a holy dread of Him and a deep love for Him. Give me patience and restraint, and keep me from succumbing to temptation. Amen.

GENERAL

A place where the weak are strengthened

Leave a comment



1 Thess.5.14 – Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, SUPPORT THE WEAK, be patient toward all men.



Studies show that church attendance is gradually declining in America. Our youths are leaving the Church to join the streets – unfortunately, it seems like the Covid/lockdown magnified the situation.


With the Internet taking over as the global means of communication, it is important that as believers, we preserve the sacred custom of having fellowship with one another physically.



One of the most important benefits of having fellowship with the believers is that it strengthens us.


Paul reveals to us in 1 Corinthians 9:24, that Christianity is a race. In this race, there are those who have gone ahead of us; those who are with us and those behind us.



As we run, just as 2 Timothy reminds us, there are times one get weary. It’s not that such saint has fallen from faith, it’s just that he needs some words of encouragement to reinvigorate him to continue the race.


The Saint is in a battlefield constantly. It is either he is fighting against the antichrist system of the world, or he is fighting against the attempts of the flesh to lord over him.


This war requires strength and fortitude. This strength a lot of times cannot be generated by ourselves; it is gotten in fellowship with other folks of our faith.


This reminds me of the Vision Rick Joyner had. He said he saw believers striking themselves and the enemy was able to penetrate. He said he saw an army, so large and great and all the devil had to do was to poison the warriors against themselves. Immediately they started to hit themselves, the demons gained control.

A PLACE WHERE WE CAN BE STRENGTHENED

The communal Church is the strength of the saint.




A place where we can be strengthened is only in the midst of those who understand what we pass through.


A place where we can be strengthened is a place where we have people with the same goal, mission and hope as we do.


A place where we can be strengthened is a place where we see those who have gone far ahead of us and those we look up to – where they place their right hands on our shoulders and whisper to our ears, “You are stronger than you think”.


Statistics has shown that majority of those who end their lives abruptly, died out of hopelessness.


The Lord knew we would encounter these things, thus the need for fellowship.


A strong man remains strong because He is surrounded by Several other Strong men.


If we were sufficient alone, God wouldn’t have told Adam He needed Eve.


The Bible says, “Two are better than one, for one will sharpen the Countenance of His friend”.


IRON SHARPENS IRON


Having fellowship with other believers strengthens our faith. It makes us know we aren’t alone in this journey. It makes us strong when we feel weak.



The Church is where we find hope. The Church is where our decisions and determination is reinforced. The Church is where we are assured of His Glory and Presence.


If we ever think we can stand alone and do not need the House of Faith, then we have believed a lie.



If you want a coal to lose its flames, separate it from other coals. It may be producing and anchoring fire, but when separated, within minutes, the fire dies out.


So it is for the Saint. If we are separated from other coals, we will experience spiritual collapse.
Stay with the Brethren.

A united Body cannot be easily intimidated.


Has your hand ever told you it doesn’t need your ear? Just imagine how it would look like if your body parts were dissembled.

You would be so weak that even a puppy would be able to intimidate you. But you are strong, complete and bold because your body parts are together. So is it when we’re in union with other saints. It makes it nearly impossible for the enemy to attack us.




Written by Ehimwenma Fortune Osarunwense.

GENERAL

The Greatest Love

Leave a comment


Love was one of the most powerful weapons God used in redeeming Mankind back to himself; and that weapon is still very much active today. 


The Bible says in John 3 vs 16;

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his ONLY begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”.



Jesus was the only Son God ever had, yet, God was willing to sacrifice Him for the salvation of the world. 


God gave Jesus out into the cold hands of death just because of you and I and in doing this, put both Heaven and Earth in Great danger. 


Great danger? 


Yes! Because the fate of both Heaven and earth depended on whether Jesus would fulfil or fail in His mission. 


Jesus faced several temptations, yet, He overcame them all. He refused to be distracted in His mission to save mankind. Scriptures tell us that He prayed with so much fervency – not for Himself, but for you and I. (Hebrews 5 vs 7) 


He had the power to disappear before even when the soldiers came to arrest Him at Gethsemane.


But He said, “Not my will Lord, but thy will be done”. 


His great love for us made Him willing to sacrifice His freedom and dignity.





He even bore our curse;

Galatians 3:13 – “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:”



Folks, God’s display of love on calvary remains the highest display of love for eternity.

St. John 15:13 “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”





Even when we fall, He picks us up and wipe the stains of sin and guilt away with His Blood.


This is the incomprehensible love of Christ – the love that passes understanding.




If you ever feel like anyone hates you, remember that two thousand years ago, a Divine Being named ‘Jesus’ made the greatest love sacrifice on the cross.

Are you feeling hopeless or in despair? Look unto the cross and be strengthened.


If you ever feel like an outcast, Remember you have been adopted by God through Christ and you are now a part of God’s Household {Ephesians 2:12-13}

Rejoice and bask in the love of Christ! 😊😊




Written by Tolu-Taiwo Victor

GENERAL

Mutually Dependent Humans

Leave a comment

The whole Universe consists of elements which are mutually dependent on one another.

Creatures in different animals, interact with each other, and complement each other directly or indirectly.

The Grass grows for the Cow. The Cow defecates and its faeces becomes manure for the Grass.

Man exhales carbon dioxide and inhales oxygen from plants. Plants inhale carbon dioxide exhaled from man.

God fashioned the world such that its elements would be dependent on one another.

Mankind is not exempted from this.

We were created to be mutually dependent on one another. We were created to help one another.

The problem of today’s society is that we all want helpers, but very few want to be Helpers.

Everyone wants help, but only a few wants to help. Such a person who finds it difficult to help others, will never find generous helpers in his life.

The key to an outflow of Helpers from God is in helping others.

In Esther, we are introduced to a young lady, taken captive into a strange land, along with her uncle.

Her parents were killed in a siege on her Homeland. Hence, she was an orphan, in a strange land, living with her Uncle.

Mordecai was the Uncle of Esther. He was not a buoyant man. Rather, he was a poor gate man who served at the gates of the King’s Palace.

Despite the fact that this man wasn’t financially buoyant, he took Esther into his custody and took very good care of her.

His care and good wish for Esther made him to get her involved in the Beauty pageant held to determine the King’s new wife.

The Bible tells us that even while Esther was in the palace, under the custody of Hegar, Mordecai would come to check on Esther from time to time.

In his wit, he saw that Esther revealing her Jewish identity bluntly would greatly affect her chances of Winning. Hence, he instructed her not to reveal her identity to anyone.

Mordecai was not just a guardian to Esther. He was her mentor, coach, guide and Instructor. He helped this orphan girl as much as she could.

Years later, this orphan child, whom he had helped when she had no one to support her, became the Queen of the most powerful Empire in his days.

The Child who he had live with him when she had no one to live with, now had her permanent residence in the palace of the King.

Such is life, beloved.

The one who is seeking your help today might become your helper tomorrow.

The help you render today, are seeds that will guarantee you receive help whenever you need it.

There’s no act so Noble, nothing so great as helping others.

Proverbs 19:17: “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done.”

The Bible places giving amongst the most sacred of Christian activities. God declares in His Word, that when we give to the poor, we lend to Him.

On one hand, we are giving our skills and financial resources to the poor. On the other hand, Heaven records whatever you are giving, as something lent to God.

Man would say, ‘I gave XYZ amount of money to the poor’.

But in heaven, it is recorded as, ‘Mr Man lent XYZ amount of money to God. To be paid back with interest in due time’

If the Government of some countries pays back charity organizations for the donations they make every year; how won’t the government of heaven reward you bountifully for the money you’ve lent to them.

Hebrews 13:16: “And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”

Now is the time for us to release our help like never before. You do not need to have millions of dollars in your bank account before you give.

Give from the little you have. That is what makes it a Sacrifice. And as seen in that sacrifice, it is such Sacrifice that is pleasing unto God.

God Bless You.

GENERAL

The Infinite Power of Christian Fellowship

Leave a comment

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.