AFTER THE FEAST WHAT NEXT? (4)

“And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.” And he added, “These are true words that come from God.” (Revelation 19:9 NLT)

Every activity we engage in as Christians must all be geared towards preparing us for the grandest of all events –the Wedding Feast of the Lamb. The marriage feast of the Lamb is that unique moment in the glorious future when our Lord Jesus, will present to the Himself the Glorious Church which He purchased with His Blood (Acts 20:32) and made perfect as a Bride, “without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault” (Ephesians 5:27 NLT). At this glorious event, the prophecy of Isaiah will be fulfilled which says, “He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied...” (Isaiah 53:11 KJV). The Wedding Feast of the Lamb will be the historic convergence of all of God’s redemptive prophecies and will signal the ultimate futility of satan’s corrosive efforts to dent the image of the Lord’s Bride. When Satan realised that the Blood of Jesus has effectively shielded the spirits and souls of believers from the corrosive influence of sin, he determined to at least, soil the wedding gown of the Bride. Hence the Angels rejoiced that the Bride has made herself ready, by keeping her gown unstained by sin: “Let us be glad and rejoice, and let us give honour to him For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself. She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear.”   For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s holy people” (Revelation 19:7-8 NLT).

Let me call your attention to one or two phrases in this passage of scripture helps us to understand how we must prepare for this great feast. First, “His bride has prepared herself.”  This indicates that as believers we are active participants in the preparations leading to the Marriage Feast of the Lamb. A young lady that is getting ready to wed has to do quite a lot to prepare herself for the great event. Even so as believers, we are supposed to get ourselves ready for the Marriage feast of the Lamb. This is why we attend Sunday services, bible studies, and conferences. In all of those programmes, we receive instructions to help us prepare for the great marriage feast. In other words, the grand purpose of all conferences or festivals we attend is to help us prepare to participate in the marriage feast of the Lamb. If after all these activities we miss that great event, we will be counted the most foolish of all.

The second key point I want draw your attention to is what constitutes the wedding gown of the Bride.   “She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear.”   For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s holy people.”  The bridal gown of “the finest pure white line ... represents the good deeds of holy people.”  Whereas our good works do not earn us salvation from sin; only faith in the finished work of Christ does, they certainly add beauty and colour to our appearance at the wedding feast of the Lord. Could it be that the fine linen each person would receive would be weaved with the person’s works of righteousness. This good work is everything we do that gives God pleasure. Whatever we do that gives God joy makes us strong in Him and for Him. The righteous acts of the saints which constitute the shining and bright linen bridal gown for the believers must be powered by the grace of God operative in our lives. The Spirit of God must be the One working in us both to will and to do according to the good pleasure of God; otherwise our efforts to please Him will be unfruitful.  Hence we need to pray with the Hebrew brethren, “Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen” (Hebrews 13:20-21 NKJV).

Our Lord was anointed with the Holy Spirit and power and He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, because God was with Him. We must likewise position ourselves such that the Holy Spirit can equally anoint us to go about doing good to others. This is  one of the ways we can attract and host the Presence of God in our lives. Nobody, without a wedding garment will be allowed into the Marriage Feast of the Lamb. Let us utilize every opportunity we have to do good to others especially those in the household of faith. Thus, we will be getting our wedding gown ready for the great day of the Lord.  Make sure you don’t miss it in Jesus name. 

AFTER THE FEAST WHAT NEXT? (3)

“Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did. But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.” (John 2:23-25 NKJV)

People attend Christian conferences for different reasons. Some attend because of the possibility of receiving miracles while some go because it offers them opportunity of meeting and reuniting with old friends. There are still others who attend just to enjoy the warmth of the crowd and forget about their problems for a while. There are some who attend purely for diabolical intents –to steal, to kill and to destroy in one way or the other. There are also those who attend because they are truly seeking the Lord with their hearts and ardently desire to grow in their knowledge of Him. Our text suggests that God seems to have different responses for different participants depending of the overarching motive for their participation. He is able to respond to people differently because, as our text indicated, “He knew what was in man.” What a sobering reality! All of these categories of people were present at the World Congress. Which one of them are you? What you do with the information and impartations you received at the Congress would largely point to which group you belong. In this regards, there are actually only two groups –those who came to encounter God and be transformed by His Spirit and those who came any other thing. For this last group, attending a conference is an end in itself. For those who came to encounter God, it is the beginning of a transformation journey in christlikeness.

Those who came for other things, merely for what they could get from God and other mundane reasons, and who probably got what they desired have since shared their testimonies and reverted back to their old lifestyles. They have gone back to prayerlessness, to indifference to their personal Bible reading/study, and have taken up again the God-displeasing habit of lateness to church functions. They have gone back to self-centred religion and have continued to show utter disregard to the demand of soul winning and caring for the needy. Our Lord gave them their heart desires but refused to entrust Himself to them because He does not trust them! “But Jesus didn’t trust them, because he knew human nature. No one needed to tell him what mankind is really like” (John 2:24-25 NLT).  Come to think about it, God can actually answer the prayers of people He didn’t trust and give them great miracles. Such an experience as this amounts to nothing but an unfortunate tragedy. When you love what God can give you more than Him, God regards you as an idol worshipper. The Prophet Ezekiel therefore declared, “Therefore speak to them, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Everyone of the house of Israel who sets up his idols in his heart, and puts before him what causes him to stumble into iniquity, and then comes to the prophet, I the Lord will answer him who comes, according to the multitude of his idols” (Ezekiel 14:4, NKJV). Do you have any idol in your heart? Remember Balaam the prophet (Numbers 22).

The other category of people are those who attend a Christian conference because they desire the sincere milk of the word of God so they could grow more in christlikeness (1 Peter2: 2). Their attitude after the conference is that of determined pursuit of God. Their attitude will be more like that of the Berean believers, of whom the Bible testified saying, “And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth” (Acts 17:11 NLT).  They listened to the preaching of the apostles with open-mind, implying they were teachable. They were willing to change their ways once they are convinced that what they were taught was the truth of the Word of God. They diligently searched the scriptures daily to ascertain the truth so they could believe it and practice it. If they had lived today, they would buy the recorded messages of the conference and take time to listen to them over and over again to make sure they got every point clear. They would go through the notes and prepare action plans on how to apply the teaching they heard. For such people as these, the Holy Spirit takes the word of God they are reflecting on and weaves them into their experience to achieve transformation.  The expected result for participating in the world congress is positive change in the form of steady growth in Christlikeness. Make it happen in your life in Jesus name.  

AFTER THE FEAST WHAT NEXT? (2)

“²⁰Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast. ²¹Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus. ²²Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus. ²³But Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. ²⁴Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. ²⁵He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. ²⁶If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honour. ²⁷“Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. ²⁸Father, glorify Your name.” (John 12:20-27 NKJV)

Being part of a great festival such as the just concluded CRM World Congress can be very spiritually exhilarating to the extent that people may want to consider it as an end in itself. Usually God grants us opportunities of such gatherings to ignite in us the quest for deep intimacy with Him. Great as our experience at the Congress was, there is still more God want us to know and experience of Him. We were given unique opportunities to experience the goodness of God so that we can become hungry for more. People who went out of the congress satisfied with what they have received are grossly mistaken.  There is more! This is the time to draw closer to Christ so you can get more of Him and from Him. 

The congress marked the beginning of a transformational journey with God and in God for each of us. Wisdom demands that we make the most of the opportunity. This was what the Greeks of our text did.

The visitors from Greece approached Philip to arrange for a meeting with Jesus privately, outside of the clutter of the feast. They have seen Him at the feast, but only from afar while He ministered to the congregation. They enjoyed listening to His message and experienced the wave of glory that came in the sequel. They enjoyed the exuberance of the corporate worship and power of group praying.  They saw the miracles and the excitement they generated in the crowd. They enjoyed every bit of what they saw, heard and experience in the feast. Notwithstanding all those, they still wanted something more –a personal touch of Christ. They desired a close-up meeting with Him so they could feel His heartbeat and discuss personal matters with Him. They went to Philip, who seems to be our Lord’s PR guy and made a simple but very profound request –“Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”

Why were they the only people who went to Jesus while all the others have been invited too? The answer is not farfetched. They were thirsty for more.  Our Lord have given out the invitation, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink” (John 7:37 NKJV). Some people are satisfied with too little. Some are desirous for more of Jesus. Our Lord has inexhaustible resource of refreshing blessings for any person who cares to have more. Not only the Greeks were invited, the Jews also as well as the rest of the people. But only the Greeks came for more and the Lord had declared, “The one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out” (John 6:37 NJKV).

When they got to Jesus, He opened His heart to them and shared some deep personal issues with them, saying, “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.” How could they have known this if not that they were hungry for more. Hunger will take you to a place in God where nothing else can. He unravelled to them the secret of fruitfulness in life and ministry “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.”  There is a depth of mystery that God want to lead you into but cannot because of your lack of hunger for more. Whatever blessing, or revelation, or impartation, or wisdom, you have received, from the Lord much more is still waiting to be received by those who can put a legitimate demand on them by their hunger for more.

Our Lord went ahead to reveal to them His desire for His followers, “If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honour”. He wants us to be where He is! The implication of this is confounding. Being where He is affords us the intimacy with the Father that He enjoys. It affords that power and authority that He controls and bequeaths to us the glory and honour He shares with the Father. We can desire for more!

May the Lord deepen your hunger for more of Him in Jesus name!

AFTER THE FEAST WHAT NEXT? (1)

⁴¹His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. ⁴²And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. ⁴³When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother did not know it; ⁴⁴but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day’s journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances...⁴⁸So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.” ⁴⁹And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”(Luke 2:41-44, 48-49 NKJV).

Annual convocations of God’s people for corporate worship of God and for mutual edification of the people have been observed since the first Passover on the eve of their departure from Egypt. God actually commanded the observances of three national convocations by the people of Israel during which the children of Israel will appear before Him (Exodus 23:14-16). Attendance to these feasts was compulsory for all males, but did not preclude the females from attending. The three big compulsory feasts are; the Feast of Unleavened Bread (the Passover), the Feast of Harvest (the Pentecost), and the Feast of Ingathering (the feast of Tabernacles). During such feasts, every Jew was expected to travel to Jerusalem to worship God as one family.  This is much like what we do in CRM during our national conventions and world congresses.  For the Jews, these feasts help to foster a sense of family among them; reminding them of their familial commitment to one another.  They help to rekindle their national sense of religion, re-affirming the special relationship they have with God as His covenant people. They afforded the entire Jewish nation the opportunity for fellowship and corporate worship of God and a time of receiving instruction on what God expects from them.  Our Lord, being a good Jew, participated in all of these festivals while He was on earth as man. He attended the Feast of Tabernacles (John 7:2) and celebrated the Feast of Passover (Luke 22:15). He lived in the Pentecost right from His baptism, when the Holy Spirit descended on Him like a dove  and remained upon Him (John 1:32-34).

Not only did our Lord participate in the Jewish festivals, He also showed us how to maximise the benefits of those festivals. This necessitated the question we are faced with today, after the feast what next? The festivals were not designed to be mere carnivals but opportunities for impartations aimed at empowering the people of God to do the work of God with increased zeal and determination. Let us look closely at our Lord’s attitude after attending the conference in Jerusalem. First, “When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem.”  The feast must have been so impactful for Christ that He didn’t want to leave the atmosphere but lingered in Jerusalem basking in the Presence of God in the temple. He was found in the temple three days after the festival! You must not be in a hurry to discard the influence of the world congress. Live in the atmosphere for as long as you can maintain it. In those days the Presence of God was localised in the temple at Jerusalem that explains why Jesus stayed back there. Today, every believer is the temple of God. You carry the Presence of God with you wherever you are for as long as you want. Maintain that Presence as you continue in the same attitudes and habits that enabled you to draw close to God in the Congress. Listen to the recorded proceedings of the congress and stay in the atmosphere of glory. Remember that Jesus was with the teachers both listening and asking them questions after the feast. Likewise, it is time for you to sit with the teachers and listen to them over and over again.

Secondarily, our Lord plunged Himself into His Father’s business immediately after the conference. He queried His parents, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”  The purpose of the world congress is to equip you to be about the Father’s business with deeper commitment and stronger determination.  The Father’s business is anything that promotes the interest of His kingdom on earth, particularly helping to bring in the soul harvest.  You are now armed enough that you cannot afford to remain idle and be comfortable in the House of God. This is the time to do the work of God before the night comes when no man can work. This is the time to truly get involved in the life of the church by joining a ministry unit where you can contribute effectively. 

EXCELLING IN THE GRACE OF GIVING (3)

“And they did more than we had hoped. They gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us, just as God wanted them to do” (2 Corinthians 8:5 CEV)

Giving is not just about donating money or other material things to encourage the work of God, support ministers of the gospel, or help the poor. Christian giving goes far beyond that as we can see in the example of the Macedonian believers. They did more than merely give their money.  They did exactly what “God wanted them to do.”  What was that?  Our Lord was once observing an offering procession in the temple as people filed out to put their offerings in the offering box.  Of all that brought their offerings that day, Jesus singled out one for special notice. She was a widow. She gave probably the smallest amount of all that offered. She gave only “two mites, which make a quadrans” (Mark 12:42 NKJV). How come this poor widow who gave the least attracted the highest applaud from God? Our Lord explains, “Jesus called his disciples over and said, “The truth is that this poor widow gave more to the collection than all the others put together. All the others gave what they’ll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn’t afford—she gave her all.”(Mark 12:42-43 The Message). Come to think of it, could it be that what we give to God is what we will never miss? Could it be that we are actually giving crumbs of our surplus, treating Him as dog and not God? D-o-g may be the mirror image of G-o-d, but the two are separated by an unfathomable abyss. God is the Creator and dog is one of the least of His creatures. To give God the crumps of our surplus as if He were a dog is abominable to say the least.

The poor widow was different. She placed the right value on God. She did not give God her best, she gave Him her all. Simply put, she gave herself to God! Having given herself to God, it does not make any sense keeping anything of hers from Him. This is how God gives. “If God didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn’t gladly and freely do for us?” (Romans 8:32, The Message). God is willing to give us everything because He first gave us Himself. This is the pattern He has set for giving in the church. The church of Macedonia followed this pattern in their giving and God was pleased with them. Paul testified of them, “And they gave in a way we did not expect: They first gave themselves to the Lord and to us. This is what God wants” (NCV). They gave way beyond the expectations of the apostles because of one overarching reason, namely, they first gave themselves to God.

The first step in giving acceptably is to first give yourself to God. What you give in church in support of the work of God is often a reflection of the extent to which you have given yourself over to God.  You give yourself to God to the extent you understand who He really is and to the extent you value Him. If you truly agree that God is your Creator and Sustainer, then you will more easily give both yourself and your all to Him. Nobody has given God all he has who did not turn out better than He ever was. The little lad with five loaves and two fishes did not realise the potential of what he had until He gave them all to Christ. That little thing, turned out to be enough to feed five thousand people with twelve baskets of surplus fish and bread. They came to God with a deficit and ended up with a surplus. Peter’s experience was even more astounding. He gave Jesus his boat to use for the gospel and his time to row the boat to a good location to enable the Lord to preach to the crowd. When Jesus finished preaching He asked Peter to throw the net again in a sea that seem to have no fish in it. Peter’s boat was filled with fish and in his generosity he invited the Zebedee’s to come and share in the blessing of God.  

The second aspect of the secret of the Macedonians’ generosity was their love and commitment to the apostles –“They first gave themselves to the Lord and to us.”  The love a congregation has for their ministers is reflected in their giving. A congregation that loves their pastor gives generously and sacrificially to enable him serve well. Let us take time to reflect on how much we value the ministers God has placed to serve us and see if we need to improve on that. We need to give ourselves to God, be loyal to our pastors, and give generously at all times for us to excel in the grace of giving. I sincerely pray that God will help us in this area so that nothing will hinder His blessing in our lives in Jesus Name.

EXCELLING IN THE GRACE OF GIVING (2)

“My friends, we want you to know that the churches in Macedonia have shown others how kind God is. ²Although they were going through hard times and were very poor, they were glad to give generously. ³They gave as much as they could afford and even more, simply because they wanted to. ⁴They even asked and begged us to let them have the joy of giving their money for God’s people” (2 Corinthians 8:1-4 CEV)

At the very heart of every giving is relationship. Generally people give to those with whom they share one form of relationship or the other. The relationship could be natural, spiritual, or emotional. But the rule of the thumb is that relationship drives giving. You are more likely to give to people you have family ties with than to strangers. Similarly, you are more likely to give to friends than to enemies. You can give to strangers, say victim of war or natural disaster, simply because you feel some degree of spiritual or emotional kinship with them. Thus, Christian giving is always an expression of love.  The depth of sacrifice involved in giving depends on the depth of love one feels towards the beneficiaries of his or her gift. This is true with our giving to fellow human beings as it is with our giving to God. Here then is a very sober truth –what you give towards the support of God’s agenda is in proportion to your love for Him.

Remember the rich young ruler that sought from Jesus the way to inherit eternal life, was confronted with a choice of giving away his wealth to the poor and following Christ (Eternal Life), he rather chose his wealth instead of Christ (Matthew 19:18-22). The implication is all too obvious –he loved his money more than God! Our giving is always a true measure of our love.   Our Lord explained this principle to Simon the Leper when Mary came and emptied a very expensive bottle of perfume on Him saying, “I tell you that her many sins are forgiven, so she showed great love. But the person who is forgiven only a little will love only a little” (Luke 7: 47 NCV). Our Lord is simply saying that we give to the extent we appreciate the love of God for us. In other words, your giving reveals the depth of your understanding of God’s love. The deeper your experience of God’s love, the more you would want to give Him. Love drives giving! Love always loves to give to the beloved.

This is also true even on the side of God. His giving reveals the depth of His love for us. The Apostle John therefore explained, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16 NKJV).  The amazing truth of this incredible verse of Scripture almost draws tears down my cheek.  This is simply what it means, that God valued me so much that He considered the sacrifice of His only begotten Son the only thing big enough to purchase me. Economists tell us that the value we place on anything determines how much we are willing to pay to have it. God purchased us with the blood of His Son (Acts 20:28). In giving up Jesus for us, God gave us His all. Paul posed this question for our reflection, “God did not keep back his own Son, but he gave him for us. If God did this, won’t he freely give us everything else?” (Romans 8:32 CEV). Our Father gave us, not just His best, but His all. Therefore, He can legitimately demand not only our best gift, but our all. He gave because “He so loved.” We should give back to Him because we love Him. We will never give enough to match God’s love for us, but we must endeavour to give generously.

This was the example the Macedonian believers left for us. “Although they were going through hard times and were very poor, they were glad to give generously” (2 Corinthians 8:2). If ever there was a congregation that should be excused from giving, this was one. The members were generally poor materially and were going through some very difficult times; yet they were glad to give generously to the work of God. They did not give their surplus. They gave out of their need. They gave willingly without any coercion and gave more than they could conveniently afford. In one word, they gave sacrificially! Theirs was such a gift that Paul described as “sweet-smelling sacrifice that is acceptable and pleasing to God” (Philippians 4:18 NLT). Can we in the CRM Family decide to follow the good example of the Macedonian believers? Unless your giving is a sacrifice on your side, it would fall below the standard set by the Macedonians. Can we learn to give sacrificially and joyfully, not because we have so much but because we love so much? Can we consistently prepare for God a sweet-smelling sacrifice that ravishes His heart? Sure, we can! And we will!  In Jesus name.

EXCELLING IN THE GRACE OF GIVING (1)

“Since you excel in everything –in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in your –see that you also excel in this grace of giving ” (2 Corinthians 8:7 NIV).

If you have been to a driving school to learn how to drive a car, you probably would have heard the term “blind spot.”  In driving, blind spots refer to those areas that are so close to the car that you cannot see them when you look into the rear mirror. You only see those spots when you twist your head to look backwards. Blind spots are therefore real but need extra effort to notice. Similarly, there are certain aspects of our lesser character that are too obvious to others and yet relatively unknown to us. I heard about a man who did not discover he talks too much about himself and rarely listened to others until on his eightieth birthday. He wished somebody pointed it out to him earlier. We are so blinded about our “blind spots” that we need someone to bring them to our notice, especially if we are the type that can take correction. My mother told me about a king who did not listen to counsel from any one (Eze Onye Agwala m), who went to a funeral ceremony with faeces on his clothes. Wise people, however, knowing that human beings are not perfect, accept the possibility of having some blind spots in their personality. 

The rich young ruler who accosted Jesus wanting to know how to inherit eternal life was not one of such wise people. He had a blind spot he was not prepared to accept and deal with, and that became his undoing.   Our Lord told him that if he must inherit eternal life, he must obey the commandments: “...You shall not murder,’ ‘you shall not commit adultery,’ ‘you shall not steal,’ ‘you shall not bear false witness,’ honour your father and your mother,’ and, ‘you shall love your neighbour as yourself” (Matthew 19:18-19, NKJV). From the young man came this boastful response, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?”(Matthew 19:20 NKJV).  This man seemed to have everything in place. He was rich, religious, and confident. Like Saul before he became Paul, he seemed blameless concerning the law. But the man had a blind spot he was not aware of and our Lord would point it out to him.  “Jesus said to him, ‘If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me” (Matthew 19: 21 NKJV). On hearing this, the man went away in sorrow, not willing to part with his enormous wealth. He was not strong in the grace of giving. He was selfish, not prepared to part with his money, not even at the behest of God!

Individuals, people groups or congregations do have some blind spot which they are usually unaware of, where as they are all too obvious to others. The church in Corinth was obviously one of the liveliest churches in the days of Paul.  It was certainly the most charismatic of the early churches. They were able to steward the revival fire that began on the Pentecost probably longer than any of their contemporaries in those early days. But it too, had a blind spot!  Paul pointed it out to them in our text: “Since you excel in everything –in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you –see that you also excel in this grace of giving” (NIV). They did everything better than any other congregation except in giving and Paul would want them to improve on that too.

It does appear to me that the CRM Family needs to covet this grace of giving too. We seem to be doing so many things well but certainly need a new attitude when it comes to giving. I can hear God saying to us: “You do everything better than anyone else. You have stronger faith. You speak better and know more. You are eager to give, and you love us better. Now you must give more generously than anyone else” (CEV). God has blessed us as a ministry but we are yet to begin to show commensurate appreciation for His blessings in giving generously to His work. Paul reminds us that God loves a cheerful giver, who gives willingly and in proportion to what God has given him or her. Let us deal with this blind spot of penny-pinching and see what God will do in us, for us, and with us.  Let us begin to give like the woman who used a whole year’s salary to purchase alabaster oil she poured on Christ. Let us give like Barnabas who became a son of consolation to the apostles. Let us give like the widow who gave God all her livelihood. More importantly, let us pray that God will endow us with the grace of giving in CRM.

The World Congress offers us a great opportunity to give to the work of God. Give the 30% of your one month income as we have been directed to do. Do it today! It shall be well with you.

APPRECIATING GOD’S FAVOURS

“Come and see the works of God; He is awesome in His doing toward the sons of men.”(Psalm 66:5 NKJV)

We just turned the corner into the second half of the year. I feel it is a good time to pause and count our blessings and name them one by one. This is necessary because if one does not recognises what God has done, one may never consider it necessary to return thanks to God. Recall the reaction of our Lord after He healed ten lepers and only one turned up for thanksgiving. “Jesus asked, “Weren’t ten men healed? Where are the other nine? Why was this foreigner the only one who came back to thank God?” Then Jesus told the man, “You may get up and go. Your faith has made you well” (Luke 17:17-19 CEV). Notice that the person who returned to thank God for being cleansed for leprosy was not a Jew but a Samaritan! Our Lord expressed surprise and admiration to this Samaritan for his sense of appreciation and respect for Him.  What can we say about the nine Jewish lepers who were also healed, but never bothered to show up for thanksgiving?

First, they took Christ and His blessings for granted. One meaning of taking someone for granted is when you fail to properly appreciate the person for favour the person had done for you, especially as a result of over-familiarity. Those nine lepers being Jews felt that Jesus is one of them and that they have a right to his services anytime they need it without showing any appreciation.  Their attitude revealed their gross underestimation of the value of Christ and His ministry. You take God for granted when you fail to show that you are grateful to Him for blessing you even in the slighted way or when fail to appreciate Him for being there for you always. The degree of familiarity with God that would result in taking Him for granted must be discountenanced. The way to avoid over-familiarity with God that leads to contempt, we must constantly pray with the Psalmist, “Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name” (Psalm 86:11 NKJV). God invites us to intimacy and not familiarity.   We must ever pray to live in His fear and never try to take Him for granted in any way.

As we look back to the past six months, there abound reasons to thank God and praise His Name.  Each of us must make notes of these favours and for each of them give God profuse praise. As a ministry, God has steadily blessed CRM in so many ways. We dedicated several church building both within and outside of Nigeria. God protected us in our journeys and several souls have been brought into the kingdom through our ministries. We have seen several healings, deliverances and other miraculous interventions of God in our lives. For us here in particular, the Holy Ghost Power Explosion this year was a watershed experience. God honoured us in remarkable ways and blessed us. Before that, we have had a weekend of Signs and wonders in which God blessed us profusely. Our Sunday services and other weekly activities have continued to be inspiring and enlightening. Our evangelistic outreaches have been moments of great visitations. Many people have been helped through the free Medicare we held in different communities.  God has indeed been good to us. We have reasons to praise Him and celebrate His mercies towards us.

Several of our sisters had their babies without must hassles. Some of us got married, some graduated from schools, some completed their national youth service, some bought cars, some prospered in their businesses and all of us enjoyed peace in our families. Great indeed is the faithfulness of God. We must therefore join the Psalmist to invite the world, “Come and see the works of God; He is awesome in His doing toward the sons of men.” Each of us must invite the rest of us to showcase the blessings of God in our lives. In so doing, we will be setting the stage for what He has in store for us in the second half of the year. This month of July will be a month of repositioning. God will reposition you strategically for more blessing. Let us prepare to be moved to vantage positions both in the spirit realm and in the physical.  Since promotion comes only from God, remember to give Him glory when He repositions for favour.  The reposition processes will be by divine arrangement not man. As we all look forward to a happy month, “I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified” (Acts 20:32 NKJV).  May the Lord bless you in the month of July and throughout the entire second half of the year in Jesus name. 

AFTER THE PENTECOST, WHAT NEXT? (5)

“But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way. Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.” (1 Corinthians 12:31; 14:1 NKJV)

Growth is an important part of human life and progress on earth. Lack of growth in people or in any human enterprise is often a cause of concern to those concerned.  Parents take care of their children and expect them to grow. When they fail to grow as expected it creates anxiety and worry in them. Business people expect their businesses to grow and when they do not, it causes deep concerns. Teachers apply best practices available to them in teaching their students and expect them to grow in knowledge, when they fail to grow and keep failing exams, the teachers are deeply disturbed. God has endowed us with His divine nature and equipped us with spiritual gifts to enable us to grow spiritually; when we fail to grow, it embarrasses Him and hinders our experience of His blessings. The book of Hebrews captures the perplexity of God’s heart due to lack of spiritual growth in His children.

¹¹There is much more we would like to say about this, but it is difficult to explain, especially since you are spiritually dull and don’t seem to listen. ¹²You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. ¹³For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right. ¹⁴Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong. (Hebrews 5:12-14 NLT)

One truth therefore stands out very clearly, namely, God wants us to grow in our understanding and application of spiritual gifts in the service of the kingdom.  He installed in us everything necessary to drive that growth and will therefore hold us accountable for our failure to grow.

Here then is the question; why do many Spirit-filled believers fail to grow in their knowledge and application of spiritual gifts in spite of the fact that God’s grace abounds to facilitate such growth?  The answer has to do with the type of operating system that is running their lives. The human mind is like the operating system of a computer unit.  What a computer can do depends on the operating system that is installed in it. Similarly, human life and experience on earth is generally determined by the kind of mindset each person has. There are basically two types of mindset –fixed mindset and growth mindset. People with fixed mindset believe that spiritual gifts and our experiences of them are determined by divine fiat, allowing no room for believers to make any input. They believe whatever gift one has is predetermined by God and that any experience one has of such gifts is fixed.   For example, if God gives one the gift of prophecy then the person has it and if God does not give one such a gift, there nothing the person can ever do to possess it. For people like this, growth in the things of the Spirit is determined by God. If this position is true, why should God ask us to earnestly desire for the best gifts?

On the other hand, growth mindset believes that God does indeed give people spiritual gifts but that He also allows room for Spirit-filled believers to participate in creating their spiritual experiences. Hence, He commands us to “desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.”  Desire is an intensely private experience. Its basic meaning is “a longing or craving for something that brings satisfaction or enjoyment.”  It is to express a wish to obtain what one lacks or what one considers valuable. People with growth mindset are outstanding for their hunger for deeper spiritual experiences. Their desire for more is what drives their growth and puts them ahead of others. God does not show partiality. He is committed to satisfying the desires of His children. The Psalmist declared, “He grants the desires of those who fear him; He hears their cries for help and rescues them” (Psalm 145:19 NLT). This makes us key stakeholders in our acquisition and experience of spiritual gifts. We must desire for them.

God’s demand for us to “earnestly desire the best gifts,” is His invitation Ato us to grow in our experience of spiritual gifts. He wants us to grow from having “the good” to “the best” gifts. As far as God is concerned, you can have the best He can afford if you so wish.  Growth mindset espoused the truism that your desire drives your growth in the spirit. May the Spirit of God stir us up to desire for more of God and of His gifts only to be satisfied when we awake in His likeness in Jesus’ name.  

AFTER THE PENTECOST, WHAT NEXT? (4)

“¹Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. ²And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple; ³who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms. ⁴And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, “Look at us.” ⁵So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. ⁶Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”(Acts 3:1-6 NKJV)

After being filled with the Holy Spirit on the day of the Pentecost, the apostles went about their normal daily routine but with a new mindset.  They believed that they received a definite impartation from the Holy Spirit and that there now exists a clear possibility that they could do things they were not able to do before.  Though they could not determine the full implication of their encounter, they were certainly willing to try new things. The fact that they spoke in other tongues and that Peter preached with such unclouded utterance and boldness leading to the conversion of 3000 converts in a single sermon represented an evident token that they got something real on the Pentecost.  Peter and John evidently believed that they received power after the Holy Spirit came upon them, as our Lord had promised; and were willing to test the reality of that power by trying to do the humanly impossible. The crippled beggar at the gate of the temple provided a good opportunity for them.

Peter and John had gone up to the temple for their routine Jewish hour of prayer –“the ninth hour.” It seems the Jews right from the Old Testament had three officially designated times of prayer. David referred to it –“Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, and He shall hear my voice’ (Psalm 55:17NKJV). All of these three official prayer times were mentioned in the book of Acts and the early church seemed to have followed that routine. These are: The Third hour – this corresponds roughly to our 9 am (Acts 2:15 NKJV).  The Sixth hour –about our midday (Acts 10:9) and the Ninth hour –this corresponds to about 6 pm (Acts 3:1). As Peter and John were about to enter the temple crippled beggar asked alms of them. In response, Peter said to him, “Look at us... “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”

Peter was able to know what he lacked and what he had. It was easy for anybody to know when the person had no money in his or her purse. Peter and John had no money in that instance and they explained that to the beggar. But then, Peter knew they had something else. He knew they had power! “...but what I do have I give you...”  How did Peter know they had power to heal the crippled? They knew by faith. They simply believed what Jesus had promised them – “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8 NKJV). Peter and John took this promise serious and believed that they received real power after the Holy Spirit came upon them. They recalled the words of Jesus that if you ask for bread you will not receive a stone. If men who are evil know how to give good gifts to their children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him. They asked for the Holy Spirit and that was what they got and with Him the power to do signs and wonders. To prove this, they had to do what they could not do before –command a cripple to walk!

What proof did Peter and John had that God would honour their faith? There was no way they could know apart from trying. You too have no way of knowing whether you have the power to heal the sick or do signs and wonders unless you try. Since God is not a respecter of persons but “in every country God accepts anyone who worships him and does what is right” (Acts 10:35 NCV), He will most likely honour your faith. You worship Him and would be doing what is right if you lay hands on the sick in obedience to Him. Peter had inner struggles as we often experience now, but his respect for God’s word was more powerful than his fears of failure. He stepped out in obedience and trusted God to stand by His word. The crippled walked! “So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God.(Acts 3:8 NKJV). You need to try what you have with the confidence that God will not let you down. You too can be a miracle worker and bring joy to your world in Jesus name.

AFTER THE PENTECOST, WHAT NEXT? (3)

“⁴³Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. ⁴⁴Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, ⁴⁵and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.”(Acts 2:43-45 NKJV).

The impact of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the Spirit-filled believers soon after the Pentecost began to reflect in the larger society. The people became awe-stricken as the disciples moved in great power to witness the resurrection of Christ – Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.  Our Lord had promised the apostles that they would become endued with power from on high when the Holy Spirit comes upon them. Such power would enable them bear witness to the truth that Jesus is God. They deployed the power of the Holy Spirit to perform signs that compelled people to wonder about who Christ is. The essence of miracles is to make people reconsider their positions about the reality and power of God.  When a minister of God begins to soak up the glory associated with the sign and wonder God has accomplished through him, it is indicative that he is not of God.  The signs are meant to bear witness not of the minister but of Jesus. The Apostle Peter demonstrated the mind of God on this when he saw the attention on him and John after the healing of the crippled at the temple gate. “So when Peter saw it, he responded to the people: “Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?” (Acts 3:12 NKJV).  It was not about Peter or John, it was all about Jesus.

The early disciples influenced their community in a most powerful way principally because they overcame the negative effect of individualism and learned to act in concert – “Now all who believed were together.”  You will hardly see Peter acting alone. He is always with John or someone else. In that way they were able to cultivate the power of community in their work of witnessing.  The power of God is always present wherever and whenever believers stand and act in one accord. The power of the Holy Spirit is most eloquently manifest when two or three agree together. It is a corporate anointing! It makes the disciples winsome as the Holy Spirit shines in us and through us the glory of God according to the prayer of our Lord Jesus –“And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one” (John 17:22). Unity in the church of Christ is a function of the members’ experience of this glory our Lord has gratuitously bestowed on us. The more of the glory we experience, the more united we shall be in the spirit and the more the power of God will be made manifest in our midst.

Christian fellowship implies community life.  One of the notable effects of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the early believers is that He inspired them to live in a community of love –“Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.” They lived in harmony with one another. It was not likely that the more than three thousand believers rented one big house and lived together. They lived in their individual houses like we do today but were knit together in heart and mind as one community under Christ. They gave their lives and possessions to Christ, thus it was easy for them to meet the needs of all. Nobody held tight to whatever was his or hers but held all things in trust for Christ and His body. They saw the needs of individuals as the needs of Jesus; therefore in meeting the needs of Christ, they invariably met the needs of all. What a beautiful way to live the Christian life!  The words of Jesus now takes a whole new meaning when He said, “I tell you the truth, anything you did for even the least of my people here, you also did for me” (Matthew 25:40 NCV). 

We need to live for one another by caring for one another and intentionally becoming our brothers’ keepers. Let us pray not to miss showing kindness to Jesus by refusing for whatever reason to show kindness to one another. Let us deliberately live and act in such a way as to provoke one another to love and never to wrath in Jesus name.  

AFTER THE PENTECOST, WHAT NEXT? (2)

“⁴⁶So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, ⁴⁷praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:46-47 NKJV).

A people’s first response to the infilling of the Holy Spirit is usually indicative of what God wants to become their habit in the long run. The reason I believe this to be so is because such responses are often as a result of the impartation by the Spirit of God rather than being as a result of the rational analysis of the people involved. The Holy Spirit has prompted me to do some things that I could not have done if I were to rationally decide on such actions. This statement should not be understood to mean that the Holy Spirit and reason are always incompatible. It rather means that He can sometimes lead us in ways that would never resonate with our reasons. Examples of such occasions abound in the Scriptures. Paul and Silas worshipped God with loud praise in the prison after being severely beaten and inhumanly treated. That could not have come out of a rational analysis of their experience. Their response was obviously as a result of the prompting of the Spirit of God.

What the Holy Spirit led the early disciples to do immediately after being filled with the Holy Spirit on the Pentecost demands our deepest reflection. Those are meant to be the normative experience of the church in all history. First, we are told that they instituted daily meetings in the temple –“So continuing daily with one accord in the temple.” They had church service every day! I am sure that some of us will cringe at the thought of having church service every day, but that was what they did.  There are denominations and congregations that still do that even today. They met daily in the temple with one accord means that everybody endeavoured to be present and that, with joy and gladness of heart.  Should we not follow their example and institute early morning daily meeting with God?

They created an effective home cell fellowship system –“breaking bread from house to house.”  By God’s special design, the basic unit of every living system is the cell. The growth of the cells imply the growth of the organism. The Body of Christ, which is the church, is such a living system. Hence our Lord said, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” We have to find ways to keep our home cell fellowships in our church. Members should take personal pride and satisfaction in hosting a cell fellowship in their homes and work hard to see that it grows. Before any of us thought of getting married and raising a home, God prophetically declared that our homes should be revival cells. A home cell is a family or a group of families who meet weekly to share the word of God and pray for mutual edification of those involved and also to serve as a bridge through which people in their neighbourhood could come to Christ, and get involved in the church. I feel the need for us to fill our city with home cell fellowships which God can use as His kingdom outposts.

As a response to the move of the Holy Spirit in their lives, the believers who were impacted by the Pentecost outpouring cultivated a culture of generosity among them –“they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart.”   According to the New Living Translation, they “shared their meals with great joy and generosity.” Members joyfully shared their food with others. In that way, they made sure that nobody starved in their midst. This helped them to curb the tendency towards gluttony and increased the food reserve in their food bank. You must not let yams rut in your house and garri grow mould when there are so many in the church that could benefit from what you don’t need. Bring every food stuff and other household items you don’t need to the CWL Pantry. They could mean a lifeline for so many. Such generous attitude will generate much praise and thanksgiving to God.

The Spirit-filled believers modelled a lifestyle of praise and worship –“praising God and having favour with all the people.”  They were happy with and in their God, and as a result the rest of the people were happy with them. They were constantly creating sweet melodies of praise everywhere they found themselves and soon people began to want to associate with them. Nothing is more attractive than happy believers. “And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.” Nobody would like to join a congregation of grumpy and joyless people. We must learn to rejoice in our God so He can add people to us daily. There is still alleluia-joy in the Presence of God. A lifestyle of praise foists the Presence of God in the atmosphere. May the joy of the Lord be our strength in Jesus name.

AFTER THE PENTECOST, WHAT NEXT? (1)

“Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. ⁴²And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. ⁴³Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles” (Acts 2:41-43 NKJV).

One of the obvious and outstanding miracles subsequent to the out pouring of the Holy Spirit on the Pentecost day was the immediacy that attended the formation of the believers into a community. Getting three thousand people to begin to zealously attend to the apostles’ doctrine, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayers was nothing short of a miraculous intervention of God. The Holy Spirit had worked in their hearts both to will and to do according to His pleasure. I believe that their example should guide us in determining what should be the appropriate response to the powerful ways the Holy Spirit ministered to us during the Holy Ghost Power Explosion. What can we learn from them?

After the first Pentecost, the believers were said to have gladly received the word of God. They carefully attended to the preaching and teaching of the word of God and were determined to apply the principles they learned in their lives. They were not merely hearers of the word but doers of it also. They were enthralled with the revelation of the word of God concerning the adequacy of the sacrifice of Christ for their eternal redemption. The gospel was indeed to them the power of God unto salvation. They embraced the word and became beneficiaries of the salvation it promised. They boldly presented themselves for baptism, making public confession of their commitment to their new found Lord and Saviour. It is obvious that the baptism they had encompassed water baptism and the baptism with the Holy Spirit. They were fired by the Holy Spirit to stir up their spiritual gifts for witnessing life.

Having tasted the sweetness of the word of God, they hungered for more. Hence, “they continued in the apostles’ doctrines.”  They were unrelenting in their commitment to the mysteries of the Christian faith as expounded by the apostles. They were all regular and punctual in their attendance to the apostles’ scheduled teachings and their extempore exhortations during the course of their daily routines. They did not only embrace the word of God but also the God the word spoke to them about.  Their lives therefore became a living commentary to the scripture –“The people who know their God shall be strong, and shall carry out great exploits” (Daniel 11:32 NKJV). They were strong indeed for God.

 The believers also “continued in fellowship.” They met together often and learned to be comfortable in the company of one another. They intentionally pursued being together and enjoyed cooperating with one another in many practical ways that were mutually benefiting. Togetherness, friendliness and community were highly rated values among them. They sought for ways to encourage one another to remain focused on the ideals of Christ and in pleasing God at whatever personal cost. Their love for one another was practical and sacrificial. They provoked one another unto love.

The apostles quickly taught the new believers the mystery of the Lord’s Supper which they received with joy and consuming passion.  It became to them a practical means of refocusing on the person of Christ and on the redemption He purchased for all people through His sacrifice on the Cross. The Lord had exhorted them to break bread in the remembrance of Him –“For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.” This practice helped them to keep their eyes on the Cross –the fulcrum of their faith. They set their minds on heavenly realities.

                Prayer was the life wire of the early believers. They prayed for the continued outpouring of God’s grace in their lives to keep strong in faith and for the effectiveness of their witnessing. Through prayer, they were brought daily into life transforming and empowering encounters with the living Christ, which experience they desperately needed to overcome the storms of the enemy. They prayed in support of the apostles and for the blessing of their enemies. They prayed for the kingdom of God to come and for His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. The power that followed their lives and ministries was an evident proof that God answered their prayers. 

DID YOU RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT WHEN YOU BELIEVED?

“And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” So they said to him, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. Now the men were about twelve in all “(Acts 19:1-2, 6-7 NKJV).

There is a refreshing coming from the Presence of the Lord and all who are thirsty are invited to come and drink to their full without price. Baptism with the Holy Spirit is a key Messianic promise every believer must go after if the person desires to enjoy the abundant life Jesus guaranteed for us through His death and resurrection.   Jesus is not only our Saviour and Healer, but also our Baptizer with the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist prophesied of Him as One who “will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire” (Matthew 3:11, Luke 3:16). Baptism with the Holy Spirit is so sacred that our Lord never delegated its administration to any person. He does it Himself. In the Old Testament prototype of that experience, God told Moses to select seventy elders from among the people He would empower to share the burden of the work with him. “So Moses went out to the people and told them what the LORD had said. He gathered seventy of the older leaders together and had them stand around the Tent. Then the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke to Moses. The LORD took some of the Spirit Moses had, and he gave it to the seventy leaders. With the Spirit in them, they prophesied, but just that one time. Two men named Eldad and Medad were also listed as leaders, but they did not go to the Tent. They stayed in the camp, but the Spirit was also given to them, and they prophesied in the camp. A young man ran to Moses and said, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.”(Numbers 11:24-26 NKJV). It is clear from the narrative that the whole incidence was by divine orchestration. Moses had no hand in it. God sovereignly put His Spirit upon people who were presented to Him, including those who for whatever reason could not join others in the tabernacle.  

Similarly, on day of the Pentecost, the entire 120 disciples who gathered in the Upper room were sovereignly filled with the Holy Spirit without any form of discrimination. “When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:1-4 NKJV).  The apostles had no hand in it at all. Peter explained that what happened was in fulfilment of the promise of the Father and that Jesus was the Person who poured out the Holy Spirit upon them. “This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear” (Acts 2:32-33 NKJV). Right from this first occasion of baptism with the Holy Spirit in the New Testament, it became the normal experience of believers to be so baptised subsequent to conversion to Christ. It was abnormal to be a believer and not be baptised with the Holy Spirit.  This explained the surprise Paul expressed in our text.

Paul had expected that if the Ephesian brethren were truly believers, they should be baptised with the Holy Spirit; but it was not so.  He quickly presented a condensed version of the gospel to them and when they believed, he laid hands on them and they became baptised with Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues and prophecy. To be a true believer in Christ and not be baptised with the Holy Spirit is abnormal in the New Testament time.  It is still so now.  Here then is a question each of us must answer as we celebrate the feast of the Pentecost today. “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” If you did, what gifts of the Holy Spirit did you manifest to authenticate that experience? On the first Pentecost, those who were baptised spoke in tongues. In Ephesus, those who were baptised spoke in tongues and prophesied. What was your experience? Our Lord Jesus, the Baptiser with Holy Spirit is here today to baptise you if you will step out in faith and ask Him to do so. Fix your faith and expectation on Christ and expect Him to grant you the fullness of the Spirit. “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” (Luke 11:13 NKJV).

Let us stand and pray together: “Come Holy Spirit and fill the hearts of the faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And you shall renew the face of the earth.” 

THY KINGDOM COME (13)

“Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this” (Isaiah 9:7 NKJV).

Increase is the character of the kingdom of God. Wherever the kingdom influence prevails, growth is inevitable. Our Lord gave several parables that associate the kingdom of God with increase. There is “the parable of the leaven,” where the kingdom of God is likened to a pinch of leaven hidden in three measures of meal, that leavens the whole meal (Matthew 13:33). There is also “the parable of the mustard seed,” which though is the least of seeds but when sown in the soil would germinate and grow to become one of the biggest of trees (Matthew 13:31-32).  The objective lesson in these parables is that though the kingdom of God starts small, it does not stay small. Increase is intrinsic nature of the kingdom of God. At the beginning of His earthly ministry, our Lord was the only reality of the kingdom of God on earth. Soon He gathered a sizeable crowd around Him and the growth has consistently been on the increase until this moment. Today, over two billion people in the world regard themselves as followers of Jesus and our world has become transformed by the values of the kingdom. If we fast-forward to the end of the world, the record is nothing but astounding. “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (Revelations 7:9-10 NKJV). Stagnation, retrogression and recession are clear indicators that God’s kingdom principles are not at play in any given circumstance.

Growth and increase are trademarks of God’s kingdom. The increase in the kingdom of God comes through the value adds by those to whom God has bestowed the kingdom.  In other words, God grows His kingdom through the intentional activities of believers. Those who apply the tools God has endowed them with to benefit the kingdom experience personal increase while those who fail to grow the kingdom experience loss. In “the parable of the talent,” it was clear that the people who gained more talents were blessed while those who did not make gains for the king suffered severe losses.  The Lord revealed an important kingdom principle in this story saying, “To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away” (Matthew 25: 29 NLT). It is obvious that God is interested in increase.  He wants us to prioritize growth. Those who labour to see growth and increase in their assignments are blessed and those who fail to work for increase suffer loss.

The increase in the kingdom of God is perpetual. Our text declared, “Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end...”  The Hebrew word translated “government” in this passage can be translated empire or kingdom. We can then render it thus, “of the increase of your kingdom and peace there will be no end...” God has decreed a perpetual increase for His kingdom and that has been the case and will continue to be the case. The increase of God’s kingdom will go on with or without you doing your bit. God cannot be limited by human failure or otherwise. When you do what God has assigned to you to ensure the increase of the Kingdom, you reap a harvest of blessings.  When you fail to do your bit, you suffer loss, but the kingdom will continue to increase.

As a citizen of the kingdom of God, you must not be comfortable with unfruitfulness, stagnation, or retrogression. You ensure the increase of the kingdom by using all your gifts and talents to bring as much glory to God as you can in every circumstance of your life.  It is about making the most of the resources, time and opportunities God has given you. “...As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love” (Ephesians 4:16 NLT).  The Kingdom grows as each of us does what we have the grace to do.  Do yours and be blessed!

THY KINGDOM COME (12)

“Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” (John 3:3 NLT)

Unless one is born by a woman into this world, one will never enjoy the enormous privileges this life has to offer. We must accept the truth that there are so many things to enjoy here on earth. We enjoy the different relationships that give meaning to our earthly existence, the fabulous cuisines from different cultures, the breath-taking sceneries that litter our world, the amazing works of arts from our creative minds, not to mention the architectural masterpieces that dot our world. A person who is not yet born has no idea how beautiful our world is. God has indeed richly given us all things to enjoy (1 Timothy 6:17).  I recall when KC was still a small boy, after eating one of those too-difficult-to-resist dishes that usually comes out of mummy’s kitchen, he exclaimed with obvious pleasure. “So this is what you people have been enjoying before I was born, thank God I am born!” Similarly, unless one is born again by the Holy Spirit, one will not have the privilege of enjoying the unspeakable blessings that flow from the kingdom of God. Just as a child must be born into the world to see its light, contemplate its glories, and enjoy its good, so must one to be born again in order to see the glories and excellencies of the kingdom of Christ here, and be prepared to live in the kingdom for all eternity.

When our Lord speaks of seeing the kingdom of God, does He mean we can see it now or after we die?  I think He means both. He means we can experience the kingdom of God here and before we get there after we die.  When He told the disciples that some of them standing with Him would not die until they had seen the kingdom of God, they thought He was talking about the future. However, only six days after He made that statement, He took Peter, James and John to a high mountain and heaven visited them on that mountain.  “²As the men watched, Jesus’ appearance was transformed so that his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as light. ³Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared and began talking with Jesus. ⁴Peter blurted out, “Lord, it’s wonderful for us to be here! If you want, I’ll make three shelters as memorials—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”  ⁵But even as he spoke, a bright cloud came over them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to him” (Matthew 17:2-5 NLT). This beatific experience became the key point of reference for Peter for the rest of his ministry (2 Peter 1:16-18). The disciple did not need further proof about the reality of God and of His heavenly kingdom.  They have experienced it, felt its power and heard the voice of God.

Yes, we can see the kingdom here.  The prophets of old lived in the glaring reality of the kingdom of God. The king of Syria once sent an army battalion to arrest Elisha. Elisha’s servant saw then and was greatly troubled so he ran and complained to his master. The prophet told him not to worry because a greater army is protecting them. The young man seemed unsatisfied with the optimism of Elisha and urged him to do something about their situation.  “Then Elisha prayed, “O LORD, open his eyes and let him see!” The LORD opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.” (2 Kings 6:17 NLT).  So much is going on around us in the kingdom of God that we are not aware of because our spiritual senses are numb due to ignorance and neglect. We need to pray that God will open our eyes to see and open our ears to hear.  We are all equipped with spiritual senses of sight, hearing, taste, touch and smile which are lying uncultivated in our spirit-man.  These are the senses with which we can access the kingdom of God. Things of the kingdom are the “ solid food”  which “belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Hebrews 5:14 NKJV). As we learnt to use our physical senses through exercise so must we train our spiritual senses.

O God, open our eyes that we may see your kingdom and our ears that we may hear your voice and learn from you in Jesus name. 

THY KINGDOM COME (11)

“Jesus answered, “My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world.”(John 18:36 NKJV)

Understanding the nature of Christ’s present kingdom is important in understanding how it operates and how we can really participate in it now. Every kingdom has it’s unique rules and protocols. It may amount to a serious offence to bring the cultures of one kingdom and apply it in a different kingdom.  God’s kingdom is a two-natured kingdom. One is spiritual the other is physical.  The kingdom of God at present is basically spiritual. The rules that prevail in it are not physical but spiritual. This explains why our Lord decreed that none would participate in that kingdom unless the person is born again. Nicodemus had come to our Lord at night toasting Him as one would an earthly king. “Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God” (John 3:3 NLT). To be born again is to be born of the Spirit. We were all born by our different mothers and that makes us human beings. To become spiritual beings, we have to be born by the Holy Spirit. Our Lord explained, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:6 NKJV). Through the new birth, people who were merely flesh and blood receive spiritual lives and become partakers of the divine nature of God (2 Peter 1:4). Being thus born, we become empowered to see and participate in the kingdom of God.

The kingdom of God, being a spiritual reality, requires spiritual people to engage it. “⁹That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”  ¹⁰But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. ¹¹No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. ¹²And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us” (1 Corinthians 2:9-12 NLT). God’s children have the capacity to understand and appreciate spiritual realities by virtue of our new birth experience. The Holy Spirit reveals to us those things that Christ has purchased for us through His sacrifice on the cross. We are now equipped with spiritual eyes to see what our physical eyes cannot see and with spiritual ear to hear what our physical ears cannot hear. We have the mind of Christ to understand what our ordinary human mind cannot understand. “These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual” (1 Corinthians 2:14 NKJV). Notice that we compare spiritual things with spiritual and not spiritual things with physical. We now value the spiritual more than the physical and desire the eternal more than the mundane.

As God’s spiritual children, we have the capacity to see the invisible and hear the inaudible.  Paul therefore affirms, “We do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18 NKJV).  This is explains why we arrive at different conclusion on important issues than those of the people of the world.  This is why we turn the other cheek when we are slapped and go the extra mile with one who demands we go one with him. This is why we love our enemies and pray for those who hate us.  This is why our Lord did not call His holy Angels to fight for Him when His enemies arrested Him and condemned Him to death.  This is why the weapons of our warfare are not carnal yet mighty in pulling down the strongholds.  Great indeed is the mystery of godliness!

My dear people of God, let us hold fast on Jesus and never allow the allurements of this world to mislead us. We have another world in view and our Saviour has gone to prepare us a place there.  Let us give Him the best of everything we can muster here. It is only in that way that we can secure them. Shall we then pray with one voice –Thy Kingdom Come and thy will be done on earth as it is in heave oh God!

THY KINGDOM COME (10)

“Then the sovereignty, power, and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be given to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom will last forever, and all rulers will serve and obey him” (Daniel 7: 27 NLT).

At Easter, the church celebrates the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from death. The resurrection of Christ was the herald of hope for humanity for by it, our Lord demonstrated that life is more powerful than death.  Our Lord’s resurrection establishes the possibility of the ultimate resurrection of believers in Christ. If there were no resurrection, life would have been meaningless and christianity would have been nothing more than a well crafted comedy without eternal essence. Apostle Paul therefore argued, “And what value was there in fighting wild beasts—those people of Ephesus—if there will be no resurrection from the dead? And if there is no resurrection, “Let’s feast and drink, for tomorrow we die!”(1 Corinthians 15:32 NLT). Here is the goodnews –the dead in Christ shall rise again!   We need not live in fear of death any longer because everyone who believes in Christ has “passed from death to life” (John 5:24). We can now sing our song of victory – “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory?  O death, where is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:54-55 NLT). In Christ’s resurrection, life triumphed over death, as our vanquished foe called Satan, became a lawful captive of our Lord for all eternity. By His resurrection, Jesus defeated death (the last enemy) and inaugurated the kingdom of God.

At the beginning of His earthly ministry, our Lord released a prophetic proclamation saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15 NKJV). His victory over death signalled the official inauguration of the kingdom of God on earth, as He led captivity captive and distributed gifts to people (Ephesians 4:8).  As a clear demonstration of Chris’ victory over death, many dead believers resurrected with Him as the Bible affirms, “The bodies of many godly men and women who had died were raised from the dead. They left the cemetery after Jesus’ resurrection, went into the holy city of Jerusalem, and appeared to many people” (Matthew 27:52-53 NLT). The resurrection of Christ is therefore the logical conclusion of the inauguration of God’s kingdom on earth. It confers real authority on the believers over the enemy and empowers them to act on behalf of Christ. Our Lord’s resurrection was a clear validation that He is the Son of God. Paul therefore affirms, “His unique identity as Son of God was shown by the Spirit when Jesus was raised from the dead, setting him apart as the Messiah, our Master” (Romans 1:4 The Message). The resurrection not only confirms that Jesus is the Son of God, but also legitimatises our faith in Him as eternal Saviour.

The resurrection signals the enthronement of Jesus as King of kings, thus heralding the official beginning of His reign on earth. “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth’” (Matthew 28:18 NKJV). Prior to His death and resurrection, our Lord repeatedly said that He had no authority except what the Father had allowed Him to use (John 7:17; John 12:49). Post resurrection, He declared, “all authority is given to me in heaven and on earth.” He is today the sovereign King of the whole universe. He reigns as King of kings over God’s created realms. He shall reign until all rebellion are quenched and his enemies made His footstool. On His return to heaven, the Father promised Him, “Sit in the place of honour at my right hand until I humble your enemies, making them a footstool under your feet. The LORD will extend your powerful kingdom from Jerusalem; you will rule over your enemies” (Psalm 110:1-2 NLT).  This is where we are now.  The church must take advantage of the power of His resurrection to compel all principalities and powers of hell to acknowledge the authority of Christ to rule over all creation (Ephesians 3:10-11, Dan 7:27).

The church, working in concert with the Holy Spirit now exercise the full authority of the kingdom to defeat all the enemies of Christ and bring them to the place of obedience to Christ. The grand design of God is that Christ will come to receive the completed kingdom and present it to His Father (1 Corinthians 15:24-25). Then the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdom of our God and of His Christ.  This is what Easter is meant to remind us. We must therefore be up and doing as we live the resurrection life of purity and power as we await the second coming of Christ. Happy Easter.