THY KINGDOM COME (4)

“Now when it was day, He departed and went into a deserted place. And the crowd sought Him and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving them; but He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.”(Luke 4:42-43 NKJV)

Pursuit of purpose is the essence of life. A purposeless life is a meaningless life. God has a purpose for everything He does. He puts each of us on earth for the purpose of establishing His kingdom. When people fail to recognise their purposes in life, they live carelessly and squander the opportunity God allowed them to make meaningful contributions as kingdom builders. The Father sent Jesus on earth for a clear purpose establishing His Kingdom. The ultimate goal of Jesus is to present to the Father a gift of the Kingdom (1 Corinthians 15:23).  While on earth, our Lord worked tirelessly to fulfil this purpose of God for His life. The people of His days on earth loved His ministry and different communities wanted Him to settle in their midst and continue to minister to them.  This would imply a measure of comfort for Him and minimize the hazards associated with too much travels on the difficult terrain of the primitive Israel.  However, our Lord rejected the offers because it went contrary to the purpose of God for sending Him to this world.

He restated the purpose of His life on earth saying, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.” He was sent to preach the kingdom of God to the cities of Israel and that automatically precludes Him from settling permanently in any city. Mark recorded the nature of our Lord’s ministry saying, “He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching” (Mark 6:6 NKJV). His heart burned with the ardent desire of spreading the gospel of the kingdom to as many people as possible in as many towns and villages as He could. His zeal for spreading the word of God was such that pleasures of life could not douse.  His commitment to see the gospel of the kingdom dispersed to people in different places blazed like wild fire in harmattan.   He was totally sold out to the purpose of God for His life on earth –to raise for the Father a kingdom of priests on earth.  What a great example He is to us!

Upon His resurrection from death, He visited the disciples and made the following great declaration. “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained” (John 20:21-23 NKJV).  He bequeathed His purpose on earth to us. With that post resurrection declaration, His purpose for visiting the earth becomes the purpose of our life on earth. We are all here to proclaim the gospel of the kingdom of God irrespective of our profession or occupation. The Christian has no other assignment apart from this. Whatever else we are involved in is meant to serve as a vehicle of proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom of God.

He blessed us with His Shalom –“Peace to you.” Shalom encompasses every blessing in heaven and on earth that will be necessary for the performance of our assigned duty.  It includes divine protection; supernatural provision and empowerment to enable us preach the gospel of the kingdom. Then He breathed on them saying, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”  In this way, He imparted on them the very anointing that was on Him while on earth.  As the Father anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and power, so He now anoints us to carry on the ministry of reconciliation –“If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”  God therefore expects us to live for the overarching purpose of spreading the good news of His kingdom in our different spheres of influence.  Are you doing this? Remember the promise of God, “Those who are wise will shine as bright as the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever” (Daniel 12:3 NLT). God’s purpose for your life is to lead many to righteousness that is in Christ. Take up the mantel of Christ and go out preaching the gospel of the kingdom.  His present blessings are guaranteed and His eternal reward is certain. May God depend on you to invite some people into His kingdom this week.

THY KINGDOM COME (3)

“The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” Then they went out of the city and came to Him. And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did” (John 4:28-30, 39 NKJV)

The Kingdom of God expands as those who had tasted the goodness of its King broadcast their testimonies to motivate others to come to Him.  The most unpatriotic citizen of the kingdom of God is a man or woman who having experienced the goodness of the kingdom refuse to share his or her experience with those who are still outside the Kingdom.  The Psalmist declared, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” (Psalm 34:8 NKJV).  So many people are wallowing in ignorance of the goodness of God because people who know something of that goodness are not talking about it. Yet the Bible testifies of God that “He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness” (Psalm 107:9 NKJV).  Human beings are hungry for what their achievements can never provide for them. Human souls are hungry for God!  It has been said that there is a God-shaped hollow in the soul of man, which nothing else but God can fill. Over the centuries, people have tried to fill this cavity with religion, pleasure, entertainment, and so on but to no avail. God has the answer to the deepest of human longings. He promised, “I will satiate the soul of the priests with abundance, and My people shall be satisfied with My goodness, says the Lord” (Jeremiah 31:14 NKJV).

 The woman of Samaria chanced upon our Lord and King and tasted of His overflowing goodness.  She became instantly satisfied and dropped her waterpot as she instantly received within her soul “a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14 NKJV).  She could not contain the joy of her new discovery of the Fountain of eternal goodness all by herself. She ran off to the village and announced, “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” This woman had married five times and probably divorced five times. At the time she met Jesus she was living with a man who she was not married to. She was in every way a most unlikely instrument for God to use to advance the cause of His kingdom. Yet God used her! He too can use you, if only you will tell others what He has done for you. God knows how to make something good out of the worst of us.

This woman of Samaria is known in church history as St Photini. She, her five sisters and two sons, Photinus and Joseph became fiery evangelists and died as martyrs in the hand of Nero, the notorious emperor of Rome in the first century. Photini was charged before a special court headed by the daughter of Nero, named Domnina.  The bold testimony of Photini so convicted Domnina that she ended up becoming a believer in Christ along with the entire jury.  The emperor did everything to subdue her but she stood tall for Christ. A sorcerer was hired to poison her; she drank the poison as if it was ordinary water and the sorcerer called on Christ to save her soul. She was thrown into prison and she converted all the prisoners and the prison officials to Christ. She led so many people to Christ that she is regarded as the first evangelist of the church and ranked equal to the apostles, especially in the Orthodox tradition.  St Photini, the woman Jesus met at the well of Samaria, died in AD 66, after she pleaded with God to grant her the privilege of the crown of a martyr.  

What was the secret of her outstanding life of witness?  She did not allow her ugly past to be a deterrent to her being used by God.  She poured out her heart, loving Jesus and sacrificing all for the sake of the kingdom of God.  Will you consider following the example of St Photini by calling upon all and sundry to come and see the One who has shown you so much love that He forgave all your sins and gave you new life?  If God has ever done anything good for you, use it as the basis of sharing the gospel of the kingdom to those close to you. You can never imagine what God can do with your testimony. “And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.”  Some people are waiting for your word to believe in Christ. God can win an entire city just by your testimony. Tell someone about Jesus today and be fabulously blessed in Jesus Name.

THY KINGDOM COME (2)

“The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy” (Psalm 103:8.

 NKJV)

The prevailing atmosphere in the kingdom of heaven is love because God is love.  He loves in ways that is unimaginable by us. Paul gives us a glimpse of how God loves –“But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners” (Romans 5:8 NLT). God makes the greatest sacrifice of love to the most undeserving! Imagine what would have been the fate of humanity if He had waited for us to love Him first before He loves us. God loves us by faith! He showed us love hopeful that we will one day appreciate it and love Him back.  He sacrificed His Son on our behalf when we were yet sinners –that is long before we even thought of turning away from our sins. In doing so, God set for us a pattern for growing His kingdom.

God’s kingdom comes by loving the unlovable and the undeserving; until we experience the love of God and embrace His Son. The gospel came to us through the unspeakable sacrifice of missionaries from far countries.  I can recall the story of how missionaries brought the gospel to us in West Africa. In those days, malaria had no cure and several of those missionaries died of malaria. Yet they came, determined to bring us “the glad tidings of the kingdom of God” (Luke 8:1 NKJV). Knowing that they may never go home alive, some of them came with their coffins. They put their lives on the line just so that we might become partakers of the everlasting life in Christ.  The kingdom of God has always been expanded through the sacrificial of love of believers towards other.

Napoleon Bonaparte of France was one of the greatest and most celebrated army generals of all times.  After a reflective appraisal of his military career and those of his other empire founders, and comparing their legacy with that of Christ, he arrived at the following conclusion: “Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I founded empires; but on what foundation did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon force! Jesus Christ founded an empire upon love; and at this hour, millions of men would die for Him.” The kingdom of Christ is the kingdom of love. The Psalmist testified, “Your kingdom is built on what is right and fair. Love and truth are in all you do” (Psalm 89:14 NCV). Nothing unloving advances the interest of the kingdom of God.  God invites us to join the league of the privileged ones who will sacrificially push the frontiers of His kingdom into the enemies’ territories.

To this end, the word of God instructs us, “And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives” (Jude 1:22-23 NLT). 

Mercy is our strong weapon in winning the war against satan and sin.  Mercy is God’s love confronting human misery occasioned by sin. Sin renders us helpless such that it is only by mercy one can ever hope for deliverance. Hence, God’s mercy and truth goes before His face (Psalm 89:14 NKJV). His mercy meets sinners long before His wrath gets to them, and His wrath only shows up when His mercy has been so thoroughly refused and rejected.  Therefore, our text reminds us; “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy” (Psalm 103:8 NKJV). We can only serve God to the extent that we fit into this description of His. As He is merciful and gracious to us, so must we be merciful and gracious to others, especially those who are yet to trust Christ for their salvation.

As Christ’s ambassadors, we are dealers in mercy and grace.  The ministry of reconciliation only allows us to extend mercy and grace to others. We are not to judge and condemn any but only to serve as channels through which they will experience the love of God.  We must endeavour to present the gospel of the kingdom to our unbelieving friends, with all mercifulness and graciousness of God, until we joyfully pray with them to accept Christ as their ONLY Saviour and Lord. In this way, we will be giving credence to our prayer –“Thy Kingdom come.” God bless you as you lead a soul to Christ today in Jesus name!

THY KINGDOM COME(1)

“But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house. He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad” (Matthew 12:28-30 NKJV).

Kingdom expansion is usually accomplished by conquest. The most recent of such expansions we can easily recall was the annexation of Judah and Samaria, popularly known as West Bank, to become part of the modern Israel.  In June 6, 1967, the confederated armies of Egypt, Syria, Jordan and Iraq armed to the teeth by Russia, marched against Israel in a war that was aimed at obliterating the nation of Israel. However, through the supernatural help of God, the lesser armed Israeli Defence Force (IDF) routed the Arabs and conquered the old city of Jerusalem, West Bank, Golan Heights, and Gaza Strip.  Prior to 1967 war, Israeli’s total land area was barely 8000 square miles (20,720 KM²), but at the end of the war, which lasted for only six days, Israel had expanded its territory to 26,000 square miles (67, 340KM²). The commonest way kingdoms expand throughout history is by conquest through war.

In the spiritual realm, the same pattern is observable.  God’s ordained method of expanding His Kingdom is through conquest.  Before God made Adam and Eve, Satan had been on earth. Subsequent to his expulsion from heaven, Satan settled on earth. “And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him” (Revelation 12:7-9 NKJV). It is generally agreed that this war in heaven predated the creation of human beings. Therefore, God intentionally put Adam and Eve, and by implication the entire human race, on earth to repossess it from Satan through conquest.  The first Adam could not hold the fort against Satan’s onslaught making the coming of the Second Adam imperative.

It is not surprising therefore that an important part of the agenda of our Lord’s ministry on earth was targeted at defeating and spoiling his works. The Scripture testifies, “Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage” (Hebrews 2:14-15 NKJV). “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8 NKJV).  Our Lord had to deal with Satan in order to secure the release of those he illegally held captive. He bequeathed the same authority to us, “And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons....” (Mark 16:17 NKJV). This legitimizes power encounter as a means of expanding the kingdom of God.

Missionary movement throughout history have extended the frontier of the kingdom of God by engaging the forces of hell in battles for the souls of people.  The church today has no choice than to step into the arena and bind the strong man, Satan, and plunder his goods.  The more people that are rescued from Satan and brought into obedience of faith to Christ, the more God’s Kingdom expands. Here then is the question, who is on the Lord’s side? Our Lord said, “He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.”  Those who are with God are those who gather with Him. God wants to gather His elect through the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom. “And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.(Matthew 24:31 NKJV). Before He employs the angels, let us do our bit, by preaching the gospel to anyone who crosses our path. Let us through warfare prayer bind the strong man that is holding our friends and relations captive, and by witnessing to them bring them into the Kingdom as they confess faith in Christ. Our Lord, said, “This kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” O God, help me to fast and prayer until souls flood your kingdom.

THE POWER OF CHOICE (2)

“And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41-42 NKJV)

The choices you make reveal the quality of your character. You first make a choice and then the choice turns around to make you. God created us but through the choices we make, we build content and quality into ourselves. We can then say that our choices determine our character. “Show me your friend and I will tell you who you are,” is a popular adage in our society. The underlying principle in this adage is that you will only keep company with people that share a measure of commonalities of behaviour with you. You choose as friends people who are like you. It therefore holds that you choose according to your character.

Again, your choices reveal your cherished values. Human beings generally make choices that are in tandem with their values. Your values are a network of beliefs and convictions that determine the choices you make. Your values tell you why you do what you do. For instance, you confronted with a choice of watching a football match of your favourite team and going to Bible Study both of which are happening at the same time, your value system will determine which of the two activities you will choose. You develop your values by consistently choosing to behave in certain ways until such choices become part of your personality. By every choice you make, you announce your value to the public and beam your character on the billboard of the human society.

In our text, two sisters made independent choices on how best to receive an august guest who visited their home.  Just see how their independent and probably unpremeditated choices reveal their unique characters and values. Martha chose to fix a meal for their guest and make sure he ate something before He leaves. Mary rather chose to keep the guest company and engage Him in some discussions. Martha soon became overwhelmed with her busyness and accused her sister of indifferent complacence towards house chores. She in obvious anger lodged a complaint with their guest, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me” (Luke 10:40 NKJV). Her appeal did not go through, as it seemed not to have impressed the Lord in any way. She got an answer that must have jolted here a bit. “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”

Martha chose the way she welcomed the Lord to their home based on her values. She presumed that He must be famishing and would desire a meal more than anything else.  She was wrong! Jesus needed their companionship more than their services. The service that the Lord accepts is the one He bids you. Unless He sends you, stay put at His feet to listen to His word. The person who muses on the word of God is the one who will serve Him acceptably. Mary chose to sit at His feet to listen to His word. That did not mean that she did not serve the Lord. She did, but not out of busyness, but out of intimacy.

By habitually keeping company with the Lord, Mary came to discern His heartbeat and understood exactly what He needed. Our Lord was back at Bethany, this time as a guest to Simon the Leper. Mary came in with a bottle of very costly perfume and emptied all on Jesus. “But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor.” But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for Me” (Matthew 26:8-10 NKJV).  How would you choose to serve God this year?  Out of presumption like Martha or out of intimacy like Mary? Choose intimacy!

THE POWER OF CHOICE (1)

“...choose today whom you will serve... But as for me and my family, we will serve the LORD.”(Joshua 24:15 NLT)

One of the most beautiful gifts of God to us is the ability to make personal choices.  To be truly free as humans, must involve the power to choose what we like and what we don’t like. Through the power of choice, we become to a very large measure the architects of our destinies. Our power of choice is so extensive in its scope that we even have the power to choose or to reject God. Joshua challenged the people of Israel saying, “But if you refuse to serve the LORD, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:15 NLT). The people had the choice to serve God or the idol-gods of the ungodly people around them.  However, Joshua and his family had chosen to serve the God of their fathers –Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  At a time when the people of God were neck-deep into apostasy, Elijah called them together on Mount Carmel and challenged them to exercise their power of choice. “Then Elijah stood in front of them and said, “How much longer will you waver, hobbling between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him! But if Baal is God, then follow him!” But the people were completely silent” (1 Kings 18:21 NLT). As it was then so it seems to be now.  Several people in church are neither for God nor against Him. They are not wholeheartedly devoted to Him and to His church.  Are you likely to be in the category of those who are “hobbling between two opinions?”   

The choices you make define your character and your character reflect in your choices. When you choose to serve God, it will show in your attitudes, in your commitments and in your relationships. Choose God this day and walk with Him every day of this year.  Choosing God may not mean easy life, but it will always mean good life. It may not mean problem free life, but it will always mean grace-filled life. It may not mean temptation-proof life, but it will always mean victorious living.  Choice is an act of faith. Moses modelled how we can appropriate faith in choosing God. “By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward” (Hebrews 11:24-26 NKJV). When Moses realised that he indeed had a choice and did not have to be what he had been conditioned to be or bear the false identity he was brought up to bear, he invoked the power of choice and opted for God. In his case, choosing God meant forfeiting the privileges of being the heir-apparent to the throne of Egypt, but it did not matter to him. He chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasure of sin for a season. He esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt. In other words, he placed greater value on Christ than on the economic, social and political benefits his former false identity guaranteed for him. Imagine for a moment that Moses had chosen to remain an Egyptian; his life’s trajectory would have been totally different. Through the power of choice, he became the architect of his destiny. He was able to make such great and wonderful choices because he looked forward to the reward of seeing God in heaven for all eternity. Choose heaven instead of hell! Making heaven must be the overarching purpose for all your choices. 

Life in this would demand that we make bold and clear choices like Moses and Joshua. We must choose God, cost what it may and stand by that choice every moment of our life. We must choose to serve God in fellowship with other believers as we wholeheartedly participate in the life and activities of the church. We must choose to encourage others to embrace Christ and serve Him with all their heart, mind, and strength. We must choose to honour God with our lives and substance so that our King will suffer no loss.  We must choose God instead Satan, life instead of death, and blessings instead of curses as we together pray with one accord –Thy Kingdom Come, oh God!

NAMING YOUR YEAR

“Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name” (Genesis 1:19 KJV)

Naming is a common human phenomenon and a prominent part of biblical narrative. The naming ceremonies of newly born children are usually joyful and prayerful occasions.  In the creation story, God delegated the responsibility of naming all the animals to Adam. “And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name.”  Some scholars believe that it was through the power conferred by God on Adam to name the animals in Eden that human beings gained dominion over them. The power of naming confers identity to what or who is named and sometimes describe their characters. Here are a few examples. After Jacob deceived Isaac to collect the blessing of the first born, Esau commented about Jacob, “And Esau said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright, and now look, he has taken away my blessing!”... (Genesis 27:36 NKJV). Abigail said of her husband, “...For as his name is, so is he: Nabal is his name, and folly is with him!...” (1 Samuel 25:25 NKJV).  When Jacob was returning to the Promised Land from Laban, he wrestled with an Angel all night and demanded a blessing before he could let the Angel go. The Angelic blessing included the change of Jacob’s name.  “So He said to him, “What is your name?” He said, “Jacob.” And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed” (Genesis 32:27-28 NKJV). A name confers identity, describes character, and communicates destiny.

The Igbo has a proverb, which says that one is like the name he bears. Francis Bacon was credited to have popularised the saying, “... there is power in naming things.”  A popular Chinese proverbs holds that “the beginning of wisdom is to call things by their right names.” What cannot be identified by a name is deemed not to exist. Hence, when God appeared to Moses in the burning bush and commissioned him to go and lead the children of Israel out of Egypt, Moses asked for God’s name.  “Then Moses said to God, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them? And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you” (Exodus 3:13 -14 NKJV).

Human beings do not only name things and people. We name ideas and projects.  Something becomes real the moment you give it a name.  A book takes a clearer shape in your mind the moment you give it a title because naming clarifies your thinking and concretises an idea.  It came to me this morning while in prayer that I should name my year.  Here then is a question for you: if God gives you, the right to name this year and that whatever name you give to it will translate into your actual experience, what would you call it? This is a serious business going by what we have just learnt about the power of names. The name you give the year should capture your greatest expectations of the year.  Here are some of the questions that will help you get a good name for your year. What do you want this year to bring to you?  What would give you the greatest joy and fulfilment if it happens in your life this year?  How would you like to be described by the end of this year? In choosing a name to give the year, look for a word or phrase that paints the clearest picture in your mind of what you desire.

How would you name 2015? The name you give to the year will be a self-fulfilling prophecy. Remember that, “whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name” (Genesis 1:19 KJV). Let the name you give to the year be meaningful to you and let it be the rallying point of your expectation this year. Prayerfully present it to God and make choices this year that have direct bearing to what you named the year.  I commend you to God’s care and leading this year in Jesus Name.