One striking difference between people who lived in the Old Testament times and believers of today (that existed after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ) is the relationship and operation of the Holy Spirit in their lives. In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit did not dwell inside any being. He only manifested at some points and later departed. Sometimes he had some symbolic representations. For instance, when Samson’s hair was scrapped off, the Holy Spirit departed from him. But Jesus came with a new order.
He told his disciples in John 14:16 “I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever”. The promise of Jesus Christ to us is that the Comforter (Holy Spirit) will abide with us forever. And since all believers have theHoly Spirit dwelling in them (Romans 8:9), they also have that supernatural advantagewhich comes with the indwelling of God’s Spirit forever. There are magnificent implications of this singular (yet powerful) fact, but it is quite unfortunate that many believers undermine them.
Ephesians 4:30 (GNB) says “And do not make God’s Holy Spirit sad; for the Spirit is God’s mark of ownership on you”. One of the key evidences that God has already purchased you with the blood of Jesus Christ is that his seal of ownership is on you, and that seal (Holy Spirit) will remain on you forever 2Corinthians 1:22 tells us — it is God who has sealed us with His Spirit irrevocably! You don’t have anywhere to run to and the devil or any evil spirit cannot dwell in you again. I once told a friend this and he referred me to Matthew 12:43-45 (CEV):
“When an evil spirit leaves a person, it travels through the desert, looking for a place to rest. But when the demon doesn’t find a place, it says, “I will go back to the home I left.” When it gets there and finds the place empty, clean, and fixed up, it goes off and finds seven other evil spirits even worse than itself. They all come and make their home there, and the person ends up in worse shape than before.”
My friend tried to explain that when a believer sins, the Holy Spirit can leave him and evil spirit can return to that person. But that’s a lie! John 14:16 tells us that the Holy Spirit will abide with us forever. God does not give up His ownership nor can He hand us over to the devil just like that even though we did what we were not supposed to do. I John 2:1 reminds us that our advocate – Jesus will stand in for us if we sin. And because the Holy Spirit dwells in us, we can never be found in an “empty” state where there will be room for an evil one to return into us.
Some believers even think evil spirits can dwell side by side with the Holy Spirit inside us. But the bible says in 2Corinthians 6:14 GNB “…How can light and darkness live together?” So beloved, don’t believe those who say believers can have spirit husbands / wives. Don’t accept the idea that the evil one can dwell within you. Believe the report of the Lord and act accordingly. Jesus Christ already paid the price by his death and resurrection and henceforth, the Holy Spirit dwells in us forever!
– tope aladenusi
| I’m always delighted to read these words written by Rick Warren – “God is much moreinterested in who you are than what you do. We are human beings, not human doings.”
We all know that God cares about what we do and how we conduct ourselves, but we must not forget that his first emphasis is always on who we are. He is first interested in our ‘being’ before our ‘doing’.
I understand the world sees things differently. For instance, they expect you to go to medical school before you become a doctor. But if you were dealing with God, he first makes you a medical doctor, and then he sends you to medical school. The world may expect you to complete your university degree and Law school in order to be a practicing lawyer. For God, he makes you a Lawyer in an instant, and gives you the instruction to go and practice.
Many believers are swift to go the way of the world. For instance, before they regard you as a saint, you must have gone through the Ups and Downs of Life, and it should be visible to all that you consistently lived without sin. But for God, he makes you a saint the instant you become born again, and then he gives you the manual on how to express your saintly nature. He is more concerned about your being. He transforms your being and knows that your doings will be affected by your being.
He said in Ezekiel 36:26-27 (GW) “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you … I will put my Spirit in you. I will enable you to live by my laws, and you will obey my rules.” First, a new heart, a new spirit, a saintly nature … and then, you will obey my rules. You get the certificate before you commence the school. You get the ‘saint medal’ before you start running the saintly race.
The Corinthians had notorious tendencies when they started the saintly race. But Paul reminded them of their being, and urged them to make their doing reflect their being. 1Cor 1:2 & 1Cor 6:20 (BBE) “To the church of God which is in Corinth, to those who have been made holy in Christ Jesus, saints by the selection of God … for a payment has been made for you: let God be honoured in your body.”
If you are born again, you are a saint according to God’s selection; but God desires that you also be a saint according to daily disposition. You have the ‘saint medal’ already, start seeing yourself this way and continue displaying your ‘medal’ wherever you go.
– tope aladenusi |
I think it must be the size that puts people off from swallowing this pill. Some people had to travel miles to get an “official” backing to show that this pill like the ones mentioned before now is really worth swallowing.
Let’s start like this … Have you ever heard “Nothing is free, you’ve got to just work for it”. Well I’ve heard it in various versions but more importantly we tend to view salvation this way as well. Some view it as a debt. It just has to be paid back somehow. The mode of payment may differ but all the same you’ve got to pay it back. Some work in fear wondering if ever they have meet up to this debt.
But if ever salvation was a debt it had long been paid not by your sweat or mine but by the precious blood of Christ Jesus who redeemed us from the pit of hell and is now offering it to us as a gift.
Some accept this half but the other half of the pill is still so difficult to swallow that some just nibble on it lifelong. The other half is a corollary to the first which says that you don’t work for a gift; you don’t work to get a gift neither do you work to earn a gift. A gift is free of any charge to you otherwise it ceases to be a gift.
Some well meaning but misguided brothers met Apostle Paul to say now that these could not be saved unless they had done do this and done that (Acts 15). Paul did not give them a single moment of time. So much the more He walked miles to seek the support of some others before Him if anything to ensure that this Grace remains what it is – The Grace of God.
God calls us not to try and prove that we could have earned this gift rather He calls us to open this gift up – explore its depth, its breadth, its height and bask in the Glory of all that we have now been made qualified to partake of.
– Dr bolaji akanni
A dispensation is a period of human history defined in terms of divine revelation. It is a period of time during which man is tested with reference to a specific revelation from God. According to the Bible, history is a sequence of divine administrations. These consecutive eras reflect the unfolding of God’s plan for mankind. The doctrine of dispensations is the vehicle by which believers living at specific time can orient to God’s will, plan and purpose for their lives.
Dispensation is from the Greek work Oikonomia, which means an administration, a stewardship or guardianship. It refers to a moral or probationary period in human history, during which time God deals with man according to a particular test or responsibility, under which man is expected to remain true. Knowledge of dispensation enables the believer to understand the progressive revelation of the plan of God to mankind, the particular provisions and requirements of each dispensation and its overall objective.
PRIMARY CHARACTERISTICS OF EACH DISPENSATION
In order for each dispensation to be distinct from all other dispensations, it must have three essential characteristics.
First, it must have a particular way of God’s administration of His rule. Each dispensation is characterized by a unique ruling factor or combination of ruling factors.
Second, it must involve a particular responsibility for man. Each dispensation makes man responsible to obey God in accordance with its unique ruling factor or combination of factors.
Third, it must be characterized by divine revelation which had not been given before.
In order for man to know God’s new way of ruling and his new responsibility, he must have these things revealed to him. Each new dispensation requires new revelation from God. [Eph 3:2-10]:
SECONDARY CHARACTERISTICS OF EACH DISPENSATION
The fact that each new dispensation involves a newly revealed responsibility for man indicates that each dispensation also has some secondary characteristics.
- Each dispensation applies to test man. The nature of the test is whether or not man will perfectly obey God’s rule by fulfilling the responsibility which is characteristic of that dispensation.
- Each dispensation demonstrates the failure of man to obey the particular rule which characterizes that dispensation.
- Each dispensation involves divine judgment because of man’s failure.
- The different dispensations are not different ways of salvation but different ways of God’s administration of His rule over the world. Throughout history God has employed several dispensations but only one way of salvation. Salvation has always been by the grace of God through faith… [alone in Christ alone]
- There have been dispensations during which God exercised His divine rule over all mankind and there have been some when He did so over just a segment of mankind. For example, the Dispensation of Human Government was over all of mankind, but the Dispensation of the Mosaic Law was over only the nation of Israel.
- Each dispensation demands a new revelation showing that the previous way of relating with mankind has been discontinued and that a new responsibility has been instituted for mankind. This is school of thought of dispensational theologians who recognize successive dispensations and therefore emphasizes progressive revelation.
– gabriel ajibade
| We have seen or heard of the death of many people, but have we ever really pondered on where the dead end up? It is commonly said that … he/she has gone to be with the Lord, but can we really prove this? Purposeful living in this world is impossible without due consideration of the issue of the after-life. Some people claim to know where they are going to on earth; they have defined purpose based on their jobs, birth place or circumstances. If they were however honest with themselves, leaving God’s will out of their self-defined purpose still leaves them feeling empty. An accomplished life is only achievable after you have answered the question: Where am I going to when I leave this world?
Many people keep saying things like – “if I return back to this world after I’m dead, I would do this and that”. But Hebrews 9:27 (CEV) says “We die only once, and then we are judged.” So, it’s not about whether you are coming back; it’s about where you are going to. I’m aware some believers are still very uncertain about the answer to this question: “where will you go when you die?” They have the feeling that it could either be here or there. They are not really sure. But one of the blessedness of Christianity is that it dispels the brazenness of uncertainty about what happens to us after death.
So what happens to a born again person after they die? Simply put, his destination is the place of his origination. Just like God told man in Genesis 3:19 that – … for dust thou art; and unto dust shalt thou return, the believer should always be reminded that for God’s thou art and unto Him shalt thou return. Philippians 3:20-21 (CEV) says “But we are citizens of heaven and are eagerly waiting for our Savior to come from there. Our Lord Jesus Christ has power over everything, and he will make these poor bodies of ours like his own glorious body. Hallelujah, we have a glorious destination! And to give us proof that He will bring us home to be with Him in heaven on the last day, God gave us the Holy Spirit as proof that He owns us. “Christ also brought you the truth, which is the good news about how you can be saved. You put your faith in Christ and were given the promised Holy Spirit to show that you belong to God. The Spirit also makes us sure that we will be given what God has stored up for his people. Then we will be set free, and God will be honored and praised”. Ephesians 1:13, 14 (CEV).
Our destination is not based on our last deed before death, but on God’s seed at Christ’s death. That was the great change that took place when we got born again. We are not like unbelievers who are plagued with uncertainty about eternity. We know where we came from and we are convinced we will return there. I know many believers have chosen not to believe this truth, and would rather hold on to an inferior thought. But if only we would learn from Apostle John; he said in 1John 3:2 (CEV) “My dear friends, we are already God’s children, though what we will be hasn’t yet been seen. But we do know that when Christ returns, we will be like him, because we will see him as he truly is.” We should not be carried away by the reports of men, no matter the title they carry or the hell/ heaven the claim to have visited. We should stick with the report of God – we will die but once, we will then live forever with God in heaven. “This hope makes us keep ourselves holy, just as Christ is holy.” 1John 3:3 (CEV)
– tope aladenusi
|
If you attend a job interview and was told to describe yourself, what would you say? I remember attending some interviews in the past and such questions gave me an opportunity to “sell” myself.
But I’m thrilled by the unprecedented way some people constantly described themselves in the Bible.
“The Jewish authorities in Jerusalem sent some priests and Levites to John (the Baptist) to ask him, “Who are you?” … What do you say about yourself? John answered by quoting the prophet Isaiah: “I am ‘the voice of someone shouting in the desert: Make a straight path for the Lord to travel! ” John 1:19, 22-23 (GNB)
John described himself by telling the people his purpose in life.
Jesus once asked his disciples – “who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah …” – Mat 16:16. Jesus gave Peter a thumbs-up because he was spot on. Peter’s response was resonating Jesus’ purpose and unique identity.
The man that wrote majority of the New Testament books introduced most of the books by shedding light on his unique identity. For instance, in Romans 1:1 he wrote: “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle …”. Apostle Peter also threaded this same path.
What am I trying to say? Is it that you are to illustrate your life’s purpose and unique identity when asked to describe yourself in job interview? No! That’s not the point! You know the aspects of your personality and experiences the interviewers are particularly interested in and you may go ahead to tell them. However, I’m trying to draw your attention to the point that in the last couple of weeks, we have been discussing our collective identity as believers. From discussions on being righteous, delivered and sanctified to being saints and God’s representatives on earth, we have delved into things that are common to all believers.
Nevertheless, there is something unique about you. In the midst of our collective identity, you have a distinctive identity on earth. Your assignment is unique and you should be able to describe it eloquently and succinctly like Paul and Peter, if asked in a job interview.
Well, this job interview may not happen till the end of the age when it will be an exit interview—Did you fulfill my purpose for your life? That will be God interviewing you. More on that next week …
– tope aladenusi
Early this month, someone sent this very important mail to me regarding deliverance:
“Hi Tope. I have this question weighing on my mind; when a sinner who is under a covenant with some black or (occult) powers (blood covenant) becomes born again (perhaps it is something his father or forefathers did way before he was born and, he is unaware of the covenant). Will the covenant be broken automatically, once he becomes born again, or, does he have to go for deliverance to break this covenant?”
A lot of Christians are faced with similar situations and I desire that they read this piece. First, the major reason we are faced with such dilemmas is because we were not taught or we do not really understand the implication of being born again. Most believers still think that to be born again means to change your attitude, or as it is commonly said, “the bad things you used to do, you do them no more”. However, that has a totally different meaning from this.
I like the way the question was framed: when a sinner … becomes born again? Last week, I emphasized that before you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, the devil was the Commander-in-Chief of your life. Because of the sin of Adam, man was separated from God and since man is primarily a spirit, the devil could possess his spirit. But what happened when we got born again?
John 3:5 (KJV) “Jesus answered … Except a man be born … of the Spirit, he cannot enter into thekingdom of God.”
2Co 5:17 (MSG) “… anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons!”
Rom 6:6 (GNB) “And we know that our old being has been put to death with Christ on his cross…”
To be born again means to be born of the Spirit of God. A new being was created in us when we got born again. But before that new being was born, something happened. The old being that was easily possessed by the devil was destroyed. As a matter of fact, every time a person gets born again, we should be conscious of the fact that someone just died. Furthermore, a new being (spirit) that previously never existed was born inside that person.
So what if a sinner practiced occultism / witchcraft before and now he is saved? Simple, the person that practiced occultism is now dead; crucified with Christ on the cross. That is what the substitutionary work of Jesus Christ means. In the mind of God, when Jesus went to the cross, we were in him and died with him. That’s why you will see the phrase “in Him” or “in Christ” over 130 times in the New Testament. We may not notice any instant change physically or even in attitude, but let every man be a liar and let the Word of God be true; that new man is born again and will be shocked if you associate him with occultism. It would be like accusing a day-old child of being occultic last year; everyone would think you were out of your mind. The curses (ancestral or not) were automatically broken when you got born again because the person that had their physical lineage and partook in the curse is dead! We now have a new lineage from God (I Peter 1:23). Does a dead man require deliverance from occultism? No wonder the bible says – “So if the Son sets you free, you will be absolutely free.” John 8:36 (GW).
You may say – But some Christians behave as though they are possessed? Why do some still act like occultists even after they are saved? What about people who say a Christian can have a spirit husband, spirit wife or spirit whatever? Is it possible for an evil spirit to return to a believer if he/ she commits a sin?
We will discuss this and many more in our subsequent messages.
– tope aladenusi
Let us take a look at this green pill. It says whatever your past may have looked like don’t bother trying to fix it just come to Jesus, he’ll bring you out better than you can imagine.
I’ve been guilty of not being able to swallow this bit in the past. I mean I just could not separate that man or that lady from the past, from the things He/she did. Sometimes giving a brother a hug is hard to do because you just can’t let go of His past. I mean he is too messed up to ever be fixed again. I can’t even allow him into my house. I wonder if ever I was born again when I had such thoughts.
Anyways, a guy got involved in killing another guy who was not even given the opportunity to fight back. He did not stop there but went on to beat off some women, children and other guys as well. He even turned things against them and got most into jail. Did some other unutterable things and suddenly comes back saying “He (Christ) saved me” ? Saved from what!!!?
It took a while for the early church to accept the brother just described above. Some literally ran away from him. Others watched Him all so closely. Not until another brother finally put his ‘life’ on the line as it were just to show this guy has come clean.
Are you still living in your past? Are you haunted, wondering if all this is really true? Well….I turn you to the one this green pill which simply says though your sins be as scarlet, I would make them whiter than snow. The magnificent Grace of God births new creatures who have been turned away from their past. It is not you trying to make a “re – start”. NO!! It is a whole new, fresh beginning altogether. New as have never been seen before. Born again no longer from below but from above!
Keep on swallowing this pill because the side effects are pleasurable – peace, joy, and lots of joy. This is the reality.
– Dr bolaji akanni
Gen 49:10
In service I will continue
Worship Him with reverence
In joy unto the Lord
Singing songs and prayer without ceasing
All the armour given unto you
Quench desires of the flesh
Me against the world
I will not give up to the usurper the devil
For the battle will continue
Contend for the faith
Until Shiloh comes
Unto him shall the gathering of the people be
– okenna igbokwe
One of the greatest mistakes the devil repeatedly makes from generation to generation is that he does not terminate the lives of many Christians while they are unbelievers. Let’s face it; before you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, the devil was the Commander-in-Chief of your life. You were totally under his spell. Ephesians 2:2 (CEV) puts it this way – “You followed the ways of this world and obeyed the devil. He rules the world, and his spirit has power over everyone who doesn’t obey God”.
Perhaps you didn’t feel it then, but that’s the truth. His remote control was fully operational in you. He could hit a “lie” button and the next minute you would be framing a very constructive lie. He could press the “lust” button and you would have no other option than to lust. At the extreme, he could press the “nightmare” and then the “die” button, like we do when we ‘fight’ Mortal Kombat on our computer games, and in a heartbeat, you would be ‘dead and gone’. But thank God it is already too late for the devil to have such power over your life as a believer.
Colossians 1:13 (KJVA) “Who (God) hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son”. This is one common trait of every believer. We (believers) have been delivered from the devil and his cohorts, even though many of us do not accept it. I will never forget a prayer meeting I attended about 11 years ago. The pastor leading the prayer session would read a verse from the bible and give us a “prayer point” in line with that verse. Then, he read Colossians 1:13 and said – “brethren, we will pray right now that God should deliver us from every power of darkness”. Whoa! I was angry at this grievous blunder, but that seemed to be the least I could express. When I looked at the zeal with which most believers in that congregation were praying about this, I could not help but weep. How come we had just read that God had delivered (past tense!) us and we are praying that he should deliver us from the power of darkness? Were we calling God a liar or, did ‘deliver’ and ‘delivered’ mean the same thing to us?
I understand some of us have issues with deliverance and I will attempt to discuss more about it in our subsequent messages. For instance, how much power can witches / wizards exercise over you? What if you practiced occultism before you got saved? Can the believer be possessed by the devil or his cohorts? Should Christians seek deliverance, and if yes, what type?
But before then, I want you to take note of one more thing. Colossians 1:13 does not give us the impression that we were delivered and left alone to sit on the fence, No! We were immediately transferred into the Kingdom of Christ. Even though your physical location remained the same when you got born again, you immediately switched locations in the realm of the Spirit. You now dwell in God’s kingdom. Think about it and its possible implications!
To be continued …
– tope aladenusi