| The fruit-sign Bible Reading: Galatians 5
Imagine you saw an usher in your church laying hands on a paralysed man, and suddenly the man leaped to his feet and started walking, what would be your reaction? “Hey! That usher is a great man of God!”… “He has really gone far”. “…He should not be an usher in the first place”. “…Oh God! When will I grow to that point?” These are examples of what I hear Christians say when they see a miraculous work performed by other believers. They are quick to conclude that such works are a result of spiritual growth and advancement. But the bible says “These are some of the signs that will accompany believers: They will throw out demons in my name, they will speak in new tongues … they will lay hands on the sick and make them well.” Mark 16:17-18
Demon-casting, tongue-speaking and sick-healing are not signs of spiritual growth but are tendencies of every believer. If you are a believer and you have not been experiencing these things, you are like a fish that sees swimming as a strange thing or a sign of maturity. The same thing applies to our perception of the gifts of the spirit. I Cor 12:7-11 says “The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge …; To another faith …; to another the gifts of healing …; To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; … But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.
The underpinning principle here is that the Spirit distributes his gifts as he wills and not based on a believer’s spiritual growth. The manifestation of spirit is given to “every man” and not only to “every growing man”. Remember immediately after the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2), they started speaking in tongues and healing the sick, though they were babes in Christ at that time. So we need to adjust our thinking and stop seeing the manifestation of the gifts of the spirit as a sign of spiritual growth. That will save us much trouble in the church because we will no longer see these gifts as a fast track to the office of a pastor or a basis for feeling that we are more advanced Christians.
On the other hand, the manifestation of the fruit of the Spirit in the life of a believer is a proof of spiritual growth. It is the tendency in our lives that surfaces when we yield to the workings of the Holy Spirit. It is similar to apple trees. You do not see their fruits immediately after the apple seeds were sown but after the apple trees have grown. Gal 5:22-23 says “the fruit of the Spirit is: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control”.
Imagine a life where the fruit of the spirit is always displayed, then success will be a lifestyle. For example, nearly every marriage counsellor you meet will tell you that you need two things to succeed in marriage – love and patience. I do not hesitate to remind myself that these virtues are fruit of the spirit. They are not what you get from outside but what you experience when you subject yourself to the influence of the Spirit on your inside. You can now see how spiritual growth is tied to nearly every success in a Christian’s life. Beloved, please always give priority to your spiritual growth.
– tope aladenusi
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Inglorious spots that hinders results
There will be no justice done to our discussion on praying to yield results with emphasis on praying in other tongues without highlighting the grey areas Paul took time to shed light on in I Corinthians 14. He addressed the problem of misconception that trailed the manifestation of the Spirit in the church at Corinth. The bulk of the abuse was on speaking with other tongues and lots of controversies were generated. His core message was on the purpose of praying in other tongues bearing in mind that whenever purpose is not well defined abuse becomes inevitable.
In I Corinthians 14, Paul dedicated the whole chapter to Praying in other tongues and prophecies in the church, stressing the need for church edification. He never meant to insinuate that praying in other tongues was less superior to prophecies only that he drew a comparison between the two in view of church edification. As a matter of fact, if he meant it was less superior, then he would not have said in vs. 18 that he thank God because he prays in tongues more than all of them in the Corinth church. For this same purpose of church edification, he said in verse 5 ‘I would prefer that you prophesy than pray in tongues because greater is he that prophesies than he that prays in tongues’. Though he had earlier stated in verse 4 that, he who prophesies edifies the church but he who prays in tongues edifies himself. On this very note, he then reiterated in verse 12 that everyone should endeavor to edify the church. His opinion was that prophecies will edify the church congregation rather than when someone comes out and all he is doing is to speak in an unknown language. This will definitely turn such individual to a statute to behold because the entire congregation will most likely be lost.
However, Paul admonished that if it becomes unavoidable that someone speaks in tongues during a church meeting, the interpretation of tongues as mentioned in verses 13 & 27 becomes necessary for the purpose of church edification. Notwithstanding, in the case where someone speaks in tongues while the church listens and no one interprets, then it means he is actually communicating to God and himself in which case the church members listening to him will obviously be lost. It is the same scenario he likened prophecies to in verse 19 that teaching through prophecies would not need an interpretation though it could be said in five words rather than a thousand words in tongues.
In I cointhians.14: 21-22 the idea of tongues being a sign for them that believe not is that through that they will hear some things that they naturally would not have expected to hear from such individual (i.e. what is being said in strange language is understood by the unbeliever); which implies that it is a medium for them to be blessed by the messages communicated through tongues. But prophesy is a sign to be manifested for the purpose of believers who upon hearing the messages being passed across find the relevance of such to themselves. In a similar development, while fellow believers are being exhorted by prophesies, any unbeliever that comes in and hears this same message, gets convicted because of the secrets of his heart that are made manifest. This was further stated as a continuation in verses 23-25.
His summary to cap the addressing of these misconceptions is that all things be done decently and in order, stressing the fact that when it has to do with congregating, seeking to edify the church should be the priority. All these he emphasized in verses 39 & 40 that they should covet to prophesy and also forbid not to speak with tongues. If we must pray in a church setting where people are gathered to worship then it is most appropriate to pray in our understanding i.e. pray in a language people will understand so that they can say amen when appropriate. This is the very reason Paul said I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the understanding also…I Corinthians 14: 15.
– adeyiga awomuti
… and Hushai the Archite was the king’s companion: 1 Chronicles 27:33 (KJV).
God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.1 Corinthians 1:9 (KJV).
God can be trusted, and he chose you to be partners with his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 1:9 (CEV).
We are not told what Hushai did to deserve this most noble title, “The King’s Companion”. The Old Testament is replete with tales of deeds of men who lived and died for David, those who were captains in his army and in his bodyguard, who risked their lives to indulge his whims and stood valiant in battle to slay his enemies, but there is not one mention of anything Hushai the Archite did to deserve David’s friendship.
This calls to mind the fact that the Father has called us to be companions to His Son. There are many honours God has bestowed upon the New Creature, but surely this is the greatest and the grandest of them all! Oh, He calls us no longer servants, ignorant and uninformed as to the intentions behind their Master’s orders and actions, but He calls us friends. He tells us what He wants to do. He tells us why He wants to do them. Where others stumble in darkness, our Friend’s Light shines upon us and within us and we see clearly.
In all of creation, we are the only ones that share His Nature. We have His Spirit and we can commune with Him. No wonder the Apostle John, in a picturesque to describe this intimacy declared, “He is in us, and we are in Him.”
We are His Partners!
– jide lawal
Get into the extreme boat Bible Reading: II Corinthians 5
One of the reasons why we have many detestable differences in Christendom today to the point that almost every sect seems to be striving to outplay the other is because many Christians are busy pursuing their personal agenda. For example, a minister may have a personal agenda to use his church as an instrument to build his conglomerate. It will not be surprising to see such a minister cook up several messages and devise many underhanded means in order to achieve his dream – the conglomerate. Although this may be done skilfully in a way that many will still regard him as “a man of God”
Hey! That was just for illustration purposes. So let’s put illustration aside and place you on the hot seat. Are you out there pursuing God’s agenda or your personal agenda?
Oh! I remember when I got born gain, most of the messages I heard then were centred on “the man God uses”. I was instructed that “the love of God should compel me because since he died for me, I should no longer live my life to myself but for him who died for me” II Corinthians 5:14 (paraphrased). Today, most of our learning seems to be centred on “the man who uses God”. We are constantly devising selfish agendas and praying tooth and nail to see them come to past. That’s one reason why we are experiencing so many competitions within the body of Christ. Think about it, if we were all pursuing God’s agenda, we will naturally gravitate towards the same direction because God is not an author of confusion.
The Message Translation of II Corinthians 5:14 says it clearer – “Christ’s love has moved me to such extremes. His love has the first and last word in everythingwe do. Our firm decision is to work from this focused center: One man died for everyone. That puts everyone in the same boat”. Wow! This verse swells my head! First, there is a good extreme point that every Christian should be – An extreme where we acknowledge that his love should be the principal driver of our lives; an extreme where we just find ourselves in the same boat which is large enough to convey all of us. Can a boat be moving in two directions at the same time? If only we would focus on realizing God’s agenda…
Do you know that you do not own your life? Do you know that God has a purpose why he created you and it is your responsibility to identify and work towards fulfilling that purpose? Does everything you do revolve around your God-given purpose?
That’s one way to know if you are growing spiritually. Growth will open your eyes to always see the major reason why you are on earth. It will enable you to be committed to God’s agenda. It will make you always feel at home in that extreme boat where everything we do revolves around God’s agenda. It will tilt you to the angle where you proclaim like Apostle Paul that “Our goal is to stay within the boundaries of God’s plan for us” (2 Cor. 10:13 NLT).
We have been considering the question “How do you know you are growing spiritually?” and I want you to also know that – A life not mindful of God’s purpose and agenda is a life that is in the nest of spiritual childishness. It is getting more obvious that the body of Christ needs to focus on growing up spiritually.
– tope aladenusi
The church, a single but worldwide congregation of brethren whose sins had been washed by the blood of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, is looking for individuals.
Qualification
Simply ABC. They must:
A: Acknowledge that they are sinners, thereby marked out for judgment in which they are unable to save themselves.
B: Believe that there is no other who is able to save them from this coming doom, except the One sent from heaven, Jesus Christ, the saviour.
C: Accept the gift of salvation from Jesus Christ and be willing to yield to His leading throughout their lifetime.
Job Description
Qualified candidates are expected to lay down their life to Master Jesus Christ, and use their talent, money, aspirations…for His work.
Candidates Background
The rich, the poor, the sick, the dejected…both small and big…young and old, who decides today to embrace the simple ABC qualifications listed above.
Remuneration
- Divine Nature
- More than Trillion years ownership of the street of GOLD
- Ambassadorial Portfolio to the Earth
- Hope in this life and in the one to come
- A life that makes work meaningful and pleasurable
Announcer – okenna obi-igbokwe
Nature with Supernatural
Fatherless with Father
Family less with Family
Friendless with Friend
Unmarried with Companion
Minority with Majority
Strength less with Power
Money less with Gain
Property less with Completeness
Shelter less with Refuge
Oldness with Newness
Deadness with Life
Hopeless with Hope
Man with Christ…(Luke 18: 29-30)
– emeka ofia
According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
Philippians 1: 20,21
I attend church services regularly and its always a lovely sight to see the saints lifting up holy hands in the worship of God. Some songs we sing really stir me up emotionally as they call my attention to the sacrifice of Christ upon the cross.
But I wonder if the sacrifice of praise goes beyond what we express in singing. I wonder how many people in the Body of Christ would go as far as saying with Paul, “I don’t care whether I live or I die. I just want Christ to be magnified through whatever happens. And to make that a reality I’m going to adopt a lifestyle that lays my life on the line, repeatedly, for His Name’s sake!”
Let Christ be magnified in you.
– jide lawal
Before His death…
Our Father who art in Heaven
Hallowed be thy name
Thy kingdom come
Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever
Amen…
After His death and resurrection…
Our Father who art in Heaven
Hallowed be thy name
Your presence is with us … (2Cor.6: 16b)
For thy will has been done on earth as, as it is in heaven … (Heb.10: 7-10, Jms.1: 18)
You are our daily provision … (Heb.13: 5-6)
And forgiven us our debts, so we forgive our debtors … (Eph.4: 32, Col.3: 13)
And led us out of temptation, and delivered us from the evil one … (Col.1: 13)
For ours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever … (Eph.2: 19)
Amen…
– emeka ofia
| Oneness Mentality Bible Reading: Ephesians 4
Today, it is not strange to see Christians forming sects and cartels within the body of Christ. When you chat with most of them, you hear them say things like … “I can only worship in this denomination”; “Oh! I hate people that attend that Church”; “That church is really backward”; “Oh! Thank God for us, He has chosen us among other churches to be the custodian of doctrine”; “God forgive me! But everyone in that church seems to be on their way to hell” …, etc. But do you know that the way you perceive other Christians (especially those not in your local assembly) and relate with them is a good test for you to know whether you are growing spiritually or not.
The conceptualisation and proclamation of church denomination is an expression of spiritual immaturity. The early Corinthians church behaved in a similar way and here is how Apostle Paul addressed them: “You are not yet spiritual… Some of you say that you follow me, and others claim to follow Apollos. Isn’t that how ordinary people behave?” I Corinthians 3:4 (CEV) In our day, this attitude has grown worse to the point that it appears very normal to see people in our “denomination” or local assemblies as the real Christians and others as inferior or struggling Christians. Isn’t it ridiculous that the Apollos and Paul of our days are busy doing God’s work and those following them are busy proclaiming allegiance to them? It gets more terrible when it is the Paul and the Apollos that see themselves to be in competition.
Beloved, God doesn’t regard the intent behind most of the sects we have formed or are forming in the Church, which is the body of Christ. He thinks differently and those who are growing spiritually will think like Him. He says in Eph 4:4 “All of you are part of the same body”. Yes! Whether Methodist, Protestant, Baptist, or whatever. In the mind of God, we are one as long as we profess faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. God also has this “oneness approach” in dealing with us. For example, Ephesians 4:11-12 says “And indeed He gave some to be apostles; and some prophets; and some evangelists; and some pastors and teachers; with a view to the perfecting of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ”.
Did you see that? The bible did not say he gave pastors or evangelist for the building up of the Catholics or Baptists, but for the building up of the entire church. Therefore, even though we are working through local assemblies, we will naturally possess this “oneness mentality” if we are growing spiritually. We will not see the church as a competition ground and see people in other churches as opponents. We will turn off our local mentality and appreciate the global reality that instead of us specializing in snatching members from other churches, we should be snatching unbelievers from the devils kingdom. Spiritual growth will help us understand that differences may always exist between us, but we should focus more on our origin – God, our mission – evangelism, our destination – heaven, and join hands to expand the kingdom of God on earth. We will begin to see every true minister of God as someone who has a role to play in the church of Christ.
It is not just enough to decide right away to always watch your speech carefully to ensure you do not manifest the denomination spirit? That may be good for a short time but it’s like placing the cart before the horse. It doesn’t work most times. Change usually comes from inside out. Pay attention to your growth – study and revolve the word regularly, pray in the spirit and put to practice what you have learnt. I have written this so you would have one more criterion to test if you are growing spiritually based on some manifestations in your life. If you realize that you are not growing, just work on your growth and the childish tendencies like “denomination attitude” will effortless abscond from your life.
– tope aladenusi
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Our lives move in the direction of our most dominant thoughts. So if you have been a reader/hearer and doer of the principles of investments and money management, I am sure you must have been alarmed by the many options. You will notice some Investments that give steady but somewhat slow returns and others that promise mouth watering returns.
While it is expedient that money be put into where it produces more, it is necessary to warn against letting greed propel your investment or business decisions. Promises of mouth watering returns might leave you bitter. If an investment/business sounds too good to be true it is probably too good to be true.
Many investments/businesses give amazing returns in the long run. But if that is what is promised in the very short term you might have to reconsider. Quick rich schemes have left many households troubled and in trouble. Pro 15:27 He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house”.
The time tested way to enduring wealth is as recorded in scriptures: “Heb 6:12 that ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through1 faith and patienceinherit the promises.
Through faith and fortitude!
Various media are filled with various options that promises fast returns – “Make 100,000 daily from your home … no initial amount required”, and many that sound like it.
Don’t get carried away. Don’t try to double that gratuity in 3 months. You might be putting your house in trouble. Plants have various gestation/growth periods. But those that take longer to grow endure longer. If it comes quickly it will leave as quickly as it came. If it doesn’t require a seed then it cannot produce any fruits. If it is not planted there can be no harvest.
Be imitators of them who through faith and patience become.
Love.
– emmanuel aladenusi