The Lessons of Lent: The Name of Jesus

The Lessons of Lent: The Name of Jesus

[My Offline Bible] John  16
23 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. 24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. 26 At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you: 27 For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.

We have learnt in past lessons how Jesus Christ, our Lord left His name among others to represent Him in His physical absence to the disciples.

In John chapter 14:13&14, He had said the believer can demand anything in His name and He would do it.

In the passage above from John chapter 16 which actually is a continuation of the same speech, He said we should ask Him nothing!

He even said  He didn't promise to ask the Father on our behalf!

Taking on face value, He sounds contradictory but that is where the lesson is.

The chapter 14 instruction didn't involve the Father directly. Jesus was giving us the right to the use of the authority in His name. His office as the One who is enthroned with God at the Father's right hand in majesty above all powers, positions and authorities, His position as the One under whose feet the Father had put all things in the heavens, on the earth and underneath the earth. The power of the highly exalted position God gave Him, He gave to us. Whatever we demand with that awesome authority, His power will bring to pass.
The only Person not subject to that authority is God, the Father who had put all things under His feet. 1 Corinthians 15:27&28

Man's original position at creation and even more was returned to man through the name of Jesus Christ. We become the extension of the executive arm of the kingdom of God just as a federal minister, who wasn't voted for uses the authority of the President in carrying out his duties...and the name of the doer remains that of the president.

Here, in chapter 16 , Jesus now speaks concerning the Father. We can't command the Father as we would the creations that have been put under the feet of man through Christ. He didn't put Himself under the feet of Jesus.

But we have unhindered access to the Father through the name of Jesus. This is because Jesus had paid the price of access. The veil that had separated the Holiest of Holies where God dwells from mankind has been torn, we can now be born again to see and to enter with boldness into the throne of grace. The swords that went hither and thither separating man from Eden have been removed, man can now have undisturbed relationship and fellowship with the Father anyday and anywhere by the blood of Jesus Christ.

Now we need no intermediary outside of what Christ has done for us. Jesus doesn't have to pray for us because the Father Himself loves us and His eternal plan to relate with us has been achieved through Christ. The Father Himself wants our joy to be full in the place of prayer! Isaiah 56:7

Jesus doesn't have to pray to the Father for us because through His name we can access the Father. Thinking that He would have to pray for us before God can answer us is saying His work as our mediator was not complete and God may not have accepted it which is a mark of unbelief!

Now we can ask whatever in His name and expect the Father to respond positively. We can see that the name of Jesus isn't just a suffix or a prefix to our prayers, it is the access key loaded with all the work of reconciliation and all the authority that Jesus got through His sacrifice on the cross.

Our thoughts must always be on the value that name has, as we continue the work of Jesus and as we relate with our Father in fellowship, enjoying our sonship inheritance!

Let's remember that we don't have to pray to Jesus but we have no choice than to pray to the Father in His name...one of the lessons we learn from what Jesus taught His disciples as He prepared for His exit...

Good morning!

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The Lessons of Lent: The Promised Comforter!

The Lessons of Lent: The Promised Comforter

John 15:17-the end, John 16:1-22

As the Lord Jesus prepared His disciples for His departure, He reminded them of the persecutions that would come.

He reminded them that the servants cannot be greater than the master and so if they had persecuted the master, they'll do more to the servants.

It was glaring that after His departure things were going to be tough but God had His plan of succor.

Jesus Christ described the sorrow that was to come as the pain of childbirth which will turn to joy as soon as the child was born.

The pain and sorrow would be as a result of hatred. Hatred from the intolerant world. The world would love its own but because we aren't of the world we come under their persecutions.

If we would compromise, we would not be subject to the pains. If we would not stand by the truth, things might go easy. But since we won't love what they love and would shine light where they prefer darkness, we can expect our distinction to draw their eire and hatred.

When Jesus spoke about the world persecuting us, He meant more than those who outrightly do not believe in God: He had suffered more persecutions from the hands of the religious than from the irreligious. We should expect the same.

Some preach and pretend that the days of Christian persecutions are over. Only doctrinal compromise, refusal to live righteously as demanded and not standing publicly for the truth would present the world as if in love with true Christianity. Jesus said those who persecute us would even believe they were doing service to God through that!

So how do we respond?
If the world hates us, we must love each other. It becomes double jeopardy when you are crushed between the world and the brethren. We must love each other.

It is proven that believers love each other more under persecutions; believers have more time for infighting when they are devoid of the sense of external aggression.

At the comfort zone such phenomenon are not uncommon but isn't it woe to him that is at ease in Zion?

But in the midst of persecutions within and without...the Lord sends the Comforter!

He will testify of Jesus alongside the disciples. He is the Spirit of truth who will show the church things to come. He would take of Christ and reveal to us. He will reprove the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment.

He will guide us into all truths. There were things that Jesus would have said but that the disciples couldn't handle back then which the Comforter would tell when He comes... this was evident reading through the epistles.

Now, that promise has been fulfilled. The Comforter has come, the Spirit of truth and now we don't have to face the persecutions and the void of Christ's departure alone. The Comforter comes alongside to represent Jesus carrying on the work Jesus left for us.

That's the reason why Jesus told them to wait until they received the Holy Spirit...

We need today, more than ever before, to explore the potentials we have in the Holy Spirit! We need to partake of all the graces God has released by sending the Holy Spirit to us beyond baseless arguements. We need to receive Him as who He is beyond a mere creative force or the harbinger of another religion opposed to Christ but as the Person of the Spirit of the Living God! In receiving Him as He is we become embolden to face whatever comes with the assurance of victory! The comfort He brings in unspeakable and His joy immeasurable!

We need to cultivate a cordial relationship with Him that would produce the power to prove the resurrection of Christ!

Have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed?

Good morning!

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The High Priest, The Altar and His Blood

20 Snippets from

The High Priest, The Altar and His Blood

Yesterday's topic of discussion at

The Bible Class
Non Denominational Bible Discussion Class

THE ESSENCE OF EASTER
understanding the power and purpose of the passion of the Christ...

1. The High priesthood of Jesus Christ our Lord didn't come from the Levitical priesthood order headed by Aaron but from Melchisedec dating back to Genesis 14

2. He was ratified a priest by a prophetic oath. [My Offline Bible] Psalms 110
1 The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. 4 The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.

3. If He were on earth he wouldn't have been a priest not coming from the tribe of Levi but from Judah...

4. His Priesthood is spiritual and so the temple and the offerings must be different

5. The physical temple is a figure of the true temple which is in heaven. The sin of Adam had shut man out of the spiritual temple...man had no access into the inner most. It was represented in the physical temple by the veil that separated the holy place from the most holy place...
The veil didn't just deny access, it denied transparency too. No entry, no seeing! Except a man be born again he cannot see nor enter into the kingdom of God...John 3

6. The tool of atonement and remission is the blood, to reopen the innermost sanctuary of God for man... Leviticus 17:11.

7. Atonement would only cover sin for a while...and that's what human high priests did, once a year with the blood of bulls and goats to the purification of the flesh, for their own sins first then for the people...

8. Remission is what would put a permanent solution to the division and enmity between man and God...it is a spiritual operation that demands a spiritual High Priest to go into the heavenly temple's Holiest place with a clean blood to purify for man's access...once and for all...

9 Without the shedding of blood there's no remission of sin...

10. But the soul that sinned should be the soul that'll shed blood...otherwise the operation wouldn't be permanent. Bulls and goats won't pay for man's sins...man must pay..

11. Man's blood has been polluted from Adam with the fruit that was eaten...

12. So sacrifice and offerings God wouldn't, so He prepared a human body as He did that of Adam at the first to be possessed by His only begotten Son... the body was inplanted into a virgin, Mary who had no genetical contribution to the body except the feeding. It's important to know that the blood of the foetus/baby doesn't ordinarily mix with that of the mother during pregnancy....  with that body Jesus became the second Adam...

12. When it was time, Jesus as the Lamb of God who took away the sin of mankind was killed shedding His blood prepared by God for such operations.

13. Melchisedec came to Abraham with Bread and wine...Jesus Christ the new High priest too should have something to offer...so at the supper He presented His own Bread and Wine...His very own flesh and blood for a New Covenant!

14. Blood belongs to God so we don't eat blood or things strangled. Blood is sacred it doesn't belong to man [My Offline Bible] Acts 15
28 For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; 29 That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.

15 Jesus is our Passover slained for us. Remember the Passover in Exodus 12. The blood was for a mercy covering as God's judgment visited Egypt. Same way mercy said no against every accuser at the judgment seat of Christ. Every time the blood touches the mercy seat, divine mercy is released.

16. After Christ had shed all His blood, He gave up the ghost and instantly the temple veil tore from top to bottom and the holiest of holies was made bare and access was granted! Now we can go boldly into the throne of grace without an intermediary....

17. We noticed also that Jesus ascended to heaven twice after resurrection. After His resurrection, He met women who went to the tomb...Mary Magdalene in particular. Who wanted to hold Him...He wouldn't allow because He hadn't ascended to the Father...but gave the disciples an appointment for another day....

18. The first ascension was to enter into the Holiest of all with His own blood to purify once and for all, the sin of man. Once and for all He entered to obtain for us an eternal redemption... His appealing at Galilee put paid to the issue of sin...man can live without the fear of sin...our remission is settled and our redemption is purchased!

19. The blood now speaks for our justification, the blood now cleanses us from all sins, the blood covers us from judgment by invoking mercy...the way to the Holy of Holies is now open and we can go in boldly to obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need...

20. Now He sits at the right hand of God in majesty on our behalf as High priest, waiting till God through us by the authority in the name of Jesus and the power of the resurrection make all His enemies His footstool!

The next class comes up... in a fortnight

Thursday 9th April

Participants are advised to study chapter 4 through 10 of the book of Hebrews for discussion, questions and answers on this same topic...

We need to be equipped in God's word to be able to defend the hope in us...against the stiff opposition of our days...

[My Offline Bible] 1 Peter 3
15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

Have a great day!

The Lessons of Lent: The Vine and the Branches

The Lessons of Lent: The Vine and the Branches

Jesus Christ our Lord continued his valedictory discuss in John chapter 15 as he taught the parable of the vine and the branches.

His main aim was productivity and fruitfulness. He pointed out how the relationship between Himself and the disciples wasn't initiated by the disciples but by Himself for the purpose of productivity and the preservation of the products! Verse 16.

The Father is the keeper of the Vine. He had planted the true Vine. His overall aim is fruitfulness. He attends to the vine. He makes sure the Vine has enough nutrients, He makes sure the Vine wasn't planted in an environment not conducive, He makes sure His end is well taken care of, if anything goes wrong it won't be His fault.

The Vine is Christ Himself. He connects the nutrients from the Father to the branches. He upholds the branches in order for the leaves to be in right positions to receive sunlight.  He bares the weight of the branches. He safely lifts the branches off the ground to protect it from the soil or plunderers. He supports the branches to bring forth quality and quantitative fruits. He has limitless abilities to bear up the branches with whatever amount of fruits.

The branches are many. The Husbandman, the Owner and Keeper depend on the branches for the fruits. The Vine Himself depends on the branches to bring forth fruits. Otherwise the project becomes a failure. The branches have been equipped with the best necessary to bring forth the best of fruits and so the expectations and hope aren't misplaced and that hope must not be disappointed.

[My Offline Bible] 1 Corinthians 9
7 Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? 10 Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope.

So Jesus told them the operating system of the Husbandman.

The branches' best option is to abide in the Vine for any chance of ever bringing forth fruit.

If it abides and it's not bringing forth fruits, the Father takes it away. Taking it away safely is better than men taking it away to be burned. The Father taking the unfruitful branch away is the worst that can happen to an abiding branch. This is the first type of branch.

If a branch would not abide, it is cast off as a branch and withered and it is parked by men to be burned. This is the non abiding branch, the second type of branch.

Now, an abiding fruit bearing branch is pruned and cleaned on a constant basis to give him the latitude to bring in more fruits. Purging and cleaning is done by the Word. This is the third kind of branch which we all should be!

Purging and pruning involve cutting off the non productive plumage that may obstruct fruitfulness. Flamboyancy and loudness that compete for attention with expected fruits which themselves may not add much to the process of fruitfulness. The Husbandman and the Vine aren't looking for leaves or flowers but for fruits and so would sacrifice unnecessary leaves and flowers for desired fruits.

Pruning isn't always a palatable or enjoyable procedure but it yields the fruit of holiness and productivity in the disciples that are so exercised!

It may mean being moved from certain indulgences, being cut off from certain people and community, being restricted from certain desires and ambitions or being cut off from certain mentalities but all towards bringing forth abiding fruits both in character and in ministry.

Our fruitfulness glorifies God! But we have to keep abiding in Christ, the Vine, for us, the branches to be fruitful.

Without Christ we can do nothing. Whatever we did without Him equals nothing. Whatever we did in Him, He did it and the Father is glorified in the Son through us.

We abide in Christ by His word abiding in us. Anti-Christ mentalities can't produce a fruitful Christian. Jesus said when we abide in Him and His word abides in us we get connected with the Father and whatever we ask we receive! Fruitfulness of the branches motivates the Husbandman!

Put your mind on fruitfulness, what your purpose, potentials, opportunities and efforts in Christ can bring to benefit the cause of Christ and other people in your world is what is called fruits.

Fruits are not what benefit the branches but what the Husbandman gets by what He has put in...no tree eats of it's own fruits!

Remain in Christ to bring forth the best of fruits and let His word, mentality and philosophy preoccupy your mind.

...bless the world daily with what God has put inside of you! Let the world eat of the fruit God has sent through you! That's what we live for!

Be the abiding fruit bearing branch and let your life be a harvest of blessings!

Good Morning!

The Essence of Easter
Understanding the mysteries of the passion of the Christ...

The teaching and discussion continue

today, Thursday 26th March 2015

and the topic is...

The High Priest, The Altar and His Blood!

Afterwork hours 6:00pm

@
The Bible Class
Non Denominational Bible Discussion Class

83, Adeniyi Jones Avenue
Opposite Trevo office
Ikeja Lagos

Come with friends, let's discuss the word to the edification of our spirit man!

We are expecting you!

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The Lessons of Lent: The Peace Christ Gave

The Lessons of Lent: The Peace Christ Gave!

[My Offline Bible] John  14
27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. 30 Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.
[My Offline Bible] John 16
33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Certain realities must never be lost to the believer if he must fulfil the mandate of his Master on earth.

One of such is the distinction between the world and the kingdom of Christ.

Speaking of the world, we speak of a system that runs on the selfishness of man and the decadence of his fleshly nature.

The god of that system is Satan himself. Every department of life is complete in it; be it economic, political, religious, educational, entertainment, social and even governance.

In that system, the will of Satan holds sway. The prince of the power of the air rules, the spirit that works in the children of disobedience locking people within its course of destruction. Ephesians 2:1-3, 2Corinthians 4:4 speaks of the god of this world.

That evil spirit that rules the world system has a counterfeit of everything in God's kingdom. He also has a counterfeit peace.

A kind of peace that is sustained by fear and oppression and not by love. The kind of peace that is filled with suspicion and all manners of intrigues either between nations, within communities,  political parties, churches,families, among friends and even within marriages.

The world peace portrays a kind of quietness, but a quietness like that of the wild with trouble in its belly, in which any wild animal can strike at anytime within the false quietness and serenity! It is a quietness that can't resist the push of selfishness and satisfaction of personal lusts and appetite!

But the peace Jesus left behind is different! You don't need a covenant with evil to enjoy the peace, neither do you need to amass weapons of war to enforce it. Its the kind of peace that defies trouble, the kind that sleeps in a storm and quenches the rage of storms! It's the kind of peace that can't be pushed around! It commands internal stability even in the tribulations the world offers!

Jesus could enjoy such peace because he harboured nothing of the prince of this world within Him. He didn't have his hate, didn't have his lies, didn't have his greed, didn't have his pride and didn't have his lusts, didn't have his inordinate ambitions and so the peace of God could settle within Him untainted!

[My Offline Bible] 1 John 2
15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

Satan rules his world by the three counterfeits of the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life. These are those things he uses as baits and as traps and once those occupy the heart the love of the Father has no place and if there's any peace, it will be the satanic species!

So Jesus said, the prince of this world, the agent of the god of this world was coming but unfortunately for him, he had nothing in Christ and so His peace remained in Him in spite of all the trouble He went through.

That's the kind of peace He has left with us not the kind of unsettling peace the world offers but to preserve that peace, we have to empty ourselves of those things the god of this world could lay claims on and fill our hearts with the love of God....

What satan couldn't find in Christ he shouldn't find in us and if he wouldn't find that he can't enforce his kind of peace on us!

When CHRIST gives His peace, no man can make trouble....

[My Offline Bible] Job 34
29 When he giveth quietness, who then can make trouble? and when he hideth his face, who then can behold him? whether it be done against a nation, or against a man only:

[My Offline Bible] Psalms 119
165 Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.

Good Morning!

Let this be our confidence this week as we approach the period of the elections in Nigeria. If we can't trust the peace the system offers we can assuredly trust that which Christ has given us... that peace can quench the power of any raging storm!

Speak peace! Peace be still! Be confident in God! Have no fear! There shall be God's quietness! And there shall be no loss!

Peace to you and all yours!

THE ESSENCE OF EASTER
understanding the purpose of His passion....

The teaching and the discussions continue tomorrow

Thursday 26th March 2015

6:00pm

@

The Bible Class
Non denominational Bible Discussion Class

83 Adeniyi Jones Avenue
Opposite Trevo office
Ikeja, Lagos

Come with/or refer friends, let's stoke the fire of the word revival together! We are expecting you!

The Lessons of Lent: Doing the Works of Jesus

The Lessons of Lent: Doing the Works of Jesus

John 14:12-26

[My Offline Bible] John 14
12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

After Jesus had spoken to His disciples about His going to be with the Father, He began to give them the responsibility that comes along with His departure.

He had shared the parts they had in Him to them through the washing of their feet, He had introduced the Father to them as the one who did the works and spoke the words through Him. Now at His departure they had to take the responsibility of continuity. They and others who believe would have to do the works He did and even do greater works.

Now that you have the impartation and you have known the Father, you should know what all the knowledge is for: to do the works even greater!

As exciting as it is to do the works Jesus did and even more, it can be so herculean a task seeing the enormity of the works without understanding the equipment that has been made available!

What did Jesus do to get them ready?

Jesus quickly did something profound! He gave the believer the power of attorney, an unrestricted right to the use of His office and the authority in His name!

Not only that, He also gave the promise of the Father, the Holy Spirit who will accompany, lead, reveal to, teach, counsel, help, empower, intercede and advocate for the believer.

So to do the works and even greater works as commanded the believer is given His part, given a right to relate to God as Father, given the name of Jesus to use as if he owns or earned it, He also has the Holy Spirit of power within him to do him good...

With the understanding of these gifts, privileges and rights, the believer is set to do the incredible.

When he understands that the Father's care, love, inheritance and discipline are always around, his confidence soars to confront whatever is standing on the way of doing the works successfully.

When he understands that gifts of grace have been imparted into him and that his portion in Christ is secured, he takes responsibility easily and faithfully. He can keep the commandment of doing the work with utmost love and loyalty.

When he understands the right he has to represent the office of Christ through the name of Jesus, he demands the will of God boldly in the name with the assurance that Jesus will do what is demanded. Be it speaking against a demonic spirit, or demanding of natural forces, he is sure of compliance because Jesus said whatever he demands in that name He would do... so Christ continues the work through the believer as the believer uses the name to establish Christ's will...

And when the believer knows that he carries the Holy Spirit beyond a mere status symbol but that the knowledge bank of God is now accessible to him, that he can be taught and be reminded of things taught by the Holy Spirit, when he knows that the Holy Spirit is with him to guide him into all truths, to lead him in the path of righteousness, to accompany him as he does the work and to empower him to do it, to intercede for him before the Father and to reveal hidden mysteries on the go...doing the work becomes more exciting as great faith rises from within to handle whatever comes...

This remains till this very moment and we are all partakers of this grace...do you believe?

Jesus said if we know these things, happy are we if we do them. Let's start today doing the works Jesus did. Preaching the goodnews, praying for the sick, casting out demons, ministering to the needy around us, going about doing good and healing all that are oppressed of the devil because of the conviction of these graces...

If we weren't equipped to do the work, Jesus won't demand of us to do it, if what He has done for us aren't capable of doing greater works He wouldn't have mentioned it...meaning we have what it takes...it's ours to obey the commandment if we truly love Him!

Good morning!

THE ESSENCE OF EASTER
understanding the purpose of His passion....

The teaching and discussion continue this

Thursday 26th March 2015

6:00pm

@

The Bible Class
Non denominational Bible Discussion Class

83 Adeniyi Jones Avenue
Opposite Trevo office
Ikeja, Lagos

Come and/or refer friends, let's stoke the fire of the word revival together! We are expecting you!

The Lessons of Lent: The Revelation of the Father

The Lessons of Lent: The Revelation of the Father

John 14:1-11 was the Lord Jesus Christ revealing the place and the person of the Father to us.

He was going away. He had come from the Father and was returning to the Father. He had come to tell the world that God is Father and how they should relate to Him as such.

But the Jewish culture and the extent of their knowledge of the God didn't permit such closeness and intimacy with Jehovah. The sense of reverence they had for God goes beyond what a child should have for his father.

Jesus at various times had tried to reveal God to them as Father but it had resulted in persecution, to them Jesus was being blasphemous equating Himself with God by calling Himself the Son of God. Yet Jesus had pointed that out to them from the writings of the prophets where it is written, Ye are gods and all of you are children of the Most High. John 10:34 Jesus referring to Psalms 82:6

The disciples who would carry on the work must know God as Father. They must relate with Him so and see His abode as theirs too.

The questions that they asked revealed that they needed such explanations about the Father. Jesus explained the intertwining of Himself and the Father. He being in the Father and the Father being in Him speaking and doing the work. This is the grace God would want us to partake of.

We should be absolutely one with the Father through Christ.
He told them He is the way, the truth and the life and no one gets to the Father except through Him.

It's good to know that we can be one with the Father through Christ here in this life and later be with Him eternally.

Jesus told them He was going to prepare a place for us with the Father so that where He is we shall be also. Meaning there's heaven for us as we believe and follow Jesus.

The Fatherhood of God has been the contention Abrahamic religions have always had with Christianity. They asked, 'How could man be child to God?' They'll say 'God has no father and He is father to no one' , they wonder why man could be the same species with God making both equal.

But that's the message Jesus came to give the world. That we can be born of God, sharing His nature and Spirit and through such attain to the likeness and the image of God the Father had in mind when creating man.

Jesus is the way to and of the Father, He is the truth of the Father and the Life of the Father. The Father wants to share His kind of life with mankind and that through Jesus who is that very life.

[My Offline Bible] John 5
24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. 26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;

[My Offline Bible] 1 John 5
11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. 13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

So we see how the Fatherhood of God came about to being enjoyed by mankind. The very genetic nature of God (Life) becomes accessible to mankind through Christ which we copy just as every offspring share from its progenitor, to produce the very image of God in us.

The tree must be genetically re-engineered from within to bring out a new fruit compatible with what is expected. That re-engineering is the infusion of the New Creation into mankind and that's the revelation that defines God as the Father of all those who have believed!

And God is creating a home for us all through Christ so that where the Father is we, the children too can be. And when all is done Christ would return to take us all home so that the whole family in heaven and earth would now be in one place....

God is the best Father ever and if He is your father, you can count on His care, His inheritance and discipline. We are not slaves to God and we are not mere creations...we are His children and He is our Father! In that I rejoice and you should too....

Good morning, it's a great week...be safe!

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THE ESSENCE OF EASTER
Understanding the purpose of Christ's Passion.

The teaching continues this

Thursday 26th March 2015

6:00pm

@
The Bible Class, TBC
Non denominational Teaching Class

83, Adeniyi Jones Avenue
Opposite Trevo office
Ikeja, Lagos

Come with friends and let's discuss the Bible without restrictions for our building up! We are expecting you!

The Lessons of Lent: The Revelation of the Father

The Lessons of Lent: The Revelation of the Father

John 14:1-11 was the Lord Jesus Christ revealing the place and the person of the Father to us.

He was going away. He had come from the Father and was returning to the Father. He had come to tell the world that God is Father and how they should relate to Him as such.

But the Jewish culture and the extent of their knowledge of the God didn't permit such closeness and intimacy with Jehovah. The sense of reverence they had for God goes beyond what a child should have for his father.

Jesus at various times had tried to reveal God to them as Father but it had resulted in persecution, to them Jesus was being blasphemous equating Himself with God by calling Himself the Son of God. Yet Jesus had pointed that out to them from the writings of the prophets where it is written, Ye are gods and all of you are children of the Most High. John 10:34 Jesus referring to Psalms 82:6

The disciples who would carry on the work must know God as Father. They must relate with Him so and see His abode as theirs too.

The questions that they asked revealed that they needed such explanations about the Father. Jesus explained the intertwining of Himself and the Father. He being in the Father and the Father being in Him speaking and doing the work. This is the grace God would want us to partake of.

We should be absolutely one with the Father through Christ.
He told them He is the way, the truth and the life and no one gets to the Father except through Him.

It's good to know that we can be one with the Father through Christ here in this life and later be with Him eternally.

Jesus told them He was going to prepare a place for us with the Father so that where He is we shall be also. Meaning there's heaven for us as we believe and follow Jesus.

The Fatherhood of God has been the contention Abrahamic religions have always had with Christianity. They asked, 'How could man be child to God?' They'll say 'God has no father and He is father to no one' , they wonder why man could be the same species with God making both equal.

But that's the message Jesus came to give the world. That we can be born of God, sharing His nature and Spirit and through such attain to the likeness and the image of God the Father had in mind when creating man.

Jesus is the way to and of the Father, He is the truth of the Father and the Life of the Father. The Father wants to share His kind of life with mankind and that through Jesus who is that very life.

[My Offline Bible] John 5
24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. 26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;

[My Offline Bible] 1 John 5
11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. 13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

So we see how the Fatherhood of God came about to being enjoyed by mankind. The very genetic nature of God (Life) becomes accessible to mankind through Christ which we copy just as every offspring share from its progenitor, to produce the very image of God in us.

The tree must be genetically re-engineered from within to bring out a new fruit compatible with what is expected. That re-engineering is the infusion of the New Creation into mankind and that's the revelation that defines God as the Father of all those who have believed!

And God is creating a home for us all through Christ so that where the Father is we, the children too can be. And when all is done Christ would return to take us all home so that the whole family in heaven and earth would now be in one place....

God is the best Father ever and if He is your father, you can count on His care, His inheritance and discipline. We are not slaves to God and we are not mere creations...we are His children and He is our Father! In that I rejoice and you should too....

Good morning, it's a great week...be safe!

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THE ESSENCE OF EASTER
Understanding the purpose of Christ's Passion.

The teaching continues this

Thursday 26th March 2015

6:00pm

@
The Bible Class, TBC
Non denominational Teaching Class

83, Adeniyi Jones Avenue
Opposite Trevo office
Ikeja, Lagos

Come with friends and let's discuss the Bible without restrictions for our building up! We are expecting you!

The Lessons of Lent: The New Commandment

The Lessons of Lent: The New Commandment

[My Offline Bible] John 13
33 Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you. 34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

Christ's valedictory message continued as He began to set certain things in place for His departure.

His life had been a practical coaching class to the disciples. His teachings and principles have been revolutionary, upsetting the status quo of many generations. He was always at loggerheads with the priests and the sects leaders on doctrinal issues, Jewish traditions and true spirituality and godliness.

He gave a frontal attack to the retaliatory tradition of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, instead, He taught turning the other cheek, loving your enemies, settling with your adversary on the way to judgment, going the extra mile and what we call the golden rule...doing to others as you wish others do unto you...

He confronted the aberrations the law brought into godliness. He said divorce wasn't part of the original plan: it wasn't so from the beginning and so rated the operations of God before the coming of the laws of Moses above the law.

When questioned about His attitude to Sabbath, He questioned them also on their selfishly making the word of God of none effect by their traditions. He called the Ten Commandments the word of God as against the Law of Moses. Honoring your father and mother must not be rationalised...as they were doing!

And concerning the Sabbath, it was war! He healed on the Sabbath and it became an issue. To them doing good on Sabbath was work when you should be resting, He pointed out their hypocrisy because if their money making animals had fallen into a pit on a Sabbath, they would have overlooked their sabbatical traditions to rescue their money machines!
So He taught them, Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath.

Solomon had been a great teacher, but He declared Himself greater than Solomon. David was a great prophet but He questioned them as to why David called the coming Messiah his Lord since the Messiah was also to be the son of David!

They demanded where He got His authority to teach from and He also asked where the authority of John the Baptist came from and so shut up their mouths. The ministry of John had prepared the way for such a query.

He accused them of being whitewashed sepulchres filled with dead men's bones, because they were the hypocrites who killed the prophets sent to them. Who would load on the people great weights of religious obligations which they themselves won't touch with a finger.

He queried the hypocritical benevolence and giving they did. He taught that giving needs no funfare otherwise the reward is lost. He taught that personal prayer must be in your secret closet to command a public testimony and not the other way round.

He was accused of His disciples eating without the ceremonial washings of the law and He rightly pointed out to them that it isn't what entered into the mouth that spiritually defiles a person, the stomach deals with food and sent it into the trash...rather it is what comes from within that defiles a man...fornication, adultery, falsehood, hatred and so on come from the heart and defiles the person.

He taught that except something is done to a man from within, you can't deal with his fruits. The tree had gotten bad within it before it brought forth the bad fruit. Except the treasure from within is changed what the man brings forth cannot change. Except a man received the God's seed and nature and be born again of God, he cannot be saved to see the kingdom of God! 

These thoughts were revolutionary and unsettling to the teachers and priests of the law. It was turning the heart of the common man who heard Him away from traditions. They heard Him gladly, and the popularity of the priests was threatened so He had to die...

Yet all His contradictions were to fulfil the essence of the law which they preached but what physical gains they were getting wouldn't let them see...

So He brought out a new commandment. He had lived what He preached and had used His life to show a practical example of what He taught and so the commandment evolved from 'Love your neighbor as yourself" to 'Love each other as I have loved you'!

He has loved us by laying down His life for us. That's the ultimate that a person can sacrifice for another. We have that commandment from Him to give each other the best we have as disciples of Christ.

[My Offline Bible] 1 John 3
16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

When we discovered the essence and the extent of the love of God we too are able to go the same extent with the same intent and with that we can do God's pleasure with the power of His love.

We may love selfishly, always giving less than we have the power to, giving with selfish reasons and not giving to meet the needs of those we give to even with the capacity to, but to show that at least we gave. We may actually be giving more problems than solutions and all such givings and loving won't bring forth any reward, they aren't God kind of giving or loving.

The new commandment as learned from the passion of the Christ is that we love one another to the extent of genuine and sincere love without hypocrisy just has Christ as loved us...

And surely we can...we only must be willing to!

I pray the nature of God finds expression in our lives more and more. I pray that the grace to obey Christ's new commandment and to follow His revolutionary teachings without those dead religiosities be granted us in Jesus name!

Good Morning and Have a great Sunday!

THE ESSENCE OF EASTER

continues

Thursday, 26th March 2015 6:00pm

@
The Bible Class
Non denominational Bible Discussion Class

83 Adeniyi Jones Avenue
Opposite Trevo office
Ikeja Lagos

Be part of this move of God! Come with friends.

Visit
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The Lessons of Lent: Judas' Syndrome!

The Lessons of Lent: Judas' Syndrome!

Judas was a major player in the passion of the Christ. John 13 describes his preparation for the ultimate onslaught of delivering our Lord Jesus to those who crucified him.

The scriptures had prophesied about him. He was the one the scriptures prophesied that would eat bread with the Messiah and still lift the heel against Him. He was the one whose bishopric another would take. He was the one Jesus often referred to as the unclean one who would betray him.

At the supper, Jesus raised the issue again being troubled in His heart. Each of the disciples would want to know who that was, none would want that prophesy to come to pass over him.

Jesus revealed him to those closest to him like Apostle John by giving him something to eat. Instantly, Satan entered into him. Jesus then turned to him and said whatever he needed to do he should do quickly.

Most of them didn't understand that. They had thought it was the same old instruction being given to their finance director to give to the poor or purchase what was needed by the ministry.

That reveals something crucial about the financial administration of the ministry of the Lord Jesus which should be a model to our ministries today. Two broad things on the budget include welfare expenses to the poor and then ministry needs. A ministry finance that doesn't have an active,  effective and properly managed welfare system isn't following Christ fully. The church is the first charitable organization and we shouldn't leave that to the world while we go on to build earthly empires.

The first sign that the scriptures of who would betrayed Jesus was going to be fulfilled on Judas began with him mismanagement of the funds committed to his care. The scriptures say he was stealing from the pause particularly under the guise of giving to the poor.

The love of money that is triggered by inordinate ambition to gather earthly goods and honor through whichever means will ever be an inroad for Satan into any one. In any association or relationship, be it in marriage, in church, a company, a country or wherever, once those in charge of the commonwealth permits selfishness and greed to control the management of the funds committed to their hands, they open up their hearts for Satan to occupy and control.

A lover of money would do anything good or bad to get it. One who serves mammon would obey Satan compulsively. Judas was already serving mammon, to betray Jesus wasn't anything his conscience couldn't take, it was mammon, his real master, he wouldn't betray!

We have often asked why Jesus prayed for Peter who denied knowing Him and not praying for Judas who betrayed Him? One reason is this that his error was of financial nature, it wasn't out of fear that he did what he did but deliberately out of greed.
He was already serving another god long before he carried out the act.

When you love money, you serve another god even if physically you still go around with Christ. If your main purpose of moving with Christ is to enrich self and not for the kingdom's sake, you make yourself open to satanic influence. If making money is your ultimate goal under the cover of a ministry or church work, you will soon betray Jesus Christ and go the way of Judas. If you serve mammon instead of God, you will soon lose your bishopric...

Once we cannot commit our financial sustenance to the power and wisdom of God, we switch to greed and covetiousness mode. God doesn't support our greed, He only cares about our needs. If God cannot control our money, He would hardly be able to control us and if God can't contol us we can easily guess who will....so Satan entered into Judas!

Judas syndrome is that spiritual sickness that makes a child or servant of God steal for himself to satisfy his greed from the resources God has committed to His hands for His people and His kingdom...

I pray God's grace for faithfulness will heal and cleanse us from the syndrome in Jesus name. I pray our services and obeisance to mammon will give way for conscientious service and worship of God. I pray that love of money, greed and covetiousness will have no place in us and our belly would not become our God in Jesus name!

Good Morning!

THE ESSENCE OF EASTER

continues

Thursday, 26th March 2015 6:00pm

@
The Bible Class
Non denominational Bible Discussion Class

83 Adeniyi Jones Avenue
Opposite Trevo office
Ikeja Lagos

Be part of this move of God! Come with friends.

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The Lessons of Lent: Leadership Rite of Passage

The Lessons of Lent: Leadership Rite of Passage

An online English dictionary, English,  described 'rite of passage' this way...
(anthropology) a ceremony or series of ceremonies, often very ritualized, to celebrate a transition in a person’s life. Baptisms, bar mitzvahs, weddings and funerals are among the best known examples.

Jesus Christ too did a certain ceremonies depicting transitions in His life and in the lives of His disciples. He had the communion table and also the washing of the feet of His disciples.

John 13 was the first of His valedictory chapters in the gospel according to John. When He had come to the knowledge and understanding of the season in His life, the first thing He did was to wash the feet of His disciples.

So many things have been attached to this act by Christ. But one thing that is clear is the fact that it was one of those things He had to do in preparation for His physical departure from His bodily ministry.

It's time to go, so He had to leave certain things behind to help the disciples carry on the work and washing their feet was one.

We can see from the passage how He removed His outer garments, girded Himself, took a towel and a bowl of water and stoop down to wash their feet.

The desert life without airconditioned mobility would mean the feet are always dusty and coming into a house, the servants and good wives wash the feet of those coming in as a way of showing welcome and honor. It was unheard of that a noble man would do that for his subordinates.

And we could see the reaction of Peter to that. He wasn't going to allow such turning of traditions upside down. If anyone should wash another's feet, it should be the followers washing the feet of their leader.

But Jesus quickly explained the essence of His unusual act. If I do not wash your feet, you have no part in me! Wow, what a reason! So to have a part in Him wasn't left to the disciples but to Christ Himself.

To stoop to serve the 'servants' is to transfer a portion and an heritage to them? That sure sound unusual but that's exactly what Jesus did. If what Jesus had was to be left behind at His departure, He had to stoop low to serve them and wash their feet!

Leadership is service and if we must show proper leadership, acceptable of Christ we must learn to wash the feet of those who call us leaders. That way what we received by our feet being washed by those gone ahead can be shared to those who would take over from us...hmmmmm.
I wonder if we are there yet! Could this be why revival tarry or why it doesn't go on to other generations?

In our days the greater we become as servants of God the more we desire worship from those whose feet we should wash... we become fat and we kick... [My Offline Bible] Deuteronomy 32
15 But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation.

we need grace for true humility!

This is one lesson we must learn. When the disciples argued about who should be chief among them after the sons of Zebedee led by their mother went to Jesus to ask for positions, Jesus had told them that he who would be chief should be the servant of all since even He didn't come to be served but to serve and give His life a ransom to many. Matthew 10:25-28.

We never saw that Jesus laid hands or poured oil on the disciples to anoint them for the work after the washing of their feet until the physical outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. This was where He gave each of His disciples his bishopric in the work which Judas lost being unclean. Acts 1:16-26

One thing we need the most in today's church is the ability to set up a legacy of genuine and sincere humility for those coming after to learn from.

In the world, pride goes with position but the passion of the Christ and all His journey from the heaven to earth, from the earth to the cross and to the grave before His resurrection speak of the height of humility which we must copy and conform to as true Christians... Philippians 2:1-11

And so, to be a leader of even the smallest of groups in the body, we must receive the washing of humility, washing off every stain of pride before taking position...it is called leadership rite of passage!

I pray the grace to be humble enough to wash each others feet in genuine service be released upon us today. I pray every evil heart seeking worship will be purged from us, replaced with a heart ready to serve and to give our days as ransom for many!

Remain blessed, good morning!

THE ESSENCE OF EASTER

continues

Thursday, 26th March 2015 6:00pm

@
The Bible Class
Non denominational Bible Discussion Class

83 Adeniyi Jones Avenue
Ikeja Lagos

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The Lessons of Lent: The Timing of Purpose

The Lessons of Lent: The Timing of Purpose

[My Offline Bible] John  13
1 Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end. 2 And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him; 3 Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God; 4 He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself.

The gospel of John began the account of the passion of the Christ in chapter 13. And it started with Christ coming to terms with certain realities that border on His purpose and mission on earth.

He knew His hour had come. There is time for everything and every purpose upon the earth so said King Solomon. Every man is a representation of a divine purpose. Our generation has learned extensively about purpose and its pursuit. One of the areas of divine  sovereignty in the principles of purpose is timing. It seems no matter how strong we are in the pursuit of purpose, its timing controls it's end.

At that point, all that Christ would need for that project was ready. The supper had ended. The covenant has been released. Satan had put inside his man what he would do. Jesus too had known He came from God and was returning now, all things been committed to His hand at this time...

When the time of a man's purpose comes, all those things that has been beyond his control happen on their own accord.

When the time of a purpose comes, all things that had eluded the pursuer from start are delivered to him. Our Lord Jesus Christ knew all things have now been delivered to His hands to be shared among His disciples for each to have His part.

He knew also what was next to do to accomplish what His purpose expected of Him to do.

I'm sure one of the greatest dilemmas in the pursuit of vision and purpose is not what to achieve or how to get things done but the mystery of its timing.

Until Christ's hour came, He couldn't be armed. They had taken Him to be pushed over a cliff headlong to His death, at that point, He stopped, turned around and walk away through the crowd to safety because His time wasn't then...

He didn't start distributing the parts of the commission until He knew His ministry was over on the earth.
The knowledge of the times is essential to personal fulfilment.

I'm sure God has a program of events in each person's purpose. There are seasons designed to bring forth certain fruits. Every year has its fruit to bring forth leading to the ultimate accomplishment of God's purpose.

Every season is for something, and the ultimate fruit is for a particular season. And the season isn't determined by the pursuer. He is only to respond to whatever the time presents. Jesus responded to the winds of the season, no wonder He went through the pains without failure.

Timing therefore requires patience. We need to consistently do what our purposes demand per time as we wait for the ultimate fulfilment of the reason why we were sent here. Patience is consistently being faithful to doing what purpose demands, persistently pursuing and paying the price of purpose till the hour comes. For no man knows the hour...until it is revealed.

When the hour comes, it requires that we understand the signs of the time in order to respond appropriately. Every season has its peculiar features and demands and that controls what we do. Remember the sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times to know what Israel ought to do...not just to know what Israel can do.

Potentials and strength for pursuit of purpose are specialised for different demands of the different seasons... Joseph didn't remain the dreamer for the rest of his life...

But one thing is sure about timing, once the ultimate time comes, the Holy Spirit will order every step, the wind will blow every person and resource needed towards the accomplishment of the purpose.

It is then that the ultimate grace and sovereignty of God beyond our strengths and weaknesses will come to play and all past labours and efforts, successes and failures will make one big good sense.

Everything works together for our good when the time for the accomplishment of our purposes finally comes. Then it makes us look as if we are the strongest, the wisest and the most diligent....

Take this away
You represent a purpose that has a time. Keep faith with the times as you consistently do what the purpose demands against all odds. If there is a purpose then it's timing too is sure at that time everything will make sense to everybody...

Every time may not be your time but you sure have your time and when that time comes, God makes all things beautiful! God is committed to making that purpose come to fulfilment!

There's nothing either you or your detractors can do to the cause beyond what the time of your purpose permits...no matter how much you desire good or how bad they wish you evil...

God bless you and do have a good morning!

THE ESSENCE OF EASTER

continues

Thursday, 26th March 2015 6:00pm

@
The Bible Class
Non denominational Bible Discussion Class

83 Adeniyi Jones Avenue
Ikeja Lagos

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The Lessons of Lent: Father, Forgive Them!

The Lessons of Lent: Father, Forgive Them!

[My Offline Bible] Luke 23
34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.

[My Offline Bible] Isaiah 53
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. 8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

The most powerful driver of a person is the force of divine purpose. It will make a man endure anything, it will drive a person through any rough road or crooked way. It will make a man smile even in utmost adversity, even with a brokenheart, the journey continues.

Our Lord, Jesus Christ knew this so well. He was also in subjection to this principle. It was said of Him in the prophesies of His passion that He was led like a dumb lamb before His shearers, He didn't open His mouth.

That He didn't open His mouth, of course, doesn't mean He didn't speak any word. It means He didn't resist His oppressors. He didn't revile those who judged Him wrongly, He wasn't bitter to those who sentenced Him, He didn't count the offence of torturing Him against His torturers and those who murdered Him even got compassion from Him.

Why was He so magnanimous? What a big heart He has! He was a man on a mission. His mission wasn't to be the richest man on the earth. His was not to be the greatest army general of all times conquering nations and making slaves. He came, sent of love to save humanity from their sin, give them forgiveness and redemption.

He was on a mission to forgive the sins of mankind. He prayed, Father, forgive them. He didn't say too many words, He didn't have to, He was so focused on the mission. The only word in response to His oppositions was for the Father to forgive them. That was the reason He came and what an opportunity to declare His mission.

Even in the thick of contradictions and opposition, He didn't allow His personal pains to cover the essence of His coming, rather, those people doing evil against Him reminded Him of the purpose of His coming.

They were only telling Him why He came. That wasn't a time to get angry, that wasn't the time to use His great anointing to curse the same people He came to save. That wasn't a time to pull out the sword to kill or cause fire to rain or call innumerable company of angels to fight...

It was a time to pray for His 'enemies', He knew these people were judged already. They didn't need that to be rubbed in. What they needed was the forgiveness God has sent and the reconciliation with God they lacked. They needed mercy through the sacrifice going on...

Yet they were ignorant of what they or the rest of us needed from God. They were ignorant of their need for salvation and redemption, being pushed by the frenzy and the emotion of their hateful ecstasy.

So Jesus prayed that God forgive them because they were in the depth of ignorance. What grace! What focus!

The Lessons here...

People will contradict you and do all sorts to you, but you must maintain your focus on purpose.

Don't think everyone around you knows or understands the purpose for which God has put you here. Not all who even know will believe it and not many will support it. The pursuit of your purpose will throw up all manners of enemies. Some would even wonder why such grace is given to such an unqualified person as you,

Offence will be many out of that ignorance and apathy. There might even be life threatening offences. Character assassination and all manners of slanders out of ignorance of the good God has sent you to do even for them.

As for you, maintain focus. Retaliation is for the ignorant and vengeance is for those who have lost focus. If Christ remains Lord then you have no reason to be controlled by their offences to denying them what God had sent you to deliver to them...if you do, you become God and Lord to yourself over them...It is rebellion to God!

So let's check on our concentration quotient and identify that point we are being distracted by the offences of the ignorant!

Let's refocus and use the opportunity of opposition to pray for them just like Jesus Christ our Master prayed....Father, forgive them...for they know not what they do...

Good Morning!

THE ESSENCE OF EASTER

continues

Thursday, 26th March 2015 6:00pm

@
The Bible Class
Non denominational Bible Discussion Class

83 Adeniyi Jones Avenue
Ikeja Lagos

Be part of this move of God! Come with friends.

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Lessons of Lent: The Pains of Purpose!

Lessons of Lent: The Pains of Purpose!

[My Offline Bible] Matthew 26
36 Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. 37 And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. 38 Then saith he unto
them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.

[My Offline Bible] John 16
19 Now Jesus knew that they were desirous to ask him, and said unto them, Do ye enquire among yourselves of that I said, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me? 20 Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. 21 A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world. 22 And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.

Jesus Christ was prophesied to be a man acquainted with sorrow. This definitely speaks of the pain He went through in the quest towards accomplishing His purpose on the earth.

He was in the garden moments before His arrest and He was exceedingly sorrowful even unto death and all He had to do was to seek audience with His Father.

The writer of the book of Hebrews put that experience this way.

[My Offline Bible] Hebrews 5
7 Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;

It is clear that in the face of the challenges of fulfilment, the rich also cry! The pangs of birthing a destiny have no respect for anyone. It is a moment of great danger, a moment of vulnerabilities to the extent, a moment of life and death.

Jesus at this point nearly gave up the vision. It was difficult to remain one with the plan. At that point it was revealed that He had His own will He could have fallen back on.

Many had fallen back to doing their own things, and following their own ways at that point of sorrow. Many have given up on the cause to do what's convenient. Many have silently refused the cup of God's purpose and plan and had 'escaped' the demanded endurance.

It is understandable, but not expected that many would bend to permit the cup pass over even when God won't pass it over them. When you have no one to share the pain with...the three closest friends were sleeping off. One was about to deny ever knowing him. Even God would soon feel so faraway and someone is asking why you aren't strong?

These are lonely times in the quest for purpose fulfilment. People who don't take fulfilling God's purpose that seriously or people whose path of purpose looks as if is not passing through Golgotha or those who have traded the way with other means may not also have to pass through Gethsemane. Gethsemane wasn't just a mountain of prayer...it is a solitary and sorrowful point of trembling soul. Jesus didn't go there to pray until this time...

But He was heard!

He was heard not by the plan changing or that He was able to find a way out but He got help from the Father.
The Father set His face to see the joy beyond the pain. And the excitement helped to wade through the trouble.

[My Offline Bible] Hebrews 12
2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

Jesus Himself had told His disciples about the joy that comes after pain. Purpose delivery is just like child delivery, they both come with their pains that people that aren't in your shoes won't sometimes mind sending words and jabs to add to the pain...

But after the child is born, the sorrow is gone and forgotten as if it wasn't ever there.

The lesson is this...
Sorrow and pains are real on the pathways of purpose and vision. Even loved ones can add their portion.

Even the closest to you would sleep off as you wrestle with the pain.

But look beyond the pains and the sorrows to the joy set before you.

These are very vulnerable times, nobody would understand you but God will. Be careful not to fall!
Even if you have to cry before God it's understandable.

Let His will be the anchor to hold.

In a few days, you'll be out of that grave and be glorified beyond the pain and the insults!

He will not leave your soul in that hell... [My Offline Bible] Psalms 16
10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

Good morning!

THE ESSENCE OF EASTER
Continues@

The Bible Class
Non Denominational Bible Discussion Cafe

Thursday, 26th March 2015
After work hours 6:00pm

83 Adeniyi Jones Avenue
Ikeja, Lagos

Deeper things are being revealed...be part of it! Come with friends, we expect your beautiful contributions to the discussion!

The Lessons of Lent: The Cross

The Lessons of Lent: The Cross

The cross means different things ro different people. To the Roman empire it was the ultimate weapon of fear and oppression for executions. To the thieves on the right and on the left of Jesus it was the reward of their disobedience and end of their onslaught on the innocent. To the crowd, a way of eliminating their public enemies, to the Jewish elders and priests, it was the end of their greatest rival they thought.
To our Lord Jesus, it was total salvation to mankind through His death and to Simon, the Cyrene, it was ministry fulfilled helping Jesus carry His cross to the place of fulfilment.

The truth is clear, the cross is a necessity to everyone. It is more than a pendant even if it's made of platinum overlaid with gold and studs of precious stones. It is more than a problem that can be solved by either the wisdom of men or the power of God. It is not the troublesome spouse or the unruly child, it isn't the terminal disease or the bedridden relation. The cross is our commitment to Christ and His eternal cause of man's salvation and his reconciliation to his Maker.

The cross is a place of death. Jesus was crucified on His even without an offence other than the message He brought. Every disciple must be ready to carry his own and be ready if and when it has to be used.

Definitely, the disciple is nailed to his cross. Nailed back to back with the world. And in that he rejoices and glories.

[My Offline Bible] Galatians 6
14 But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.

Crucified back to back on the same cross of Christ, the disciple and the world remain separated eternally by the cross in between.

The believer is crucified with Christ so that Christ can live in him and he too living by faith in Christ.

[My Offline Bible] Galatians 2
20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

And now the strength of Christ carries him on as his righteousness is secured by faith in the grace that's in Christ and not in the weakness or strength of himself now dead.

The ordinances and demands of religion that are contrary to the believer are nailed to the cross, forever blotted out by the blood of the cross. Never will those demands on the flesh be what grant access to the throne of God and of grace anymore but the blood of Christ that stained the cross and made us saints.
[My Offline Bible] Colossians 2
14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;

Definitely, the passion of the cross would remind us that our destinies crisscrossed the path of the cross like that of Simon the Cyrene and we would have to carry it to make our mark in the realm of spiritual history.

The cross represents our crossing over from the dominion of sin, satan and religiosity to the liberty that is in Christ. The cross translates us to Christ's kingdom away from the world and its lusts.

Our cross is a sign of our conviction: we are ready to be nailed to it in our quest to make the salvation in Christ and conformity to His image real in the lives of men...no sacrifice will be too much to pay!

So let's joyfully embrace the cross again with understanding and faith knowing that the price for our total redemption was fully paid upon it and on it, the work was declared finished. Shallom!

The study and discussion on
THE ESSENCE OF EASTER

continues at

The Bible Class
Non denominational Bible Discussion cafe

83 Adeniyi Jones Avenue
Opposite TREVO office
Ikeja Lagos

6:00pm Thursday 26th March 2015

Faith only comes by hearing in the things being heard...faith doesn't come in the things you've not heard...meanwhile the basis of our faith is the resurrection of Christ...let's discuss and learn together, what that means and what it brings to the table!
Prepare towards being there...with loved ones!

As we gather today to worship, I pray our gatherings be unto the Lord. I pray our worship be acceptable before Him. I pray we received the fullness of the blessings of the gospel, I pray we go home rejoicing with the testimonies that we met Him.

Happy Sunday!

The Lessons of Lent: Peter's Denial

The Lessons of Lent: Peter's Denial
Luke 22:31-34, 54-62

One if the highlights of the passion of the Christ is Peter's denial of knowing Christ. As usual we quickly judge him; how could someone so close to Jesus do such a thing!

We are always quick to judge Bible characters as their errors were displayed to all, while our own errors are quietly tucked away between us and heaven, away from the judgmental queries of even the closest of men, to maintain our usual facade of infallibility as we secretly plead for forgiveness with the blood.

Peter too, just as we are, lacked the knowledge of the cup and the baptism he was to go through. Jesus had prayed for him, since Satan had planned to sift him like wheat. To sift means to beat until the substance within is removed and the shaft left. Jesus had prayed that his faith wouldn't fail and and had instructed him to strengthen his brethren when he gets converted or restored.

Sincerely in his heart he loved Jesus to the point of being ready to suffer and die with him but he had underestimated his own weaknesses; he didn't know himself as God had known him. He didn't know he could ever get to the point of denying his knowledge of his beloved friend and Master.

Apostle Paul had this to say about being known and our own knowledge.
[My Offline Bible] 1 Corinthians 13
12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

Peter needed some knowledge of himself to be able to carry the burden of strengthening others without judging them mercilessly. So he had to go through a process of self discovery.

And this happens to all of us except that we may not have gotten the humility to accept that knowledge and to seek for grace for a change.

We need to understand that God knows us through and through. He knows our strengths and weaknesses. There's nothing about each of us that He doesn't know to perfect details; He knows every thought and motive and He needs not use anything to test us to know.
[My Offline Bible] Psalms 139
1 O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. 2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. 3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. 16 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.

If you are going through any test, the test would be for you to know something about yourself and not for God to know you. The sins we fall into is a revelation of the areas of lack where we need to pay attention and ask for grace.

Peter couldn't believe such fear was still lurking somewhere within him after all his being with Christ and even walking on water with Him.

And what repentance and remorse he showed when he discovered! This too must be our right response at such discoveries.

The truth is that we have been covered and protected by grace and that should call for humility and not pride. Attributing our holiness and righteousness to our own knowledge and abilities is being ungrateful and being proud.
Judging others as if we aren't subject to like passions is a height of ignorance: ignorance of our own fallibility!

The take away
We don't know who we are as we should.
God knows us and doesn't need to test us before knowing us...our motives are clear to him.
When we are being tested it is for us to know what's still in there to deal with.
We should be grateful in humility for the covering of grace we have in Christ working out holiness in us through the gift of righteousness He has given us in spite of our weaknesses and fallibility!

Good morning!

The next class at
The Bible Class
Non denominational Bible Discussion Cafe

Holds
Thursday 26th March, 2015

After work hours 6pm

Still discussing
THE ESSENCE OF EASTER

@
83 Adeniyi Jones Avenue
Opposite TREVO office
Ikeja, Lagos

It surely enriches the Christian walk...
Work towards being there with someone...

You'll be glad you came!

I pray God keeps revealing to you who you are in Christ aside what we are in the flesh so that our transformation can be sure and that we may reflect Christ in all we do in Jesus name!

Review of The Bible Class Session: The Prophecies of His Passion

REVIEW OF
THE BIBLE CLASS
OF THURSDAY THE 12TH OF MARCH 2015
THE ESSENCE OF EASTER/THE PROPHECIES OF HIS PASSION

What a great time we had yesterday. God's presence was awesome with us there.

We had alloted 5-6pm for counselling but the Holy Spirit actually hijacked that as pastors discussed extensively issues of church/ministry administration, finance, church and organisational tithing, church welfare system, a minister's job description both as full time and part time and so on... with embellishments of rich experience by quite a number of ministers already around.... you can imagine how we possible it was to discussed all that and even more within an hour.

By 6pm...the main discussion for the day began.
THe ESSENCE OF EASTER/The Prophecies of His Passion.

Starting from Genesis

Genesis 3:15...The seed of the woman bruising the head of the serpent and the serpent bruising His heel...
•The woman was not Eve who was in the then present picture
•The Seed of the woman was now standing and the serpent was fallen.... the heel and the head positions.
•Galatians 4:4 explained Jesus born of a woman and made under the law...

2. The prophetic parable of the Scape goat. Leviticus 16:1-26.
Aaron was instructed to take a bull and two goats.
Offer the bull for his own sin and that of his family. Cast lot on the goats to separate one for offering and the other to be released. Both for sin offering of the tabernacle.

The one upon which the lot fell shall be killed and offered to the LORD while the other one shall be released in to the wilderness carrying the sin of the people.

The two goats carrying the sins of the people. One died, the other alive. Depicting death and resurrection of the lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world.

3. The Prophecies of David. David would step many times into the prophetic image of Christ. He'll speak by the Spirit of Christ.
Psalms 16:8-11 spoke concerning being in sheol/hell/death region and his not seeing corruption. David never went through these and so must have spoken prophetically. Jesus died and rose again.

Psalms 22 was explained from verse 1...till the clothes were taken from Him as He paid the price for our prosperity.

4. The prophecies of Isaiah in chapters 52&53...

5. The Prophecies of Hosea 6:1-2 and the importance of the word 'we' used to described the operation of dying, reviving and living before Him. This connotes the fact that we died and rose together with him, a very hot point of excited discussion as we see our place in His passion in prophecies! 

6. The Prophecies of Jesus about His death and resurrection.

The parable and sign of Jonah... 3days and night in the belly of the fish.

The discussion on this was around the fact that though Jonah was seen as rebellious running away from the face of God to Tarshish instead of Nineveh, God was organising a prophecy concerning Jesus. The errors we regret may actually be God speaking what we may not understand till later or even eternity...let's leave out the guilt of the past and make the most of the future...

Contributions, questions and answers too numerous to mention here all added so much value and made the time such a great time...

This led to the discussions about Why believers still behave as if they aren't died for, why they behave and talk as if they are yet to be saved and delivered and sitted with Christ on the right hand of God...

The question was who was to be blamed for our ignorance of these things.

The people answered that both the people and the ministers who should teach. Each person has certain responsibility towards seeking the knowledge of the truth and living by it. While the ministers should teach and live by same truths.

In all we had a wow time and the meeting closed by 8pm.

THE ESSENCE OF EASTER continues in a fortnight on Thursday 26th March 2015... by 6pm. Counselling starts 5pm
@
83, Adeniyi Jones Av
Opposite TREVO office
Ikeja, Lagos

It's an experience one shouldn't form the habit of missing! We look forward to seeing everyone next time. Remain blessed!

We give praise to our great God for honoring His gathering!

Spirit Willing, Flesh Weak!

Spirit Willing, Flesh Weak!

[My Offline Bible] Matthew 26
39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. 41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. 42 He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.

The challenges of purpose demand the full engagement of the spirit, the soul and the body. It demands that the body and the soul which equal the flesh under most circumstances be trained to be driven by the spirit. Bearing in mind that man is a spirit, he has a soul and lives in a body...and all of these would need to be sanctified and preserved to the coming of Christ...
[My Offline Bible] 1 Thessalonians 5
23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

If they aren't in agreement, pursuing the purpose of God would be difficult. The challenges of the cross, the implications of Christ's passion on His personality was immense and intense. That challenge revealed the humanity of Christ and separated His spirit and His flesh. The flesh became weak and it took the spirit to pull through.

It also revealed the personality of Jesus Christ as different from that of the Father. Each has a will which up till this time had had no reason not to be in agreement. But the challenge of the cross brought out the fact that Jesus Christ had the ability to choose differently apart from the will of the Father just as everyone of us...the unique thing is that He never for once did what He didn't see His Father did.

Another lesson of lent and Easter is this. We need to be strengthened with might by the Holy Spirit in our inner man. So that in facing the challenges of fulfilling the purposes of God for our lives, our inner man can pull our outer man through to the place of victory.
Our will must be totally submitted to the will of the Father, that is the time when we can expect the fullness of grace and the power of God intervening in whatever situation.

When we get to our Gethsemane, I pray we would choose His will, I pray the weak flesh wouldn't have the upper hand, I pray we wouldn't deny the reason why we were made...

The series...THE ESSENCE OF EASTER begins today as we start teaching about the prophecies of His passion!

Join us later today...6pm
@
The Bible Class
83, Adeniyi Jones Avenue
Opposite TREVO
Ikeja Lagos

Personal sessions for destiny and life's purposes counselling starts 5:10pm limited spaces available for this.

We are expecting you!

The Hour and Power of Darkness!

The Hour and Power of Darkness

[My Offline Bible] Luke 22
53 When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me: but this is your hour, and the power of darkness.

One of the lessons of lent and of Easter is that of the momentary triumph of the power of the enemy. I speak of the sell out of Judas, the conspiracy of the Jewish elders and the high priest, the complicity of the roman government, the false witnesses amongst the people, the crowd who rejected Him for a criminal, crying crucify Him! crucify Him! after enjoying the miracles, eating the fish and bread and shouting hossanna!

We all can relate to this momentary rejection, sufferings, crucifixion... the eventual resurrection in victory is what we need an assurance of; in assurance that we have in Christ! Both in this life and in eternity!

[My Offline Bible] Romans 6
4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:

We, just like Christ, are on a journey of purpose. We can't fulfill that purpose without crisscrossing the path of the powers of the enemy, both physically and spiritually.

But we have to know the eternal superiority of God and His purpose which establishes victory in fulfilling that purpose.

The Father has said that His purpose shall stand and He shall do all His pleasures...Isaiah 46. Not our mistakes or the power of the enemies can stop the purposes of God from coming to pass in our lives if we continually hold on to God by faith in His Word!

The hour of satan and power of darkness shall come like it was in the garden of Gethsemane Luke 22:53, but it will only last till the 'third day'...and not beyond.

No enemy can destroy the will of God...no enemy can confront the power of God, no enemy can overthrow God...they will try but they can't succeed, God works their evil to become good for us.
They delay us because it's not yet our time, they stop us so that we wont miss the mark. But they can't kill us, because we have God's purpose to fulfil in life...
They overcome only when we leave the purpose of God to seek our own. When we believe in them more than we believe in God, of course, we give away our victory but when we see them as darkness that can't even control it's movement and has to operate at the mercy of light...they remain where God has put them...under our feet.

If we will shine our Light, the power of darkness can't comprehend it...if we remain on God's side without fear, refusing to give them a place, we establish the triumph of God...
As for their activities, every one is working together for our good. If they knew, they wouldn't have crucified the Lord of glory, if they knew the serpent wouldn't have bruised his heel but now it's too late, the Son of the woman has crushed his head! Hallelujah!

Join us tomorrow for more about the death and the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ as we begin the series on

THE ESSENCE OF EASTER

Thursday 12th March 2015

After work hours 6pm

@
The Bible Class
83, Adeniyi Jones Avenue
Opposite TREVO office
Ikeja
Lagos

We are expecting you...and friends

Good Success!

Good Success

[My Offline Bible] Joshua 1
8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

I wonder why God through Moses would qualify success with such a strong adjective. There is good success and there is success not so good.

The not so good success is still success. It went through the process and points of success as taught in every success seminar that's worth its salt.

We know success don't just come, you need a vision, you need to develop skills and potentials to commercial value. You need solid information with which to build a foolproof plan. You need energy and strength and a mind to engage them in hard work and diligence to produce. You need focus and concentration. And you can't afford not to be consistent against all the odds that would definitely show up. You need the management and marketing skills to translate your produce and products to money and comfort, you'll need discipline in handling you profits and you'll need security both mental and physical to preserve what you have achieved. And you will need some level of good character to make it to the point of reward.

You'll need these and maybe much more for either the good success and the not so good success. There's no short cut to any kind of success either in laudable activities or criminal engagements.

God speaking to Joshua didn't define good success by the quality of vision, getting the people to the promised land is the most noble job anyone at that time could aspire to get! It was reserved for the very best.

The success was to be defined as good, based on the influence of the word of God that came out of his daily mental romance with the laws and principles of God's word. He was to meditate on the laws day and night so as to be able to do accordingly and that would produce good success.

It's our turn to toil for success and the question is what kind of success would we want? It seems a lot of people are content with the one that doesn't need the laws of God. To many meditating day and night on the word of God in the book of God's principles of life is too cumbersome when without it success can still come...

The Lord Jesus spoke of those who hear His word and do them as those who build on the rock. Those who built in sand too built the same but one couldn't stand the test that comes as the content that withstands tests wasn't there. Mathew 7

Folks it our turn...good success is possible and it's not beyond us if we will start giving attention to the book of the Law...The Bible!

Join us this Thursday 12th March 2015,

After work hours 6pm
@
The Bible Class, TBC
83, Adeniyi Jones Avenue, Opposite TREVO office,
Ikeja, Lagos

Let's start work on having good success in our lives...Remain blessed! Share this and come with friends!

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