The Cross and The Resurrection

Ministry Wednesday: What we Preach: The Cross and The Resurrection

As ministers, we must understand clearly what we preach in its simple form so that even the least intelligent will grasp it without stress. If salvation is for all, then the focus of preaching must be to make the person with the least ability to comprehend understand it.

We have different ways to describe what we preach. We call it the gospel, we call it preaching Christ, preaching the Kingdom of God, preaching the Word of God and all these are correct, speaking of same message of Christ preached to save mankind.

Apostle Paul put it this way...

[My Offline Bible] Romans 10
1. Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.

6. But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:)

7. Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)

8. But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;

9. That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

10. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

11. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.


Verse 9 is actually the crux of the gospel message. The whole discuss shows how man would need salvation and how man can get the salvation that is provided by God in Christ Jesus.

Let me say this, that except a man gets to the point where he sees himself as needing salvation, particularly from sin, such isn't ready for the crux of the gospel.

Even Jesus Christ our Lord Himself said He didn't come for the righteous but for the unrighteous because the one who is whole has no need of a physician.

Of course, that all have sinned by the reason of the old man and his nature within mankind is part of the preaching and should be made obvious to every one who listens, that rebellion against God has consequences.

But the way to forgiveness and transformation from being sinners to being saved is in that verse 9. Apostle Paul called it the word of faith which we preach.

It's quite simple even if it wasn't arrived at that cheaply. Christ died for our sins and was raised for our justification and believing that and consequently submitting to His Lordship brings salvation and redemption.

The message is of the cross and of His resurrection. If it ends at the cross, then, it won't be worth anything different from the messages from so many self acclaimed messengers of God who died, was buried and waiting themselves for the day of the resurrection of both the just and the unjust.

The resurrection of Christ gives credence to the message of the kingdom of God and to every word He came to preach and the revolution He brought to the way mankind is to reach God henceforth.

The resurrection ratifies the cross, telling the world that God had accepted the sacrifice of His only Son and that the price for the sin of mankind has been paid and now man can be reconciled back to God. We have peace with God through Christ Jesus.

The resurrection tells us that someday, we all will be raised in like manner either to judgement or into a new life in the kingdom of God. It tells us that there is something called the resurrection from the dead preceding eternal judgment and justification. That's why Jesus Christ is called the firstborn from the dead. Colossians 1
18. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

The resurrection of Christ is God giving us the assurance that mankind has a chance to be saved through the sacrifice of Christ on the cross.

The resurrection tells us that the blood shed was truly for the cleansing of the sins of the world and available for whosoever desires to be clean before God.

The resurrection of Christ tells us how the sacrifice of Christ on the cross is the final sacrifice and settled it forever the Way God has made for mankind to reach Him, if he wants. We no longer have to grope, wondering where the way to God is, the resurrection already settled that for us.

And so we preach this word of faith, that if you will believe in your heart that God has raised Christ from the dead and confess that He is your Lord, you will he saved.

We aren't sent to give to mankind another Way to God. What Christ did is the ultimate sin destroyer. If we are saved this way, sin will die a natural death. Nothing else can handle sin like what happened between the cross and the resurrection.

The cross and the blood took care of past sins ratified by the resurrection and the resurrection itself took care of the future as the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead also dwells in them who believe to quicken their mortal bodies against continuing in sin. Romans 8:11&12. The new life and the nature of God that raised Christ at resurrection is same we received, when we believe Him that nature releases God's righteousness and holiness in us to be released in our lifestyle daily.

Our own faith in these phenomenon empowers and emboldens us to preach this same message to the world. Inability to believe will make us preach another gospel like telling people to stop sinning before God can receive them.

If people would need to stop sinning before being saved, then they don't need to be saved because they'll be able to save themselves. It's like telling a person in shackles to first remove his chains before he can be rescued from the same bond. If I could stop sinning by myself, I don't need someone else to save me from sin. It is another gospel that makes nonsense of all that Christ did on the cross.

It is a message of faith in the efficacy of the cross and the resurrection to save mankind.

And if we will give the message a chance, we will see how powerful God is in saving man from sin instead of trying to do what we weren't equipped to do and wondering why we are failing.

Good morning servant of God, and Happy Resurrection.

Photo Credit: Joseph Redfield/Pexels

Naked and Not Ashamed

Relationship Friday: Naked and Not Ashamed

Genesis 2
24. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
25. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

The pathway to sexual intimacy is oneness. Sexual intimacy is the consummation of oneness, but without mental and emotional oneness, sex is either rape or mere bodily exercise without any lasting fulfillment.

There must be first a mental and emotional joining before fleshly oneness and not a thing done once for all but something maintained till death do them part.

There has to be mutual nakedness in all things with one another without being ashamed or being afraid of what the other person will do with the nakedness before physical nakedness should happen.

It may be easier to be physically naked to one another than to be so naked in other areas of life but physical nakedness is the last thing that should happen. It happens automatically in marriage when the two are able to reach nakedness in other areas of life without fear or shame. It is crippled automatically when one or both discovers that there are things yet to be disclosed in areas of life.

In our days, sex has become cheap but God's standard remains the same. The man must leave his father and mother, cleave to his wife, become one before nakedness that won't cause shame or fear. That's the order with God.

There is a commitment beyond mere physical contact that must be before sexual intimacy should happen. There has to be a commitment towards protecting each other's nakedness. You don't entrust your nakedness to someone who don't care, otherwise it'll cause shame.

Now after the commitment has been signed by marriage, it becomes binding to be naked and not be ashamed. It is both a right and a privilege to both offer your nakedness and to enjoy the nakedness of your spouse.

But the rule remains same in marriage, there has to be nakedness in other areas before that of the physical. It isn't sex first. When there isn't openness in other areas of life between a man and a woman who are supposed to be one, then it's mere taking of advantage of each other to be having sex.

If you are ashamed to give certain information and afraid to be open in particular areas of your life because you couldn't trust your spouse with those information then something fundamental needs to be done to heal that part of your relationship. The physical nakedness you are still enjoying may not last if something isn't done to deal with that situation.

Infidelity is sharing your nakedness with others beyond your spouse. It is a shame in itself. That's why it isn't something that can be done openly or that you'll be naked or be open about without being ashamed or afraid. That's same with other areas of cover ups.

That person you can't entrust your nakedness to without it being abused doesn't deserve your nakedness. That's why marriage should only be with someone trusted who is worthy of such trust.

That's why we ought to go about with that sense of responsibility towards the nakedness of our spouses in deep commitment and not as something that doesn't matter.

Can you truly be naked with your spouse in every area and not be ashamed? Can your spouse be totally naked with you beyond mere physical intimacy and not be ashamed? Are there things you are afraid of letting your wife or husband know? Are you someone who can't handle the nakedness of your spouse without losing your head?

To earn the nakedness of your spouse, you'll have to be his or her cover. Nobody will be naked with you who isn't sure if the next thing is that you'll take the pictures and share on social media or use as a bargaining strength to take advantage of him or her.

You don't deserve your spouse's nakedness if it is to make him afraid or ashamed. If you won't be his or her cover, then you don't have a right or the privilege to his or her nakedness.

If you are yet to be married, make sure you are ready to be naked and to properly handle the nakedness of the other person, and make sure the other person is one who can also be naked and not be ashamed.

If you are already married, if there are areas where you both are covering up from one another, those areas need to be reviewed to know why. Perfect love casts out fear. There's no shame in perfect love. If there's fear or doubt in your heart towards your spouse, deal with it, otherwise it'll degenerate into hurtful separation that makes nonsense of the relationship.

We always have areas to work on in our marriages, if this is your own to work on, then roll up your sleeves and get down to work. If you work on it, it'll work.

I wish your marriage bliss and peace!

Have an intimate weekend with your spouse.

If this has blessed you, don't quit before you share! Thank you, God bless you greatly!

Photo by Helena Lopes from Pexels

With God, Beyond the Walls

With God, Beyond the Walls

I realise that nothing can possibly stop anyone who truly seeks intimacy with God.

When I consider David, the king, who being from the tribe of Judah, a group of people of which nothing was said concerning priesthood or the service of the temple and how David by reason of longing and thirst after God bypassed the system to carve a niche for himself in being friends with God, I got convinced that whatever limitations that exist between God and man is only a fluke at best.

David couldn't go past the outer court of the three part temple arrangement. Only the priests could go beyond the outer court into the Holy place and beyond that into the holiest of all, only the high priest could enter once a year and that not for casual visit of friendliness but with blood to appease for the sin of the past year.

But we see David as he bypassed all that by longing and panting after God as the deer pants after the waters and his soul followed hard after Him clearing away every hindrance to enjoy intimacy with and endearing God.

[My Offline Bible] Psalms 42
1. As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.
2. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?

[My Offline Bible] Psalms 63
1. O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;
6. When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.
7. Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.
8. My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.

This, David did, until he was able to eventually set the LORD always before him and at his right hand far away from the unreachable position the Levitical priesthood had set Him in the temple. He broke the walls of partition by delighting himself in God to get God to go with Him everywhere he went. Just as Enoch without the Levitical priesthood walked with God and was not, because God took him: just as Abraham walked with God and was called His friend long before the law was given by Moses.

Today, we are of all generations most blessed. Today, Christ has come consecrating for us a new and living way to approach the Father and to walk with Him in His light by His blood. It is a special highway, not just for a particular group of people but for all who would only believe in the substitutional sacrifice of Christ Jesus.

The way is open for love intimacy with God through faith in Christ Jesus beyond all the troubles of this world. We can come away into the sanctuary of His presence away from the pressures and the distraction of this world cleansed of imperfections by the blood as we fellowship with God.

Do you care? God cares about you being friend with Him and He calls waiting for you with open arms and forget all the cares of this world as they are swallowed up in His embrace...

Good morning. Have a God filled day!

Power Planning

Motivation Monday: Power Planning

We all know that when we fail to plan, we have only planned to fail. Everything that we see came out of a planned framework. The most obvious things we see are houses and buildings. Their beauties, functionalities and securities are achieved and pronounced by the plans that birthed them.
When we have a goal to achieve, we look for ways to bring them to pass. The step by step process is outlined, revealing the framework we are working towards.

Success is a combination of desires, possibilities, potentials and abilities that find fulfilment. Desires isolates what we want to see happen. They are expressions of a vision we have seen within us of what's possible. Sometimes they come out of needs and necessities. Needs must be met and so what meets them must be possible otherwise they remain unmet and life won't be maximised.

What would the world be without commercial aircrafts for instance? But there was a time when they weren't there. With them we have moved to maximise life to a large extent. It's not luxury to travel by air, it's a necessity considering limited time and unimaginable distances.

When we didn't have them, they were visions and desires in our minds, but because we have needs of fast travels, they became possibilities, they have to be possible, there were no other choices if we are to achieve fast travels.

Take the case of water as another example. I often ask in our trainings, what was created first, thirst or water? Of course water was created first. But the absence of water created thirst. So we have water and lack of it at same time. But thirst was because the Creator made man dependent on water. It was a need that must be met without an option or a choice if man is to live. Man therefore has a responsibility to locate water and to manage it to deal with thirst. The need for water automatically makes finding water possible even if it looked impossible to find for a while.


Our potentials are solutions to the problems of maximising life. Lots of things are possible but the tools to bring out their possibilities are in our abilities yet to be discovered called potentials. Man has the potential to fly and that makes air and fast travel a possibility even if it hadn't happened though we saw its need and we desired it. We need to quench the thirst, the thirst tells us water is somewhere in existence but the ability to find water is hidden in some potentials within us.

If we have the need or the desires, then we are sure the supply is in existence, what we need to discover is the potential that God had embedded in us to locate water because its possible even if it hadn't ever been found before.
Then we develop these potentials to abilities through knowledge and research.

The putting together of all these to move us from where we are to getting what we want is what we call planning. It forms a plan of action and a process to follow to get from where we are to where we have desired through the available abilities.

Planning is wisdom born out of understood information to achieve goals and visions. Information is a child of research, and understanding them is a matter of insight and inspiration. Faith is the ability to see possibilities in what ordinarily don't present as possible and to take steps in finding out how that possibility is meant to be made possible. Every research and innovation is a child of faith.

When we have the complete information, then planning can start. A plan is as good as the quality of information that went into it. If the information are correct, true and complete, the plan that comes out of such will produce the exact desire imagined or envisioned. The major limiting factors to the quality and the functionality of a final product is the information that goes into the planning that produced it.
When you look at the functionality of creation and particularly of humans you'll see the quality of information and intelligence that went into the planning that produced both the physical and the psychological make up of man and his environment, which tells us of who God is and why we should honour Him by taking Him quite seriously.

Our functionalities as humans were deliberately put there. When God said we should have dominion over all His creation, the writers of that weren't conscious of the potential in them to go to space and to dominate the universe, not even to get to the moon. Yet they wrote that God said 'nothing will be restrained from them which they had imagined to do' Genesis 11:6. Did they believe that when they wrote that? Did they imagine how things will turn out under ten thousand years with man? I doubt but God had known because He knew how He'd created man to be.

We are created in God's image and it shows. No wonder we rebel thinking we could exist without God and be self sufficient, which is an error, as if an android created by man can operate without man. Artificial intelligence is limited to the degree to which it is programmed. It can't outgrow the space created for it by its programmers. So is man with God. Though made in God's image and now had acquired the possibility of rebellion against God, his present state wasn't something his Creator wasn't aware of. He had planned on how to deal with it long before that rebellion would happen in His eternal judgement for those who refuse Him or in mercy and grace in Christ to those who decide to trust Him.

We, therefore also have the responsibility of planning and making quality plans to achieve our own goals and desires even if we can't totally do without Him. Definitely we can research out the things God has hidden and so make ourselves kings according to the scriptures, but our ability to predict and extract information from the future isn't part of humanity except when we already have patterns and data from the past with which to predict.
But such predictions are limited and so limiting the plans we make. Besides, purpose, that is, the need a thing was made to meet, isn't often clear to us to permit plans without God. That's why the futurist movies made of the days we live in years ago don't look like what we now experience. The information about the future limits the plans we have. And that brings us back to the issue of divine dependence.

Does God know the future? Yes, He does. That is clear because when He said man wouldn't be retrained whatever he imagines, nothing near what we have seen man accomplished till date had happened.

So what do we do to get that information? Well, go into the eternal library of the Holy Spirit. Even there we can have a glimpse of the original plans for our lives and nations and align with them to make things hitherto impossible possible and maximise life to its fullest for ourselves. It'll be a waste if we live less than God has made potentially possible for us, it'll be like not having enough water in a water world, living on earth like living in Mars.

Almost all things are possible on the earth if adequate planing is engaged in our quest to get them done. Let's engage our God given intelligence and His inspiration to research into what our needs are and to extract relevant information necessary to form plans that can produce the impossible as nations of the world or as individuals within them.

Let's meditate on this. Good morning folks

Tough Situations, Tough Solutions

Ministry Wednesday: Tough Situations, Tough Solutions.

Ministry poses very tough situations maybe more than other endeavors in life. People see the few popular ministers with lives that seem so perfect and comfortable and would want to conclude that it's all rosy once you step into the ministry.

Many also step into it with that mentality, thinking it'll all be jolly. The reality is what Jesus Christ our Lord and Master declared to His disciples over and over, that in this world, we will have tribulations...He also said He had sent us as sheep in the midst of wolves. He said we should rejoice when the world hates us.

All pointing to the fact that, it won't be all rosy and jolly. We have been called into battle, into a tough job. That's why it's hilarious when people generalise that to have free money, affluence and influence, just become a pastor and you're made. No statement is as foolish. And more so, when someone goes into ministry with such a mentality.

How easy can it be to be told to give your services without charge and to make sacrifices without a price tag? Jesus Christ said freely have you received, freely give. How easy is it to be told not to make merchandise of the people, not selling things to get their money?
How easy is it to be sent without having a purse, a crib and not more than a pair of sandals? How easy is it to depend on the willingness of naturally selfish people to support a cause of faith?
This is what a woman of God described as being called to walk on water. We have been called to do the impossible. We have been called to joyfully face the violence of fire, the armies of aliens and the ferocity of lions as Apostle Paul said God had to deliver him from the mouth of the lion.

If you have gone into ministry with the get rich quickly mentality, you are most to be pitied and of all men most miserable for you shall be disappointed mercilessly, if not in the immediate, it'll surely be later.

Mastering how to deal with tough situations as a good soldier of the Lord is what's needed to learn. If those solutions aren't mastered, particularly from Jesus Christ's earthly walk and those of His early apostles, a minister would probably die in suffering and in disappointments or defect to the side of those who make merchandise of God's people and of the gifts of God in their lives and go into a just and swift destruction, as the scriptures promised oftentimes.

It's good to know from the start that we have been called to walk on water. We have been called to move mountains. That's what the call into ministry is. We have been called to part Red seas, to quench the violence of fire, to turn back the armies of aliens, to refuse deliverance when need be, to stand by the faith at all cost with joy without compromise.

It can be heavy. It can be tough but that's what it is and we have to understand that. When such an understanding is not known, disappointment and compromise become the way and many people have unfortunately fallen into them.

You'll be spoken against, you'll be taken advantage of, you'll be betrayed, you'll be deprived, you'll be ridiculed and laughed at and it'll be OK. It's just part of the job hazards, it should never be taken personally, with hatred or with the mind of retaliation but with courage, love and faith in Him who called.

Our hope isn't in people ordinarily treating us well or giving to us freely, because if they don't, we still don't have the right to revile them when they revile us. Our hope isn't in the natural, otherwise our message won't be supernatural. Our hope is in the faithfulness of the One who called, who also will do it according to 1Thessonians 5.

Our hope is in Christ Jesus who stretched His hands to save Peter when he started sinking because of the fear he had due to the winds. We must keep our eyes on Jesus Christ and not on the things of this world.

In all our tribulations, He comforts us. He is the one with the solution to the toughness of the call. He will always be there if we won't let Him down.

Now, we don't always have the challenges in same area of life. Some may have health issues to deal with, others may have financial difficulties to deal with, some may have marriage and children issues to deal with, while other may have issues with people always being disloyal, some working in hostile communities and always being exposed to threats of life and losses. No matter what kind of mountain you're to move or the kind of water to walk upon, as you work for your master, know it that He is with you. That mountain shall be moved and you'll walk on that water to get to the boat even if Christ would have to hold your hand.

He has called us to move the mountain and it shall be moved. He has called us to walk on water, and on such waters we shall move. He has called us to part the Red seas and the seas will flee from us, the violence of fire we shall quench, we shall stop the mouths of lions, we shall turn back the armies of the alien, we shall endure the hardness till we see the result of the travail and be glad.

The solution to the toughness is in Christ Jesus and not in the mercies of the world. It isn't even in the obedience of people but in Him. It isn't in the largess and the favours of people with political powers but in Christ Jesus. He will be with us and comfort us as we face the toughness of the situation within which we are called to preach the gospel.

We shall not be disappointed, we shall remain focused and resolute in faith till we see Him, we shall not compromise our faith in Him, no matter what. We shall endure to the end and shall be saved!

Don't forget that we have a message to preach and to protect. Knowing that the opposition is stiff. The message must be powered by God of it is to remain true. The Tempter will not rest throwing arrows and raising oppositions to afflict us severely but we must remain resolute at all cost to contend for the faith that was once committed to the saints. If you permit Satan to pay your price, because of hardship, you won't be able to stop him from dictating the tune and it'll be worse if he pays and you won't play.

Hold on to the comfort of Christ and you won't be disappointed! Peace to you servant of God!

[My Offline Bible] 2 Corinthians 1
4. Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. 5. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.

Dealing with Mountains

Motivation Monday: Dealing with Mountains

Profiling the topography of the expanse to cover on our journeys from where we are to where we are headed, not every point will be smooth sail. We may have to encounter the plains, the valleys, the rivers to cross, the mashy areas, the crooked ways, the rough roads, the hills and the mountains especially if the journey is planned to cover a large distance.
In construction of roads, the longitudinally dissected profile of the distance reveals every feature and it prepares the engineers towards what to encounter and how to solve the problems long before hand.

From the scriptures, we can deduce certain things that helped in dealing with the obstacles on our way. Let's take the mountain as a case study.

The mountains present to us insurmountable difficulties but within them are treasures. They are those hard nuts we must crack to bring us great fortunes and recognition.

Dealing with mountains successfully is an achievement in its own right. Many mountains are what others have tried to deal with without success and so have abandoned as impossible. Many have left the mountains and the treasures within for paths of lesser resistance thereby creating longer and more crooked paths as they try to avoid difficult situations. Many never arrive at success trying to avoid the difficulty mountains pose.

Dealing with mountains successfully creates ways for others to attain to their own greatness. It takes a pioneering spirit and a leadership resolve to take on mountains.

When Jesus Christ, our Lord was to teach faith with the cursing of the fig tree, He told His disciples that having faith don't just dry up barren trees but that it also moves mountains. That was to represent the extent of difficulty, mountains represent impossibilities.

But from what Jesus Christ said, faith is what deals with mountains. The ability to believe that there are no impossibilities against the power of God made available to us here on the earth.
The fact that when God prepared the universe, He puts all of His creations under the feet or under the authority of man. So here, man working with God is invincibility and omnipotence. Because all things have been put under man's feet and authority.

God said concerning Zerubabel in the book of Zechariah how the mountain would become a plain before him, how he would hold to the topmost of the stones of the mountain in accomplishment shouting grace, grace... He said concerning this, how it isn't going to be by physical power nor military might but by the Spirit of God...

It was the same with Caleb, who was promised a mountain when he was only 40 years old. When he became 80, he demanded that Joshua give the mountain to him to go conquer.

In His own case, the mountain was a stronghold of the enemies. He was to conquer the land and take over the possession. Dealing with enemies using a mountain as their stronghold is more difficult than dealing with enemies at same elevation.

These are situations we deal with daily as we journey towards our promised land. Our success depends on how we are able to handle those situations.

We can see that faith, believe, plays a big role in dealing with mountains. The ability to see the plain even while the mountain is still standing. What do you believe is possible? We can create mountains by our unbelieving perspectives to life. Whatever you see as impossible automatically becomes a mountain.

Mountains have ears, they hear and obey. I'm sure you find that curious. They are inanimate, how are they able to listen? Mountains were created by being called forth just as every other thing, so they hear. They came by obeying words commanded, so they obey.

So, learn to talk to the mountain, let it know what you want of it. It's waiting for you to give the command, and it's ready to obey. Tell that difficulty that it's going to go, tell the challenge that it won't last. Tell the examination that it won't stop you.

Then start taking the stones apart one by one, start doing what you can do towards removing or ploughing through the problem. Zerubabel was to eventually hold the cap stone but he won't start from there. He would have to move against the mountain from the ground but in faith and with the assurance that the mountain is gone before start.

Don't run away from mountains. They aren't as formidable as to think they won't either be moved or be made plain. We only need to believe that nothing is impossible. If it has come our way, then they have to make way. Then don't stop ploughing into it, soon you'll be holding the headstone, shouting grace, grace to it!

Have a great day, a wonderful week and an awesome month! Go take that mountain!