Thursday, 26 August 2010
Food for thought - A good church service
A good church service is not what you shouted about but what you understood. Until what you heard becomes what you understood and applied it was not a good service.
Wednesday, 18 August 2010
Is the love of the Father in you?
1 John 2:14 – 17 : King James Version
I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.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. 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. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
The bible is talking to Christians ‘ If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. The love of the world is defined as ‘the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life’.
This is the question, is the love of the father in you? Will you take a better paid job than fulfill the plan of God for your life? Will you go for the pride of life in job positions than obey God? Will you rather buy that expensive car than obey the father and use the money to do something else that He wants you to do? Yes you go to church, but is the love of the father in you?
The answer is clear, for the scripture says, ‘if any man’, loves the world, the love of the father is not in him.
*Worldliness can be internal, for it begins in the heart. It is characterized by three attitudes:
a) lust of the flesh – preoccupation with gratifying physical desires
b) lust of the eyes – materialism
c) pride of life – obsession with ones status or importance
*(Life application study bible)
This does not mean that a person is not born again. It simply means that the love for the world has consumed the love for God in their heart. For the bible says that the love of God has been shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit given unto us (Romans 5:5). We all have what it takes to love God.
When you disobey the father because of worldly things (the positions, pride, power, deceit of riches), remember that they will all pass away and one day you will have to give account to God.
Let us love God. We all have the capacity to be consumed with His love.
All we need to do is yield ourselves to His love, which is in our hearts.
If you feel dry and indifferent, cry out for His help. Ask Him to do a work in your heart and spend time in His presence.
Lets allow our love for Him to consume us and direct out lives.
Bisi Oladipupo
I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.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. 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. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
The bible is talking to Christians ‘ If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. The love of the world is defined as ‘the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life’.
This is the question, is the love of the father in you? Will you take a better paid job than fulfill the plan of God for your life? Will you go for the pride of life in job positions than obey God? Will you rather buy that expensive car than obey the father and use the money to do something else that He wants you to do? Yes you go to church, but is the love of the father in you?
The answer is clear, for the scripture says, ‘if any man’, loves the world, the love of the father is not in him.
*Worldliness can be internal, for it begins in the heart. It is characterized by three attitudes:
a) lust of the flesh – preoccupation with gratifying physical desires
b) lust of the eyes – materialism
c) pride of life – obsession with ones status or importance
*(Life application study bible)
This does not mean that a person is not born again. It simply means that the love for the world has consumed the love for God in their heart. For the bible says that the love of God has been shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit given unto us (Romans 5:5). We all have what it takes to love God.
When you disobey the father because of worldly things (the positions, pride, power, deceit of riches), remember that they will all pass away and one day you will have to give account to God.
Let us love God. We all have the capacity to be consumed with His love.
All we need to do is yield ourselves to His love, which is in our hearts.
If you feel dry and indifferent, cry out for His help. Ask Him to do a work in your heart and spend time in His presence.
Lets allow our love for Him to consume us and direct out lives.
Bisi Oladipupo
Wednesday, 11 August 2010
Just a touch!
Its so encouraging to know that just a touch can make all the difference. What a privilege we have.
Lets look at a few examples from scripture:
Leprosy departed
Mark 1: 40 – 42
And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.
And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.
Fever departed
Mark 1: 29 – 31
And forthwith, when they were come out of the synagogue, they entered into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.
But Simon’s wife’s mother lay sick of a fever, and anon they tell him of her.
And he came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them.
Notice the last verse all the Lord did was take her by the hand, lift her up (no prayer) and the fever departed.
12 years issue of blood healed
Mark 5: 25 – 29
And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years,
And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,
When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.
For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.
And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.
Blindness healed
Mark 8: 22 – 25
And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him.
And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought.
And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking.
After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly.
Matthew 9: 27 – 30
And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou son of David, have mercy on us.
And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord.
Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.
And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it.
A dead son received back to life!
Luke 7: 12 – 15
Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her.
And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not.
And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.
And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother.
Deafness and impediment in speech healed
Mark 7: 32 – 35
And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him.
And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue;
And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened.
And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain.
Cut off ear healed and restored!
Just imagine an ear put back on with no surgery, just a touch from our Lord
Luke 22: 48 – 51
But Jesus said unto him, Judas, betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss?
When they which were about him saw what would follow, they said unto him, Lord, shall we smite with the sword?
And one of them smote the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear.
And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far. And he touched his ear, and healed him.
All kinds of diseases healed
Matthew 14: 35 – 36
And when the men of that place had knowledge of him, they sent out into all that country round about, and brought unto him all that were diseased;
And besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole.
Luke 6: 19
And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all.
Mark 6:56
And whithersoever he entered, into villages, or cities, or country, they laid the sick in the streets, and besought him that they might touch if it were but the border of his garment: and as many as touched him were made whole.
But the situation has persisted? Don’t listen to the lies of the devil, its nothing in the eyes of the Lord. Be encouraged by these scriptures and be rest assured that the Lord will do it.
Bisi Oladipupo
Lets look at a few examples from scripture:
Leprosy departed
Mark 1: 40 – 42
And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.
And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.
Fever departed
Mark 1: 29 – 31
And forthwith, when they were come out of the synagogue, they entered into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.
But Simon’s wife’s mother lay sick of a fever, and anon they tell him of her.
And he came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them.
Notice the last verse all the Lord did was take her by the hand, lift her up (no prayer) and the fever departed.
12 years issue of blood healed
Mark 5: 25 – 29
And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years,
And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,
When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.
For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.
And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.
Blindness healed
Mark 8: 22 – 25
And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him.
And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought.
And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking.
After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly.
Matthew 9: 27 – 30
And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou son of David, have mercy on us.
And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord.
Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.
And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it.
A dead son received back to life!
Luke 7: 12 – 15
Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her.
And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not.
And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.
And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother.
Deafness and impediment in speech healed
Mark 7: 32 – 35
And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him.
And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue;
And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened.
And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain.
Cut off ear healed and restored!
Just imagine an ear put back on with no surgery, just a touch from our Lord
Luke 22: 48 – 51
But Jesus said unto him, Judas, betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss?
When they which were about him saw what would follow, they said unto him, Lord, shall we smite with the sword?
And one of them smote the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear.
And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far. And he touched his ear, and healed him.
All kinds of diseases healed
Matthew 14: 35 – 36
And when the men of that place had knowledge of him, they sent out into all that country round about, and brought unto him all that were diseased;
And besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole.
Luke 6: 19
And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all.
Mark 6:56
And whithersoever he entered, into villages, or cities, or country, they laid the sick in the streets, and besought him that they might touch if it were but the border of his garment: and as many as touched him were made whole.
But the situation has persisted? Don’t listen to the lies of the devil, its nothing in the eyes of the Lord. Be encouraged by these scriptures and be rest assured that the Lord will do it.
Bisi Oladipupo
Monday, 2 August 2010
Honouring the Lord
While we do honour the Lord in giving our tithes and offerings there are many other ways in which we can honour the Lord. One of such includes the way in which we bring up our children.
We honour the Lord and His Word when we instruct and teach our children the ways of the Lord.
Lessons from Eli
Reading the account in 1 Samuel 2:22 to 1 Samuel 4: 22 many lessons can be learned. This article will highlight a few of them.
1 Samuel 2: 22 – 25
Now Eli was very old, and heard all that his sons did unto all Israel; and how they lay with the women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
And he said unto them, Why do ye such things? for I hear of your evil dealings by all this people.
Nay, my sons; for it is no good report that I hear: ye make the LORD’s people to transgress.
If one man sin against another, the judge shall judge him: but if a man sin against the LORD, who shall intreat for him? Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto the voice of their father, because the LORD would slay them.
According to verse 25, his Sons did not obey the voice of their father.
Lets see the Lords opinion to Elis approach in correcting his children.
1 Samuel 3: 13
13For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.
The bible says that Eli did not restrain his children. It takes more than a voice to discipline and train children.
To restrain is an active word, which just a voice will not do.
Just Imagine a large block about to fall on the head of your child. Will you just say ‘ Jack’ can you leave that place please? Of course no, you will go and physically pull the child away.
It takes more than a voice to restrain children from evil. It takes
Discipline
Rod of correction
Chastisement
I Samuel 2: 29 says Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded in my habitation; and honourest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people?
Eli did not honour the Lord in doing everything he could to ensure his children obey God.
We honour the Lord when we respect and put His Word first before the disobedience of our children. We need to be bold to correct them and stand our ground on what Gods Words says. This is honouring the Lord . Not giving in to their disobedience.
1 Samuel 2: 30 Wherefore the LORD God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.
Eli paid a very costly price for this. 1 Samuel 3: 13 For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.
I think this is a very sober lesson. The Lord loves us so much however we do have a responsibility to train up our children.
Lets honour the Lord in doing this right.
Bisi Oladipupo
We honour the Lord and His Word when we instruct and teach our children the ways of the Lord.
Lessons from Eli
Reading the account in 1 Samuel 2:22 to 1 Samuel 4: 22 many lessons can be learned. This article will highlight a few of them.
1 Samuel 2: 22 – 25
Now Eli was very old, and heard all that his sons did unto all Israel; and how they lay with the women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
And he said unto them, Why do ye such things? for I hear of your evil dealings by all this people.
Nay, my sons; for it is no good report that I hear: ye make the LORD’s people to transgress.
If one man sin against another, the judge shall judge him: but if a man sin against the LORD, who shall intreat for him? Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto the voice of their father, because the LORD would slay them.
According to verse 25, his Sons did not obey the voice of their father.
Lets see the Lords opinion to Elis approach in correcting his children.
1 Samuel 3: 13
13For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.
The bible says that Eli did not restrain his children. It takes more than a voice to discipline and train children.
To restrain is an active word, which just a voice will not do.
Just Imagine a large block about to fall on the head of your child. Will you just say ‘ Jack’ can you leave that place please? Of course no, you will go and physically pull the child away.
It takes more than a voice to restrain children from evil. It takes
Discipline
Rod of correction
Chastisement
I Samuel 2: 29 says Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded in my habitation; and honourest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people?
Eli did not honour the Lord in doing everything he could to ensure his children obey God.
We honour the Lord when we respect and put His Word first before the disobedience of our children. We need to be bold to correct them and stand our ground on what Gods Words says. This is honouring the Lord . Not giving in to their disobedience.
1 Samuel 2: 30 Wherefore the LORD God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.
Eli paid a very costly price for this. 1 Samuel 3: 13 For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.
I think this is a very sober lesson. The Lord loves us so much however we do have a responsibility to train up our children.
Lets honour the Lord in doing this right.
Bisi Oladipupo
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