GOD OF WONDERS by Adebanji Oluwatomisin Oluwadara

He is inexplicable;

Highly indescribable;

To have such a God;

Beyond words, beyond thoughts, and beyond imagination;

This God of wonders…..

In today’s world, the concept of Christianity, as well as its basic principles is fading away. This is highly prevalent among the youths and adolescents of our time. The problem is that most youths think that the standards of God are way high above and beyond reach. Little do we know that God is a God of wonder who understands us for who we are.

As youths, our worries include academics, finances, relationships as well as the constant battle to please peers. Though we are expected to be different from the world, it is possible to relate with God on such a level that He becomes a friend rather than some supreme Deity. The same way He is able to relate to a 76 year old, He is also able to relate to a 16 or 26 year old.

There is one strategy that always works for me; I always tell it as it is. If I am angry I tell Him exactly that; if it is a guy that I like but I’m confused about, I tell Him exactly that; if it is a subject I find difficult to understand, I tell it as it is. This works because I realised that this God is a God of wonder but always remember, the same way He is a God of love, He is also a consuming fire…for those that disobeys Him. How wonderful.

As youths, we always expect so much from God and due to our impatience, we tand to move away from him when we encounter some problems, difficulties or disappointments. Despite all these, he is patient with us and even longs for our return when we go away from him. Considering the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-31, the father (God) even celebrated the return of the lost son with the sacrifice of the fattest cow. God loves us so much and he cleanses and purifies us when we return to him. No sin is too big, no person is too bad, no mistakes too many that cannot be cleansed by the blood of his dear son. To demonstrate his love for us, he made his son available and allowed him to die fro our sins (John 3:16).

I love the words of the teacher in Ecclesiastes 12:1which says :”do not let the excitement of your youth cause you to forget your creator, honor him in your youth before you grow old and say life is not pleasurable anymore (New living translation). Who the life of a Christian youth should not be exciting? God is not against excitement, happiness and pleasure but the emphasis is laid on not forgetting the lord in the days of our youth when we have the greatest amount of strength. Let us not lavish our energies, let us redirect and focus our mind on discovering the amazing God of wonder. Shalom.

TEMPTED BUT OVERCAME - PART 2

Lust of the Eyes

You desire what you can see, what you can feel, what you can touch and what you can smell. I think the eyes is the most quickest and powerful way that transmits the object of your desire to your heart. The eyes enjoy seeing the beauty of the world.

The devil wanted to divert Jesus from his mission by arrogantly declaring, “I will give you the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them because they are mine to give to anyone I please. I will give it to you if you will worship me”. What arrogance! What lies! The intent was that Jesus would see this beautiful world and lusting after the glory would then bow. In Genesis chapter 3, after the devil had weaved his lies, Eve saw that the tree was beautiful and it's fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it too and thus sin entered the world.

 I see, I like and I want. The desire for the things we can see. There is nothing wrong with natural desire, after all God said He will grant us the desires of our heart (Ps 37:4). When a desire becomes a lust, it becomes an ungodly desire. The lust of the eyes gives birth to the lust of the flesh. When everything we see is what we desire, it becomes greed (excessive desire to acquire or possess more than one need) and could lead to covetousness. These sort of desire is evil in the sight of God.

The devil will entice you with ‘seemingly’ beautiful things that you see with your eyes and desire in your heart. This is where the temptation comes in, once you desire something and you want it, how you get it would then be where one is led into sin and subsequently one’s fellowship with Christ is broken.  We see devil tell Jesus (Luke 4:7), “I will give it all to you if you will worship me.” If you are willing to enter into a partnership with the devil, your relationship with God is severed.

This is the goal of the devil and his demons; to break our fellowship with God. He knows God protects those who are righteous and they can’t be touched by him. However this protection is cut off once sin enters.

When getting what we see and desire will make us sin, it is better to let go. Jesus’ response is very clear, ‘You must worship the Lord your God, only Him shall you serve’. It’s not everything that the eyes perceive is beautiful that we must have. We will have what is in line with God’s purpose and plan for our life.  God is the one that holds all the riches of this world in His hand. He is more than able to give you your heart’s desire. We don’t need to seek anyone else. Jesus Christ was very certain about his purpose on earth and would not be detracted by the worldly things or the worldly status that comes with it.

If we are struggling with lust of the eyes, Jesus Christ taught us that it is better to enter eternal life with only one eyes than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell (Mathew 18:9). It sounds so harsh, but hell would be even harsher. A less drastic action could be to learn how to keep our eyes and mind focused on things of God. It is possible with the help of the Holy Spirit. This helps us to resist the devil and he will flee from us. The devil will continue to use any channel of weakness to tempt us and we must cut off this channel before we are cut off from our Source, Jesus. God has already given us the grace against all evil desires (James 4:6).

If you do not have a relationship with God by giving your life in Jesus, none of this will work for you. These would only work for you if you have already given your life to Jesus Christ and you are living a holy life under the direction of the Holy Spirit. If you have not done so, I ask that you reconsider. You are missing out on so many wonderful promises of a victorious, joyful and peaceful life in this world and the promise of eternity with Christ.

If you would like to give your life to Jesus, just repeat this prayer; ‘Father I come to you as a sinner, I confess I am a sinner, I believe that Your Son Jesus Christ came into the world and died for my sins. I ask that from this moment forward you come into my life and be my Lord and Saviour. Where you lead I will follow. Direct my paths from henceforth and help me to grow in you all the days of my life. Amen’

If you prayed this prayer, I encourage you to go to a bible teaching church as directed by the Holy Spirit and continue to pray for God to help you to grow spiritually. I would like to pray with you so write to me adeola@we-can-leadershipinstitute.com

SHALOM

Adeola Akintoye

Copyright: the use of this article should be done with due copyright and ascribing all glory to Almighty God

The Great Commission

Key Passages

(Mathew 28: 19) ‘Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit’

(Mark 16:15) “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.

(Luke 24:47) It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’ 

(John 20:21) Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” 

What is the great commission?

During Jesus time on earth,

·        (Luke 9:1-2) One day Jesus called together his twelve disciples and gave them power and authority to cast out all demons and to heal all diseases.  Then he sent them out to tell everyone about the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick

·        (Luke 10:1,9) The Lord now chose seventy-two other disciples and sent them ahead in pairs to all the towns and places he planned to visit. Heal the sick, and tell them, ‘The Kingdom of God is near you now.’

·        (Mark 6:12) So the disciples went out, telling everyone they met to repent of their sins and turn to God.

·        (Mathew 10:7-8) Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received!

After Jesus resurrection but before his ascension, he gave this command:

·        (Mathew 28:19-20 ) Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you

·        (Mark 16:15) And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone”. The good news is about Jesus Christ.

After Jesus ascended, we were told in Mark 16:20 that the disciples went everywhere and preached.

The great commission is to:

·        Witness and tell people about Jesus (who he is, what he did, why he did it and what it means). Acts 1:8, ‘And you will be my witnesses telling people about me everywhere’

·        Tell people the need to repent of our sin, turn to God and be baptized (Acts 2:38)

·        Teach them

·        Ultimately make disciples of people, to follow Jesus and have eternal life.

Some challenges to carrying out the great commission

·        It’s not a priority (e.g. I’m not called to be a preacher, evangelist, just an ordinary Christian)

·        Too much activities in our lives

·        Laziness

·        We are not certain of our faith

·        Fear ( not knowing what to say, answer question, attack, humiliation)

What we need to carry out the great commission

·        A relationship with Jesus

·        You can’t talk about who and what you don’t know

·        The commission was given to Jesus disciples (believers) not non believers

·        You can’t produce fruit without being a branch of the vine (John 15:4, 5- Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing)

·        The Holy Spirit

·        It was a requirement from Jesus before the Disciples were to start witnessing

                                                              i.      (Luke 24:49) And I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven

                                                            ii.      (Acts 1:8) But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

·        The Holy Spirit gives us the power to witness effectively. The HS transformed the Apostles and gave them courage, boldness, confidence, ability, insight and the authority not only to speak but to perform miracles, signs and wonders

·        Love

·        It is love that made God gave His only Son to die so that we might be saved (John 3:16)

·        It is love that will propel us to want people to also make it to heaven. It is love that would make us go the extra mile for people in order to win them to Christ. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends (John 15:13)

·        We can only obey this commission when the love of God is imprinted in our heart. Loving God means doing what God has commanded us (2 John 1:6) and we do what God commanded us because we love Him (John 14: 15, ‘If you love me, obey my commandments).

·        It is love that expels fear and gives us the courage to talk to others about Christ. (1 John 4:18 such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love)

·        Compassion

·        When you love, you would be filled with compassion for people and the burden to save them for eternal damnation

·        Jesus was moved with compassion and he began to teach (Mark 6:34 Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things (Math 9:36-37) When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.  He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few.

·        It is compassion that would help to reach and evangelize to those who hate us (Luke 6:35 – 36, ‘Love your enemies! Do good to them….and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High… You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate).

We can’t have these four if our heart is not right with God.

Empowered for the great commission

·        We have been given the power and the authority

o   (Luke 9:1-2) One day Jesus called together his twelve disciples and gave them power and authority to cast out all demons and to heal all diseases. 

·        We have been given the mantle (Holy Spirit) that empowers with all we need. (Acts 1:8  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere )

·        We have the assurance of the presence of Christ always (Math 28:20 ‘….And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’

Importance of carrying out the great commission

·        God works by delegation. God needs us. He needs our legs (to go places to spread the good news), our mouth (to tell the good news), our hands (to lay hands and heal the sick), our heart (to serve Him)

·        We demonstrate obedience to God’s commandment

·        It hastens Christ’s return (Mark 13:10 for the Good News must first be preached to all nations).

·        It helps us to develop intimacy with God because you learn and grow as well

·        We manifest our spiritual gifts.  As the disciples were going around spreading the gospel, healing, miracles, signs and wonders followed them

·        We depopulate the kingdom of darkness and frustrate the plan of the enemy

·        It brings great glory to God (John 15:8, ‘When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father’)

Ways of carrying out the great commission

1.     Mass evangelism: missions, outreach, crusades

2.     Personal Evangelism (for all believers)

a.     1:1 direct preaching

b.     Influencing through our lives (can influence people to Christ or drive them away)

                                                             i.      Content of our character

                                                           ii.      Quality of our work

Whatever approach you take would depend on YOU

·        Your specific calling

·        Your decision

·        Your personal circumstances and opportunities

Jesus Christ asked only one thing of his disciples when he was leaving the world, to go and preach the good news to all nations. When we think about what he did for us, asking one thing from us is not too much is it?

How many Souls have you won?

LIVING TO LEAD

By Adeola Akintoye

We thank the Almighty God that we are alive, that we are counted among the living. But are we living? Or we are just going through life? Would anyone remember us for good when we die (except our family?) or would it be ‘lived in the world but was not known?’

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE FOR JESUS’ DEATH AND RESURRECTION?

a.     Jesus died and rose to give us LIFE

-         Eternal life: John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”.

-         Life of purpose (meaningful, victorious and impactful)

o   John 10:10 ‘The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full’. This refers to life here on earth because the thief (devil) will not be with us in heaven to steal, kill and destroy. He does that here on earth, therefore Jesus gives us abundant life here on earth as well

o   Eph 4:1”…Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the LORD, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God’

The purpose is not activated in our life until we give our life to Jesus.

LIVING TO LEAD

Let’s first describe what we mean by ‘living’ and ‘to lead’

LEADING:  

There are so many definition of leadership. My very simple definition is ‘influencing others to do certain things or take a specific course of action/behavior’. The key word is INFLUENCE.

You have people who are influenced by what you do, they listen to you, do what you ask them etc. The motive for this varies; it could be because of your position (in the family, your organization, your church etc), your status (money, network etc), your charisma, your character, your output (work) or even obsession.

One way or the other you influence their action, behavior, wellbeing, thought process, their life. This influence can be positive or negative (example positive Jesus Christ, Nelson Mandela. Example negative Adolf Hitler)

 As a Christian our main priority/goal is to positively influence people to Christ. The great commission Jesus gave in Mark 16:15, 16 ‘And then he told them, “Go into the entire world and preach the Good News to everyone. Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved’

We can preach the good news directly (telling people) or indirectly (by how we live)

LIVING

Living is described (adjective) being alive, having life, active and thriving. Example we are living persons/beings, we have a living faith

LIVING TO LEAD is being alive to influence people to Christ

This is our purpose.

This is how we can make our life count.

This is how we can activate the purpose for which Jesus Christ died.

This is how we can be effective as Christian

Let’s do a little bit of history here. In the beginning, the initial purpose, I believe was to live for eternity on earth (because death did not come until Eve sinned) and to enjoy fellowship with God (in Gen 3:8 It says the man and his wife heard God walking about in the garden…they know his footstep because it was familiar, they were probably looking out for it as well so that they could hide as they were ashamed of their nakedness).

As a result of the sin, not only was man punished, the earth was cursed as well (Gen 3:17) so that man might struggle to scratch living out of it.

Because of God’s love, He put in place a plan to restore us back to Him. This involves His Son coming to the earth and dying for our sin. Not only that there will be a new earth:

·        Is 65:1,’ Look! I am creating new heavens and a new earth,
      and no one will even think about the old ones anymore’.

·        2 Pet 3:13, ‘But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness’.

·        Rev21:1; ‘Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone’

Before this will happen God needs us to spread the gospel so that as many as are called may hear the good news and be saved.

Jesus Christ said the end will come when the gospel has been preached to all nations;

·        Math 24:14, ‘And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come

·        Mark 13:10,’ For the Good News must first be preached to all nations’

Direct preaching is the easy part, but when we are talking about leading it relates more to how we influence people to Christ by our lives.

We are clear about our purpose. We might be feeling how do I influence Lord, how can I lead people with my life, with how I live, what I do?

We need a vision from God. A guiding principle for me is directly from the bible – the teaching of God. This helps me to align my vision, my goal, and my plans to God.

In Mathew 22:34 – 40 and Mark 12:29-31, when the Pharisees (teachers of the Law wanted to trap Jesus with the question about the most important law, He told them; ‘The most important is loving God with all our heart and our soul, our mind and our strength’. He also said the second equally important is to love our neighbor as you. When you do these, you have fulfilled the intent of the 10 commandment and it summarizes all of God’s law.

When what you do can directly demonstrate the fulfillment of these two commandment, you are aligned with God’s vision and purpose for your life

·        Love God: what you do or say brings glory to God

·        Love others: what you do to or for others add value to their life, impacts their life positively

o   Mark 9:35, gives you a principle on how we can do this. Jesus said ‘whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else’

§  Its about serving others

§  Putting people first

§  It’s about sacrificial giving, not necessarily giving money, it could be your time, your talents

§  It is a decision that requires commitment

REALITY

Maybe we might be thinking I can show I love God but demonstrating love to others is a challenge. I don’t have anything, no time; I want to do but am limited in this or that. It does not matter who we are, where we are in life now.

Two ways you can influence people no matter who you are is by the quality of your work and the content of your character:

·        The quality of your work

o   We must show forth the excellence of Him who has called us out of the kingdom of darkness. We are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood. No shoddy job. Utmost quality

·        Content of your character

o   Integrity. Jesus said let your yes be yes and no is no

o   Humility. God resists the proud and give grace to the humble. 1 Pet 5:5

o   Patience, Tolerance, love, peace etc (The fruit of the Spirit)

The fruit of the Spirit is evidenced in our character

IT IS POSSIBLE!

I love standing on the Word of God. Because He is not man that should lie. Jesus said, ‘Heaven and earth will disappear but my words will never disappear’. His word is yea and amen.

·        Math 5:13-16

o   We are the salt of the earth – to add value, I am of value to this world, to preserve, I preserve what is good, counteract the decay in this generation, used in grain offering (Lev 2:13) remind the world of God’s faithfulness, His eternal covenant. I am to preserve and purify the world

o   We are the light of the world – where there is light, darkness disappear, where there is light people gravitate towards it, light provides direction, light was the first thing that God created. I am the light, I must let it shine

·        We have been given power through the Holy Spirit

o   He promised us this Acts 1:14; ‘You will receive power when the H.S comes upon you.

o   Mark 16: 17-18; ‘these miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages'. They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.”

o   The H.S produces fruit in our lives Gal 5:22. The fruit of the Spirit is not by the work of our hand but by the Spirit of God inside of us

PRACTICAL TIPS

o   Know who you are in Christ

o   Know yourself:  your talents, gifts, weaknesses (the enemy will try to attack you through your area of weakness in order to truncate God’s purpose in your life)

o   Seek wisdom, knowledge and understanding (This is only from God)

§  Prov 10:14; Wise people treasure knowledge, but the babbling of a fool invites disaster

§  Prov 3:143; ‘For wisdom is more profitable than silver, and her wages are better than gold’

§  Prov 3:13; ‘Joyful is the person who finds wisdom, the one who gains understanding’

o   Keep learning (from experience, from inspiring people).

§  Prov 18:15; ‘Intelligent people are always ready to learn, their ears are open for knowledge

§  If you stop listening to instruction, my child, you will turn your back on knowledge.

o   Be hard working. Prov 21:5 says the plans of the diligent leads to profit / good planning and hard work lead to prosperity

o   Encourage yourself: When David was down, he encouraged himself in the Lord. Keep your focus on the vision God has given you. When the vision is from God, unless you become lazy and give up, it will surely come to fruition

§  Hab 2:2; ‘This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed

§  Keep on. Every step forward is one step towards your goal

o   Testify, testify, testify: our testimonies not only proclaim the goodness of God in our lives but it:

§  Reminds us as well

§  Keep you going

§  Keep you in the joy of the Lord. Whenever you testify, you are filled with Joy

§  We overcome challenges (Rev 12:11 ‘ we overcome by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimonies’)

o   Pray without ceasing. When are prayers are aligned with those two commandment, it will be answered

The foundation of our life is Jesus Christ. Everything I have said is for those who have given their lives to Christ and who are living a God centered life.

Are you here but you have not given your life to Jesus, you come to Church but you continue to harden your heart against total surrender? To live a life that is purposeful, impactful and effective, you need Jesus. He is the only one that can give you LIFE.

Have you given your life to Jesus before but for one reason or the other you have backslidden, you can’t see any evidence of the fruit of the Spirit in your life and you’ve been trying to find your way back. God is faithfully and just to forgive all our iniquities. Don’t worry what people will say. It is your life and it’s about your relationship with Jesus. Take that bold step now and ask for forgiveness. He is ready and willing to take you back.

If you are in any of the two groups above  and would like to give your life to Jesus, just repeat this prayer; ‘Father I come to you as a sinner, I confess I am a sinner, I believe that Your Son Jesus Christ came into the world and died for my sins. I ask that from this moment forward you come into my life and be my Lord and Saviour. Where you lead I will follow. Direct my paths from henceforth and help me to grow in you all the days of my life. Amen’

If you prayed this prayer, I encourage you to go to a bible teaching church as directed by the Holy Spirit and continue to pray for God to help you to grow spiritually. I would like to join you in prayers so write to me adeola@we-can-leadershipinstitute.com

SHALOM

Copyright: the use of this article should be done with due copyright and ascribing all glory to Almighty God