Sunday 12 February 2012

LIKE MY FATHER IN GIVING

By Adeola Akintoye

Key Texts: 2 Cor 8: 1-15, 9:6-11, Exodus 35 4-35

I have a Father, Almighty father, King of kings and Lord of lords. Silver and gold belongs to Him. A father who is generous in love, gracious in mercy.

God is the great Giver.
He gave many gifts which money cannot buy. He gave us Life (Acts 17:25).  He himself gives life and breath to everything. (Acts 17: 28) For in Him we live and move and exist. The Lord blesses His people with peace (Ps29:11). In Ps 119:165, King David said great is the peace of those who love the law of God and nothing can make them stumble. Jesus said in John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. God make known to me the path of life; He fills me with joy in His presence, with eternal pleasures at His right hand. That is the promise in Ps 16:11. In Ps 21:6 He has granted us unending blessings and made us glad with the joy of His presence. He turned our wailing into dancing; He removed our sackcloth and clothed us with joy Act 14:17; He gave us rain in its season, provides us with plenty of food and fills our hearts with Joy. Everyone born of God overcomes the world (1 John 5:4). But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor 15:57). For the LORD takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with victory (Ps 149:4). God so love the world that He gave his only begotten Son (John 3:16). He lavishes His unfailing love on those who love him and his commandment (Deut 7:9). Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends (John 15:13). In Deut 8:18 we learnt that He is the one who gives us the power to make wealth.
Jesus redeems us for the wages of sin. Jesus Christ gave himself as a ransom for all people (1 Tim 6:17). We were given the free gift of grace having been saved through faith (John 1:16). Jesus became poor so that you and I could be rich (2 Cor 8:9). Jesus promised us another Advocate who will never leave us (John 14:16/17), that will fill us with power (Acts 1:8), the Holy Spirit to empower us and enable us to live a holy life, and help us in our weakness (Acts 8:26).

Why do people give?
According to William Barclay (a Theologian) said that people give for four reasons; 1) Sense of duty, 2) Sense of self satisfaction, 3) Habit, 4) Sense of prestige. As a child of God, we give and we must give because our God is a giver, He lives in us, his Spirit is in us, it is no longer we that live but Christ in us. Giving is part of worship. In Exodus 23: 15 God said no one is to appear before Him empty-handed. You have taken the first step in giving when you gave your life to Jesus

Why we should give
Let’s get one thing clear; giving does not make us righteous; rather our righteousness as given to us by grace is expressed in the demonstration of giving to others. The right reason to give, first of all is because we love God. He first gave. Giving completes our righteousness that we have through faith in Christ (2 Cor 9: 9 they have freely scattered their gifts to the poor their righteousness endures forever). Your giving is a service to the Lord and when we serve God, He said in Deut 23: 25/27 that He will bless us with food and water protect us from illness, there will be no infertility in our land and He will give us long full lives. He will make our enemies turn and run. He is the one who gives us the ability to produce wealth (Deut 8:18).
God uses people as a channel of blessing:  God will generously provide all we need. Then we will always have everything we need and plenty left over to share with others (2 Cor 9:8). You will be so enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. God will provide and increase your resources. Your good deeds will be remembered for ever. You will have influence and honor (Ps 112:9). The needs of believers are met (2 Cor 9:12). Thanksgiving will be given to God (2 Cor 9:12). God would be glorified (2 Cor 9:12).

What should we give?
The only thing we can give God is our heart, our soul and our mind. It is God’s expectation (Deut 6:5). We give to God in our worship, praise AND thanksgiving. We demonstrate love to others in our giving of our money, time, service, prayers and use of our intellect and skills.

Learning from the Churches in Macedonia (Philippi, Thessalonica and Berea) 2 Cor 8: 1-15.
Giving is a grace 2 Cor 8:1. The church first gave themselves to the Lord (vr 5). Though they were poor, yet they were filled with love of Christ and fellow believers. Their giving was not a condition of their pocket but a demonstration of their love, from the overflow of love (vr 2).  They gave sacrificially (vr3). They wanted desperately to give and they saw it as a privilege (vr 4). They gave free will (vr 3). They excel in giving. Giving is the will of God (vr 5). Encouraging believers to give is biblical (vr6).

Some principles for giving
Give according to the will and direction of God 2 Cor 8: 5. Giving should not be done in the flesh but as directed by the Holy Spirit. Give in proportion to what you have (vr 11). Don’t make rash promises without counting the cost (Prov 20:25). God holds people to their vows; do not make one unless you have been led by the Spirit. Give it eagerly. God loves a cheerful giver ( 2 Cor 9: 7)

Giving for the Work of God
How did God do it? God told Moses in Ex 25: 1 and 35:4-35, that let those whose hearts are moved, with a generous heart (not everyone has a generous heart) to make contributions to the Lord for the building of the tabernacle. All those whose hearts were stirred and whose hearts were willing gave and gave, they were eager to help in the work the Lord had given them (Ex 35: 29) and they gave freely so much so that eventually they were asked to stop, the contributions were more than enough. How did they have so much to continuously give on would wonder if God was not replenishing as they were giving.

Every one of a willing heart whose heart was stirred, whose spirit was willing brought offerings. Those who were eager to help in the work of God (vr29). Those who are skilled used their skill (vr 25/26), even rulers brought, all gave freewill for the work the Lord had commanded them to do. God worked through the people. He gave even great wisdom, ability and expertise in their skills for the work He commanded Moses. God gave special skill for the work, filled them with the Holy Spirit but only those whose hear were willing.

God has blessed each one of us with great gifts (Roms 12:6). He has blessed us with wonderful blessings in Christ Jesus. We are to excel in those gifts that build up the church (1 Cor 14:12). These gifts are not meant to be latent (not used). That would be wastage. They are not meant to be used only on yourself that would be selfishness; they are meant to be used for the glory of God and mankind. This demonstrates the love for God and your neighbour, both of which are the greatest commandment. In fact Paul said in Romans 13:10 that love is the fulfilment of the law. Moses said in Deut. 28:1 if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all his commandments, that the Lord will set you high above all the Nations of the earth; and all these blessings shall come upon you and shall overtake you(read Deut 28:3-13 – glorious blessings)!

The Work of God in Mt Zion
We have been inspired by the Holy Spirit this year concerning Mt Zion. God wants to take us to the next level; spiritually, materially, impactful and in all ways. He has said according to His Words in Ezekiel 47:1-12, that river of living water will flow in Mt Zion; there will be healing, life, abundance, fruitfulness, provisions and health. God wants to move. He is looking for people through whom He would work His wonders.

The Holy Spirit is not going to transform into a man but He would work through a man. Those whose hearts are willing and ready. Not the self centred person but the selfless. Not the once a while person but the diligent. Not the lukewarm but those whose heart is burning with fire for God.

We have great goals to enable us to achieve the vision of the Church; ourself in heaven with as many people as possible. I am not asking you just to give money rather I am challenging each one of us to live God’s way.

We have been led to expand the work of the Ministry by winning Souls, filling up the Church through the second service and the new parish in Arcadia. We have been led to improve the welfare of the brethren.
We have been led to ensure development of the brethren both spiritual and skill wise.

I am talking today to those whose heart have been captured and stirred like those Israelites that gave and gave and gave and gave till they were begged to stop because  they had more than enough (Ex 36: 5-7). I am not talking about money alone but our time, our skills, our passion, our intellect, our commitment and dedication to the work of God and the care of the brethren

We need to give our all to the continual spread the Gospel. We need to give our all for the House of God to run smoothly, a beautiful and clean sanctuary for the soul. We all need to give our best in what we do in the different department for excellence. We want us to use our resources for the material needs of the church. We want us to contribute towards the welfare of the brethren.

All these things we do, not for anyone but for God, who is our shepherd, who prepares a table before our enemies and anoints our head continuously that it runs over will do exceedingly, abundantly more than we could ever, ever imagine! When we give to the needy; the needy mean one who has a need. There is a need in the Church to do more, to give more, to be more all the time. When we give to the needy Prov 19:17 says we are lending to God. We know God owes no man and He will surely repay. Your cup will continuously overflow with goodness and mercy all the days of your life.

Let there be so much eagerness to give your time, money, resources that the Pastor would have to plead with us that it is enough, let there be so many workers in the house that we would be using a rota system. Let us give so many resources that there the storehouse would be full.

(Col 3:17) And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Your heart must be right with God when you give. Don’t be like Simon the Sorcerer (Acts 8: 18-21) who taught he could buy the gift of the Holy Spirit with his money.

The work
·        The expansion of the work of the Kingdom. Your time to go out to evangelise, funds to print tracts in different languages, your time to follow up new converts
·        The upkeep of the House of God, joining the various departments; Ushers, Sanitation ,Technical, providing Instruments
·        To help believers and needy in physical/material resources; food to give to the needy, money to help in emergency, your time to follow up brethren
·        Contribute to the spiritual growth of the Church; joining Choir, Children’s dept, Teenagers class, Drama group
·        Expansion of the work of God: Building of our own site; money for the construction, construction skills, Carpentary skills, artistic skills, architectural skill, tailoring skills etc

You must each decide in your heart how much you want to give of your substance, your time, your money, your prayer, your skills, your intellect or whatever. It does not matter what you have now, where you are now, what status you are in, just start somewhere or continue what you have been giving or better still increase what you have been giving.

To be a giver like God Almighty you must be His child. Have you given your life to Him? If yes, praise God. If no, make that decision today. He wants to use you as His channel of Blessing.

Rise up and let’s pray.

I want my heart to be stirred
I want to be a channel of blessing
I want to be a vessel unto honour
I want to be used by God
He has done so much for me that I need to give my all, anything less will be ingratitude
I want my cup to continually overflow with God’s anointing, mercy and goodness
 I want my children and descendants to eat the fruit of my labour
 I want to be relevant for my generation
I want to be the light of the world; a florescent charged from the everlasting light not a candle that goes out with the whiff of air
I want to be the salt of that earth that never loses its flavour and gets trampled under the feet
I want to be a giver like my Father in Heaven
All Glory belongs to God Almighty.


Adeola Akintoye (M.SC. FCCA) Adeola Akintoye is a child of God who is passionately committed to living a life that brings pleasure to God and glorifies His name in all areas of her life. She is the founder of We CAN Leadership Institute, a faith based organisation managed by committed Christians who want to make a positive impact in this generation for the glory of God and the expansion of the Kingdom of God. A Chartered Accountant, Adeola has worked in various leadership roles for International Non Governmental Organisation in a career spanning 21 years. A trained Life Coach, Adeola has a passion for developing and empowering people. Adeola holds various board membership positions within the International NGO sector including OxfamGB South Africa.

Thursday 9 February 2012

My God of Wonder


I continually wonder about the love that God has for us His children. No one can comprehend how deep this love is. Before God created man, He created a beautiful world that sprouts vegetation and contains hidden treasures, lights for signs and for seasons, to give light upon the earth, living creatures in the sea, land and air. He then created man in His image and gave him dominion over everything.  He was concerned about man being alone so He gave him his perfect companion to complement him. What pleasant fellowship man had with God on a daily basis till he disobeyed a simple instruction ‘Do not eat of this tree’. How it must have hurt! Having one of His creatures disobeyed Him.

Yet He loved man, so much so that He made covering by His own hand for man and his wife. Being a just and compassionate God, He issued the punishment with one hand and promised reconciliation with the other hand. What Mighty hands!!!

As man began to multiply, so sin began to spread. Still His eye was forever watching over them. But man continued committing sin and growing in wickedness, every intention of the thoughts of his heart was evil continually. And it grieved our God, yet sin continued till He was pushed to the wall and He sent a great flood to wipe out man whom He has created from the face of the earth.

Yet He loved man, so mush so that He found for Himself a righteous man that was blameless in his generation. Through this man, the world was not extinct and it began to grow again. Still sin continued. The new generation though they were wise in their own eyes and began to build a tower to reach heaven. “Let’s outsmart God”, they thought. What foolish wisdom. And they were scattered all over the face of the earth. I wonder if I can trace my generation to one of these men!

Yet He loved man. He remembered His plan to reconcile man to Himself, so He put into motion this plan through a man known as the father of nations (Abraham), who subsequently demonstrated such faith, that through him and his descendants the redemption of sin began. God set for himself a nation, through whom the world might know Him. Despite the covenant and blessings through this nation, despite the nation’s rescue from the hands of a wicked nations through this merciful God, His beloved people continually kept going their own way and turning their back on their Creator. They kept forgetting how He rescued them, performing miracles upon miracles, wonders on wonders and turning to man made idols and lust of the flesh. How it must have grieved Him, our God and our Creator. Most times I feel pain in my heart when my children disobeys me and I am only their custodian not their Creator!

Yet He continues to love man. He sent forth His servants countless times, pleading, threatening, cajoling, warning till He was pushed to the wall and He sent His beloved nation into exile and captivity.

Yet He loved man. He already had a plan to save His nation and make the way for their return. How He loved them. He withdrew for forty years to prepare for His final reconciliation plan, sending His only begotten Son to come in human form to save the world from their sin and be made righteous with Him with the intent of having an everlasting relationship. What an awesome love! The Son came and fulfilled His purpose, demonstrating the inexplicable love and mercy bestowed upon God’s creation from ages past.

One would think having God in their midst would make all men jump at this opportunity. Millions did but there are still millions who have not. The generation today is not so different from generation in ages past. We continue in our own ways, knowing He loves us so much to forgive our iniquities time, after time after time after time and all over again. How far would we go before we push Him to the wall? Every time we commit sin, we grieve our Creator and keep hammering the nail on His Son’s hands, feet’s and spilling His blood down the drain.

This agape love is beyond my comprehension but oh, I am so grateful to have Him in my life. A God that loves me even before I came into existence in this world, a God that made provision for my redemption and reconciliation with Him ahead of my sin. A God that only asks that I should love Him back with all my heart and all my soul and my entire mind. A God that created this beautiful universe, filling it up with all I need to survive, season upon season, food for nourishment and air to breathe. A God, who promises me safety and protection from physical and spiritual enemies. A God, who gives me supernatural joy and peace for my soul. A God, that watches over me and mine, as we lay asleep unconsciously night after night, day after day. A God that assures me I am never alone, for He is with me, even to the end of times.

He is MY God of Wonder! Who loves me this much, I ponder? No one except my God of Wonder!
I am content to dwell in His presence all the days of my life. He is the lover of my soul, my everything.

My God of Wonder!

By  Adeola Akintoye is a child of God who is passionately committed to living a life that brings pleasure to God and glorifies His name in all areas of her life. She is the founder of We CAN Leadership Institute, a faith based organisation managed by committed Christians who want to make a positive impact in this generation for the glory of God and the expansion of the Kingdom of God.