CHRISTIAN LIVING

RECONCILIATION CENTRE ,BIBLE STUDY ONLINE ON JULY 28 2020, 

INTRODUCTION: In every society, be it social or religious, there are invariable rules and regulation designed to guide the actions and behaviors of its members religious bodies have doctrines peculiar to the individuals, made to guide the members’ mode of life or behavioural pattern; and this identifies them with whatever religious sect they belong. 

Hypothetically; let us consider the characteristics of some of these sects. OGUN: the worshipers believes that they must not sacrifice to this god anything other than dog, roasted yam etc. any other provisions are taboo and will be rejected. 

So also are the adherents of Obatala. They also believe that god forbids them to drink palm wine and any violation of this taboo will turn their lips white; their apparel must be of white colour always, otherwise some evil will befall them. And also, they obey and keep all the rites of their religion faithfully. 

Similarly, in other religions be it Christianity, Christian Science, Buddhism, Islam etc. there are et patterns of life that must be lived in order to please whom they believe in and worship. 
Therefore we want to examine a very vital topic that says,

 ”CHRISTIAN LIVING OR LIVING A CHRIST LIKE LIFE”.
 May God bless and endow us with the grace to live a life worthy of Him as we go on with this study in Jesus name. Amen. 


THE LESSON OUTLINES:
1.WHO IS NOT A CHRISTIAN: HOW IS HE IDENTIFIED? 
2.WHO IS A CHRISTIAN? 


1.WHO IS A CHRSTIAN: HOW IS HE IDENTIFIED? 
There are two categories of Christian in the world today. There are those whose mode of life give glory to God either in secret or in the open. Their concern, always is to show forth praises of Him who has called them out of darkness into marvelous light 1Peter.2:9. But then, there is the other group, those who profess to be Christians but whose mode of life does not portray them as true Christians. They are better classified as NORMINAL  CHRISTIANS who is not a Christian at all by their characteristics.

Isa. 29:13, PS. 78:35-36, Eze.33:31-32, Matt. 7:21, Luke. 6:46, Tit.1:16, 1Jn.3:18, 2:15, 2King.17:29-33, Rom.1:28-32


2.WHO IS A CHRISTIAN?  
Some people believe that tradition can or must be embedded into the true worship of God This is wrong. Such people cling to a common sayings that “that is not too bad”. They fail to realize the fact that what is not too bad has the element of being bad in it. You cannot serve God and mammon. God has a standard and His standard cannot be compromised. 

Matt. 5:20, 1Peter.4:16, 3:3-4,4:16, Isa. 3:16-24, Jn.13:34-35, 15:14, Rom. 8:35-36.
                                                                                       By Pastor John

DETERMINATIONS versus DESTINATIONS

We thank God Almighty for giving us the grace to see the last Sunday in this 7th month which is our month of Determination.

As our Father in the Lord, our General Overseer Pastor O.O Abel whom I humbled called had declared this month of July for us as our month of Determination and also having followed all the sermon from other preachers as well.
 Today, we shall be looking at a Topic I titled 

 YOUR DETERMINATION WILL ADD TO OR SUBTRACT FROM YOUR SUCCESS DESTINATION IN LIFE*

TEXT: *Read Luke 15:11-20*

11. Then He said: “A certain man had two  sons. 
12. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to  them his livelihood.  
13. And not many days  after, the younger son gathered all together,  journeyed to a far country, and there  wasted his possessions with prodigal living. 
14. But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. 
15. Then he went and  joined himself to a citizen of that country,  and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 
16. And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.
17. And when he came to himself, he said, how many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare and I perish with hunger.
18. I will raise and go to my father, and will say unto him, father, I have sin against, and before thee.
19. And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servant.
20. And they arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck and kissed him.

*INTRODUCTION*
Life has four components, which are time, birth, death and decision. However, we influence each of these variables per event.

 Decision is something somebody had chosen or makes up his or her mind about something after considering alternatives. Also, it is the process of coming to a conclusion, or determination about something. Looking at the bible reading earlier, in Luke 15:11-20, it told us about the life of a man who had two sons, whose names are not mentioned, but the younger is regarded as the prodigal son. Prodigal is a French word that has been adopted in English language. It means being wasteful, or extravagant. The prodigal son, who was the younger of the two sons, decided to have his own share of the yet-to-die  father's wealth. Having bequeathed it to him, he went ahead to squander it. The decision he made determined and dictated what he eventually got.

This simply means that you are the architect of your decision, but you aren't the master of the consequence. You have control over your choices but have no power over the consequences. You make the choice, and the choice automatically dictates the outcome. The young man, who was very rich, ended up in penury, to the extent of trying to share meal with pigs.
Now I have a question for you listening to me right now or if you are reading this sermon.

 1. What decision are you about to make? 
 2. What decision have you made in the past already? 
 Think twice about it before you act on the next one.

 In fact, let God preside over that your decision. Allow God to show you the way, at all times. It is costly to make Him the last option. 

A lot of people had made a decision during this covid-19 pandemic era that had destroyed their life & destiny. Same on the point, a lot had made a decision that has changed their lives for the better.

Negative decisions automatically produce negative results. A good decision you make goes a long way to show how great and glorious your life would be. The decision you make today, will determine your destination tomorrow. Most times, God does not interfere with our decisions. Rather, He permits it.

 Get His perfect will instead of been permissive. Only then you are guaranteed of His backings in all your endeavours.

When you look at the story of that prodigal son critically, thank God he quickly realised that he had made a terrible decision in the past and he decided to repent and go back to his father.

Now let us pick some points from our G.O's First Sunday sermon on Determination. Let me quickly refresh our memories on some of the attributes of Determination he gave us.

1. Question:  Ask questions when you are confused on the next step to take. Nehemiah 1 vs 2.

2. Information: Gather the necessary information you required for that business you wanted to embark on or on that course you wanted to study in the University first. Nehemiah 1 vs 3.

3. Feelings :Have a good feelings to succeed on that project, business, ministry or that job you are doing. Nehemiah 1 vs 4.

4. Prayers: It is said that Jesus Started with prayers and ended with prayers, therefore prayers is the only weapon that you can use to change any unpleasant situations as it is the Masters Key Nehemiah 1 vs 5.

5. Keep your Mouth: Unguarded tongue or mouth can put you in trouble.  Proverb 17 vs 28.

Conclusion
My brothers and sisters in the Lord, it will be a shame, after following or reading or listening to all the sermons by our Dad G.O, and by our Parish Pastor & also by all the other preachers and your life still remain the same way it was in the past or your life went back to abnormal.

You need to make a decision today that will reshape your destiny, life & future for the glory of God. I pray that you and I will not miss the opportunity to make a decision plus determination that will add to our Success Destination in life in Jesus mighty name. Amen. Shall we pray

PRAYER POINTS
1. Father lord, I thank you for another opportunity you have given to me again today to make a good decision that will reshape my life, Glory & destiny. 

2. Oh Lord, pls forgive me for all the foolish decisions that I have made in the past.

3. Lord by your mercy, cancel all calamities that my past decisions had caused my life progress.

4. Oh Lord, please deliver me from rash and wrong decisions; help me to always wait on you for a good decision to make from now on.

5. Whatever has been shattered in my life because of rash decisions, O Lord, in Your mercy, help me to amend them.

6. O Lord, help our leaders to always put You first in their decision-making process for the  sake of our dear country in Jesus name.

7. Pray and tell God what exactly you want him to do in your life quickly that will attract immediate results and progress.

God bless you all in Jesus name. Amen

                                                                                        Minister Olomo Adewale Joseph.

TAKE YOUR STAND – Part 4

 BIBLE STUDY ONLINE ON 21st JULY, 2020.

INTRODUCTION:
In the third part of this series, we learnt that since man is a Trinity of body, soul and spirit,  he needs more than ordinary bread to survive. Therefore we should not allow our search for daily bread to obstruct our spiritual vision or goal. 

Similarly, we learnt that if we sign a contract of total submission to God like Daniel and Co did,then the lion of this world the fire of hell will not have power over us. 

Now, we continue our series exhorting you to take your stand against shame, fear of death and for Christ.May the Lord bless us as we study at His feet in Jesus name. Amen. 

THE LESSON OUTLINES:

1. GOD PROMISES YOU BLESSINGS AND SONGS OF PRAISE, NOT SHAME. 

2. IF YOU SERVE CHRIST WHOLE-HEARTEDLY, GOD WILL HONOUR YOU.


1.GOD PROMISES YOU BLESSINGS AND SONGS OF PRAISE, NOT SHAME. 
If you take your stand absolutely for Christ, you will be a blessed person and have no cause to be ashamed. It is unbelievers who will find Christ a stumbling block. It is blessings and songs of praise God promises His people not shame. If you suffer for Christ’s sake, that is an opportunity to praise God. In any case, you are not sure of eternal life beyond doubts until you are willing to loose your life for Christ’s sake. And if you abide in Him totally, you will have no cause to be ashamed before Him when He comes again.

PS.119:1-6, Rom.9:33, Joel.1:26, Isa.50:7-9, 1Pet.4:15-16, Matt.15:25, 11Tim.2:11, 1Jn.2:28, 4:15-18, Acts. 5:29-41, 


2.  IF YOU SERVE CHRIST WHOLE-HEARTEDLY, GOD WILL HONOUR YOU 
If you are completely for Christ, you should be bold because through Christ you have access to God. And if you are bold enough to visit God Himself,  why must you be afraid of any man? Also, you do not need men’s honours because if you serve Christ, whole-heartedly God Himself will honour you if your entire love is focused on Christ, the following are part of your blessings:
 (I) Deliverance 
(II) Promotion 
(III) Answered prayers 
(iv) Divine presence in day of trouble 
(v) Honour 
(Vi) Long life and 
(vii) Salvation. 

Eph. 3:11-12, Heb.4:14-16, 10:19-23, Jn.12:26, PS. 91:14-16, 40:8, 143:10.
                                                                                       By Pastor John

A DETERMINED MIND

 BY: PST  S. CHUKWUBUIKEM


TEXTUAL: Joshua.1:6-7, 1 Corinthian . 2:1-2

First of all and for most, I give all glory and thanks to Almighty God for His grace and protection over me and my family. And I appreciate my father in the Lord, daddy G. O for the privilege giving to me. Also, I appreciate all the ministers and all the members that stay connected for today’s service. I pray God will bless everyone us through today’s service in Jesus name. Amen. I want to quickly discuss with us on the above topic that says, “A DETERMINED MIND”.


INTRODUCTION: To know what a determined mind is, we need to understand first the meaning of the word “Determination”. In a summary form, determination is the strength that carries you through the path of success in the midst of obstacles and challenges. Having understood this, then what is A Determined Mind? A Determined Mind is a person that have made up his or her mind to face, fight and overcome any obstacle and challenge on his or her path, in order to achieve his or her goal in life. In summary form, A Determined Mind is a person who is hundred percent ready to pay the required prize for his or her success in life. 


Characteristics Of a Determined 

1. Courage 
2. Self discipline 
3. Focus 
4. Risk taker
5. Commitment 
6. Goal setter
7. Hard work 


How To Become A Determined Mind 

1. Know the purpose of your existence. God created you with a purpose in mind. This purpose is your destiny. It is the destiny that produces the dream or vision that you pursue. Dream is the result of discovered destiny. Have you discovered  your destiny? If no, please do. It is the purpose of your existence, without it you can not set goals and without goals no determination. 


2. Have plans and set goals. The fact that you have a dream does not necessarily mean you have fulfilled your destiny. In order to fulfill your vision in life, you need more than a dream or vision. You need to set goals and have plans, then work through your plans to achieve your goals. Plan and goal keeps you on your toes. 


3. Aim higher and don’t settle for less. Aiming higher in life will give you the enthusiasm and strength to be committed, determined, work harder and go extra miles legitimately to achieve or fulfill your vision in life. Phil. 3:13-14.


4. Do not be afraid of failure and obstacle. Failure and obstacles are meant to help you achieve Better. They are actually instruments to make you not to destroy you. Though there are so many challenges we face in our daily lives but God has given us the grace and ability to conquer them all.  1 John. 4:4.


5. Have faith and absolute trust in God. By the virtue of the fact that you are of God, you will overcome every opposition and challenges in your life. Nothing can come between you and God because greater one is in you. It may seems at beginning that you are losing ground but don’t give up for God is on your side. He has never failed any one before and He can not start from you. Psalms. 34:5.


Benefits of a Determined Mind (PS. 30:5, 126:5-6, Isa. 40:31)

1. Victory is sure at last no matter how long it takes. 
2. Testimony follows at the end. 
3. Breakthrough and success undeniable and unstoppable. 
4. Fulfillment of vision or dream in life. 
5. Higher level attained in life. 
6. God’s purpose fulfilled. 


Conclusion: It is not over until God says is over. Determination has to do with courage, being strong and of good cheers. God spoke to Joshua several times and in all those times He kept telling him to be of a good courage and be strong (Josh.1:6-7). Be a determined mind and become an unstoppable mind!
I pray God will give us the grace to be determined to fulfill our dreams in life in Jesus name. Amen. Stay bless and stay safe! 

Prayer Points - No More Death

By Pastor O.O Abel

General Bible Text:      

Revelation 21:4 “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”

Prayer Points

Deuteronomy 29: 29 (“The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.”)

1. Father, we thank you for revealing the secret things and for not allowing us to be spiritually blinded.

Proverbs 28:18 (“Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.”)

2. Lord, I thank you because I and my entire family will never perish in Jesus name.

2 Chronicles 7:14 (“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”)

3. Father, I humble myself before you, please forgive me all my sins and give me the spirit of go and sin no more in Jesus mighty name.

Psalm 91:16 (“With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.”)

4. My father and Lord, you have promised me and my entire family long life. For this reason, let every spirit of death working against my family be rendered impotent in Jesus name.

1 Peter 3:10 (“For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:”)

5. Jesus the son of God, give me your spirit that will help me to tame my tongue so as never to invite sudden death upon myself, in Jesus name.

Job 5:26 (“Thou shalt come to thy grave in a full age, like as a shock of corn cometh in in his season.”)

6. Job 5:26 is the promise of God for me and my family. For this reason, I will not go to the grave until in a full age in Jesus name.  Now mention the name(s) of your children and that of your spouse and declare they shall not go to grave until their full age in Jesus name.

Isaiah 65 :20 (“There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.”)

7. I cancel infants’ death and miscarriage of pregnancies in my family, in Jesus name.

Proverbs 10:27 (“The fear of the LORD prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened.”)

8. I refuse to be a wicked person in Jesus name.

Proverb 9:11 (“For by me thy days shall be multiplied, and the years of thy life shall be increased.”)

9. I----------------------------- (mention your name and that of your children and spouse) make a decree that years of our lives shall be increased in Jesus name.

Deuteronomy 5:33 (“Ye shall walk in all the ways which the LORD your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess.”)

10. O Lord my God, teach me to walk in your way.

Genesis 6:3 “And the LORD said, my spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.”

11. I cancel every dream and vision of sudden death threatening my life, by the power in the blood of Jesus.

Revelation .21:4 “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”

12. The promises of God in Revelation 21:4 will be established in my life and family in Jesus name.  


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DETERMINATION

PASTOR O O ABEL

FOR AUDIO VERSION CLICK HERE .
CLICK HERE FOR THE CONCLUDING PART

Introduction: Many past generations never knew what pandemic (of a disease) prevalent over a whole country or the world is, except they read about it in a book, though they must have had of epidemic which a widespread occurrence of an infectious disease in a community at a particular time.

BBC in the United State of America says Coronavirus: Covid-19 death toll hits 500,000 worldwide, that was June 28, 2020
WASHINGTON, June 8, 2020 — The swift and massive shock of the coronavirus pandemic and shutdown measures to contain it have plunged the global economy into a severe contraction. According to World Bank forecasts, the global economy will shrink by 5.2% this year.[1] That would represent the deepest recession since the Second World War, with the largest fraction of economies experiencing declines in per capita output since 1870, the World Bank says in its June 2020 Global Economic Prospects.


The deed has been done, the question here is whether you want to remain down casted financially, materially, physically and spiritually or not.
If you are one of the few people that desire to bounce back on their feet, then this message is for you. It’s my prayer that God interpret the message to you in Jesus name. 



DETERMINATION: firmness of purpose; resoluteness, the act of coming to a decision or of fixing or settling a purpose. This is exactly what God is saying in 1 Corinthians 16:13, ESV: "Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong."
One might remain on a spot if there is no determination, no wonder Micah 7:8 says “Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me.”
At this point we are taking Nehemiah as a case study, we all know that he went to rebuild the broken wall of Jerusalem, that is not the story we want to tell here but we want to look at his determination to rebuild the wall and those attribute that helped him to succeed.

ATTRIBUTES THAT HELPED NEHEMIAH  

1, QUESTION AND INFLUENCE: question is a sentence worded or expressed so as to elicit information. While influence is the capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone or something, Nehemiah asked question from a relevant person in return Hanani influenced Nehemiah with his response according to Nehemiah 1:2 “That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.
Who are you associated with, who are those that you are ask questions from? Until you associate with those who knows more than you do, you may not rise above your present level.



2. INFORMATION: facts provided or learned about something or someone, Nehemiah gathered information, information is power Nehemiah 1:3 “And they said unto me, the remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.” 
For your determination to rise, after pandemic to be successful you need information.



3. FEELINGS: an emotional state or reaction. The facts remains that what you don’t have feelings for, you don’t go after it, Nehemiah had feelings for Jerusalem that was why he cried according to Nehemiah 1:4 “And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,”



4. PRAYERS: a solemn request for help or expression of thanks addressed to God. Some people belief wholly in themselves thinking they have all the wisdom knowledge and understanding, they will never remember to commit things into God’s hand, Nehemiah did not do like that, he actually prayed Nehemiah 1:5 -10 “And said, I beseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments:…………………”



5. PURPOSE: the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists. You can’t be determined without a purpose, Nehemiah has a reason for which he determined, the purpose is to rebuild Jerusalem wall as we can see in Nehemiah 2:3 “And said unto the king, Let the king live forever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire?”



6. BEING SPECIFIC AND CLARITY: to be specific is to clearly defined or identified while clarity is the quality of being coherent and intelligible. Nehemiah was very specific and he has a clear picture of what he wants to do.  Nehemiah 2:5  “And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it.” 


7. FOLLOW PROCEDURE AVOID OVER ZEALOUSNESS: procedure is an established or official way of doing something while overzealousness is to be too enthusiastic and eager, this may not help you in achieving what you have determination to achieve   Nehemiah  2 vs 7-8 7 “Moreover I said unto the king, If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river, that they may convey me over till I come into Judah; 8 And a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which appertained to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.”



8. NOT WITHOUT ENEMIES: enemies, these are people who are actively opposed or hostile to someone or something.  I sometime wonder how we think of achievement without having to understand the fact that the moment you have determination to do something great ,enemies of greatness or enemies of success automatically comes up , they are nothing but opposing forces, they suddenly surfaced during Nehemiah project execution.  Nehemiah 2:10“When Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.”  We don’t need to fear as God will destroy every power opposing our progress in Jesus name


9. Keep your mount to allow success :one of the major problem with average Christians is inability to control their mouth during execution of a project ,people who has no positive contribution to the project or plan should naturally be left out until, its testimony time which is expected to be after completion of such project.

Unfortunately a lot of people has destroyed their success through reveling their success secret and talking too much, no wonder,   Proverbs 17:28 (ESV) says “ Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent”.  

Nehemiah would have ruined the success of rebuilding Jerusalem wall, if he was not conscious of his mouth. Nehemiah 2:12 “And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me; neither told I any man what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem: neither was there any beast with me, save the beast that I rode upon.”



CONCLUSION: you’ve heard it all, if you can put on these attributes in your determination to rise again, you will surely be successful   

Prayer points.

1. My father my lord, thank you for this eye opening message.
2. O lord my God, give me the spirit that will enable me to rise beyond the level I am presently  in Jesus name,
3. I will be connected to my helpers in the name of Jesus 
4. Father let every Sanballat and Tobiah that might want to block my progress be put to shame in Jesus name
5. Father teach me to keep my mouth so as not to destroy my miracle with my talkativeness in Jesus name

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