Sunday Mornings

When He has brought them out, He goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow Him, because they know His voice. They will not follow someone else, instead, they will run away from such a person because they do not know his voice. John 10:4-5 (GNB) Every believer yearns to do the will of God. However, the biggest challenge is discerning the will of God. How can I know the will of God? How do I hear God and know He is the one? These are common and regular/frequent questions in the hearts of Christians. At every point we want to make a decision, there are several voices in our heads saying several thing, giving several opinions, yet only one of them is God trying to imprint His will upon your life. God does not intend for us to be confused. As we briefly study this parable of Jesus, this issue will be addressed. Amen. Solid food, on the other hand, is for adults, who through practice are able to distinguish between good and evil. (Heb 5:14). When a child is growing up, sooner tha

Jeremiah 1:6 (MSG) But I said, “Hold it, Master GOD ! Look at me. I don’t know anything. I’m only a boy! ". Hold it! an introductory interjection, making way for his excuse in a way of grief and complaint, endeavouring with all reverence to clear himself of undertaking such a work rashly, it being properly the sigh of one that hath too great a weight upon his shoulders. I don't know anything ; not dumb, as Zacharias, Luke 1:20 ,22 , nor stammering, as Moses, Exodus 4:10 ,14 ; he modestly excuses himself, from a consideration of the weight of the work, and the tenderness of his age, as in the next expression. I am only a boy; either, 1. In years, and so not ripe or apt for the declaring of great things, and that to princes and nobles. Or, 2. In experience, being altogether unskilful in such affairs, not having been used to prophesy, and therefore in neither respect likely to be much regarded. The Youth is the most productive time of one's life. What you do durin

Luke 15:11-32 Today we will be concluding this series by God’s grace. So far if you were ever so quick to say “this is not me, I am not like that young reckless boy-the younger son in this parable” then you may want to reconsider if you are also not the elder brother. The story of the lost son has two halves. It is about two sons. We started the series by emphasizing that a father had two sons. Jesus being a non-careless person would not have said that if he didn’t want to say anything to us about the two sons. This episode will be about the second half of the story. What is it that God wants to point to us in the life of the elder brother? Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing: I want to believe that the welcome home party met the older son by surprise. This in itself is a big contrast as regards his position in the family. As the eldest son, such a major decision is meant to have his consent or at least he

Luke 15:11-32 Thank God for the insights that He has graciously granted us in the journey through this parable. Specifically, we have seen the LORD mirror our lives through this parable that we know so well as if to say to us that we may think we know the story so well, yet we scarcely understand the blueprints. Today God will be taking us further in the study. As we come towards the end of the story, we see the hallmark of it all. We will be discussing about the Father in today’s episode. Every lost soul needs a savior. The story of our salvation is not complete without the cross, and I see all that being illustrated in this story in order to make it wholesome. God bless us as we study together. Amen. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion on him, and ran and kissed him: Let us bear in mind that Jesus was using human illustrations to bring home a message through parables. It is very important to note that he was still a great way off; a

Luke 15:11-32 Often times when going through scriptures, this story to be more specific, we only appreciate it as an interesting tale-a story about a bad son, with whom we have very little to do. We see him as a rather irresponsible fellow. But then it is not the custom of God to be careless in His Word. Why would God be confronting us with a story that we know too well if not that He wants you to see yourself in the picture. We are not going through this study to raise sympathy over the lost, neither are we going to have a sign of relief after a happy ending, but to see similarities with our daily experiences. The parables that Jesus told were not bed time stories; they were not to entertain, but to educate. And not to educate us about others, but to cut to the core of our own being; to teach us about our relationship with God. We will therefore be continuing from where we felt we could put a comma and make some deliberate actions on issues that God was beginning to raise from th

Luke 15:11-32 Just as a form of introduction, the story we caption The Prodigal Son was a story Jesus told when the Pharisees saw him eating with sinners (vs 1&2). Before this story, he talked about the joy a shepherd gets when he goes out of his way to seek for and find a lost sheep, notwithstanding the rest 99 sheep; he also talked of the joy a person gets when he searches for and finds a lost coin, notwithstanding the rest 9 coins. It is in the light of this joy and feast in heaven at the return of a lost soul that Jesus spake this parable. This parable however was more elaborate than the first two. I sense Jesus was deliberate and by the grace of God, He will be revealing to us what indeed He was passing to us as we study scriptures together. A certain man had two sons: The first thing I sense in my spirit that Jesus was trying to teach here is of two sons of a father. Many times when we come across this scripture, we are carried away by the life and times of the son

Ephesians 6: 10 - 18 10-12  And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels. 13-18  Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an  indispensable  weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your

“But why do you call Me “LORD, LORD,” and not do the things which I say? Whoever comes to Me and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundations on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.” Luke 6:46-49 Sequel to the recent publications on the issues of the heart, where the LORD was bringing to our understanding some intrinsic features in a man’s life that would hinder the Word of God from taking root in his life and making him the fruit bearing tree that the Master desires of such a life, there is another perspective the Spirit of God would love us to view our daily living with our interaction w

A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed…some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. Now the parable is this: the seed is the Word of God. And they which fell among thorns are they which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection (Luke 8:5, 7, 11, 14). Still on the issues of the heart-which is very fundamental in God’s dealings with a man because he is more interested in the state of the heart and the intent to the physical appearances that are visible to men (I Sam 16:7), there is another pathetic heart condition that is painted in the parable of the sower. As earlier mentioned in the last edition, the entangled heart has a form of godliness that is deceptive but not acceptable in the eyes of the LORD. God will be revealing to us the intrinsic characteristics of the entangled heart with this article. Amen. The heart is fertile but not clear or free he

A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed…some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. Now the parable is this: the seed is the Word of God. They on the rock are they which when they hear, receive the Word with joy; and these have no root which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. (Luke 8:5, 6, 11, 13) We are believing God to deliver us from the superficial syndrome that has long cut short our dealings with God. The case study today is of a very pathetic category of people. Reading the whole parable of the sower many will claim that they are not on the wayside , and they will quickly identify with the very few (emphasis mine and deliberately chosen, Matthew 7:14) people with a fertile heart. However a careful study will show you that the other two heart conditions in the parable are deceptive and God has to help us to discover in time that while we think that our hearts are fertile, they may

No Shades of Grey (Day 159) #BiOY Follow Link below. https://www.bibleinoneyear.org/bioy/commentary/2563/ en

Romans 7: 21-25 21-23. It happens so regularly that it’s predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God’s commands, but it’s pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge. 24. I’ve tried everything and nothing helps. I’m at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn’t that the real question? 25. The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different. Jesus is the only one that can save us from the power of sin. If we surrender our lives completely to him; letting go of those pleasures and evil deeds (immorality, envy, pride, drunkenness, lust, lies, covetousness, unholy speech etc), HE will set us free from the chains of sin. Romans

Two are better than one;...for if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow, but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. Eccl 4:9&10 This scripture hold a very salient instruction that every believer should take into consideration. Where ever we go, we are always advised to identify with a fellowship or a christian gathering; the reason for fellowship is to encourage one another and build each other up (I Thes 5:11). There is always this tendency to ignore the brethren in Christ around you, and that is very dangerous. If they fall, the other will lift up his fellow: it is a very rare case for everyone in a fellowship to be sleeping spiritually or backsliding at the same time. There will always be a selected few that will not bow to Baal and they are the ones that God would most likely use to restore sanity to the church. Any fellowship with sleeping members is not safe at all. It is also a responsibility to lift our fellows up whe

Those who try to gain their own life will lose it; but those who lose their life for my sake will gain it. Matthew 10:39 Scripture by scripture, day by day God keeps bringing home one crucial point: " my ways are not your ways, neither are my thoughts like yours ". Today we see another contrast in life. Contrast in the sense that in order for you to do something, then you must consciously be doing the exact opposite of it. This kingdom lifestyle has baffled many for ages. Indeed it is beyond imagination. Today we hear of seminars everywhere with great themes; all with the aim of making mankind find themselves. Jesus also gave his own rule. He teaches a selfless life. A life that thinks, breaths, and acts only for the sake of Christ. But why is God asking so much from us? The heart is deceitful: the thoughts of man are always evil naturally (Jer 17:9, Gen 6:5). Even when we want to do the right thing, if you look closely, it is to esteem your image among other men;

Hebrews 10:26-31 The Message (MSG) If we give up and turn our backs on all we’ve learned, all we’ve been given, all the truth we now know, we repudiate Christ’s sacrifice and are left on our own to face the Judgment— and a mighty fierce judgment it will be! If the penalty for breaking the law of Moses is physical death, what do you think will happen if you turn on God’s Son, spit on the sacrifice that made you whole, and insult this most gracious Spirit? This is no light matter. God has warned us that he’ll hold us to account and make us pay. He was quite explicit: “Vengeance is mine, and I won’t overlook a thing” and “God will judge his people.” Nobody’s getting by with anything, believe me. Hebrews 10:26-31 New International Version (NIV) If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law o

..."Go to the village there ahead of you; as you go in, you will find a colt tied up that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If someone asks you why you are untying it, tell him that the Master needs it." Luke 19:30-31 We all know the story of the two donkeys that goes thus: Two donkeys were walking in Jerusalem when one donkey said to the other, "just yesterday I was here carrying Jesus and the people were singing and shouting and throwing their clothes for me to walk on, and today they don't even recognize me". The other donkey replied "that is how it is my friend, without Jesus you are nothing". What we do not know about this story is the choice of donkey that Jesus decided to use in His triumphant entry. 2 publications ago we were looking at whom the LORD uses as His instruments on earth and today we will be looking at very special vessels. Even though God can use anyone to do his bidding, he takes pleasure in using the col

1 God give us Christian homes! Homes where the Bible is loved and taught, Homes where the Master's will is sought, Homes crowned with beauty Your love has wrought; God give us Christian homes; God give us Christian homes! 2 God give us Christian homes! Homes where the father is true and strong, Homes that are free from the blight of wrong, Homes that are joyous with love and song; God give us Christian homes; God give us Christian homes! 3 God give us Christian homes! Homes where the mother, in caring quest, Strives to show others Your way is best, Homes where the Lord is an honored guest; God give us Christian homes; God give us Christian homes! 4 God give us Christian homes! Homes where the children are led to know Christ in His beauty who loves them so, Homes where the altar fires burn and glow; God give us Christian homes; God give us Christian homes!

In a large house there are dishes and bowls of all kinds: some are made of silver and gold, others of wood and clay, some are for special occasions and others for ordinary use. If anyone makes himself or herself clean from all those evil things, they will be used for special purposes, because they are dedicated and useful to their Master, ready to be used for every good deed. (II Tim 2:20-21) It is a very big world we live in. There are different tribes, tongues, peoples and nations. One of the similarities we share is that we are different. God knows about our differences and treats us accordingly. Our differences does not hinder God from using us. In the great house pictured in the verse above, the key fact remains that what determines whether one will be used for honor or dishonor is a function of his doings. You can be a vessel of gold, yet you are used for ignoble purposes because there are impurities in you. If a golden vessel has not yielded to refining, it is not honorable

And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not steadfastly look to the end of that which was abolished...But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart. (II Cor 3:13-15)   The ministry that we all have been called to is to make disciples of all nations. This usually involves telling people about the good news in the scriptures. It is often the case noted that the sermons we have lack the power to back it up. We see a similar senario in the passage above. The vail that Moses used to cover his face was very symbolic and affected many generations to come. God is an all knowing God. Whatever He gives to us is essential in its fullness. We must learn never to cover a part of the message He has given to us. It renders everything ineffective.   Scriptures say that Jesus is the end of the law (that which was abolished) [Rom 10:4] because [ the law in itself is a shadow of good things to come and not the very image of