WHERE DO WE GO by Bro Ayodeji OSANYIN

WHEN THE CHURCH IS NO MORE CONDUCIVE

When we can no longer differentiate  a church from a social gathering,
And all what we do in church is to just have fun
When we can’t  differentiate a choir from an harlot
And an usher is not different  from a waiter
When the church is no more conducive
Where shall we go?

When  worship session in a church is just like a disco night
and we cant differentiate a pastor from a comedian
When salvation message is no longer the order of the day
but prosperity and entertainment message is now the core course
When the church is no more conducive
Where shall we go?

When prayer warrior now have to go to tongue-speaking school for utterances
And deliverance and healing session is now like MTH 201 to be taught and learned
When pastor have to pause  for members to clap and shout during sermon in enthusiasm
And all what we now gain from preaching is now new vocabulary and word usage
When the church is no more conducive
Where shall we go?

When the church of God is now an exhibition ground  for the latest designer
And those new convert can no longer come to  church for the fear of being inferior
When the tithe and offering in church have to suffer for anniversary attire
And the little ones from the faithful member have to suffer for pastor’s birthday
When the church is no more conducive
Where shall we go?

Where shall we go is the question right;   But never a rhetoric one
Where we can go is simply the feet of the old rugged cross
And plead for the revival  of the church of our father
Because when Jesus shall  appear to examine his church
The question of “where to go” will never be an excuse
Even the elect will not be excluded.  Watch & pray!!

GRACE MAKES US ONE

Grace Makes Us One

Zac Poonen

In his second letter, Peter reminds us that the good news is that God by His divine power has granted us "EVERYTHING necessary for a godly life" here on this earth(2 Pet.1:3, 4).  And if we have received a faith "of the same value" (2 Pet.1:1 margin) as Peter's, we shall receive the same grace that he received and partake of God's nature as he did. Then the character of Christ - "moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love will be ours in increasing measure" (2 Pet.1:5-11), making us fruitful and freeing us from all blindness and shortsightedness (2 Pet.1:8,9). Everyone who abides in Jesus will bear MUCH FRUIT (Jn.15:5). And so if these virtues of Christ are not being manifested increasingly in us, it would indicate that we are not abiding in Jesus, and that we are not living under the true grace of God.

Those who humble themselves not only receive grace for victory, but also grace to become one with each other. Just as a husband and wife can receive grace together as "joint-heirs of the grace of life",even so believers too can receive that grace that makes them joint-heirs along with other believers in Christ's Body. 

Jesus prayed on the last night of His earthly life that we might be ONE AS HE AND THE FATHER ARE ONE (Jn.17:22). And He prayed that we experience this oneness here in this world (Jn.17:21,23).  This is not a unity of understanding but a unity of spirit. Because of the sinfulness of our nature and the limitations of our minds that have been warped by sin, we may not see "eye to eye" in every matter with each other here on earth. But that has nothing to do with our spiritual unity. In our hearts, we can still be one.

All lack of unity is because we want to do our own will and not the will of the Head.  This has nothing to do with our understanding of doctrine. It has only to do with whether we are willing to deny our own will and do the Father's will alone.

Jesus always obeyed what He heard from His Father. His food was obedience to His Father's will (Jn.4:34).  Jesus was one with the Father. It is into this oneness that we too are called through the true grace of God.

Jesus always overcame evil with good. Evil had no power over Him, because He was always rooted in doing good. So shall it be with us, if we too obey the word to "overcome evil with good" (Rom.12:21).When others hate us and scandalise us, we can conquer their evil by doing them good. This is possible when we receive the true grace of God. Then we shall be kept, as Jesus prayed, from the evil that is in the world (Jn.17:16), and we shall become one with all others who walk the same way.

The church that Jesus is building is one that has received grace - the true grace of God - to be built together in unity, under Christ the Head. Only such a church will triumph over the gates of Hell (Matt.16:18).

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