Author: Pastor J.O. Lawal

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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2020 Pastor's Desk

Title: Renew your strength in Him – June 28, 2020

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours abundantly from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Saviour. I am delighted to welcome you to this new week, which is the transition week between the months of June and July of this year. And I pray that your heart will continually be strengthened to remain strong in doing the will of God, regardless of the circumstances in which you may find yourself in this life. Amen.

Evidently, these are difficult times for many all around the world. Yes, these are difficult times for many to take care of themselves, their families or their affairs in righteousness and with integrity of heart. And that is because of the increase in wickedness, deception and apathy towards God among men. But should we be surprised or alarmed because of these things? No! And that is because the word of God already makes it very clear to us that the last days of men here on earth will be difficult days. His word already shows us that these days will be days in which all forms of evil will be on the increase, and all the laws and programmes that we have put in place to protect us or make life easy for us will not be able to keep things from falling apart. (Cf. Matt 24:12; 2Tim 3:1-5)

Consider for yourself the rate at which sexual immorality, rape, murder, kidnapping, terrorism, looting of public funds, homosexuality, transvestism, rebellion against authority, religious deception and all other forms of evil are increasing these days. Is it not terribly alarming? Also, consider the rate at which all kinds of incurable sicknesses and diseases are breaking out among men everywhere and the rate at which people, both young and old, are running mad or taking their lives. Isn’t it disturbing? I read recently from one of the dailies of how a young man murdered his wife in cold blood because he felt she was involved in some extra-marital affairs. And after stabbing the woman severally to the point of death, he too took some insecticide and killed himself with it.

Now that was really bad, right? But the truth is that there are worse things happening everyday all around the world, our world. And for the most past, even the best of our governments, constitutions and programmes have been unable to tame them. That is beside the fact that there are governments that encourage and feed some of these horrible things to grow through their laws and policies. Therefore, many righteous and upright people are being tormented and pressured everyday to give up on righteous living, just as Lot was tortured to give up on righteous living in Sodom because of the things he saw and heard (2Pet 2:7-8).

To say the fact, only God can really speak of the number of those who have already given up. Some of us may be able point to certain individuals who used to stand for righteousness but who have now surrendered to adultery, prostitution, sorcery, homosexuality, greed or some of these corrupt and wicked practices. Perhaps you too are on the verge of giving up to certain evil desires that are warring seriously against your soul and tormenting you everyday. Well, I want you to know that you don’t have to do so. If you did so, it would not be because you couldn’t have walked in victory over those evil desires; rather, it would be because you would not take advantage of God’s strength and boldness to do the right thing.

The bible says, “If you fail under pressure, your strength is too small.” (Prov 24:10) Did you see that? It is inadequate strength of heart that makes people yield to destructive practices. But those of us who have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ can always receive whatever degree of inner strength we need to say ‘No’ to evil and ‘Yes’ to righteousness, anyday and anytime. Look again at what the bible says: “Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (Isa 40:30-31NIV)

Did you see that? Strength of heart or of character has nothing to do with youthfulness. In other words, there are situations in life in which your muscles won’t be able to keep you from growing tired and weary or from stumbling and falling. But if your trust is in the Lord, if the Lord is the one you are counting on for strength, then, regardless of what circumstances you are faced with or how much pressure is on you to go the wrong way, He will supply you with the strength you need to stand firm. And as long as you are trusting Him, He will see to it that your strength is renewed everyday to face life and whatever it brings with it. That means you will go from strength to strength every new day, soaring over all trials of life like eagles and never becoming tired or weary.

So, my friend, don’t trow in the towel at all or yield yourself to those evil forces that are pulling you on all sides and trying to make a mess of your life and your faith. Instead, learn to draw from the Lord whatever measure of strength or boldness you need to walk in victory over these things everyday and every moment (Heb 4:16). And you will never be disappointed or disgraced but will receive a rich welcome into God’s eternal kingdom, when all has been said and done.

Do have a very pleasant week.

Copyright © 2020, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to alaythiabiblechurch@gmail.com/alaythia4all@gmail.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2020 Pastor's Desk

Title: He knows where you live – June 21, 2020

Beloved: grace and peace be yours forevermore from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Saviour and Lord. Welcome to another week of the month of June 2020. And I pray that your heart will be strengthened to remain true to the Lord to the very end, irrespective of the circumstances of the place in which you find yourself, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

One of the things the Lord commended the church in Pergamum, one of His churches in the province of Asia of bible days, for was their loyalty to Him, even though they were living with Satan himself. Look at the way He puts this in His letter to them:

“I know where you live — where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city — where Satan lives.” (Rev 2:13NIV)

Now the first thing the Lord tells these brethren is that He knows where they are living. And His point is not that He knows the name of their city. Of course, He knows the name of their city, which is Pergamum. But the name of that city is not the issue; the issue really is what is going on in that city and the impact it is having on the everyday life of the people there.

According to the Lord, Satan was living in that city at the time He was writing these words. Indeed, we know from Scriptures that Satan is a wanderer – he does not settle permanently anywhere (Job 1:7 &2:2). But there are times he settles for a while in particular places to wreck havoc. And once he makes his home in a place, one can be sure that there will increase in demonic activities there. This, in turn, will result in increase in wickedness, immorality, idolatry, sorcery, hostility against righteousness, deception, violence and all kinds of evil in such a place.

Perhaps you have been in such a place – city, town, village, community, household, establishment or school – before. You could tell the moment you got there that something was definitely wrong. You could sense or feel the gross darkness that was over the people there and see how it was twisting their lives and making them act contrary to what is right and proper. For example, I once lived in a town where there were so many teenage mothers and fathers living with their parents, and many among the people felt it was no big deal. In other words, sexual immorality was so prevalent there that many of their young ones were involved. So, at that time (I wouldn’t know about now), it was pretty difficult to raise children there to be pure. And if you got there as a pure person and would not be careful to walk in the strength of the Spirit of God, it would not be long before your life got messed up in immorality.

But why will any place be like that? It is usually because of the presence of the devil or certain powerful angels of his there (Eph 6:12). They are the ones that fill people with wrong and deceptive thoughts, philosophies and ideas that end up becoming strongholds in their lives and holding them in captivity to engage in destructive practices. And once they make their home in a place, certain evils will start taking their foothold there and affecting the overall lifestyles of the people.

However, in the case of the brethren in the city of Pergamum, whom the Lord is speaking to in the bible text we have above, they would not allow their loyalty to the Lord to be affected in any way, even though Satan had set up his throne in their city. In other words, they would not conform to the ungodly practices of the people in that city, even though the pressure on them to do so was great. In fact, one of them, Antipas, was killed because of his faith. Nevertheless, these brethren would not renounce their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, surrender to the devil and allow their lives to be messed up in whatever wrong things the people of the land were involved in. And the Lord commended them for this and told them that He was aware of all that they were going through and would reward them at the right time, if they would remain faithful to the end.

In like manner, the Lord knows where you and I live and the prevailing conditions there. He knows where we work, do business or study and the prevailing circumstances there. Nevertheless, He expects us to remain faithful to Him and not conform to whatever wrong practices those we are living with are involved in, even if it is Satan himself we are living with. And if the church in Pergamum could be faithful to Him, we too can be faithful to Him. So, instead of making excuses for conforming to the evil practices that are prevalent in our locality, we ought to be drawing from God’s throne of grace whatever we need to remain true to our Lord (Heb 4:14-16). Remember that if we remain true to Him, we will have His commendation and reward. But if we give in to the pressure of Satan and the world, we may end up partaking in the judgment that is bound to come on the world. And may that not be our lot, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Do have a splendid week.

Copyright © 2020, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to alaythiabiblechurch@gmail.com/alaythia4all@gmail.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2020 Pastor's Desk

How not to waste your life – Date: June 14, 2020

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours forever from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am delighted to welcome you into another week in the month of June 2020. And my prayer is that your heart will be filled with the perfect knowledge of the will of God for you in every situation of your life in the week and all through the remaining part of this year, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Now why is it important that you know the exact will of God for you in everything you do? It is so that you will not live a foolish life. Paul says in his letter to the Ephesians, “Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” (Eph 5:17NIV) Did you see that? It is foolishness not to know the mind of God about life in general and how to conduct ourselves in response to it. If we don’t know what God thinks of life as a whole and how we are to handle it, then, there is no way we will be able to live our lives to please Him. And if our lives are not lived to please Him, then, we have wasted them.

See, God did not create us to live for ourselves. Nobody creates anything for that thing to exist for itself. Rather, we create things (machines, organisations, systems, processes and so forth) to serve our purposes. And if they are not going to serve the purpose for which we create them, we end them. In the same vein, God created us to live for Him; He created us to live to bring Him pleasure. And that is one point that everyone in this world needs to get. You have been not created to live for yourself. You have not been created to live for your husband or wife. You have not been created to live for your friends, neighbours or colleagues at work or in school. In short, you have not been created to live for any created being or thing. The only person you have been created to live for is the one that created you, and that is God. (Cf. Rom 14:7-8; Rev 4:11)

If you, then, believe that God is your creator, then, your most important goal in this life must be to live to bring Him pleasure. Yes, in bringing Him pleasure, you are also going to be bringing pleasure to many other people in your life. But essentially, He is the one you have been created to delight. And if you are not living to bring Him pleasure, then, you are not fulfilling His purpose for creating you. Therefore, you are wasting your life and are in danger of being permanently and forever discarded by Him.

Unfortunately, many today are wasting their lives without knowing it. They are wasting their lives because they are not living them for God. They are wasting their lives because they are not living them in the will of God. Yes, they may be good and kind people, individuals who are doing their very best to make the world pleasant for themselves and others to live in. But as long as they are not doing what they are doing on the basis of faith in God and a desire to please Him, they are not living for Him but for themselves. They may not even agree that it is themselves they are living for and say that it is other people they are living for. But the truth is that in doing whatever they are doing for others, it is still themselves they are trying to please and satisfy. And since it is themselves they are living to please and satisfy, they are not fulfilling God’s purpose for creating them. They are merely wasting their lives. And they are never going to get His praise on the day that He rewards all men.

Now I don’t want to want to waste my life in this world. Rather, I want to live it to earn the praise of the one who created me. And I am sure you too won’t want to waste your life but will want it to count for something before God, when all has been said and done. But we are going to waste our lives, if we do not live them in the will of God. And if we do not want to live our lives outside the will of God, then, we need to know His will, which takes us back to what Paul says. He says, “Do not be foolish but understand the will of God.”

How, then, do we know the will of God for us in this life? First, it is by continually asking Him to reveal it to us, that is, in prayer (Col 1:9-12). And since He has said everyone who asks receives, we can be sure that if we ask Him to make His will known to us about life, He will do so and do so according to our needs. Second, we can know His will by giving ourselves to the Holy Scriptures. Paul says every scripture is inspired of God to teach us, correct us, rebuke us and train us in righteousness, to the end that we may be perfect and thoroughly furnished to know and do the will of God in all things (2Tim 3:16-17). So, give yourself to the Scriptures.

Third, we can know God’s will through fellowship with other children of His. We have not been called by God to live alone but to live in His family. And it is only as we truly fellowship with other members of this family that we can attain perfection in our knowledge of God and of His will. So, take your fellowship with other people of God, especially those of your local assembly seriously. And as you devote yourself to these things, may your heart be continually flooded with the absolute knowledge of God’s will for you in all things, so that you may not waste your life. (Cf. Eph 4:9-16)

Do have a great week.

Copyright © 2020, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to alaythiabiblechurch@gmail.com/alaythia4all@gmail.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2020 Pastor's Desk

Title: Christ our wisdom – June 07, 2020

from pastor's desk

Beloved: grace, peace and love be multiplied to you forever from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.

I am deligted to welcome you to the second week of the month of June 2020. And my prayer is that God will cause His wisdom to continually and fully find expression in you, so that you may always excel in all good things, irrespective of the situations of the world, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Paul, speaking to us by the Spirit of God in a letter of his, says, “…God, who is the Creator of all things, kept his secret hidden through all the past ages, in order that at the present time, by means of the church, the angelic rulers and powers in the heavenly world might learn of his wisdom in all its different forms.” (Eph 3:9-10GNT) Think about that. God, right now and not later, wants the angelic rulers and powers in the heavenly world to learn His manifold wisdom through the church. In other words, He wants to manifest His wisdom through you and me because of our faith in His Son Jesus Christ. What a marvellous thing!

See, we may have started out in life as ordinary, ignorant and unimpressive people. And many indeed started out like that. But it really does not matter to God. As long as we are in Christ Jesus, our social, cultural, political or academic background does not matter; what matters is a new creation. And since we are new creations in Christ, God’s intention is to teach the world and all the powers that are operating in it His wisdom through us. This is what He recreated us for. Therefore, the thoughts we think, the words we say, the decisions we make and the things we do ought to daily and always communicate the wisdom of God to men, angels and demons alike.

Look, for example, at the apostles of old. Everywhere they went, they shocked rich, powerful and influential people by their words and acts of wisdom, even though many of them were unschooled and ordinary men. And why were they able to function like that? It was because of their relationship with the Lord Jesus. He was the wisdom by which they were living, functioning and handling life. (Cf. Acts 4:13; Acts 13:4-11; Acts 25&26)

In like manner, Jesus Christ is our wisdom too. The bible says, “It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God — that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.” (1Cor 1:30NIV) Because of who are we in Christ Jesus? It is because of God. He, not any man or woman, is the reason we are new creations in Christ Jesus today. And it is He who has made Jesus Christ our wisdom. So, as far as we are concerned, our own wisdom is a living person, not a mere sense of good judgment. Our wisdom is Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col 2:2-3).

Now since our wisdom is a person, how do we see it manifest in us? Is it by daily confessing that He is our wisdom or how? While it is okay to confess and affirm that Jesus is our wisdom, His wisdom won’t find expression in us because of that. He is already our wisdom. Confessing Him, therefore, as our wisdom will not make Him any more our wisdom or make His wisdom find expression in us. What will make the wisdom that He represents find expression in us is our learning from Him, so that we make His ways our ways and His thoughts our thoughts. The more we do this the more His wisdom finds expression in us. And the more His wisdom finds expression in us, the more God’s purpose of teaching men and the rulers and powers in the heavenly realms His wisdom through us is fulfilled.

The question, then, is, “Do we want this purpose of God to be fulfilled in us and through us?” I am asking if we want those of this world and all the angelic beings that be to learn through us that God’s ways are the only true ways to make sense out of life. If we do, then, we must take more seriously our devotion to learning from our Lord Jesus in order that we may know Him better, for the better we know Him the better the expression of His wisdom through us gets (Phil 3:10). And my prayer is that, as we go this week, you will realise that this is God’s expectation on your life and that you are in a position to fulfil it.

Do have a glorious week.

Copyright © 2020, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to alaythiabiblechurch@gmail.com/alaythia4all@gmail.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2020 Pastor's Desk

Title: Don’t be weary in doing good, even in your poverty – May 31, 2020

Beloved: grace and peace be yours abundantly from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I welcome you to another week of this year and pray that, as we move into a new month during it, God’s favour will overflow without measure on your behalf, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

If there is any time that the Scripture that says, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers,” should find expression in our lives as believers, it is now. Without doubt, things are very hard for many now because of COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on world economy. And there is really no one that will say that they are not being affected by the whole thing, to one extent or the other. (Cf. Galatians 6:9-10)

Nevertheless, the word of God tells us not be weary in doing good. In other words, we should not allow the current situation of things to take away from us the desire to support others or help them with our resources, time, skills and so forth. It is true that many of us may not have access to as much resources as we used to. But it is not really about how much we give to people; rather, it is about the motivation for doing so.

For instance, Paul says to the Corinthians, “For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.” (2Cor 8:12NIV) Did you see that? If it comes from your heart to bless someone else from what you have, God will accept your love gift based on what you have and not on what you don’t have. That is why the Lord once commended in a meeting a widow, who gave just a fraction of a penny as her offering, as having given more than the rich people in the meeting, who brought a lot of money as their own offerings. According to Him, that widow gave everything she had to live on, though all she had to live on was little. So, she gave out of her poverty while others gave out of their abundance. (Cf. Mark 12:41-44)

In like manner, we too can still bless others today, even out of our poverty, if the love and the desire to do so are there. I know that the general thinking is that you give to others only when you have more than enough. But when exactly are you going to have more than enough? Right now, there are people that you are still better than, regardless of how bad your financial condition may seem to be. And if the desire is in you to help, God will definitely open your eyes to see what you can give such individuals.

Paul says this about the church of the Macedonians: “Our friends, we want you to know what God’s grace has accomplished in the churches in Macedonia. They have been severely tested by the troubles they went through; but their joy was so great that they were extremely generous in their giving, even though they are very poor. I can assure you that they gave as much as they could, and even more than they could. Of their own free will they begged us and pleaded for the privilege of having a part in helping God’s people in Judea.” (2Cor 8:1-4GNT) Look at that. These brethren gave to help other believers, even in their poverty. More so, they begged to be given the privilege to do so. Why? It was because they saw that those other brethren had legitimate needs, which God could use them to meet from the little they had.

So, I am not saying you should use your resources to sponsor laziness or irresponsibility in others; neither am I saying you should use the little you have to enrich someone that perhaps has more than you do. Rather, I am saying you should allow God to use you to make someone that is really in need smile during this period of international crises. So, watch out for opportunities to help those in need around you, especially those of the household of faith, and utilise them. And as you do this, God, who sees everything, will make sure you are duly rewarded at the right time.

Have a great week.

Copyright © 2020, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to alaythiabiblechurch@gmail.com/alaythia4all@gmail.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2020 Pastor's Desk

Don’t lose your mind because of them – May 24, 2020

from pastor's desk

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am delighted to welcome you to the last week of the month of May 2020. My prayer is that God will strengthen your heart to remain true to Him to the very end, regardless of what men may do against you, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

One of the things we learnt from the earthly life of our Lord Jesus is devotion to God, even in the face of rejection, betrayal and denial of men. Here is One who fully gave Himself to doing the will of God in all things (John 8:29). Yet men, including those who benefited tremendously from His life and ministry, rejected Him. Even those who had the rare privilege of fullying sharing in His great life and ministry, at some point, denied and abandoned Him because of fear. That is besides the fact that it was one of them that betrayed Him and handed Him over to those who wanted to take His life. And he did that out of greed.

Nevertheless, in the face of all these things, our Lord Jesus stayed true to God to the very end. He did not lose His mind because He was ultimately rejected, betrayed, denied and abandoned. Painful as all this might have been, He did not become bitter. Instead, He committed His soul to the One who was able to deliver Him and also asked for forgiveness for all those who treated Him wickedly (Luke 23:34&36). Therefore, God answered His prayers, honoured Him, exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee must bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord to the glory of God the Father (Phil 2:9-11).

Similarly, Paul the apostle experienced the rejection of his own people, the Jews, even though he had given his entire life to doing the will of God, their God. Not only that, at some point in his life, he was abandoned by many among the people of God, including some of his own ministry associates, people that his life and ministry had been a blessing to. (Cf. 2Tim 1:15-18 & 4:9-10&16) But did he lose his mind because of this and withdraw his devotion to God? No! Or did he become bitter, resentful and malicious because of the rejection and betrayal he had experienced? No!

Instead, Paul cast himself totally on God for safe-keeping and also offered prayers of forgiveness for all the brethren who abandoned him, so that God would not hold it against them. And God answered him and kept him safe to the end of his earthly race. (Cf. 2Tim 4:16-18) This was why he was eventually able to say, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day — and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” (2Tim 4:7-8NIV)

So, even if all hell is let loose against you, and you are being rejected, persecuted, abandoned, betrayed or denied by men, including those you love and those who have been blessed by God through your life, don’t lose your mind or throw away your devotion to God. Instead, follow the examples of our Lord Jesus and Paul the apostle by doing what Peter says. And what does he say? He says, “So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.” (1Peter 4:19NIV) Did you see that? If you are suffering while doing the will of God, don’t lose yourself. Instead, commit yourself to your Creator and continue to do good. And at the appropriate time, you will be rewarded for your steadfastness and trueness. May the God of all grace and comfort be with you. Amen.

Do have a great week.

Copyright © 2020, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to alaythiabiblechurch@gmail.com/alaythia4all@gmail.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2020 Pastor's Desk

Title: Finding rest – May 17, 2020

from pastor's desk

Beloved: grace and peace be yours abundanty from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. I am pleased to welcome you into another week of the month of May 2020. My prayer is that your life will experience God’s rest in every way in the week and throughout the remaining part of the year, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Now I offered that prayer for you because it is in keeping with God’s will for you. What I mean is that it is God’s will for you to have rest, absolute rest, in every area of your life. That is why He says to us, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matt 11:28NIV) This is a free invitation to everyone who is troubled and is bearing loads of life that are crushing him. The Lord says to him, “Come to me, and I will give you rest.” If He did not have what it takes to give us rest, He would not say, “Come to me, and I will give you rest.” It is because He has what it takes to deliver rest to us from all the things that are troubling us and making us tired of life that He tells us to come to Him for rest.

So, you don’t have to allow any problem of life to destroy you or drive you mad. You don’t have to allow any situation to take charge of your life and turn you into a beast or a slave. All you need is to come to Jesus for rest, and He will give it to you. I mean that the Lord will give you rest right here on earth. Yes, the rest He intends to give to us is beyond something that we enjoy only in this world. Rather, His intention is to give us eternal and permanent rest from every problem of life.

However, while the earth and all the problems that are associated with staying in it still remain, the Lord wants us to have rest in it. And He has been giving those who come to Him rest in it. For instance, we are told this about King David: “After the king was settled in his palace and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies around him, he said…” (2Sam 7:1-2NIV) Look at that. The Lord gave David rest from all his enemies around him. So, he settled down in his palace to enjoy his life and kingship. But that did not happen overnight. I mean that he did not come to this place of rest overnight. Only God Himself knows what number of miracles He had to perform in order to bring him there.

As we are told in the bible, this man was ordained to be king at a very tender age, when he was but a boy (1Sam 16:1-13). But did he ascend the throne the day after his ordination by God? No! Instead, even though he was a man after God’s own heart, he went through what many today would call ‘hell’ before he got there. He was persecuted, hunted, robbed, slandered and even betrayed on his way to the throne. And even after becoming king, troubles, wars and betrayals did not vanish from him overnight. They kept on coming for him. But because in all these things, he set the Lord continually before himself and lived according to His word, he was preserved (Ps 16:8). Then there came a time in which even those around him could say, “The Lord has given this man rest from all his enemies around him.”

Now the same God that gave David rest from all his enemies around him is the one we are dealing with. Yes, He is the one that says to us, “Come to me, and I will give you rest.” And if you have come to Him, then, rest is already available for you to enjoy. But someone may say, “I have come to Him. Yet I am not enjoying any measure of rest in my life. My life is still full of troubles that are weighing me down and seeking to utterly destroy me. What, then, is the problem?” Well, the problem is that you have not learnt how to take His rest and make it yours.

See, the Lord does not just say, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” He also says, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matt 11:29-30NIV) Did you see that? The only way to find the rest that God has given is to walk with Him and learn to do things His own way. Even though you have come to Him, as long as you are trying to solve your life’s problems in your own way, you will never find the rest He gives. But the moment you quit using your methods and schemes and start listening to Him and acting on His instructions, you will start finding His rest in your life. Yes, He may have to daily perform a million miracles for you to experience His rest. But what does it matter? He will do whatever He has to do to make sure that someday you are able to look around and say, “Blessed be God, who has given me rest on every side from all that seeks to destroy me.”

Do have a very pleasant week.

Copyright © 2020, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to alaythiabiblechurch@gmail.com/alaythia4all@gmail.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2020 Pastor's Desk

He will keep sending in labourers – May 10, 2020

from pastor's desk

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am delighted to welcome you to another week in the month of May 2020. My prayer is that God will make you flourish like never before in it, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

This Sunday marks exactly eight years that we have been meeting together as an assembly in this town. And when we started, it did not look like we would be able to stand at all in the eyes of those who think they are in a form of competition with other assemblies of God in their locality. Some even told it to our faces that our coming together like that was a mistake – we should never have allowed it to happen. And to say the fact, why should there be another assembly of God’s people in a town that already has many? The reason is simple: the work of the kingdom of God is enormous, and God requires as many diligent and faithful hands as He can get to do it.

Remember that Jesus once said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send labourers into His harvest field.” (Cf. Luke 10:2) So, even though there are many assemblies of God all around, there are yet countless unsaved people in our world that need to be reached with the gospel and discipled in the will of God. Besides, how many of those who are in these assemblies of God actually belong to Christ and are not mere church meeting goers? And even among those who belong to Christ, how many are actually labouring together with Him?

Therefore, when the Lord finds anyone that is willing to labour with Him faithfully and diligently, He will send Him forth and also equip Him to do His work. And this is exactly the point He is making in the parable of the landowner that went out at different times of a particular day to hire different people to work for him. As the account shows, the man kept going out to the very last working hour of the day to recruit more people to work in his farm. Why? It was because the work was enormous. So, his concern was not that some of the workers may feel threatened by the coming in of others or that they may begin to see the whole thing as some form of competition. Rather, his concern was that his work may be done well and faithfully and be completed within the amount of time available. And if it was by getting more people involved in the work that the result he wanted was going to be accomplished, he was more than willing to get them. (Cf. Matt 20:1-16)

In like manner, the Lord is not going to stop raising more labourers and sending them into His field of harvest, just because some are going to feel threatened, unhappy, uncomfortable, jealous or bitter about the whole thing. Inasmuch as sending more faithful people in is what will get Him the results He desires, He will keep sending them in until the very end. This is why we should never feel threatened or frustrated when we see God raising more people around us to do His work. And we should never compete with anybody in doing the work of God, for nobody can do our own part of the work, if we do not neglect it. So, our focus should be on doing our own part of the work faithfully and diligently to the very end, bearing the fact in mind that none of us has what it takes to do all that the Lord wants done. Each of us will only do what God has assigned him and also enables him to do. (Cf. Eph 4:7-16)

Then we should not feel bad because somebody will not join our own group of believers in doing the Lord’s work. Inasmuch as they are true children of God and are devoted to Him, we should let people live for God and serve Him where they feel most comfortable. When the apostles complained to the Lord about a man that was driving out demons in His name and was not one of them, He simply told them that they should let him be. Why? It was because the man was not against them but on their side, for He was doing the Lord’s will, even though he was not in their group. And interestingly, the Lord did not tell them to go and call the man to join the apostolic band in order for his ministry to be validated. (Cf. Mark 10:38-40) So, we should not despise anybody’s ministry or consider it to be fake because they are not with our group of believers. Instead, we should bless God for them and pray that they, together with us, will excel with whatever work the Lord has assigned to us.

Well then, as we start another year of sharing our lives together with God and with one another, I want you to join me in thanking God for loving us and for touching our lives the way He has been doing. I also want us to thank Him for enabling us to be firm and consistent in doing His will during these eight years. More so, we should thank Him for all the lives He has blessed and affected for good through us. And as we begin a new year of fellowship with Him again, my prayer is that our hearts will be strengthened to receive and enjoy all that He has in store for us.

Do have a very pleasant week.

Copyright © 2020, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to alaythiabiblechurch@gmail.com/alaythia4all@gmail.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2020 Pastor's Desk

Title: How to maintain fellowship – May 03, 2020

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours immeasurably from God our Father and Jesus Christ our precious Saviour and Lord. I am pleased to welcome you into the month of May 2020 and pray that it will overflow with God’s goodness for you and your home, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Now, as we begin this new month, I want to remind you of how important it is for you to stay in fellowship with the people of God. Yes, I know that because of the current situation of things in the world, we all are experiencing some degrees of limitations in the kind of access we have to one another. We are unable to meet together in the same place, as we used to. And we are not even able to visit one another freely in our various houses, as it is appropriate for us to be doing.

Nevertheless, we must never forget how important it is for us to stay in fellowship with one another. This is so that we may continue to mutually edify and watch over one another and that Satan may not take advantage of the situation and destroy the faith of many. As some of us already know, there have been brethren that have slipped back into unbelief, immorality, bitterness, covetousness and so forth as a result of the present situation of things in the world. And that is because they are no longer in touch with certain individuals that God has been using to streghten their faith and to guide them in the way of righteousness. Their case is just like the case of King Joash of Judah that lost his way and was led astray to abandon the worship of God as soon as his mentor and spiritual guide, Jehoiada, died. (Cf. 2Chro 24)

So, we need to understand that it is not the will of God for His people to be robbed of the privilege of fellowshipping with one another. Yes, there may be circumstances that will necessitate this. But such circumstances are often not brought about by God but by the devil. And we need to know how to handle them, so that we can frustrate Satan’s purpose and bring about a fulfulment of the will of God in our lives.

How, then, do we do that? The answer is in the Scriptures. And what do they teach about this? First, they show us that we need to maintain in us the desire to stay in fellowship with one another. That is the place to begin. And we see an illustration of this in the way Paul and his ministry partners related to the brethren in Thessalonica. They had been enjoying a beautiful fellowship with these brethren before they were hurriedly asked to leave the city because of persecution. Nevertheless, they maintained in themselves an intense longing to see these brethren and be reunited in fellowship with them, so that they could supply whatever was lacking in their faith. (Cf. Acts 17:1-15; 1Thess 2:17&3:10)

Unfortunately, even though these apostles, especially Paul, longed and tried more than once to visit these Thessalonians, they were unable to get to them. Why? According to Paul, it was because Satan hindered them (1Thess 2:18). Think about that. Paul acknowledged that he was hindered by the devil from doing the will of God in this case. That is why I said, often, it is the devil that brings about this kind of situation in which believers are unable to enjoy together the blessings of our divine fellowship.

In any case, when Paul and his colleagues realized that it was Satan that was hindering them, they decided that even if it was only one of them that would be able to visit these brethren and strengthen them, the person should go. So, as the opportunity showed up, they sent Timothy to them, and God made his trip fruitful. Then they did not stop praying to God to clear the way for all of them to get to these brethren (1Thess 3:10). In addition, Paul took advantage of one of the major means of communication at the time, letter writing, and used it in exhorting and encouraging the brethren. So, even though the circumstances seemed to be against these saints of old, they still ensured that their fellowship with one another was maintained and not broken. That is why they were able to pass on the truths of Christ to generations of believers after them.

In like manner, instead of allowing the present situation of things to destroy or render impotent our fellowship with one another, we too should, of first importance, maintain in us a burning desire to stay in fellowship. Second, we should keep praying that God will clear the way for us to be reunited with our brethren again. Third, we should do our best to take advantage of all the available and legitimate mediums of communications to stay in touch with one another and to keep edifying and strengthening one another. And as we do this, there will be a mighty release of the supply of the Spirit of God for us all to walk in victory over the current world crises and everything that is seeking to destroy our common faith in Christ Jesus.

Do have a great week.

Copyright © 2020, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to alaythiabiblechurch@gmail.com/alaythia4all@gmail.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2020 Pastor's Desk

Title: A relevant faith – April 26, 2020

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours immeasurably from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Saviour and Lord. Welcome to the last week of the month of April 2020. And may it be a week of restoration and refreshing for us all, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

For some weeks now Coronavirus has been the major news on everybody’s lips. Everyday and everywhere people are reporting it. And why? It is because of its destructive impact on life in general. Everybody can see, hear and feel what it is doing to people’s health and lifestyles all over the world. So, though we are not happy about it, none of us is surprised that it is the main thing that is now being discussed everywhere.

In like manner, though those of the world may not like it, God’s desire is that our faith in Christ Jesus will be reported everywhere, not just for a while but till our Lord will come and take us to be with Himself. For example, Paul says of the Roman brethren of bible days, “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world.” (Rom 1:8NIV) Did you see that? Paul says these brethren’s faith is being reported all over the world. In other words, people are discussing their faith in Jesus Christ everywhere.

But why are people discussing the faith of these brethren? First, it is because of the change they can see in their lives. They can see how they turned away from idol worship, immorality, drunkeness and greed in order to worship God and to wait for His Son Jesus Christ. Also, they can see how they are now doing what natural men find impossible to do – they are living a life of love and a life of righteousness. And these things are so obvious and suprising to everyone that they cannot but talk about them or call one another’s attention to them.

The second reason they are reporting the faith of the Roman brethren is the impact that it is making on their society. People are suddenly realising that there is a new breed of individuals among them that are not morally impotent, deficient or incapacitated. They are seeing that there is a new crop of people that can be trusted with lives, money, properties and so forth, a new crop of people that are constantly full of joy and are peaceable and lovely to be with. So, wise owners of businesses want them on their team or as their partners. Community leaders who truly care about their people want them among their staff. Slaves want them as their masters, and slave masters who have them don’t want to lose them because of the quality of service they are giving them. In short, these brethren are changing the mind of everybody about life and how to handle it meaningfully. There is, therefore, no way they won’t talk about their faith in Christ Jesus and its impact on their world.

Unfortunately, this is not the case with many of us believers today. People are not reporting our faith at all because they cannot see its relevance. They cannot see any good thing it has done to our own lives or homes, not to talk of our society. We have remained the old persons they used to know, that is, if we have not even become worse. I mean that they cannot see any good change our so-called faith in Christ Jesus has brought about in our lives. So, they don’t consider it something worthy of attention or something worthy of reporting.

Now why is this the case? It is the case because many of us who profess to be Christians don’t even understand what it means to be a Christian. In other words, we are not even saved at all – we are just church meeting goers. Then many among those of us who have been genuinely saved are not walking in the consciousness of who we are. We are not walking in the consciousness of the fact that we are the salt of the earth and that our lives are supposed to bring healing, preservation and taste to our world (Matt 5:13). So, we live carelessly and thoughtlessly, giving not much attention to how what we say and do affect those in our world. And the Lord is now saying to us, as we go this week, “This ought not to be so. You should not lose your saltiness in the world and allow yourself to be trampled upon, as it is the case with many. So, wake up and be the salt that you really are to your world, taking advantage of my grace. And before you know it, those in your world will begin to see and talk about the relevance of your faith in me.”

Do have a fabulous week.

Copyright © 2020, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to alaythiabiblechurch@gmail.com/alaythia4all@gmail.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)