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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2021 Pastor's Desk

Don’t let them condemn you | Pst. J.O. Lawal


Date: November 21, 2021 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 10, No. 29

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours immeasurably from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. Welcome to another week of the month of November 2021. I pray that it will overflow with the goodness and favour of God for you and your home, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

As we begin this new week, let me remind you of the words of Paul, which say, “Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.” (Col 2:16-17NIV) What is the point this apostle is making here? It is that we must not allow anyone to judge us according to the Law of Moses.

But why will Paul say this? It is because we will often come across people who will want to judge us according to this law. Yes, we will often find people who will want to measure our standing before God on the basis of our commitment to this law and ruin our liberty in Christ (Gal 2:4-5). I, for example remember how, when we just started holding church meetings, one of the ladies that joined our choir began to complain about some our sisters that wore trousers to church meetings. And when I asked to know why she was doing this, she said it was because what they were doing was not in agreement with what the bible says. And what part of the bible is she referring to? Evidently, it is the part in which we have the Law of Moses.

Unfortunately, this same sister used to wear trousers when she was not in church meetings. And when I asked her, “But I have seen you in town a number of times in trousers. If it is not wrong for you to wear them outside church meetings, why, then, should you think it is wrong for others to wear them to church meetings?” But instead of giving me a direct answer, she just said, “I just know that it is wrong, according to the bible, for a lady to wear what pertains to a man.” And that was how she stopped attending our church meetings altogether.

Now that is nothing but hypocrisy. It is hypocrisy to accept that something is wrong according to the God’s word and yet be doing it, whether openly or secretly. It is also hypocrisy to condemn in others what you yourself are doing. It gets even worse when you are condemning the innocent. And there are many of God’s children today who still wrongly condemn other children of His. Why? It is because they are not paying attention to the truth of Scriptures.

For example, as Paul shows us in that bible text above, one of the truths which many do not pay attention to is that the Christian must not allow himself to be judged at all on the basis of the Law of Moses. Why? It is because that law was never given to him by God. Rather, it was given to the Israelites when they just came out of Egypt as their national law and was later set aside by God after Jesus had fulfilled it and introduce a new and living way to serve Him. (Cf. Ex 24:12; Acts 15:1-29; Heb 8-10)

Is all this to say that the Christian cannot learn anything about God from the Law of Moses? No! He can learn a lot from it. And he should do his best to learn all he can from it. However, as Paul further shows us, that law is simply a shadow of what God wants His people to know about Him and life. The truth is in Christ Jesus. That means if you really want to know the truth about God and about life, it is the Lord Jesus Christ that you have to give your attention to. He is the way, the truth and the life. And no one can come to God or know God or life apart from Him. (Cf. John 14:4) So, it is the truth that is revealed in Scriptures about Him that we ought to pay attention to and get ourselves busy with. Also, it is the truth that is revealed about Him in Scriptures that we should always use as our basis for interpreting other things that are said in them. That is because it is the truth about Him that will make us free to live the kind of life God wants us to live.

All of this is why we must not allow anybody to pressure or trick us into living any kind of life that is not in agreement with what is revealed about our Lord Jesus in Scriptures. And it is also why we must refuse to feel bad or sad because certain individuals are angry with us for not embracing the law of Moses or some traditions of men that are contrary to the truth of Jesus. But we will feel sad or even succumb to the pressure of those who may want to lure us away from the truth of Jesus with their false religion or devotion, if we do not know the truth that is taught about Him in Scriptures and continue in it. So, make it your business to keep learning and acting on the truth revealed about Him in the Scriptures. And you will never be a victim of anybody’s error or excesses.

Do have a lovely week.

Copyright © 2021, 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 pastor@abcministryng.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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Fire in my Bones

What are you waiting for? |Pst. J.O. Lawal |November 17, 2021 |Series: Youth for Jesus |Number: Vol. 4, No. 28

“When the king heard the woman’s words, he tore his robes. As he went along the wall, the people looked, and there, underneath, he had sackcloth on his body. He said, “May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if the head of Elisha son of Shaphat remains on his shoulders today!”” (2Kings 6:30-31NIV)

The bible text above reveals the reaction of a king of Israel after hearing the lamentation of a woman who had come to him for justice. What really went wrong? Well, as the account shows, there had been a famine in the land that made life really miserable for everybody. Unfortunately, the king did know how bad the situation had become until two women came to him and gave him a hint (2Kings 6:24-31).

Now, as one of them pointed out, because of the severity of the famine, she and her friend, neighbour or mate (we are not told exactly what their relationship was) had agreed to slaughter their sons for food. The idea was that she would first release her son for the first day’s meal and then the other woman would release hers for the second day’s meal. And she did release her son the first day. So, they slaughtered him and ate him up.

However, when it was the turn of the other woman to release her son, she was not going to do so. Instead, she went and hid him somewhere safe. But she had joined in eating the son of the woman that dragged her to the king. So, though what they both did was utterly wicked, selfish and irresponsible, something they ought to be executed for, it was only fair that the she also presented her son that they may both eat him up as well. How horrible!

In any case, when the king heard this, he was too shocked to even pass any judgment on the matter. All he could think of doing was mourning for the land and also killing Elisha, the most recognised man of God in the land at the time. But how did he expect his mourning for the land to change the situation of things for the people? Did he really expect it to bring back those that were already dead or eaten up by others as a result of the famine?

Or how did he expect his killing of Elisha to solve the problem? Elisha was the main man of God that had been helping the land with his prophetic instructions and saving this same king and his people from the hands of their enemies (2Kings 6:8-23). Yet he wanted to kill him. He wanted to kill the one with the solution to their problems. Just think about that.

Now, all along, he had known that Elisha was a true man of God and was always available for them to consult. But he did not consult him. He did not meet him to ask for his intercession for the land. He just sat down in his palace and waited for a bad situation to become terribly worse. Why? Basically, it was because the famine was not affecting him and his household much. Yes, they knew there was a famine. But they had no idea how bad it was, seeing that they were living off the provisions of the people.

Think about that. That king and his household were living off the taxes, revenues and gifts that they were taking from their people. Yet when there was a famine, they did not think it wise to do all they could, including humbling themselves before God, to see that the famine did not destroy the people providing for their needs. At least, they should have known that if the famine destroyed the people, then, there would be no one to pay the taxes and revenues they were living off. Unfortunately, they were just too self-occupied to think straight. And I suppose God had to wait until they were faced with the reality of how bad things were for the land before He spoke through His servant, Elisha, to them on how He was going to end their problem. (Cf. 2Kings 6:32-7:1)

In like manner, many of our leaders today, especially in Africa, who live off their people, are too self-occupied to make effort to know how bad things really are for the people that are providing them the money they are using to live their big and large lives. They are just too comfortable to see how bad things are for these people. That is why they will not go to those whom God can use to solve the basic problems of their land for help or even listen to them when they are telling them what can be done and should be done. But once in a while, when they are confronted with the horror of what their people are going through, they start taking some funny and meaningless reactionary measures that may not change a thing or undo the much harm that has been done. God will certainly judge them accordingly.

But perhaps you too are like that. Because of the little comfort you are enjoying now, you are ignoring certain problems that your family, neighbourhood, organisation, business or religious group is faced with. Yet you are in a position to help out or take steps that will solve those problems permanently. The question for you, then, is, “What are you waiting for?” Are you waiting for an already bad situation to become worse? Or are you waiting for what could have been handled as a domestic or communal problem to become a national or personal one?

See, there is no problem that we or the people in our lives may be faced with in this life that is beyond God’s power to handle for us. But God may not do anything to solve our problems for us, if ourselves will not acknowledge the severity of these problems and reach out to Him for help. And a lot of times, we don’t acknowledge and do something about the problems in our world until they become our personal problems. If you, then, do not want any problem being faced by those around you to someday become your personal problem, begin to make use of the grace of God in your life to deal with them. But if you keep pretending as though you could see nothing, a time will come when the Creator and owner of your life, who knows you thoroughly, will see to it that you are rewarded as your actions or inactions deserve (Prov 24:11-12).

Copyright © 2021, 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 pastor@abcministryng.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2021 Pastor's Desk

Be a Finisher |Pst. J.O. Lawal |November 14, 2021 |Number: Vol. 10, No. 28

Since God our Father is a finisher of everything He sets his hands on to do, we too, as His children, must cultivate the culture of finishing every good thing we lay our hands on to do

Beloved: grace and peace be yours immeasurably from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. Welcome to another week of the month of November 2021. My prayer is that you will always be strengthened to be a finisher of every good thing you lay your hands on, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

From what we see in the bible about the character of God, He is not someone that starts something He does not intend to finish or have the ability to finish (John 4:34; Phil 1:6; Heb 12:2). So, if He begins any good work in our lives or for our lives, He will surely finish it, if we do not stop Him with our unbelief or lack of character. For example, many of the children of Israel that He brought out of Egypt did not make it into the land of Canaan. Why? Was it because He could not finish what He started? No! Rather, it was because of their unbelief, ingratitude and other manifestations of stubbornness. So, as long as we are not unbelieving or disobedient to God, we can expect Him to finish any good work He starts in us, including that of bringing us safely into His eternal kingdom. (Cf. 1Cor 10:1-12; Heb 3:19)

Now then, since God our Father is a finisher of everything He sets his hands on to do, we too, as His children, must cultivate the culture of finishing every good thing we lay our hands on to do or that we have entrusted to us. Remember that we are told in the bible to be imitators of God, as His dearly loved children (Eph 5:1). So, we must set out to do whatever we want to do, whether for God, for ourselves or for others, with a heart that is ready to see it through to the very end.

Why is this important? First, it is because it is the one that sees the job to the end that will bring to realization the full purpose of what is done. The one that does not finish the job will, to one degree or the other, affect the purpose for which the job is to be done. For instance, if our Lord Jesus had not finished the work God had sent Him to do here on earth, would our salvation have been possible? No! Or if a contractor that is supposed to construct a road does not finish the job, would those that the road is meant to serve enjoy it at all or as they ought to? No! So, when we do not finish any good work we start, we ruin or diminish the enjoyment of the purpose for which it is to be done.

Second, it is the one that gets the job done that is saving resources and time. But the one who starts something and does not finish wastes time, energy, resources and even life. And there are many like that who are nothing but life, resources, time and grace wasters. That is because they don’t ever get to finish any good thing they start. If we are like them, then, we too are wasting ourselves and perhaps others on nothing.

The third reason it is important we cultivate the culture of finishing any good thing we start or that is entrusted to us by men or God is that it is the one that gets the job done that can be trusted with more other jobs. The one that quits has proved something about himself, which is that he lacks the character of a finisher. And such a person, as our Lord points out, is not fit for service in the kingdom of God. Yes, men, sometimes, may overlook this lack of character on his part and still give him new or more responsibilities. But God will not overlook it until he learns to discipline himself to be a finisher of anything he starts (Luke 6:62).

Another reason it is important is that it is the one that finishes the good work he starts that gets rewarded and praised by God and even men. The one who abandons the work for any reason, however reasonable it may appear, won’t get the reward or praise of a finisher. Yes, sometimes, he may be commended by men for trying. But God never commends people for trying to do what He has entrusted to them. Rather, He commends them for getting it done. So, if we want to always receive God’s commendation on whatever He commits to us in life, we must learn to finish and not abandon it (Ex 40:33-34; 1Kings 7:51-8:11)

How, then, do we cultivate the character of a finisher? First, we must learn never to commit ourselves to anything (of God or of man) we have no intention of seeing through to the end. Second, we must always settle down to count the cost of anything we want to commit ourselves to doing before agreeing to embark on it or embarking on it (Luke 14:28-32). That means we must know our limitations and accept them. We must know what we have abilities and resources for and what we do not have abilities and resources for. Otherwise, we will often find ourselves starting things that we have no capacity or determination to finish. And may the Spirit of God strengthen our hearts to take these things seriously, so that we will stop wasting our lives on things that will not earn God’s praise or benefit humanity.

Do have a great week.

Copyright © 2021, 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 pastor@abcministryng.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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Fire in my Bones

Handling Peninnah |Pst. J.O. Lawal |November 10, 2021 |Series: Youth for Jesus |Number: Vol. 4, No. 26

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

“And because the LORD had closed her womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her. This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the LORD, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat.” (1Sam 1:6-7NIV)

The bible story of Hannah is a very popular one. And it is popular because of the prayer she offered to God for a child and the result that followed. But what drove this woman to pray earnestly concerning her barrenness? It was the harassment that she constantly suffered from her rival that drove her to do so.

As the story goes, Hannah was very much loved by her husband, Elkanah. And though we are not told this in the bible, it could be because she had been barren that the man decided to have another wife who would give him children. Having another wife, however, did not make Elkanah stop loving Hannah. He kept on showering love on her, so that she would not ruin herself with depression because of her childlessness. (Cf. 1Sam 1:3-8)

What this means is that if this woman had not had any rival in her home, she may not have taken that bold step of faith to pray earnestly to God about her problem. But she had a rival. Peninnah was her name. And it was this Peninnah that God used to eventually drive the woman to pray to receive not just one child but six children (1Sam 2:18-21).

How, then, did that happen? As the account further shows us, Peninnah made sure life was miserable for Hannah because of her childlessness. In other words, she kept on doing and saying things that would provoke her and make her cry over and over again. Why? Maybe she wanted her to abandon her home and run away or to kill herself or to just do something stupid that would remove her from that family. Only God could have known exactly what was on her mind.

At any rate, the fact is that the world has never had a shortage of people like Peninnah. They are the kind that always use others’ predicaments, handicaps, lack or weaknesses to taunt them or drive them crazy. They are nothing but oppressors. And perhaps you even have one or more of them around you now. They can be a neighbour, a colleague at work or a family member. But you can see that they are doing all they can to make life uneasy or miserable for you because you do not have certain things they have or because you are not able to do certain things they are able to do. They are the Peninnah in your life.

Now I want you to know that such people have no fear or knowledge of God in them at all. Otherwise, they would have known that there is nothing they themselves have that they have not received from God. And since they have received everything from Him, they have no right to boast about anything they have that gives them an edge over others or to despise those who do not have what they have. (Cf. 1Cor 4:7)

But then, should you surrender yourself to their harassment, oppression or threats and put yourself at their mercy? No! Should you allow them to continue to make you mad, depressed or sorrowful? No! Or should you allow them to make you embrace wickedness and begin to fight them back with anything you can think of or lay your hands on? No!

See, one main reason Satan is using such people against you is to make you lose your faith in God. And once you lose your faith in God, you are going to destroy your character and, of course, your life. That way, your enemies would have won. So, don’t give them any reason to rejoice over your ruin or defeat. Instead, act like Hannah. And what did Hannah do? Hannah prayed to God.

Why did she pray to God? First, it was because she realised that by crying all the time and going crazy because of what Peninnah was doing, she was just giving her more power over her. More so, her crying and going crazy could not in any way solve the problem. On the contrary, it may even make her kill herself or everybody in the house someday. So, she gave up on crying and going crazy and instead prayed to God. And she prayed to Him because she knew that He had the power to solve her problem and change her story. Did He, then, solve her problem and change her story or not? He did.

Mind you, as the bible points out to us, from the moment she prayed to God about the matter, the peace of God took charge of her life and she was no longer sorrowful (1Sam 1:18). So, if you too have any Peninnah in your life. Don’t give them more power by crying or going mad because of what they are doing to frustrate you. And don’t allow them to drive you to become like them by embracing wickedness or idolatry of any form. Instead, see whatever they are doing as God’s means of driving you to earnestly pray to Him about the matter at hand. And just as He comforted and vindicated Hannah, He will comfort and vindicate you too, if you don’t give up.

Cheers!

Copyright © 2021, 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 pastor@abcministryng.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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Fire in my Bones

They spent their time doing nothing | Pst J.O. Lawal

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: November 03, 2021 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 4, No. 25

“All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.” (Acts 17:21NIV)

That was Luke’s remark about the Athenians of Paul’s time. They spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas in town or from around the world. In other words, these people were not serious about being productive with their lives. They were not serious about doing things that would result in the development of their lives, homes or city. Instead, all they were ever serious about was discussing the latest ideas in the world.

Unfortunately, the culture of the Athenians of that times is still very much alive in the world today. It is the reason millions all around the world waste their precious time and lives everyday on social media platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and so forth, doing nothing but entertaining themselves. Am I saying it is wrong for to be on these platforms or to use them? No, not at all.

Look, these platforms are great platforms created to make the world and what is going on in it almost immediately available and accessible to everyone. And those who are wise among us are daily making utmost use of them to increase in learning, increase their earnings or increase their influence and usefulness in life. But the majority who use them are only wasting their time, energy and even money on them, doing things that are not in any way moving their lives forward or making their lives better. That is besides the fact that many of them are also getting their lives corrupted, ruined or unduly exposed to danger through them. And that is a shame.

Now, of course, it is not only by spending time on some online social media platforms that one can waste his life. There are other ways through which we can waste ourselves in unproductive living. For example, there are employees who, every blessed day, go from office to office peddling useless news with the time they ought to be using to move the business or organisation they work for forward. And there are those who, every new day, use the time and energy they should be using to build their own businesses, careers, lives or homes in some friends’ shops, just to gist and talk about irrelevancies and nonsense.

What about those who spend hours everyday in beer parlours, game houses or motor parks, doing nothing but talking, laughing and making ridiculous jokes and comments about others that are busy moving their lives forward? All such people are not just wasting their lives but are also hindering the growth and development of whatever family, business, organisation or society they belong in. They are idle minds and hands.

So, as Solomon tells us, individuals like such are not different from destroyers of good things (Prov 18:9). In other words, since they are not building up themselves, their families and their society, they are simply destroying them. And seriously, we should start having very strong laws from the government and our various private businesses that will fix them, keep them from wasting our common resources and get them busy doing what is right and profitable with their lives and for everyone.

If you, then, are one of them, if you are one of those who do nothing but waste their lives on irrelevancies and rubbish, you need to change your ways. That is because you are not just hurting yourself; you are also hurting all of us by wasting the space, time and resources God could have given to others to build up of our world and make it a better and more enjoyable place for everyone.

Copyright © 2021, 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 pastor@abcministryng.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2021 Pastor's Desk

Make yourself useful | Pst. J.O. Lawal

Date: November 07, 2021 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 10, No. 27

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am delighted to welcome you to the second week of the month of November 2021. And I pray that God will empower you to increase in usefulness and profitability in His kingdom in the week and for the rest of your life, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Now I offered that prayer for you because God is very much concerned about the profitability of men. That is why He has blessed every living person with one form of ability or the other to make them useful to themselves and also to others in their world. It is also the reason He has blessed every one of His children with at least one spiritual gift to make them useful and profitable in His kingdom. So, if we are not useful in His kingdom, especially among those of our local Christian assembly, it will not be because we cannot be; rather, it will be because we have refused to be useful.

Yes, there will always be reasons to make ourselves useless to God and His people. It may be fear, personal matters, selfishness or laziness. But as our Lord points out to us, it is only those who make themselves useful with the gifts God has given to them that He will make more relevant in life and in His kingdom. Those who refuse to make themselves useful can only expect to diminish more and more in relevance, progress and other good things of life. (Cf. Luke 19:12-27)

So, if you don’t want to diminish in importance in God’s kingdom and also in other matters of life, start making yourself useful with your spiritual gifts, natural gifts, skills, education and resources. And you can start right here among us. All you need is to first think of what you can do with all that God has blessed you with to help everyone’s faith and then begin to do it in a spirit of submission.

Look, for example, at what is said about Apollos, that is, after he had been shown the way of the Lord in a very adequate way: “When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. On arriving, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed.” (Acts 18:27NIV) Did you see that? Immediately Apollos came among the Corinthian brethren, he began to do things that greatly helped their faith.

But what about you? What exactly are you doing now to help the faith of others in this assembly? What are you doing to make us all more devoted to God and to righteous living? If you are not doing anything to help all of us grow our faith, then, you are missing it. In fact, you are not different from anyone who may be working to destroy our faith. And there are indeed people in different assemblies of God today who are destroying or corrupting the faith of the brethren instead of helping it. Such people will not go unpunished, as revealed in the Scriptures, just as you too who are doing nothing to help the faith of your brethren will not go unpunished. (Cf. 1Tim 1:18-20)

So, wake up from your slumber and begin to make yourself useful to God and to His people. And you will be amazed at how your life will begin to increase in relevance among God’s people and also among those of this world.

Do have a splendid week.

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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2021 Pastor's Desk

Teaching you all over again | Pst. J.O. Lawal

Date: October 31, 2021 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 10, No. 26

Beloved: grace and mercy to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I welcome you to another week of the year and pray that the joy and peace of the Spirit of God will fill your heart and home all through it, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

I once heard a preacher speak of how the board of elders of an assembly once wrote to their headquarters to have their pastor transferred. Their reason was that he had been preaching on just one subject since he got to their church, which was repent and be saved. And when the pastor was asked to explain himself, he said the problem is not that he does not have any other subject to preach to these brethren but that they have not acted at all on the one he has been preaching to them. “Why, then,” as he further pointed out, “should he teach them new things, when they will not act on the one thing that he has been teaching them?”

What is the point of this? It is that until God’s people begin to intelligently act on what they are being taught, preachers who know what they are doing will not stop going over it. This is one of the reasons Paul says to the Philippian brethren, “Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you.” (Phil 3:1NIV) Did you see that? Paul did not see it as a problem at all to go over again the same things he had taught these brethren before. Why? It was because doing so would help them in staying in the will of God.

Now I know that many of us often get offended when we are being reminded or taught again by our pastors something that we already know. But we must also understand that if we are acting well on what we know to be the truth of God to us, we won’t need anybody to remind or teach us to do so. It is when we are acting as if we did not understand what we have been taught or like a forgetful hearer or like a stubborn student that this becomes necessary.

For example, I have personally observed that even though the subject of appreciating our pastors and other church leaders, who regularly feed us with the word of God and watch over us by the power of God, has been severally taught to many of God’s people, only few still take it seriously. I am saying that in most of our assemblies only very few people often personally and deliberately appreciate their leaders not just with words of mouth but also with their material things. What about others? Do they not know this? In most cases, they know. But they won’t just act accordingly. (Cf. Luke 10:1-8; 1Cor 9:14; Gal 6:6)

It will, in fact, shock you to know that many children of God have never in their lives deliberately approached their pastors to simply say, “Thank you sir for the good work you are doing,” or to just do something for them that will make them happy. But if these same brethren hear that their church leaders are involved in some sexual scandal or financial mess, they will most likely not hesitate to spread the bad news or to use whatever means they have to totally destroy them. It is no big wonder, then, that the prayers and words of blessings of many preachers don’t settle on their brethren to work for them.

Or do you really think that it is every word of prayer or blessing that is said on behalf of people that may rest on them or work for their good? No! Jesus once said this to His apostles: “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you. Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.” (Luke 10:5-7NIV) Can you see that? A word of blessing can return to the one who offers it, if the person he is offering it for does not respond appropriately. So, even if your pastor is praying for you to prosper and do well in life all the time but you are not relating to him as God wants you to, his prayers of blessing may not settle on your life and work for you as they ought to.

Unfortunately, many of God’s people don’t understand that the reason they are not prospering under their pastors in most cases is not that something is wrong with those pastors spiritually. Rather, it is that they are not relating to them as God wants them to. And if they will repent of their disobedience and stop taking the things they ought to have used to support their pastors to some prayer mountains, they will begin to see that they can prosper even more under the daily ministration of those pastors than under the once in a while ministration of the so-called anointed prophets they are dying to see. But will they repent? (Cf. Matt 10:40-42)

In any case, my point all along is that if your pastor has to go over certain bible topics again and again with you, it may not be because he does not have something else to teach you; rather, it may be because you are not yet working with what you have been taught as you are supposed to. And if you are not working well with what you have been well taught, it may be that you do not yet understand it as you should or that you are being a forgetful hearer or that you are just being stubborn. None of this, of course, is acceptable. So, stop being slow to learn, forgetful or stubborn and begin to take the things you are being taught seriously. That way, you can leave the elementary teachings of the Christian faith and move on to maturity (Heb 5:11-6:3).

Do have a great week.

Copyright © 2021, 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 pastor@abcministryng.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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Fire in my Bones

The cost of desperation | Pst. J.O. Lawal

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: October 27, 2021 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 4, No. 24

“Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar; so she said to Abram, “The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her.” Abram agreed to what Sarai said.” (Gen 16:1-3NIV)

What led Sarah to acting the way she is reported in our opening bible text to have acted? Desperation! She was desperate to have a child for her husband, Abraham. And though God had promised to give them a child of their own, she just could not be patient to receive the fulfilment of the promise. Why? She was considering her age at the time. She had already passed the age of child bearing and her husband also had become an old man. In fact, he was ten years older than her. (Cf. Gen 17:17)

So, even though she believed God, she still felt that she had to do something about their childlessness before it was too late. That, of course, was because of her love for her husband. He had been faithful to her all the years of their marriage and had not gone after any other woman in order to have a child. Therefore, she must have thought that if there was anything she could do to make him have a child, apart from waiting on God, she would give it a try. That was what led to her suggesting that her husband sleep with her slave, Hagar. And the idea was that any child that came through the union would be hers as well, since Hagar herself was her property. Interestingly, her husband agreed to do what she had suggested, went in to Hagar and slept with her. And she conceived, as they had wished.

But then, just when Sarah was beginning to think that she had won and that her move, carried out in desperation, had paid off, Hagar began to misbehave. Why? It must have been because the care she was already receiving from Abraham got into her head. So, she totally forgot her place as a slave in that house and began to see herself as her mistress’ mate. At least, she had proven that the problem was with her mistress and not with her husband. And “Who knows,” she must have thought, “I may eventually become the madam of this house after giving my master a child.”

Now do you know that situation could actually have made Sarah lose her home? There have been women who lost their homes in very similar situations. So, if her husband had not feared God and truly cherished her, maybe Hagar’s pregnancy would have given her a chance to go from being a slave to becoming the madam of the house. But because her husband feared God and also loved and cherished her, he allowed her to handle the matter as she pleased. So, she dealt so ruthless with Hagar that she ran way from the house. And though she was restored because of God’s mercy, at some point, she and her son still had to be sent away for peace to reign in that home. (Cf. Gen 16&21)

What, then, is the point of all this? it is that when we are desperate to have something or do something, we are likely to take just about any step without counting the cost. But steps taken in desperation often come with very serious consequences. In Sarah’s case, the step she took in desperation in order to solve her problem of childlessness almost cost her husband’s love and home. Also, it turned her into a callous and cold-blooded person who was willing to do anything to save her home.

Therefore, before you ignore the word of God or common sense and take that step out of desperation, think about the cost. Yes, think about the likely consequences of what you are about to do because of your desperation. That step you take today may indeed solve your immediate problem or meet your immediate need. But will it not create more problems for you in the future, problems that may ultimately take away from you what you are so desperately trying to have or protect? So, you need to think carefully about this before doing anything stupid, just because you are desperate.

And remember this: God is never late. So, as long as you trust in Him and are acting on His word, He will certainly make all things beautiful for you at the right time, even when all hope seems to be lost (Ecc 3:11).

Copyright © 2021, 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 pastor@abcministryng.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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Fire in my Bones

When it is not yours to possess | Pst. J.O. Lawal

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

Date: October 20, 2021 | Series: Youth for Jesus | Number: Vol. 4, No. 23

“Then the LORD said to me, “You have made your way around this hill country long enough; now turn north. Give the people these orders: ‘You are about to pass through the territory of your brothers the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. They will be afraid of you, but be very careful. Do not provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land, not even enough to put your foot on. I have given Esau the hill country of Seir as his own. You are to pay them in silver for the food you eat and the water you drink.'”” (Deut 2:2-6NIV)

Before God led the children of Israel out of Egypt, He had made it very clear to them that it was the land of Canaan that He was giving to them as their inheritance. But it was obvious that before getting to this land, they would have to pass through some other lands, which may also be very good lands. And while passing through these other lands, they may be tempted to want to possess them for themselves. So, through Moses, God had to warn them in advance of the futility of wanting to take for themselves what He had chosen for them. That is the reason for what we have in our opening text.

As we see in that text, God makes it very clear to the Israelites that they would certainly pass through the territory of the descendants of Esau on their way to possessing the land He had promised to give them. But that land is not for them but for Esau. In fact, God specifically says that He has already given that land to Esau. Therefore, they are not to covet it or try to fight for it. Otherwise, their effort is going to be in futility. He Himself will fight against them and make sure they do not succeed in taking even a foot of that land.

Furthermore, He warns them not to covet or try to fight for the lands of the Moabites and the Ammonites, the descendants of Lot. As He points out, they will surely pass through the territories of these people too on their way to taking their own land and may be tempted to want to go for their good lands. But if they should do so, what they will meet with is utter failure. And the very one that will be behind this failure is God Himself, who loves them and cares for them. (Cf. Deut 2:9-12&16-19)

Now what is the point of all this? It is that it is not every good thing, place or position that we see or come across in life that is for us. Yes, we may feel that we possess the ability, resources or wisdom to possess something good that we see. But if it is not what God has chosen for us but for someone else, we can only pray or labour in futility to have it. And even if we manipulate or force our way to have it, it won’t be without grievous consequences.

Remember what happened to David and his household when he took another man’s wife and killed the man. Remember also what happened to Ahab when he took another man’s vineyard and killed the owner. God did not act unconcerned in any of these cases. Instead, He moved in justice and dealt with those involved. (Cf. 2Sam 11-12; 1Kings 21)

In like manner, if we manipulate or force our way to possess something or someone God has not given to us but to someone else, we can be sure to have Him as our enemy. And remember that it is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of God (Heb 10:31). So, we will do well to regularly pray that God will fill our hearts always with the perfect and exact knowledge of His choice for us in all things and that He will also make us content with whatever He has chosen for us. This is so that we will not destroy ourselves or lose what He has chosen for us, which is always the best for us, in our quest to have what He has not chosen for us.

Copyright © 2021, 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 pastor@abcministryng.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2021 Pastor's Desk

A servant of everyone | Pst. J.O. Lawal

Date: October 24, 2021 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 10, No. 25

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. Welcome to the last week of the month of October 2021. My prayer is that you will spend the remaining days of this year in the fullness of the joy of the Spirit, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

As we begin this week, let me remind you of the words of our Lord Jesus that say, “…If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.” (Mark 9:35NIV) From what the Lord says here, it is clear that God is not against His children becoming the best or first in life. In fact, among the things He promised to do for the children of Israel, if they would obey His commandments, was to make them the head and not the tail among the nations of the world (Deut 28:13). So, it is not against His wish for you and me to be the head and not the tail wherever we find ourselves in life.

However, how do we become the kind of head God wants us to be, not just in this world but also in His eternal kingdom? How do we occupy a place of significance in His scheme of things? That is what the Lord is speaking to us about in that bible text. And He says it is by functioning as everybody’s servant.

Now what does it mean to function as a servant of everybody? Does it mean to become an errand boy or girl for everyone? Or does it mean for to become everybody’s waste bin, to become someone that everyone feels free to treat shamefully? No! What, then, does it mean?

Well, we can understand what it means by looking at the way our Lord Jesus Himself functioned when He was here in the world. Remember that He said that He did not come into the world to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). How, then, did He serve men? Was it by becoming their errand boy or someone that they could always treat as they liked? No! Rather, it was by going from place to place, doing those things that would bring about the fulfilment of the will of God in people’s lives.

Of course, there were times that He was insulted and despised by people because of the things He said about His relationship with God. In fact, He was eventually treated shamefully and killed because He called Himself the Son of God. But all through the period that He ministered among His people, He was highly respected by all of them, including His enemies.

So, being a servant of everyone is not about presenting ourselves as individuals that have no sense of worth and that people can treat anyhow. Rather, it is about living in such a way that the things we do and say are directly or indirectly bringing about the fulfilment of God’s purpose in the lives of those around us and those with whom we are in fellowship. And if this is the way we are functioning, then, we will never mind doing even things that are meant for slaves or errand boys and girls, inasmuch as they will result in the fulfilment of God’s purpose in the lives of others.

There was a time, for example, in which our Lord Jesus washed the feet of all His apostles, a job that was meant for slaves. He did that to show them that what makes a man great is not merely his title or position but his willingness to do whatever was necessary to serve those under his authority, even if it means for him to wash their feet. And did that make those apostles despise Him? No! Rather, it made them respect Him all the more. Also, it illustrated for them what He had been teaching them all along that anyone who wants to become first or great in the kingdom of His Father must be willing to serve others in any way that would bring about the fulfilment of God’s will in their lives. (Cf. John 13:1-17)

If we too, then, want to occupy great positions in the kingdom of God our Father, we must be willing to serve one another and those in our world in any way that will bring the will of God to pass in their lives. But are we going to humble ourselves to function like this or are we going to keep functioning with an exaggerated opinion of ourselves? My prayer is that our hearts will be made humble to serve all the people God wants us to serve in ways that will result in our greatness in His eternal kingdom. Amen.

Have a splendid week.

Copyright © 2021, 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 pastor@abcministryng.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)