Category: FROM PASTOR’S DESK 2022

FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2022 Pastor's Desk

The judgment of His word | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: January 22, 2023 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 11, No. 38

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to another week of the month of January 2023. My prayer is that everything God has been saying to you will succeed in making you the person He wants you to be in this world and not work against you on the last day. Amen.

Once, while addressing the Jews, Jesus said the following to them: “As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it. There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day.” (John 12:47-48NIV) From what the Lord said to these people, it is clear that it is not a new thing for people to hear His words and not act on them. So, if you have been hearing the word of God and not acting on it, it should not surprise anybody.

In any case, the Lord says that He is not ready to judge anyone that hears His word and rejects it. And that is because His mission at this time is not to judge people but to save them. That, however, does not mean that those who reject Him will not be judged at all. They will be judged at the last day. And who will judge them? According to the Lord, it is the very word that they have rejected that will stand in judgment against them on that day.

Therefore, if the word of God is coming to you and you are refusing to take it seriously and act on it, know that this same word will testify against you someday. And this is not something that will happen only in heaven but also here on earth. For instance, Solomon, while addressing his sons about adultery, makes it abundantly clear to them that if they will not pay attention to him, a day will come when they will remember his words and condemn themselves.

Look at his actual words about this: “At the end of your life you will groan when your flesh and body are spent. You will say, “How I hated discipline! How my heart spurned correction! I would not obey my teachers or listen to my instructors. I have come to the brink of utter ruin in the midst of the whole assembly.”” (Prov 5:11-14NIV) Now has something like this ever happened to you? Have you ever found yourself in a situation in which you began to condemn yourself for your own failure to act on the wise counsel you had received from your parents, church leaders or other good people in your life?

Well, I have been there. And trust me, it is not a nice experience at all. I am talking about a situation in which you know that you are the cause of your own trouble. That is because you can vividly remember all the words of warning and caution that you heard and that you failed to utilise. Then you begin to wish you had acted on them; you begin to wish you had not been stubborn. Yet you also know that the damage has already been done and that unless God shows you mercy, you will have to live and die with the mess you have made. And though you beat and condemn yourself at such a time, it will not change anything.

Now that is how the word of God judges people and how it will judge them on the last day. They will remember every truth they have heard and have failed to utilise. And they will know they have no excuse for failing God. They will know that they have no excuse for messing up their own lives or for choosing hell. But it will be too late to change anything then. It will be too late at that time to change the results they have gotten. So, they will have to live eternally with them.

But while we are still here in the world, there are things we can change. As long as we still have the breath of life in us, we can turn back from the path of disobedience to God and start listening to Him and taking His word seriously. That way, He can heal us, save us from the consequences of our past mistakes and set our lives right. Then we will not have to live forever regretting the wrong choices we have made. And my prayer is that you will take these words to heart and turn away from doing those things that will make the word of God stand against you someday in this world or on the day of the Lord. Amen.

Have a great week.

Copyright © 2023, 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@abcministry.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2022 Pastor's Desk

Remember your past | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: December 25, 2022 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 11, No. 34

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am glad to welcome you to the last week of the year, year 2022. My prayer is that you will receive from God a perfection of all that concerns you in the year, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Now, as we come into the last days of this year, it is important you rid your life of all forms of bitterness, hatred, hostility and selfishness, so that you may fully experience the blessings of God that have been poured out upon us in Christ Jesus. Yes, it may be because of the things that you have suffered from the hands of people that you are now bitter, hateful, selfish and hostile to others. But if you can remember that you too were once hostile, hateful, bitter and selfish towards God and yet He forgave you, you should have no problem ridding yourself of these things as you relate to others in your life.

While speaking to the children of Israel about the need for them to always release their brothers, who had served under them as slaves, every seven years, God said this: “Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the LORD your God redeemed you. That is why I give you this command today.” (Deut 15:15NIV) Did you see that? God wanted these people to always keep in mind where they came from and how they were brought to where they were. They too had been slaves before. And it was God’s mercy that set them free, not their power, might or wisdom. So, in dealing with their slaves, God wanted them to remember this so that they would not be harsh towards them or deny them their liberty at the set time.

Unfortunately, centuries later, when these people had been well established in their land, they became perhaps even more wicked in treating their slaves than the Egyptians had treated their forefathers. So wicked were they in treating them that they would not set them free at the times appointed by God. And even when the word of the Lord came to them from Jeremiah about this, they would not listen. On the contrary, those who had already freed their slaves among them went back to forcefully take them back in order to enslave them again. So, they brought God’s judgment on themselves. (Cf. Jer 34)

In like manner, many of us today often forget how kind and gracious God has been to us in saving us from our sins and also in lifting us up from our mud of shame and poverty. We often forget those days in which we were crying out to God to save us from our sufferings and how He answered us and saved us. So, we deal ruthlessly and mercilessly with those in our lives and those under our authority. And we harden our hearts not to forgive or show mercy to those who have offended us or hurt us. Yet we expect the grace and goodness of God to abound towards us. How can that be?

Well, the word of God is coming to us now and commanding us to remember how kind God has been to us and so let go of all forms of malice, hatred, bitterness and hostility towards those in our lives, regardless of how bad or unfaithful they may have been to us. And as we do this, especially as we come to the last days of this year, all God’s blessings that have refused to manifest in our lives will begin to find expression. Then the new year ahead of us will overflow with honey and milk for us in every way.

Merry Christmas

Copyright © 2022, 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@abcministry.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2022 Pastor's Desk

Don’t be like Saul | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: December 18, 2022 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 11, No. 33

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. It is with great delight that I welcome you to another week of the month of December 2022. And with all my heart I pray that God will teach and strengthen your heart to always take Him seriously in every area of your life, so that whether you are faced with trials or not, you will always be able to find strength and wisdom for victory in Him. Amen.

Most times, when church leaders are admonishing God’s people to take Him very seriously in their lives and not be epileptic in their devotion to Him, they think they are being unnecessarily worrisome. But it is all for their good that they are being counselled in this manner. And it is only those who take this counsel seriously and act on it that will be able to find strength and wisdom for victory in God in the day of evil.

As Paul shows us in Ephesians 5, we are living in evil days. But it is not everyday that the evils of these days threaten our lives, our peace or our joy. And that is because of the goodness and mercy of God to us. He is the one who, in His goodness and mercy, has never permitted the devil to be free to mess up our lives or our world as he pleases. May His Holy name be praised forever.

However, sometimes, for various reasons, God allows the devil to confront us with some of the evils of these last days. That is when we begin to feel like we are the only ones facing challenges in life. And as Paul further says in his epistle to the Ephesians, it is only those who take God seriously and put on His armour that will be able to stand against the schemes of the devil in such evil days. Those who don’t take Him seriously, if not shown mercy, will end up being crushed by their challenges, running away from everyone in their lives, turning away from God Himself or taking their own lives. (Cf. Eph 6:11-18)

Why did King Saul end up visiting a witch and then taking his own life? It was because he would not take God seriously in the days of his prosperity and peace. All along, he had been living as though he could do without the God who put him on the throne of Israel. He even went as far as despising God’s prophets and killing His priests. But when a challenge that was bigger than what his brains and his army could handle showed up, he began to desire God’s attention. (Cf. 1Sam 13, 15, 19, 22 & 28)

Unfortunately for this man, God, at that time, no longer had anything to say to him. He had spoken to him severally before. But he would not listen. Not only that, he had the book of the Law of God with him but would not consult it. What, then, was he expecting God to say to him? Well, when he realised that God was not going to talk to him, he went to meet a witch and opened the door of his life for utter destruction.

In like manner, there are many so-called Christians today that think God is only for emergency purposes. They think they can go ahead and live their lives as they please and then come running to God for salvation in the day of trouble. It will never work. So, they also, like King Saul, may find that God has nothing else to say to them about how to come out of trouble. And unless they humble themselves and go back to acting on all that He has been saying to them, they will never be saved.

Now is that to say that God is not a merciful God? No! He is a merciful God. However, He also knows when His mercy will not change a man or keep him from ultimately destroying himself. And where that is the case, He may choose not to say anything to such a man. Look at what Isaiah says about this: “My soul yearns for you in the night in the morning my spirit longs for you. When your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness. Though grace is shown to the wicked, they do not learn righteousness; even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil and regard not the majesty of the LORD.” (Isa 26:9-10NIV)

Did you see that? Grace and mercy don’t always make people take God seriously. But challenges and judgment are always able to let them know that He is not someone anyone can take lightly. Why, then, should you, like Saul, wait until certain challenges come for you or you are faced with God’s judgment before you agree that God must be taken seriously? Why should you push yourself to that place where God’s grace will not work for you in the day of disaster?

Well, the word of God is coming to you now and telling you to learn to take God seriously every moment of your life. People like Joseph, David and Paul the apostle were never for once defeated by their challenges. Instead, they always walked in victory over them. And that was because they were not waiting for trials or judgment to come before they would take God seriously. They always took Him seriously, trials or no trials. And if you too are like them, it does not matter when evil shows up, you will always be ready to handle it and walk in victory over it by the power and wisdom of God, instead of losing your mind.

Do have a great week.

FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2022 Pastor's Desk

Their job is not to please you | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: December 11, 2022 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 11, No. 32

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours forevermore from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. Welcome to another week of the month of December 2022. I pray that your heart will be kept humble always to receive the ministry of those sent by God to build you up, so that all that concerns your life will be perfected, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

As we are shown in the bible, there are people chosen and gifted by God in the church to build us up in His will (Eph 4:11-16). And how we receive their ministry will go a long way in determining whether our lives are perfected in God’s will or not. Truly, we may not have issues receiving their ministry, when they are doing or saying to us things that make us happy or that are pleasant. But what about when they are doing or saying things that do not make us happy but which are in line with the will of God? Are we still going to accept their ministry and relate to them with the respect they deserve?

It is unfortunate that many of God’s people think their church leaders are meant to always do and say only those things that make them happy. But that is not the will of God. The job of a church leader is not to do things that make anybody happy but things that will build them up.

Paul says to the Corinthian church, “…everything we do, dear friends, is for your strengthening.” (2Cor 12:19) Did you see that? The focus of every church leader must be to do only those things that will strengthen the brethren and build up their faith. And some of these things include rebuking, correcting and sometimes punishing the brethren.

Now we know that correcting, rebuking and punishing people are not always pleasant for those involved. But they have to be done for the health of the church of God. Therefore, whether those being rebuked, corrected or punished appreciate what is being done to them or not, what has to be done has to be done. And this is why every leader of God’s people must be bold and also possess adequate strength of character. Otherwise, he will not do what he has to do for the growth and establishment of God’s people. Instead, he will be like Aaron who, out of fear, allowed the Israelites to run wild in the wilderness and give themselves to idolatry, to their own destruction (Ex 32).

But what did God say to Ezekiel, when he was appointing him as a watchman over Israel? He said this to him:

“The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn. Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says.’ And whether they listen or fail to listen — for they are a rebellious house — they will know that a prophet has been among them. And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns are all around you and you live among scorpions. Do not be afraid of what they say or terrified by them, though they are a rebellious house. You must speak my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are rebellious.” (Ezek 2:4-7NIV)

Look at that. God told this man not to bother at all about the disposition of the Israelites to his ministry. Instead, he should keep declaring His word to them, whether they are happy about it or not. And that is how to get God’s work done. Our focus must never be on pleasing men but on pleasing God who has sent us.

If we, therefore, end up being hurt while our leaders in the church are doing what God wants them to do to us and for us, we should not get upset. On the contrary, we should humbly embrace the will of God for our lives, knowing that everything He does is for our good (Heb 12:5-12). And my prayer is that your heart will be kept humble always to be yielded to spiritual discipline, so that your life can be perfected by God in all ways, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Have a great week.

FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2022 Pastor's Desk

The end is meant to be better | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: December 04, 2022 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 11, No. 31

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours abundantly from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am glad to welcome you to the last month of this year, the month of December 2022. I pray that God will make it the best of the months of the year for you and your household, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Solomon, in his book called Ecclesiastes, says, “The end of a matter is better than its beginning…” (Eccl 7:8NIV) And that is the will of God for us. He wants the end of everything that concerns our lives to be better than its beginning. So, if we are looking forward to having the last month of this year to be better than all the months we have had in the year, we are in line with the will of God for us.

However, it is also important that we know that the end of a matter is not always better than its beginning. In other words, what Solomon says in that bible text is not always true. For example, as we see in the Scriptures, King Saul started well in life and as a king ordained by God. But his end was not good at all, not to talk of better. Also, Samson started well as God’s ordained servant and deliverer. But his end was not pleasant at all. What about Judas Iscariot? Did he not start well as one of the Lord’s chosen apostles? He did. But what about his end? It was horrible.

So, the end of things or people is not always better than their beginning. If people will not take God seriously in all that they do, the end of their days, weeks, months, years, projects, studies, marriages or lives may not be better than their beginning. And I am saying this so that, as we begin this last month of the year, you will take God more seriously than you have ever done.

See, the bible tells us that God is the author and perfecter of all that concerns our lives and faith. That means He is the only one that can make perfect our lives and whatever we lay our hands on. Yes, He is the only one that can make the end of anything that concerns us better than its beginning. But for us to experience His perfection in our lives, we are told to do two things. First, we are told to throw off everything that is preventing us from living as He wants us to live, whatever it may be. Second, we are told to fix our eyes on Him and not on whatever challenges we are faced with. (Cf. Heb 12:1-2)

Now, as long as our eyes are fixed on the Lord and our hearts are devoted to living as He wants us to live, we can rest, assured that He will perfect all that concerns us. This year may have been rough in some or many ways for us. But our Lord will surely make the last days of it the best ones for us. We can count on Him for that.

Then, apart from taking God seriously in our lives, so that He can perfect all that concerns us, we must also watch not to make life difficult for ourselves. Unfortunately, that is the problem with many of us. Even though God is always working to perfect all that concerns us, His good works don’t always end up adding value to our lives. Why? We are often doing things that will destroy His works in our lives and make life difficult for us.

Look at what Solomon says about this: “This is all that I have learned: God made us plain and simple, but we have made ourselves very complicated.” (Eccl 7:29GNT) Did you see that? Whatever God does to us or for us is always geared towards making life straightforward and simple for us. But because we often like to claim wisdom that we don’t possess, we end up making a mess of everything for ourselves.

In any case, my point is that we should not do anything to frustrate the works of God in our own lives. God is committed to perfecting all that concerns our lives this year end and make us exceedingly happy. But we should be careful not to make a mess of what He is doing in us and for us. So, don’t carry on your head burdens that He has not placed on you. Don’t wear yourself out trying to impress people that are not looking your way.

Such things can only frustrate God’s blessings on your life and complicate things for you. Then you will have to start praying all over again for mercy, salvation or restoration where victory has already been given to you. My prayer is that your heart will be made wise enough not to do anything that will jeopardise the work of perfection God is carrying out in your life, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Do have yourself a fabulous December 2022.

FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2022 Pastor's Desk

They won’t ask or wait for your permission | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: November 27, 2022 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 11, No. 30

Pastor J.O. Lawal

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am pleased to welcome you to another week of the year. My prayer is that your heart will be strengthened and humbled to allow God to fully take charge of your life, so that it is only His works and not Satan’s works that will be finding expression in it, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

In Revelation, chapter 3, verse 20, John gives us this great outcry of our Lord Jesus to the church of the Laodiceans: “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” (Rev 3:20NIV) Why would the Lord need to be knocking the door of any Christian’s life? Is He not our Lord? He is! And as our Lord, is He not supposed to be inside our lives and sitting over all our affairs? He is! Why, then, would He need our permission and cooperation to come in and fellowship with us in any area of our lives?

The reason is simple. The Lord does not force Himself on people. On the contrary, He allows them to think for themselves and decide whether they need Him in their lives or not and act accordingly. That explains why the whole world has not been saved. The Lord will not force His salvation on us. We will have to agree that we need salvation and that we cannot save ourselves from the things destroying us unless He saves us.

But then, it is one thing for us to come to the Lord for salvation, it is another thing for us to allow Him to utterly save us and to eternally keep us safe. And how will this be possible? It is by giving Him room to lead us in every area of our lives, not keeping any part away from Him. As God’s children, He is already living us, for we are His temple. However, that He is living in us does not mean that He is in charge of our lives and all our affairs. That He is living in us does not mean that He will not have to knock the door of certain areas of our lives to see if we will permit Him to take charge of them.

We all know ourselves. We all know whether we have given our Lord Jesus room to control us in every area of our lives or not. We all know those areas of our lives in which we have totally shut Him out because we don’t want to hear what He has to say to us about them or because we believe we can handle ourselves in them. What we may not know, however, is that our Lord Jesus did not die for us to be Lord only over a few areas of our lives. Rather, He died for us to be Lord over every area of our lives.

Also, our Lord Jesus did not rescue us from the devil and his hosts so that He could become Lord over just some areas of our lives. Rather, He rescued us so that He might become Lord over every area of our lives. Therefore, if we will not willingly permit Him to take charge of every area of our lives, if we are shutting Him out of our lives or some part of our lives, simply because He will not force Himself in, then, we can expect the enemies of our souls that He saved us from to seize the opportunity to come back into our lives and renew their works. And they will not knock or wait for our permission if they are coming in. They will just come right in, with or without our permission.

Look at what our Lord Jesus says about this: “When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.” (Matt 12:43-45NIV) Did you see that? The devil and his demons are always looking and checking out for where to rest. And the only reason they will not be able to make our lives or any area of our lives their home or resting place is for them to see that it is already occupied and governed by the Lord Jesus.

But if they should come around to examine our lives and find them or any part of them empty and unoccupied by the only one who has authority and power over them, they will not lose time at all to gather forces to take charge of that part of our lives. Then things can only get worse for us in that part of our lives. And if we still hesitate to allow the Lord to step in and take charge, it will not be long before the works of these evil beings spread to other areas of our lives.

Now perhaps this is the situation with you. Instead for things to get better in certain areas of your life where you are encountering challenges, they are not just getting worse but also beginning to affect other areas of your life that have been peaceful. Then you need to check yourself to see if you have not shut the Lord Jesus out of some of your affairs. And if that is the case, the only solution is for you to repent and open the door for Him without delay, so that He can do that which only He can do and restore your peace and joy. But if you remain adamant and insist on not allowing Him, then, be ready to welcome more of Satan’s works in your life and affairs with or without your permission.

Have a splendid week.

Tags alaythia bible church, christianity, counsel, Faith, From pastor's desk, wisdom

FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2022 Pastor's Desk

Despite their intercession | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: November 20, 2022 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 11, No. 29

Beloved: welcome to another week of the month of November 2022. I pray that God will keep your heart form embracing any form of rebellion that may expose you to destruction without remedy, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

The word of God says, “A man who remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed — without remedy.” (Prov 29:1NIV) Unfortunately, there are many stiff-necked people today, even in the church. These are individuals that are never ready to take correction. So, it does not matter what you say to them about their sins or wrongdoings, they will not repent. Some of them don’t even want to hear or look at what you want to say to them about their errors. And that is simply because they are stubborn, stiff-necked.

Now from what Solomon tells us in that bible text, the only thing such people can expect for their stubbornness is sudden destruction, a kind that has no remedy. That means there is nothing anyone will be able to do for them or do to save them when their destruction comes. They just have to perish.

Yes, it is true that God does not delight in the death of any sinner but in their repentance and salvation (Ezek 18:32). It is also true that He is patient with sinners, so that they will be able to utilise the opportunities for repentance that He is bringing to them (2Peter 3:9). But where the sinner is stiff-necked and unwilling to repent, what will God do? Will He continue to endure their nonsense? No! At some point, He will allow them to face the full consequences of their sins.

But then, someone may say, “What if there is an intercessor for the stiff-necked person, one that is praying for them that God may show them mercy? Will God still allow them to be destroyed?” Truly, God Himself has said that even if it just one intercessor that is praying for a sinner or an entire nation, He will honour that intercessor and refrain from destroying that nation (Ezel 22:30). And we have an example of this in how He listened to the intercession of Prophet Amos for the nation of Israel. Twice, this man of God pleaded with Him not to destroy Israel. And He listened to Him (Amos 7:1-6). Woe, then, to that man, woman or nation that has no one to intercede for her. That is because disaster may overtake her without warning.

However, even though God always honours the intercession of His people for sinners, if these sinners refuse to repent, a time will come when they will have to face the consequences of their sins. At that time, whatever intercession being made for them will fail and the destruction they have been escaping will come upon them suddenly and without remedy. For instance, despite his continuous intercession for the nation of Israel, at some point, God told Amos that He would no longer spare them – He must destroy them. Why? They were stiff-necked. (Cf. Amos 7:7-9)

Also, we see how Abraham fervently interceded for Sodom and Gomorrah in the bible. This man stood in the gap between them and God’s wrath, asking for mercy for them, even if it was only ten righteous people that could be found in them. And God listened to him. But did He find ten righteous people there? No! On the contrary, what He found was only a family of four righteous people. So, despite the intercession of Abraham, He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah when they least expected it and spared only Lot and his family. (Cf. Gen 18&19)

Sadly, there are people today who are grossly misbehaving and yet are counting on the intercession of their parents or certain men or women of God. What they don’t realise is that if they don’t change their ways and stop being stiff-necked, a time will come when their destruction will no longer sleep but will overtake them suddenly. Then they will perish without remedy and despite the intercession of those godly people. And if you too are like that, if you are stubborn and unwilling to accept rebuke, however slight it may be, you may just be preparing yourself for sudden destruction – destruction without remedy. So, repent now before it is too late. And may God help you to do the right thing. Amen.

Have a splendid week.

Tags alaythia bible church, christianity, counsel, Faith, From pastor's desk, wisdom

FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2022 Pastor's Desk

Be prompt about serving Him | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: November 06, 2022 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 11, No. 27

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. I am delighted to welcome you to a new week of the month of November 2022. I pray that your heart will be strengthened to always be prompt and wholehearted in your service to God, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

As we see in the bible, God does not just want His people to serve Him; He also wants them to be prompt or immediate about serving Him. He does not want it to take them forever to make up their minds to serve Him or to really get involved in serving Him. Why? It is because if we are not prompt to serve Him as He wants, certain people that He wants to bless through our service may end up missing His blessings forever. And if that should happen, apart from the fact that we may be penalized by Him for allowing others to miss His blessings for them, we are also going to lose whatever reward that could have been ours, if we had been prompt to do His will.

Therefore, don’t think you have all the time in the world to get yourself ready to serve God. That is because you don’t. And if you don’t get yourself busy with whatever He is asking you to do for Him or whatever your hands can find to do for Him, a time will come when it will be too late for you to do what you could have done for Him. Remember that Jesus says, “As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work” (John 9:4NIV) Will you, then, want night to overtake you while you are still dragging your feet about the Lord’s work?

Personally, I would not want that to happen to me. Instead, I want to follow the bible examples of those who were prompt to recognise how God wanted them to serve Him and also prompt to begin to serve Him. I am sure you have, for instance, heard about the mad man of Gadarenes and of how the Lord Jesus delivered him from insanity. As the account goes, immediately this man saw that he had been cured, he began to beg Jesus to allow him to follow Him wherever He was going. But the Lord told him not to follow Him but to instead go and tell his family members how much God has done for him. (Cf. Mark 5:1-19)

Did this man, then, do as the Lord had instructed him or not? He did. In fact, he went beyond what he was told to do. Without wasting time at all, he went round a region called ‘The Decapolis’, which means ‘Ten cities’, and began sharing his testimony with everyone that cared to listen (Mark 5:20). That is what is called promptness in serving the Lord. And that is what we are being called upon to imitate.

Also, the bible tells us about a business woman in Philippi called Lydia and of how she became born again through the ministry of Paul the Apostle (Acts 16:13-15). And as we are further told about her, the very day she became born again was the day she began to serve the Lord with Paul and his companions. She offered them free accommodation in her house that same day and insisted that they should accept it, if they believed that she had indeed become born again. No wonder Paul, when writing to the church in Philippi, would say about them, “In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now…” (Phil 1:4-5NIV)

Now that is the kind of promptness in ministry that God wants us to emulate. He wants us to be prompt to share His word, prompt to pray for others, prompt to give for His work and prompt to care for His people. And it is this kind of service that pleases Him and that He rewards, a service that is carried out with promptness. My prayer, then, is that your heart will be taught and strengthened to always be prompt to do whatever God wants you to do to serve Him, so that you will never again miss your service reward, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Have a splendid week.

Tags alaythia bible church, christianity, counsel, Faith, From pastor's desk, wisdom

FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2022

Rid your life of these things | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: October 30, 2022 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 11, No. 26

Title: Rid your life of these things | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: October 30, 2022 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 11, No. 26

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. I am glad to welcome you to another week, which is the transition week between the months of October and November 2022. And I pray that God will cause His favour to overwhelm your life every day of the week, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

As we begin this week, let me remind you of the words of Peter that say, “Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.” (1Peter 2:1NIV) What are the things Peter is asking us to rid ourselves of here? They are the works of the flesh. And he gives us examples of the works of the flesh that we need to rid ourselves of. He mentions malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander. Of course, there are several works of the flesh that this apostle could have used as examples. But he used these ones, I believe, because they are major among those works of the flesh that often mess up Christian fellowship, ruin the church of God and hinder her growth and effectiveness.

For example, as terrible as adultery and idolatry are, they hardly result in church split or disintegration. But malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander, if not addressed on time, can scatter any church in few weeks and fill the brethren involved with bitterness that may not go away for the rest of their earthly lives. And that is one of the reasons God is sometimes ruthless in judging these sins among His people.

Do you remember the case of Ananias and Sapphira? Why was God ruthless in judging them the way He did? Why did He kill these couples on the same day without even blinking an eye? It was because of deceit and hypocrisy. These people were trying to deceive the church of God about their offering, giving everyone the impression that they were giving more than they were actually giving. So, God judged them with death before they could get any chance to introduce other brethren to a life of deceit (Acts 5:1-11).

What this is showing us is that God cares about His church and will not fold His arms and watch anyone corrupt or destroy her, for the church is His temple. In fact, Paul tells us that God will destroy anyone that destroys His temple. All of this is why we need to take Peter’s admonition that we have in our opening text very seriously. We need to rid our lives of very kind of deceit, malice, envy, hypocrisy and slander, as we relate to one another in our various assemblies. Otherwise, we may bring down God’s judgment on ourselves. (Cf. 1Cor 3:16-17)

Unfortunately, many of God’s people are ignorant of these things. Therefore, they allow malice, hypocrisy, envy, deceit and slander to thrive and fester in their lives and among them. It is no big wonder, then, that we have many in our various Christian assemblies today that are battling with all kinds of sicknesses, poverty and distress that will not go away, regardless of how hard they pray or fast. What these ones need to do is to rid their lives of these terrible works of the flesh that they have permitted in them. And the healing of Jesus will begin to manifest in them.

Now perhaps the reason you too are facing certain problems that will not go away in your life is that you have given room for hatred, malice, envy, slander and hypocrisy in your life. You have allowed the devil to be using you to secretly or openly ruin the church of God. You need to repent now so that your life will be healed and made whole. Otherwise, things may go from bad to worse for you. My prayer is that your heart will be humbled to do the right thing without delay, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Have a splendid week.

Tags alaythia bible church, christianity, counsel, Faith, From pastor's desk, wisdom

FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2022

Has your love grown cold? | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: October 23, 2022 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 11, No. 25

Title: Has your love grown cold? | By: J.O. Lawal | Date: October 23, 2022 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 11, No. 25

Beloved: grace and peace be yours abundantly from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am very pleased to welcome you to the last week of the month of October 2022. I pray that God will keep you pure and blameless, spirit, soul and body at the appearing of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

One of the things our Lord says will happen in the last days is that the love of most people will grow cold. Why will this happen? It is because wickedness will increase in the world. And is this not true today? Is wickedness not daily increasing all around us? (Cf. Matt 24:12)

Look at our country, for example. Look at the way banditry, kidnapping, terrorism, sexual immorality, swindling, money rituals, killing and misappropriation of public funds are daily increasing. Also, look at the way the use of hard drugs is becoming more and more widespread among our young ones. Yet most of our leaders don’t take these things to heart at all.

Therefore, many of God’s people have totally given up on righteous living. They now live and act as though they were never saved by the Lord. Many don’t even want anyone to demand that they live right again. Yet they call themselves Christians. And this agrees with what our Lord says about how increase in wickedness will make the love of most believers grow cold in the last days.

The question now is, “Has your love for the Lord not grown cold because of the increase in wickedness that the world is daily witnessing?” If you are no longer excited about the word of God and prayer, your love for Him has already grown cold. If fellowshipping with God’s people is now boring to you and you no longer look forward to it, your love has grown cold. If you now get upset each time you are confronted with the truth, your love has grown cold. Also, if you have become selfish and reluctant to give to God and to support others, your love for the Lord has probably gone cold.

Now if your love for the Lord has grown cold because the wickedness of this world has gotten to you, you are already in danger of being swept away with the wicked. Remember that the Lord says that it is only those who stand firm to the end that will be saved (Matt 24:13). That means those who are true believers in Him will never quit walking in His love and righteousness. Instead, they will remain steadfast to the very end and so be saved. But those who quit are showing that their faith has never been genuine at all. So, instead of being saved, they will be lost.

All of this is why the word of God says, “Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2Peter 1:10-11NIV) Do you understand what this means? Well, it means that it is our job to daily confirm that we are genuinely saved by remaining steadfast in the love God. That is what will make us, like Stephen, receive a rich welcome into His eternal kingdom (Acts 8:54-60).

But if we have given up on the life He has called us to live, then, our so-called religion is useless and will ultimately take us nowhere. My prayer is that your faith in God and your love for Him will not end up being seeing by Him as a dead and useless, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Have a great week.

Tags alaythia bible church, christianity, counsel, Faith, From pastor's desk, wisdom