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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2021 Pastor's Desk

God is at work in you | Pst. J.O. Lawal

Date: October 17, 2021 | Number: Vol. 10, No. 24

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours abundantly from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Redeemer. I am delighted to welcome you to this new week. My prayer is that everything that concerns your life will be perfected without delay, so that your life can be exactly where God wants it to be, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Now I am confident that this will indeed be the case with you because the one at work in you is God Himself. Paul, speaking to the Philippian-Christians about the need for them to take their salvation seriously, reminds them that they can do this because God is at work in them to will and to act according to His good purpose (Phil 2:12-13). Think about that. The salvation of these brethren is not up to them alone but also to God. Yes, there are things they have to be doing in order to fully experience the salvation that Jesus has bought for them. But they will not be doing these things all by themselves. They cannot even do these things, whatever they are, all by themselves. The one that will make sure they are able to do them is God. And Paul assures them that He will surely get the job done. Isn’t that lovely to know? It is.

In like manner, because we too have become children of God through Jesus Christ, we now have Him at work in our lives. Before we became His children, it was Satan that was working in our lives and messing them up in different ways. That is why the bible calls him the spirit at work in those who are disobedient to God (Eph 2:2). But now that we have become children of God, He has come to live in us and to take charge of our lives. Yes, He has come to live in us to work. And what kind of work has He come to do in us? Everything that is consistent with His good purpose for us!

Therefore, the fulfilment of God’s good purpose for us is not up to us alone; it is up to Him as well. And this is why we can be confident that our lives will ultimately be what they are meant to be, regardless of where they are right now. Can you relate to that? God is able to make your life what it is meant to be, regardless of where He picked it up. So, Paul says to the Philippians, “…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Phil 1:6NIV) And David also says, “The LORD will fulfill [his purpose] for me…” (Ps 138:8NIV)

Did you see that? We can trust God to finish in us what He started. Yes, we can trust Him to fulfil His good purpose concerning us. All we need is to cooperate with Him every step of the way. He will put in us all the desires that are consistent with His purpose for us and also provide us with everything we need to actualise these desires. But we have to love what He wants to make of our lives and also be willing take whatever steps He wants us to take to accomplish this (Isaiah 1:19).

Now do we love what God wants to make of our lives? Are we willing to be all that He is working in us to make us? If we are, then, we will take His word seriously. We will give ourselves to reading, studying and meditating on it, so that we may act according to what it says (Joshua 1:8). Then we will not be arrogant, stubborn or discouraged when He disciplines us. Instead, we will accept His discipline with love and respect, knowing that, as our Father, He has our best in mind and will only discipline us in love (Heb 12:5-13).

Why did the most of the children of Israel that Moses led out of Egypt not make it to the Promised Land, despite everything God did for them and among them? The first reason was that they did not take God’s word seriously. The second reason was that they would not accept His discipline. And if we do not want all the work that He is doing in our lives to amount to nothing, then, we must not be like them. Instead, we must learn to take His word and His discipline very seriously. My prayer is that your heart will be strengthened to act accordingly, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Do have a glorious 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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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2021 Pastor's Desk

Spread the news | Pst. J.O. Lawal

Date: October 10, 2021 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 10, No. 23

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be multiplied to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. Welcome to another week of the month of October 2021. May shouts of joy and victory occupy your mouth in the week and throughout the remaining part of the year, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

I want to remind you again, as we begin this new week, that you owe it to God to spread the good news of His word that is changing and lifting you through this assembly. Why did our Lord always have many people coming to Him to hear the good news and to be healed? It was because those whose lives were being changed by His word kept spreading the news about Him and what He was doing.

For example, Mark says this about the response of some of those who had the privilege of listening to Him and witnessing His miracles: “The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching — and with authority! He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey him.” News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.” (Mark 1:27-28NIV) Look at that. It was majorly the beneficiaries of Jesus’ ministries that were responsible for the publicity that His ministry had. So, the Lord did not have to print fliers, post notices or do radio, television or internet advertisement for people to know about Him or His ministry.

In like manner, even though nothing is wrong with it, we do not have to send out fliers and notices about our meetings or what God is doing by His Spirit in our midst week after week before people get to know about it and join us. Those of us who are beneficiaries of His goodness to us in the assembly just need to take it upon ourselves to spread the news. That is all. And the Spirit of God will take care of the rest.

The bible says, “The Lord announced the word, and great was the company of those who proclaimed it…” (Ps 68:11NIV) When we read this from the Hebrew Scriptures, we get to see that the great company of those who published the word of the Lord being referred to were actually women. So, the fact that you are a woman does not mean you cannot spread the good news of how God is transforming our lives in this assembly through His word and by His Spirit. You can. And you should.

Do you know that even children are not left out in this matter? For example, there was a time the Jewish religious leaders complained to Jesus about certain children that were singing His praise. And what was His response? His response was, “Have you never read that Scripture says, ‘From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise?’” So, even our children need to be inspired and encouraged to spread the news of how God is blessing them in the assembly. (Cf. Matt 21:14-16)

However, if we are selfish and self-conscious, thinking only about ourselves, we will not be moved to spread the news of how God is blessing us in this church. Also, if we are timid, we may not say anything to those around us that are very much in need of the touch of the word and the Spirit of God. My prayer, therefore, is that our hearts will be overwhelmed with the love of Christ and the right measure of passion and boldness to spread the good news of His grace we are enjoying, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Have a very 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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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2021 Pastor's Desk

The Lord is with you | By J.O. Lawal

Date: October 03, 2021 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 10, No. 22

Beloved: grace and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. It gives me great joy to welcome you to the month of October 2021. And my prayer is that your heart will be strengthened to continually function with the consciousness of God’s abiding presence with you, so that you will never lose heart or be discouraged, regardless of the circumstances of your life. Amen.

You know there are times that the circumstances of our lives may drive us to think that God has abandoned us and that we are all alone to face the things that are seeking to destroy us. But that is not a new thing. There were saints of old that felt likewise at some points in their lives. For example, when the Angel of the Lord first appeared to Gideon and said to him, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior,” his answer was, “If the Lord is with us, why are we in this mess and why is He not performing all kinds of signs and miracles for our liberty, as He did for our forefathers? It is clear that He has abandoned us.” (Cf. Judges 6:11-13)

Think about that. God was personally telling that man face to face that He was with him. Yet he found it hard to believe Him. Why? It was because he was looking at the circumstances of his life and of his country. He could not understand how God could be with them and still allow things to get as messed up for them as they were. But God was not the one responsible for the mess in their lives. They were the ones responsible for it. They were the ones that abandoned God and began to function according to their wisdom. So, He left them to face the consequences of abandoning Him to walk in their own ways.

But when they cried out to Him because of their oppression, He answered them by visiting Gideon and letting him know that He had been with them all along. But it was their sins that was hindering the manifestation of His presence. And with a number of convincing proofs, He inspired and encouraged him to lead his people to experience freedom from the hands of their oppressors. (Cf. Judges 6-8)

In like manner, if we too focus on the circumstances of our lives, we may conclude that God is not with us or that He does not care at all about what becomes of us. But God never leaves or abandons His children. That is because He has already promised to never leave us or forsake us. And since He never fails to keep His word, we can be sure that He is with us, regardless of the circumstances of our lives. (Cf. Heb 13:5-6)

However, even though God is with us, we may not experience the manifestation of His power in changing our circumstances or delivering us from them. And there are two main things that may be responsible for this. The first is sin. If, like those Israelites of Gideon’s day, we allow sin to turn us away from God, we may find ourselves being oppressed by the devil, right in His presence, and He will do nothing about it. But if we will also humble ourselves before Him, as they later did, and repent of our sins, He will forgive us, show us mercy and make us experience His deliverance. And this, I believe, is what we all urgently need to do in this country, if we want to experience true liberty from all the things and people that are now oppressing us.

The second thing that may keep us from experiencing the power of God in our circumstances is focusing our attention on those circumstances instead of focusing it on God. If our attention is on the problems of our lives, we may ultimately be destroyed by them, even though we are not living in sin. But if our attention is on God, who is with us, for us and in us and who also has power over all the circumstances of our lives, we will certainly experience His power and victory over the things seeking to hurt or destroy us.

Paul says we walk by faith and not by sight (2Cor 5:7). But it is not all of us that can say this, for it is not all of us that are actually walking by faith and not by sight. To walk by faith is to function on the basis what God has said to us and not on the basis of what we see, hear or feel. And as long as we are functioning on the basis of what He has said to us about Himself, ourselves and life in general, we will never be put to shame, even if all hell is stirred up against us. My prayer, then, is that your heart will be strengthened to always look beyond your circumstances unto God, your Father, who has power over all things, so that you will never again miss the manifestation of His power in your life. Amen

Peace be unto you.

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

If His word is blessing you | Pst J.O. Lawal

from pastor's desk

Date: September 26, 2021 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 10, No. 21

Beloved: It gives me great joy to welcome you to the last week of the month of September 2021. And may God’s immeasurable grace and Christ’s unfailing love overwhelm your life and home in the week and throughout the remaining part of the year, causing you to be victorious in all ways, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

As we begin this new week, I want to remind you that if your life is indeed being blessed through the word of God you are receiving in this assembly, then, you have a duty to constantly lead others to experience what you are experiencing. You don’t need to know a lot of Scriptures to do this, neither do you even need to be an outspoken person. All you need is just a feeling of compassion for those around you whose lives could be tremendously transformed, if they too would be exposed to the teachings of the Scriptures you are exposed to. And you are good to go.

What I am saying is that if you are not selfish but compassionate about those around you whose lives are messed up because they are not living on the basis of the word of God, you would use your mouth, money, phone or anything else you have at your disposal to share the word of God that is changing your own life with them as well. As the bible shows us, after Philip had heard words from the mouth of Jesus, he could not stay still until he found Nathanael, who was most likely a friend of his, and told him that he had found the Messiah. And though Nathanael found it hard to believe that any good thing could come from Nazareth, Jesus’ home town, Philip still persuaded him to come and see things for himself. That was how he too became an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. (Cf. John 1:43-51)

Now was Philip already a preacher at that time? No! He probably did not even know at the time that he would end up being an apostle. But because he was convinced about who Jesus was and wanted his friend too to become His follower, he found him and led him to the Lord. If you too are convinced that the Lord is in our midst and that His word that is changing our lives can change the lives of your neighbours, friends, family members, colleagues at work or in school and so forth, you will lead them to experience what you are experiencing. They too, like Nathanael, may not believe at first that there is anything for them to gain from what you are telling them. But you also just need to act like Philip and tell them to give it a try. Yes, tell them to taste and see that the Lord is good (Ps 34:8).

Another duty of yours, if you know that you are truly being blessed through the word of God you are learning in our midst, is to share all good things with those teaching you. Paul says this to the Galatian brethren: “Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor.” (Gal 6:6NIV) Did you see that? Sharing all kinds of good things with the one teaching you the word of God that is moving your life forward or making your life better is something you are commanded by God to do. It is not a suggestion. It is a command.

So, week after week, as you are blessed with the word of God in our meetings, you should think of what good thing to directly share with those God is using to minister to you. This, of course, is something you are to do on the basis of what you have and not on the basis of what you do not have (2Cor 8:12). And as you do it, in obedience to God’s instruction, you will definitely be rewarded by Him for doing so, not just in heaven but also here on earth. How He will reward you is not what I can say. But from what we are shown in Scriptures, His rewards for obedience to His instructions are always mind-blowing and beyond human expectations or imaginations.

For example, because a widow obeyed Him and fed Elijah with what she and her son should have taken as their last meal, God saw to it that food was always in her house throughout the three and a half years of famine that the nation of Israel experienced and that her son did not die untimely (1Kings 17). Also, because Mary, the sister of Lazarus, anointed Jesus with a jar of very expensive perfume, the Lord said that wherever the gospel is preached, her name and what she did would always be mentioned (Mark 14:3-8; John 12:1-8). And it has been so. So, if you too will take His instruction about taking care of those who feed you with His word seriously, you will not fail to receive your reward. My prayer is that your heart will be strengthened to walk in obedience in this matter and in every other matter where God requires your obedience, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Do have a very pleasant 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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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2021 Pastor's Desk

May you not fail in your responsibilities | Pst. J.O. Lawal

Date: September 19, 2021 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 10, No. 21

Beloved: grace, mercy, and peace be abundantly yours from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am delighted to welcome you to this new week and pray that you will not fail in any of the responsibilities God has entrusted to you in life, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Now, why is this prayer important for you and me? First, it is important because only God can open our eyes to see those things that are truly our responsibilities and also strengthen us to do them. Why do people act irresponsibly? For the most part, they act irresponsibly either because they do not know their responsibilities at all or because they lack the capability to fulfill them.

So, if we don’t want to fail in handling any of our responsibilities, we must make it our business to regularly pray to God to open our eyes to recognize everything we are responsible for in life. Also, we must continually pray to Him to equip us with everything we need to fully discharge our responsibilities to Him, to ourselves, to our families, to the church of God, and to our world, in accordance with every day’s need. Otherwise, there is no guarantee that we will not fail Him woefully in all or many areas of our lives.

Another reason this prayer is important is that God is only going to reward us for the responsibilities He has entrusted to us and not for those He has not entrusted to us. For example, though there may have been many children misbehaving in Israel in the days of Eli the Priest, God did not hold him responsible for the misbehavior of all of them. On the contrary, He only held him responsible for the misbehavior of His own children. (Cf. 1Sam 2&3)

In like manner, in the parable that the Lord told of a man that gave his servants money to work with, the man did not at all hold any of those servants responsible for sums of money that he did not give them. Instead, he only held them responsible for what he gave them. That is why he did not bother to find out what the servant that did nothing with the money he had given him was doing all the time he was away. Anything else he was doing, whether good or bad, during that period, was not his concern. His concern was for him to work and be profitable with the money he had given him. And since he was unprofitable with it, there was no reward for him – all he got was punishment. (Cf. Matt 25:14-30; Luke 19:11-29)

So, in rewarding us for whatever we do in this life, God’s primary focus will be on how we handle those things that are our responsibilities and not how we handle those things that are not our responsibilities. And if all those things we take seriously or are profitable in are those things that He has not entrusted to us as our responsibilities, He won’t be praising or exalting us because of them, regardless of how much we put into them. That, then, would mean that we have merely wasted ourselves on them. My prayer is that the Lord will always keep us from wasting ourselves on irrelevancies and non-essentials instead of devoting ourselves to learning what our responsibilities really are and carrying them out. Amen.

Do have a fabulous 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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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2021 Pastor's Desk

The giver of justice | Pastor J.O. Lawal

from pastor's desk

Date: September 12, 2021 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 10, No. 19

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 September 2021. My prayer is that God will see to it in the week that you get justice in every area of your life where you are being cheated, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

As we know, the world we live in is one that is full of all kinds of injustice. And there is almost nowhere we are not confronted with one form of injustice or the other, starting from our various homes. This, of course, is destroying our society, for it makes room for wrong people to enjoy or control things that they are not qualified to control. And where this is the case, things can only be expected to fall apart.

So, if we don’t want our homes, communities, offices, schools, religious assemblies and society as a whole to continue to fall apart, we must begin to maintain justice in them. Yes, each of us must be determined to use our position or resources to establish justice wherever we are. In other words, we must see to it that it is what is right for people that we give to them and not what they are not qualified for or what they are overqualified for. We must also see to it that people are adequately and appropriately rewarded or punished for their acts, so that those around us may see our devotion to justice and begin to behave themselves.

Unfortunately, this, most times, is not the case with us. Most of the people that are in a position to give justice and establish it in our society are not devoted to doing so. And even when people complain, protest or go to a law court to get justice, they have no assurance that they are going to get it at all or get it on time. That is why many in our country, for example, have not risen in life beyond where they are. It is also why many others have become discouraged about practising righteousness and have started putting their hands in things they once condemned (Ecc 8:11).

Perhaps you too have already given up or are about to give up on righteous living because of the injustice you have suffered from men’s hands. That will simply amount to allowing evil to overcome you. But the bible says, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Rom 12:21NIV) So, do not give up on righteousness because of the injustice in the world. Instead, continue to practise righteousness wherever you find yourself. Also, continue to pray to God to establish justice for you and every other person that is being cheated in the land, and He will answer your prayers.

The bible says, “Many seek an audience with a ruler, but it is from the LORD that man gets justice.” (Prov 29:26NIV) Did you see that? The only person from whom we can get justice, true justice, in life is God. And if He does not give us justice, it does not matter how many powerful or influential people we meet or protest to for justice, we won’t have it. Is that to say that we should never meet people for justice? No! We are free to meet anyone that is in a position to ensure we have justice about any matter of life to do so. But we must never forget that unless God Himself moves and enables that person to give us justice, they may never give it to us.

So, in whatever area of your life that you feel cheated or robbed, the first person you should take your matter to is God. Once you do that, even if men would not give you justice, He will do what is right and just for you without delay. Remember that our Lord Jesus says, “And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”” (Luke 18:7-8NIV) Did you see that? God will never put us off, if we seek His face for justice. But are we going to seek His face? Are you going to seek His face? I pray that our faith will be strengthened always to seek God for justice in every area of our lives where we need it, in Jesus’ name.

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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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2021 Pastor's Desk

Be patient with Him | Pst J.O. Lawal

Pastor J.O. Lawal
Pastor J.O. Lawal

Date: September 05, 2021 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 10, No. 18

Beloved: grace and peace be multiplied to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am delighted to welcome you to a new week in the month of September 2021. My prayer is that you will keep experiencing God’s exaltation until you are fully established in His good purpose for your life, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Now one major way not to miss the full realization of God’s good purpose for our lives is to walk with Him with patience. As we see in Scriptures, the fact that God has a good purpose for someone does not mean that everything will be realized overnight. God, for instance, ordained David as king in place of Saul. But He did not put this young man on the throne the same day He ordained him. In fact, He did not put him on the throne until about thirteen years later.

Why, then, did God not put David on the throne the moment He ordained him as king? It was because he was not yet ripe for the position. Being a king comes with a lot of responsibilities and not just privileges. And if one is not wise and strong enough to handle those responsibilities, he would fail woefully. Also, if one does not have enough faithful, wise, competent and strong subjects that would help him establish and strengthen his kingdom, he would most likely be devoured by the wolves in that kingdom.

So, though God wanted David on the throne of Israel because he was a man after His heart, He still had to give him time to learn, prepare and strengthen himself for the position before putting him there. Otherwise, his reign would have ended even before it had any chance to start. And the accounts of the persecutions he suffered from the hands of Saul were enough proof for this.

In like manner, even though God has great plans for our lives and is committed to fulfilling all of them, He will not do anything that would end up destroying us or give us anything that we would not be able to manage or keep. Therefore, He may have to keep certain things from getting into our hands until we are adequately equipped to handle them, keep them and also not destroy ourselves with them. But if we are not patient, we may get angry with Him for not fulfilling His promises to us as we expect and throw away our confidence in Him. And doing that, of course, can only make us totally miss the fulfilment of His purpose for our lives.

Look at what He said to the children of Israel through Moses before He took them into the promised land: “The LORD your God will drive out those nations before you, little by little. You will not be allowed to eliminate them all at once, or the wild animals will multiply around you.” (Deut 7:22NIV) Did you see that? Even though God was going to drive out all the enemy nations before His people, so that they may occupy the land flowing with milk and honey that He had promised to give them, He did not intend to do so all at once. Why? Was it because He was not powerful enough to do so? No! Rather, it was because doing so would not be advantageous to them.

As His words clearly indicate, these Israelites were not numerous enough to occupy and manage the whole land at that time. So, even if everything was given to them all at once, it would not be long before wild animals multiplied against them and began to kill them off. And that would not be good at all. Therefore, in His wisdom, God decided that He would only eliminate their enemies little by little until they were numerous and strong enough to take over the whole land. And He still operates by the same principle. He still fulfils His purpose for His children little by little, based on their immediate ability to manage His provisions and exaltation. All they need is to be patient with Him and continue to do His will, knowing that He is utterly dependable and powerful enough to fulfil His purpose concerning them (1Thess 5:24; Heb 10:35-39).

So, if you are already feeling that God is not fulfilling His purpose in your life or is acting too slow, His Spirit is speaking to you now, saying, “Be patient and continue to do the will of God.” That is because He may just be waiting for you to become strong or wise enough to manage what He is bringing. And my prayer is that whatever is lacking in your faith, wisdom or strength to manage God’s provisions for you will be immediately and abundantly supplied, so that your experience of His exaltation and salvation will no longer be delayed. Amen.

Do have a wonderful 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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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2021 Pastor's Desk

He is concerned about the source too | Pst J.O. Lawal

Date: August 29, 2021 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 10, No. 17

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I welcome you to the last Sunday of the month of August 2021 and pray that the Lord will perfect all that concerns your affairs in the month, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Recently, I had a discussion with a young woman who was troubled about her family’s financial conditions and how things were not going well for them as they wanted. As she told me, she was so troubled about this matter that she, at some point, thought about becoming a ‘Yahoo girl’. But we know that the so-called ‘Yahoo boys’ and ‘Yahoo girls’ are nothing but fraudsters and thieves. Not only are they fraudsters and thieves, they are also sorcerers. In other words, many of them, if not all of them, have one thing or the other to do with demons in order to make money. And unless they repent, they are bound to perish even before their lives get started.

But why would that woman think of becoming a ‘Yahoo girl’? That was the question I asked her. I said, “You are a Christian and one who has a job. Why, then, would you think of doing that?” And her answer was a little surprising. It was surprising because, according to her, she has been seeing many ‘Yahoo guys’ in church meetings and observing the way they spend money in those meetings and also the way many so-called church leaders praise, adore and pray them. That made her feel oppressed and that she and her husband also needed to do something about their financial state.

Now thank God that though that dear young woman thought about getting involved in this evil thing, she was held back by the Spirit of God from doing so. But the point of the matter is that there are many in the church today who are involved in all kinds of illegal activities and who have remained comfortable among us because no one is rebuking or warning them. And regardless of how much they give to the church or how highly certain people sing their praises, their jobs and their gifts are detestable to God.

So, apart from the fact that they will not receive any reward from Him for what they are doing, they will also get punished by Him at the right time for the evils they are doing and also for being bold enough to think they could bribe God with wages of wickedness. Under the old covenant, God said to His people, “No Israelite man or woman is to become a shrine prostitute. You must not bring the earnings of a female prostitute or of a male prostitute into the house of the LORD your God to pay any vow, because the LORD your God detests them both.” (Deut 23:17-18NIV)

Did you see that? God is concerned about what we do for a living. He is concerned about the source of our income. And if what we are doing is something that He hates, we had better not bring Him any money or offering from it. That is because even if men do not know what we are up to, He knows what we are up to and will reward us accordingly. Mind you, we are not the only ones that will get punished for this nonsense; every church leader that is encouraging or supporting us to carry on in it will also get severely punished along with us.

Why did God eventually destroy Balaam the seer? It was because he loved the wages of wickedness. He was a man that would prophesy to anybody, pray for anyone or curse anyone, without first finding out what they are really up to, if you offered him enough money. So, God destroyed him, just as He is bound to destroy all these preachers that are walking in his footsteps, if they too waste time to repent. (Cf. Num 22-24 & 31:8)

So, always remember that even though God wants you to be generous to Him, He is also concerned about where the things you give Him are coming from. This is why you must not be involved in anything unclean or allow anyone to pressure you to do so (Eph 4:28). Otherwise, you will be wasting whatever you think you are giving to God or to His church, and your destruction won’t be sleeping.

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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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2021 Pastor's Desk

One wrong thing | Pst J.O. Lawal


Date: August 22, 2021 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 10, No. 16

Beloved: grace and peace be yours abundantly from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am glad to welcome you to another week of the month of August 2021. And my prayer is that you will always be prevented by the Spirit of God from desiring or doing anything that will expose you to God’s judgment, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Now that may not sound like a very serious prayer to many. But Paul offers a similar one for the Corinthian brethren, saying, “We pray to God that you will not do anything wrong…” (2Cor 13:7NCV) So, though this appears to be a very simple prayer, it is perfectly scriptural. And since it is perfectly scriptural, it can actually be the difference between life and death or between exaltation and fall for us.

For example, Reuben was not cursed by his father because he was a troublesome young man that was always causing problems and pains. Rather, he was cursed because of just one wrong thing he did. He slept with his father’s wife. Why he did this is not stated in the bible. Perhaps he was seduced by the woman, just as Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce Joseph. We would not know. But just that one offence made him and his descendants lose their place of excellence in life. (Cf. Gen 35:21-22 & 43:3-4)

Also, what got Nadab and Abihu, two of the sons of Aaron, killed on the same day and at the same time? It was just a wrong step that they took. They were good people. Also, they were anointed priests of God. But when they offered unauthorised fire before the Lord, fire came out from His presence and consumed the two of them right away. They were not given any warning or any chance to repent. So, any wrong thing can expose us to instant destruction or a life time of trouble. (Cf. Lev 10:1-2)

See, people may be involved in all kinds of wrong things and not get punished for them immediately or in any serious or obvious manner. But just one more wrong thing from them, one that may not even appear as grievous as the ones they have been doing, and they may find themselves in some very serious trouble with God. That was what happened to King Belshazzar. God did not put him to death or take away his kingdom from him for any of the wrong things he had been doing before the day he and his people decided to use the articles belonging to His temple for merriment. But on the day he did that, the sentence of death was pronounced on him. And he was killed and his kingdom given to another. (Cf. Dan 5)

In like manner, someone may have been doing everything right before God and receiving His praise. But just one wrong thing from him can make him lose his life, his ministry or his place in the kingdom of God. Remember Moses. It was just one wrong thing that he did that made him lose his ministry of leading Israel into the Promised Land. So, one wrong thing can spoil everything for us. (Cf. Num 20:1-13)

All of this is why I find Paul’s prayer for the Corinthians to be a very relevant one for me and in fact for every child of God. And what again is this prayer? It is that we will not do any wrong thing, whether one that will lead to our death or one that will lead to our failure, destruction, depression or uselessness in life, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2021 Pastor's Desk

The judgment of deceit | Pst. J.O. Lawal

Date: August 15, 2021 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 10, No. 15

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be multiplied to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am delighted to welcome you into another week of the month of August 2021. My prayer is that your heart will always be strengthened by the Spirit of God to walk in love and sincerity with all the people of God in your life, so that you won’t expose yourself to God’s judgment instead of enjoying the fullness of the joy of Christian fellowship. Amen.

The bible says, “Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.” (Col 3:9-10NIV) Did you see that? Lying, deception or deceit is an offspring of the nature of death that God removed from us, when we got born again. So, we must not allow it in our lives or in our dealings with one another. Otherwise, we may expose ourselves to God’s judgment. And who knows how He is going to judge? Nobody!

For example, if Ananias and his wife Sapphira had thought God could judge them with death for acting in deception towards the people of God, they most likely would not have acted the way they did. But because they had no idea that He could do so, they lied about their giving and were immediately and seriously punished for it. Both of them were judged and killed by God the same day. (Cf. Acts 5:1-11)

Now someone may say, “But many of God’s people still act in deception every now and then. Yet they don’t get killed by Him each time they do so. How come Ananias and his wife’s case was treated differently by Him?” Well, first, we need to understand that the fact that people are not judged immediately with death by God for acting in deceit or for doing any wrong thing does not mean they are not being judged at all. There are different ways He judges people. And if they are not sensitive to His things, they may never know they are being judged.

Second, we need to understand that it was not that God was treating Ananias and his wife differently. Rather, He was merely using them as scapegoats to warn others that may want to follow in their steps. And I pray that you won’t ever take any step that will make God use you as an example of how He judges wickedness, in Jesus’ name. Amen. But why did God have to use Ananias and Sapphira as scapegoats for others to learn from? It was because they tried to introduce deceit into His church. And we too should watch what we introduce into God’s church, for He is watching us and will reward us accordingly.

At any rate, as bible accounts show us, what happened to Ananias and his wife happened at a time that the love of Christ was truly reigning in the lives of all the brethren and over their affairs. This love so much dominated their lives that those who had properties among them were selling them off and bringing the money they made from their sales to the apostles to distribute to others who had need. And that, in fact, was what eradicated poverty among them, for the bible says, “There were no needy persons among them at that time.” (Cf. Acts 4:32-35)

So, all the brethren at this time, whatever their number was, were truthful and loving towards one another. And God wanted it that way, for that was what would show the world that they were true disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, during that same period, Satan somehow succeeded in getting Ananias and his wife to start thinking and acting differently. How long they carried on like this we would not know. But we do know that, at some point, they too, like some other brethren, pledged to sell a property of theirs and bring the money to the church. And they did. 

However, they were not willing to bring all the money they made from the sales of the land to the church. So, they kept a part of it for themselves. Was that a problem? No! The money was theirs in the first place, as Peter would later tell them. So, they had the right to choose how they used it. But to try to deceive other people of God, who loved them and cared about them, and give them the impression that they were giving more than they were actually giving was unacceptable to God. That was why He judged their deceit, giving others like them an opportunity to learn and change their ways.

In like manner, if we too will not walk in love and sincerity with our brethren, whether in the use of our resources or spiritual gifts or in other matters, we may just be exposing ourselves to God’s judgment, which could be as terrible as physical death. Therefore, let us allow the word of God to cleanse us of all forms of insincerity and hypocrisy while we still can. And may the Spirit of God enable you and me to do what is right in this matter, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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)