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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2021 Pastor's Desk

God and People | J.O. LAWAL

Date: May 09, 2021 | Number: Vol. 10, No. 1

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours forever from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. Welcome to another week of the month of May 2021. I pray that God, by His divine power, will fulfil all your good and righteous desires for the week, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

This week, it becomes exactly nine years that we have been meeting in this town as a church. So, first, we ought to thank God for calling us out of darkness into His wonderful light in order that we may fellowship with Him and His Son, Jesus Christ. We also ought to thank Him for making us representatives of His eternal kingdom in this world of darkness. May His Holy name be exalted forever. Amen.

Now, as we begin another year together in this wonderful fellowship with God and His Son, Jesus Christ, and with one another, there are two things I want you to take very seriously. First, take your relationship with God very seriously. Don’t forget that what qualifies all of us to be members of this assembly is our relationship with God. Yes, it is because we all are God’s children that we are fellowshipping together as one family and enjoying His love and the love of one another.

Therefore, above everything else, your relationship and fellowship with God must be taken very seriously. Until you take it as seriously as you ought to, none of us can be blessed through our fellowship with you the way we ought to be blessed through it. So, put God first in all things. And prove that by making it your goal to rely on Him for everything you need and to do what pleases Him in all things. As you do this, He will see to it that everything about your life is made perfect and that you do not lack anything you need to live a fruitful and meaningful life. (Cf. Matt 6:33)

Then I also want you to take all the people God has planted in your life very seriously, starting with members of your immediate household. Why is this important? It is important because it is the will of God for you. Read through the Scriptures, and you will see that God is always concerned about people and how they are doing (Ps 8:3-8). Even though He is God and can afford to ignore us or do without us, He still cherishes us and always wants to do us good. And that is because He loves us and wants the best for us at all times.

Since we, then, are His children, we are not expected to act differently from Him. In other words, we too must be lovers of people, just as God is. And we must be genuinely concerned about them, especially the ones He has put in our lives, and always consider how we may do them good. Until this is the case with us, we cannot be good ministers of Jesus Christ.

You know ministry is not just about serving God; it is also about serving people. To say the fact, it is because God wants us to serve people that He blessed us with all the gifts of the Spirits we have and all the resources we have access to, as His church (1Cor 12:4-7). So, we cannot claim to be serving Him, when we are not serving people. And we cannot serve people adequately and appropriately, if we are not interested in them and what is going on in their lives. Do you know that we cannot even take care of our husbands, wives, children, parents and siblings well, if we are not truly interested in their lives?

So, apart from your confidence in God, another important thing that will make you a good minister of Jesus Christ is your genuine interest in people. How interested are you in the lives and progress of your family members? How interested are you in the lives and progress of members of this assembly, with whom you fellowship week after week? And how interested are you in the lives and progress of all other people that are close to you in one way or the other? Your degree of interest in these people is what will drive you to seek God’s face for them and to also put to work the abilities, skills and resources God has given you in helping them.

If you, then, can see that your level of interest in people is low, you need to start praying to God seriously about it. That is because it is showing that you are not allowing His love in you to flow freely. It is love, God’s love, that makes us take genuine interest in people’s welfare. And where this is not flowing freely, we will hardly be concerned about others. Pray, therefore, that God will cause His love to flow freely in your life, as it ought to, so that you can be used by Him to bless all those that He intends to bless through you.

Once again, I welcome you to another year of great fellowship with God and with another and pray that we all will increase in fruitfulness and usefulness like never before in it, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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

You can still do more – J.O Lawal

Date: May 02, 2021 | Vol. 9, No. 52

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours forevermore from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am delighted to welcome you into a new month, the month of May 2021. My prayer is that success with ease will be yours in all your righteous endeavours all through the month, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

My admonition to you, as we begin this new month, is that you give yourself more and more to the work of the Lord. Why? First, it is because that is the will of God for you. Paul, writing to the Corinthian brethren, says, “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” (1 Cor 15:58NIV) Did you see that? How regularly are we to give ourselves to God’s work? Always! All the time! That means we must continually be busy with whatever He wants us to do in His kingdom and not be lazy or slack about it.

What I am saying is that God wants you to increase and not diminish in usefulness in His kingdom. So, regardless of how much you think you are doing in His kingdom right now, you can still do more. You can bless more lives with His word, your prayers, your gifts and so forth than you are doing at the moment. You just need to realise that He is counting on you to do more and more for Him and then begin to function accordingly.

The second reason we are supposed to give ourselves more and more to God’s work is that God, our Father, Himself is always working. He is always blessing lives, changing lives, delivering people, healing people, lifting people and so forth. He is just never tired of doing good to people and of giving justice on the face of the earth. This, of course, was what motivated our Lord Jesus to be busy all the time with His work, when He was here on earth. Remember that He said, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working.” (John 5:17NIV) Since we too are the Father’s children, we must keep working.

The third reason we are to abound in God’s work, as Paul points out, is that our labour is not in vain. What does this mean? One, it means that what we are doing is important to God. Our preaching, praying, giving, discipling of people and so forth are important to Him, for He is using them to fulfil His purpose in people’s lives. Two, it means that God is going to reward us for all the work we faithfully do for Him. People may not notice or appreciate our labour in the kingdom. But God is never going to overlook anything we do for Him, even if it is just a giving of one of His children a cup of water (Matt 10:42). So, we have very good reasons to be devoted to His work.

But is it possible for us to give ourselves more and more to God’s work and not faint or become discouraged? Yes, it is possible. It is possible because we are not left alone to do His work. He is going to be with us and in us all the time to do whatever He wants us to do. In fact, we cannot do His work at all, if He does not do it through us. It is only what He does in us, with us and through us that will accomplish His purpose and that He will reward us for. That is why Paul says, “For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” (Phil 2:13NIV)

So, we have no reason to be afraid of His work before us, however enormous or impossible it may look. He Himself is with us to do it. We just need to walk with the consciousness that we are not alone in this. And as He works with us and through us, we can expect all kinds of fantastic things to begin to happen in our lives and in the lives of those in our world. Just as it is written: “Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.” (Mark 16:20NIV) In like manner, if we too will go about doing His work, according to His grace on us, He will work with us and confirm His presence with us with all kinds of signs and wonders that will make men praise Him.

Do have a fabulous May 2021.

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 excited about your call – By: J.O. Lawal

from pastor's desk

April 25, 2021 | Number: Vol. 3, No. 48

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours forever from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. Welcome to the last week of the month of April 2021. My prayer is that your heart will always be strengthened to embrace and cherish the call of God on your life, so that your life may manifest His beauty more and more every remaining day of your earthly life. Amen.

As we are shown in the bible, it is not only those who are well recognised as leaders in the church that are called of God. Rather, it is every believer in Christ Jesus that has been called by Him. What, then, have we been called to? First, we have been called to fellowship with Him. The bible says, “God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.” (1Cor 1:9NIV) Did you see that? God called all of us to live with Him and to have Him live with us in a holy union. So, now, we are partakers of His life, His nature, His works, His glory, His eternal kingdom and even the hostility of men towards Him.

Second, God called us so that He may show forth His wisdom and wonderful acts through us to all His creation, especially men, angels and demons. This is why the bible says, “His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Eph 3:10-11NIV) It also says, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1Peter 2:9NIV)

Did you see that? God called us out of darkness into His wonderful light and made us His own special people. So, you are special to God. I am special to God. We all are special to God. And not one of us is more special to Him than any other. We all are equally special to Him because He paid the same price to redeem all of us (1Pet 1:18-19). And why did He make us His own in this way? It is so that He may begin to demonstrate His many sided and indescribable wisdom and wonderful acts through every one of us, not just through our pastors, prophets and other leaders in the church.

Therefore, wherever you are and regardless of your status in this life, you have been chosen and called by God to be living that life that will make men, angels and demons see that God is great, wise and good. And is this the kind of life you are living? Are you living a great, wise and good life, one that those around you cannot ignore or fail to admire? Or is it an unimpressive, foolish and irritating life that you are living?

To say the fact, the life that many of God’s people are living where they are is one that does not impress or attract those around them. I mean that their daily life is not moving those of the world to want to have what they have or become what they are. And how will anyone be moved to want to be what you are in Christ Jesus, if you are not excited about it or if you feel inferior to them because you don’t have certain things they have or because you are not in certain positions they occupy?

As the bible tells us, God did not choose or reject any of us because of our social status in life, great or low. He did not choose or reject us any of us because we are not rich, highly educated or famous. Rather, He chose us in spite of who we were according to the standards of this world. And He chose us to do wise and great things that will shock men, angels and demons. (Cf. 1Cor 1:26-31)

So, there is no reason for us not to be excited about our call, even if we are occupying the lowest position in the world of men, the position of a slave or a prisoner. For example, when Paul stood as a prisoner before King Agrippa, Bernice and Governor Festus, who were very important people in the world of that time, he did not speak like a disadvantaged, confused or depressed person. Instead, he spoke with so much excitement about his life with God that they felt like setting him free immediately. The wisdom he spoke with was just too much for them to handle. (Cf. Acts 25:13-26:32)

Now that is what God is expecting of us too. He wants us to always take our world by surprise by the way we live and act, so that they will start saying of us, “It is either these people are mad or ‘for real.’” And when they come closer to us, they will realise that we are ‘for real’. Will you, then, wake up, throw away your garment of shame and begin to live like who you really are with much excitement? My prayer is that you will be encouraged and strengthened to do so, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Do have 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)

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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2021

Tell them your experience with Him – — Pst. J.O Lawal.

fire in my bones
fire in my bones

April 11, 2021 |Vol. 9, No. 49

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord and Redeemer. Welcome to another week of the month of April 2021. And may you fully experience God’s rest and peace of mind all through the week, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Now one of the things that will make our experience of God’s rest and peace of mind better and better is for many more people in our world to be saved and transformed through faith in Christ Jesus. People who have been truly saved and transformed by the Lord Jesus Christ don’t cause trouble in the society. They don’t steal, rob, kidnap, rape, embezzle public funds, do money rituals, use hard drugs or irritate their neighbours. So, the more of such people we have in our society, the greater the degree of peace and rest we will be enjoying. This is, in fact, why we are admonished in Scriptures not to be praying for ourselves alone but also for all men, for through our prayers God is able to lead them to salvation. (Cf. 1Tim 2:1-4)

But praying for God to lead people to salvation is not enough for them to be led to salvation. We also need to be talking to them about this salvation that God is freely offering them in Christ Jesus. And we don’t have to be an evangelist to do this; we just need to have experienced this salvation ourselves. Have we been saved from our sins? Have we truly experienced deliverance from the power of the devil? Are our lives daily experiencing the love and goodness of God in ways beyond description? If all these things are true in our case, then, we already have enough of what we need to invite those around us to come and share in this same experience we are having with God through Christ Jesus.

For example, our Lord Jesus once had a brief conversation with a Samaritan woman by a well in a city called Sychar. Now this woman was most likely a very troublesome person, one that most people would not want to have anything to do with. That is because, as the account shows, she had married five times and the man she was with at that time was not her husband at all – they were just co-habiting. So, it is unlikely that she was a good woman. Nevertheless, when the Lord Jesus was through talking to her and showing her the solution to the thirst for love and peace of mind that she had, she did not waste time at all to go and gather as many people as she could from her town to come and meet the Lord. (Cf. John 4:4-45)

Now how much Scriptures did that woman know for her to be able to do that? Not much! In fact, she did not need to know much Scriptures to be able to get people to come and meet Jesus. She just needed to be able to passionately tell them her own personal experience with Him and how that experience gave her the faith she needed to have a new and meaningful life.

In like manner, what we need to invite people to meet with Jesus is not a great knowledge of the bible. Rather, what we need is a great passion to share with them the beautiful things our lives have experienced through our fellowship with Him, so that they too may come to Him to have even more beautiful experiences. And as they come to Him and have their lives changed, our society is able to experience a greater degree of peace and rest.

So, as you go this week, determine in your heart that more people will hear from you good news of what the Lord Jesus has done for you, is doing in you and is doing through you. And I pray that God, by His Spirit, will fill you with a great passion to do this, in Jesus’ name. 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 alaythiabiblechurch@gmail.com/alaythia4all@gmail.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2021 Pastor's Desk

Tell them of His goodness 07/03/2021

from pastor's desk

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours forevermore from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am delighted to welcome you into the second week of the month of March 2021 and pray that nothing will hinder your life from fully expressing the goodness and power of God wherever you find yourself in the week, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

One of the things we learn from the bible story of the mad man of Gerasene is that everyone who has experienced the goodness of God has a duty to spread the news to others, so that they in turn may come to Him. Then He will change their experience of sorrow, shame and pains to that of joy, glory and comfort (Mark 5:1-20).

Now, as the account shows, this man had been possessed by some Legion of demons. And these demons made his life so miserable that he ran mad. But his madness was not a kind that just made him walk around naked or that made him smile at everybody in awkward ways. Rather, it was a kind that made him extremely violent and dangerous to everyone around him and even himself. It was so bad that people stopped bothering themselves about tying him with chains, for he was just too strong to be bound with anything. So, everybody abandoned him. And he started living in the tombs, crying day and night and cutting himself with stones. Just think about how miserable those demons that were living in this man made his life.

In like manner, there are people today whose lives have been made horrible by demons. They may not be running around naked like a mad person. But their lives are not any much different from the life of a mad person. That is because everything they are doing is something that will further hurt or destroy them and also make their lives stink. And isn’t that how it is with mad people too? It is. The things they eat and drink, the place they live and sleep, the way they move around and the things they wear, if they wear anything at all, can only further hurt their lives and make them more irritating and unpleasant to do anything with.

At any rate, a day came when this mad man of Gerasene met the Lord Jesus Christ. That was the day he experienced God’s mercy and was delivered from the hands of those wicked unclean spirits that were bent on totally destroying his life. And his deliverance was so amazing that those who saw him could not believe their eyes, for he sat down well dressed and in his right mind. Then because this man was so grateful to God and excited about his deliverance, he begged Jesus to allow him to follow Him wherever He went. But the Lord told him, “Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” (Mark 5:19NIV)

Look at that. The Lord plainly told that man that he did not have to move around with Him in order to serve God. All he needed to do was to go his people, all of whom had abandoned him, and tell them how much the Lord has done for him. And did he go or not? Oh, he did go to his family to share news of the goodness of God with them. But he did more than that. He also went all about a place called ‘the Ten Cities’ and told everyone he could find there how much Jesus had done for him. (Cf. Mark 5:20)

Now has the Lord truly done you too any good? If He has, then, who have you told about it? Is the Lord blessing you today through the ministry of His word or that of some of His saints? If He is, who are you telling about it? The Lord may not require you to be a preacher for you to serve Him. But He requires you to always seek opportunities to daily tell men of His goodness to you or others around you. This is so that they too may be inspired to come to Him for their salvation or deliverance. And remember that there are many around us whose lives are no better than those of mad people and who need urgent deliverance, if they must not perish. Such people need us to tell them something of the goodness and faithfulness of God, so that they may come to taste it. And my prayer is that we will be rid of every form of selfishness in this matter and made bold to do what is right.

Do have a week full of testimonies.

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 alaythiabiblechurch@gmail.com/alaythia4all@gmail.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)

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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2020 Pastor's Desk

Title: The nature of God’s judgment – July 26, 2020

Beloved: grace and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. Welcome to the last week of the month of July 2020. My prayer is that none of the good things that are meant for you in the month will elude you, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Now, as one considers the terrible situation of things in this country, especially in the light of the recent allegations of fraud and corruption against some of our leaders, there is every tendency that he will be moved to ask God to swiftly judge all those who are involved and several others who are making it difficult for the nation to progress. And it is clear from scriptures that God will certainly judge people for all such acts of wickedness, not just at the end of this age but also right here on earth (1Sam 3:13; 1Kings 14:7-11). But those of us who are believers and who are also probably wishing that God will be quick to set things right in the country must also not forget that God does not judge things the way people do.

For instance, as bible points out, even though God is a God of justice, He does not delight in the death or destruction of the sinner. This is why He demonstrates patience with everyone, so that they may come to repentance and not be destroyed in judgment by Him. (Cf. Ezek 18:23&32; 2Pet 3:9) Then, even though God is determined to judge someone for his wickedness, He has His own set time for doing so. We can, therefore, not hurry Him to judge people before the time He has set to do so. In fact, from what we see in Scriptures, there are times that God waits for people’s wickedness to reach a certain limit before He deals with them in judgment. So, the full judgment or punishment for some individuals’ sins may not come on them, when they are alive, but on their descendants after them. (Cf. Gen 15:12-15; Ex 34:7; 2Pet 3:8)

Another thing we need to note about God’s judgment is that it often starts with His people. When there is so much wickedness in the land and we want it jugded, it is always our desire that God will start with those who are obviously wicked, perhaps the cruelest among them. But the bible tells us something different about this. It tells us that God often starts His judgment among His people.

For instance, when God was giving instructions about the judgment of the people of Judah, as Ezekiel records in his book, He said to those He had appointed for the work, “Follow him through the city and kill, without showing pity or compassion. Slaughter old men, young men and maidens, women and children, but do not touch anyone who has the mark. Begin at my sanctuary.” (Ezek 9:5-6NIV) Also, Peter, in his first epistle, says, “For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?” (1Peter 4:17NIV)

Did you see that? If God wants to set things right in a place, He will start by first dealing with His own people, who ought to know better. Think about it yourself. If He does not first deal with His own people who know the right thing to do but won’t do it, will He have any moral right to deal with those who don’t believe in Him at all and are doing wickedness? No! So, in order to stand just, He must first set His own house right before dealing with those outside it.

Now since that is the case, those of us who are calling on God to judge wickedness in our land should start by first judging ourselves and setting our own lives right before God. Otherwise when the judgment we are calling for starts, it is certain that we will be the first to taste it. So, let us begin to take seriously Paul’s admonitions that say, “But if we judged ourselves in the right way, God would not judge us. But when the Lord judges us, he punishes us so that we will not be destroyed along with the world.” (1Cor 11:31-32NCV)

Do have a great month end.

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

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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2020 Pastor's Desk

Title: A point of reference for good – July 19, 2020

Beloved: grace and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. It is with great delight that I welcome you into another week of the month of July 2020. And I pray that God will perfect all that concerns you and make your life a point of reference for good things, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

As we see in the bible, the very first king God ordained over the Israelites was Saul. But after the record of his death, nothing serious is mentioned about him again. Why? It was because he did not live an exemplary life. Yes, he reigned for forty years. But those forty years meant nothing to God, for they were not lived to honour Him.

But the case was different with David, who became king after him. He so gave his heart to God that He continually used him as a point of reference to others. For instance, when He was going to tear the kingdom of Solomon into two and give the larger part of it to Jeroboam, He said to him by the mouth of Ahijah the prophet, “If you do whatever I command you and walk in my ways and do what is right in my eyes by keeping my statutes and commands, as David my servant did, I will be with you. I will build you a dynasty as enduring as the one I built for David and will give Israel to you.” (1Kings 11:38-39NIV)

Did you see that? God was using David as a standard for that young man to emulate. In other words, if Jeroboam would just order his life the way David ordered his own life, he would not have any problem with God but win His approval. And there are a number of other places in the bible in which we see God using this man as His standard for judging the performance of other kings. (Cf. 2Kings 14:3, 18:1-3 & 22:1-2)

But why would God use David as a standard for judging others? Was it because he was utterly sinless and absolutely perfect? No, he was not any of these things. He had his own flaws as a man and even committed sins that most of the other kings did not commit. Nevertheless, he was someone that was always after God’s heart to please Him and bring Him praise. And because of that, when he sinned, and it was brought to his notice, he would not start arguing with God or making excuses for his sins. Instead, he would lose no time in sincerely repenting and also in seeking forgiveness. You can, then, see why God continually used him as the standard for appraising all the kings that came after him. (Cf. 2Sam 11,12&24; Ps 51)

In like manner, God wants us to live our lives in such a way that He can tell others to learn from us. Yes, we know that none of us is ever a perfect example of man, as He wants man to be. Only Jesus Christ is. However, if we will follow the Lord holeheartedly and pattern our lives after His, it won’t be long before God is able to use us as a point of reference in showing others how to live lives that are well-pleasing to Him (1Cor 11:1; Phil 3:17). And my prayer is that, as you continue your journey through life, your heart will be strengthened to walk everyday in this consciousness, so that your life may continually be a blessing to everyone in your world.

Do have a great week.

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

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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2020 Pastor's Desk

Title: Don’t lose your soul for anything – July 12, 2020

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. Welcome to another week of the year 2020. And I pray that the kindness of God will make life sweet and pleasant for you all through the week, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

As we begin this new week, I want to remind you that, regardless of how sweet and pleasant this world is for us, there is a far better place that God has prepared for those who love Him. And regadless of how horrible this world may seem to be for us, there is a far worse place that God has prepared for the devil and all haters of God. Therefore, we must see to it that we do not allow our dealings with this world and the things in it to rob us of that wonderful place in eternity that God has prepared for us.

Our Lord Jesus, once while teaching the people, said, “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” (Matt 16:26) That means we can’t ever compare the value of this world and all its beauties and grandeur to the worth of a soul before God. While this world is bound to perish and be no more, every human soul that God has made lives on forever. So, even if all this world is given to you, you will still lose it someday.

Satan, for instance, has this whole world and its systems under his power, to whatever degree God has allowed it (Luke 4:5-7; 1John 5:19). Yet it is certain that he is going to lose it and forfeit himself in the the lake of fire forever, when God is set to establish His eternal kingdom (Rev 20:10). In like manner, even if anyone gained the whole world, he would surely lose all of it someday, for it is a world that is reserved for fire and destruction (2Pet 3:10).

But gaining the whole world is not even the issue. I mean that having all the beautiful things of this world and enjoying yourself with them is not the issue. The issue is for us to make sure that whatever we gain in this world is not at the cost of our souls. In other words, we should not allow those beautiful relationships, jobs, vehicles, offices and so forth to steal from us our place in God’s eternal kingdom. That is because when all those things are eventually gone, and they will certainly be gone someday, we will still be standing.

Where, then, are we going to be standing on that day and with whom are we going to be standing? Are we going to be standing with God in His eternal home of rest or with the devil in the eternal home of pains and distress that God has prepared for him? It all depends on how we relate to God now in this world. If we take Him more seriously than the world and everything in it, then, we will be with Him throughout eternity. But if we take the world more seriously than Him, then, we are going to be suffering together with the devil and his angels for eternity.

Similarly, it is not just about losing the whole world; it is also about our reason for losing it. If we fail to have or enjoy the beautiful things of this world because we want to gain God and His eternal home, then, we have done well and are blessed. But if we fail to have or enjoy these things because of our own foolishness or laziness in living or because Satan really has us, then, it would only spell a double loss for us. And this is why we must pay attention to what our dealings with the things of this world will do to our place in eternity and act according to the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, which say, “If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.” (Matt 5:29-30NIV)

Now this does not mean we are to literally remove our eyes or cut off parts of our body, just because we don’t want to miss God’s eternal rest. Doing such things will not necessarily accomplish want we want. At least, there are blind, deaf and lame persons that are nothing but little demons, even with their handicaps. What the Lord is saying, then, is that, if need be, we must ruthlessly deal with whatever is trying to make us lose what God has prepared for us and send us to hell. And I pray that your heart will be taught to identify all such things and also strengthened to do the needful by the wisdom of the Spirit of God in handling them.

Do have a fabulous week.

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

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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2020 Pastor's Desk

Title: Be all-out for God – July 05, 2020

Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours immeasurably from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am glad to welcome you into the month of July 2020, the first month in the second half of this year. And I pray that God will so occupy your heart with joy in this last half of the year that you will forget whatever pains or losses you experienced in the first half of the year, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Now I want to enjoin you, as we begin this second half of the year, to be all-out for God in everything. In other words, don’t take half measures in your worship of God or go half way in your devotion to Him. Instead, give yourself fully to Him in worship and in service. That is because that is the only way to enjoy Him in all His fullness and also have His approval.

To say the fact, one of the reasons many in the church today are not having the kinds of glorious experiences they are supposed to be having in their walk with God is that they are not all-out for Him. They choose when they will obey Him and when they will not obey Him. And they choose when and how they will serve Him, instead of giving themselves to learning how to serve Him appropriately and adequately. Yet they complain all the time that God is not taking the matters of their lives very seriously. Can that ever be true?

David, in one of his Psalms, says, “With the merciful, you are merciful; with a man who is sincere, you are sincere; with the pure, you are pure; but with the crooked you are cunning.” (Ps 18:26-27CJB) Did you see that? It is the way you relate to God that will determine what you will experience in your walk in life. If you are all-out for God, then, He will be all-out for you. And if you try to be cunny in relating to Him, not putting your whole heart in your devotion to Him, He will also show Himself cunny to you. He will do this to let you know that He is not someone you can deceive. He knows everything about us and can tell whether our hearts are fully with Him and truly devoted to worshiping Him or not.

Look, for instance, at what is written about King Amaziah of Judah: “He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, but not wholeheartedly.” (2Chron 25:2NIV) Think about that. This king, on the surface, seemed to be for God. That means he must have been talking and acting like somebody who loved and belonged to God. But God could tell that his heart was not right. So, at some point, what was really in his heart came out. He abandoned God for idols, despite all the victories and beautiful things he had enjoyed from his hand. And from the moment he abandoned him till the time he was brutally murdered, life never remained the same again for him. (Cf. 2Chro 25)

Therefore, examine yourself, as Paul says, to see whether your heart is totally for God or not (2Cor 13:5). Test yourself and be certain that your so-called faith in God is not a lie. Otherwise, apart from the fact that you will not be able to enjoy God in His fullness, you will also be wasting your time and life. See, if your heart is not all-out for Him, at some point, the truth of where it belongs will be made known. That explains why certain individuals are no longer with the church of God today. But some of them used to be thought of by others as true Christians. And that was because they used Christian vocabularies like others, regularly attended church meetings and perhaps also served in one leadership capacity or the other. But their hearts were never fully with God; they were always somewhere else. So, at some point, there came circumstances that revealed to everyone the truth about what they were after.

Now if you don’t want to end up being like such individuals, you must guard your heart against taking God lightly in any way or trying to relate to Him in deception. And my prayer is that your life will be kept from being polluted or led astray in any way.

Do have a great week.

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

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FROM PASTOR'S DESK 2020 Pastor's Desk

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Do have a very pleasant week.

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