This Sunday, 18th July 2010, we will be studying the Blood of Jesus, cutting out the trash and holding on to the substance.

Time: 9.00 a.m.
Venue: UNILAG Guest house, University of Lagos, Akoka.

Share on Facebook

The grass always looks greener on the other side. Don’t live like this.

Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. (Heb. 13:5)

Share on Facebook

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Gal 5:22-23)

Yet; multitudes of Christians feel guilty each day for things they are exercising self-control over. They are obeying God but giving in to feelings of guilt and depression from the enemy.

You may be feeling drawn in a wrong direction and feeling guilty about this. The question is: why would God command us to exercise self control if there would be no pull towards wrong things every now and then?

It is the same question I ask about patience: Why would God command patience if we would have everything we wanted whenever we wanted them?

Duh!

God commands self control because there would always be desires for things that are not necesarilly right pulling at us. James addressed this:

But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. (James 1:14 – 15)

We are tempted when we are drawn towards wrong things. But temptation is not sin. We don’t sin until we give in to those pulls. We must not toy with those desires. if we do, we will give in to them and then we have sin in our hands.

Just keep saying “No” to those wrong desires by the grace that we have been called to. Keep trusting in our Lord Jesus Christ to keep you. Everytime you say “No” to that desire is a victory. The feelings of guilt by the enemy is a ploy to depress you and weaken you.

Say No. As a believer, you are a slave to righteousness now, and regardless of the pulls of the world we live in, we must continue reminding of ourselves that we are NOT of this world:

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world–the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions–is not from the Father but is from the world. (1 Jn 2:15-16)

PS: And if you do give in at some point, don’t forget that we have a High Priest who is capable and dependable (1 Jn 1:9).

There is no self control if there is no pull. Don’t feel guilty about the pull. Just exercise self control. And understand that to exercise self control is to live pleasing in the eyes of the Lord.

Shalom!

Share on Facebook

Topic: So Great Salvation

If you do miss out, you can join the discussions that proceed from the teachings here on Pressing for the Crown by using the comments form below.

Time: 9 a.m.
Venue: UNILAG Guest House, University of Lagos, Akoka

Shalom!

Share on Facebook

People hear those promises, believe, and go to those meetings. But at the end of the day, the vast majority of those who come (they came because they believed) return home disappointed. They are told that they need to work on their faith.

Neither Jesus nor any of His apostles ever had someone fail to be healed and then tell him that it was because of his lack of faith. You see, that someone came to be healed is proof that he believed.

Now, there a few claims of healing (and most are unverified and unverifiable), but by and large, these self-styled faith healers and “anointed men of God” huff and puff without delivering on their promises.

Let us draw on some facts from Scriptures and use those to examine whether these men really have God’s validation the way they want us to believe.

1. Everyone that Jesus ministered to got healed/delivered
2. Everyone that the apostles ministered to got healed/delivered
3. Everyone that Old Testament prophets ministered to got healed/delivered

But this is not what we see with our self-anointed “healers”. If they claim to be “anointed” by the same God with the same anointing (and some claim a greater anointing) that Jesus, the apostles and the prophets of the Old were, why are the results so stark different?

Glaring Examples
For example, Kenneth Hagin, regarded as a leading light in the healing ministry, has ministered to hundreds of people who did not get healed.

Ditto David Oyedepo

Ditto Enoch Adeboye

Ditto Chris Oyakhilome

Ditto Kathryn Khulman

Ditto Benny Hinn

Ditto every single man and woman claiming to be anointed by God with a “healing anointing” today.

These modern-day impostors are not even scoring close to 50% in their “success” rates. I am being generous by using 50%. Their “success” rates are actually much lower, if really all that they claim to be healings really are.

Yes; in God’s mercy, He grants that a few people be healed at the hands of some of these men. Afterall, God uses even donkeys, cocks and thieves to accomplish His will. It is no hard thing that a handful of people may rightly claim that they got healed at the hands of some of these men and women.

Why is it that the examples of “anointed” men that we see in the Bible get 100% results, but someone like Chris Oyakhilome who openly claims to be walking in a greater “anointing” – who claims to have the Spirit “without measure” – is falling far short of that 100% mark?

A Simple answer
Those men and women are not who they claim to be. They are impostors. They are not anointed by God as they claim. They are mere men like the rest of us.

If it is not the same as honey, it is not honey.

Share on Facebook

No; I didn’t say it. I am only reporting what certain preachers say. It is a concept and teaching that is rooted in the word of faith camp. Every major preacher in that company preaches it.

Here’s an example quote from one of them:

So, even though God can do anything, He can only do what you permit Him to do. If you study the Word of God, you will see why it makes so much sense.

For example, God has done nothing on earth without a human co-operating with Him. He had to find a human. When God for example wanted to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah… Go ahead and destroy it! No! He was illegal. He had to find a human to give Him access and agreement to release His power.

So, then God had to negotiate with a man in Abraham. They argued for a long time! …Abraham figured it out. Abraham said, ‘Aha! Okay, so I’ll tell you what, before I give you permission to touch that city, if I could find 50 men, 40, 30, 10’. He said, ‘I’m dealing, and God had to deal with a man’. And he said, ‘If I could only find one’. God says, ‘You got it! You’re the man! Once you’re satisfied and give me permission I will act’

The thing to do here is go back to Scriptures to examine the example used above, and see if this preacher painted an accurate picture. Ready?

The discussion between the Lord and Abraham over Sodom and Gomorrah is found in Genesis 18: 17-33. Now, don’t be in a hurry; it is a fairly long discussion. But you need to follow it thoroughly.

The LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice, so that the LORD may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.”

Then the LORD said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know.” So the men turned from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the LORD.

Then Abraham drew near and said, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city. Will you then sweep away the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” And the LORD said, “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”

Abraham answered and said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes. Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking. Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?” And he said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.”

Again he spoke to him and said, “Suppose forty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of forty I will not do it.”

Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Suppose thirty are found there.” He answered, “I will not do it, if I find thirty there.”

He said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it.”

Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.”

And the LORD went his way, when he had finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.

First off, we can see that this preacher turned what that passage says on its head. God didn’t sound like He was looking for permission in this passage. And Abraham clearly sounded like he knew Who was in charge.

He claimed that God and Abraham argued, but where was the argument? There wasn’t any. The man was respectfully pleading with a Superior. Abraham was so conscious of the Lord’s authority and position that he referred to himself as “dust and ashes”.

Please read that passage again: it wasn’t God who was negotiating with Abraham; it was Abraham who was pleading with the Lord. Abraham wasn’t even negotiating. The man was trembling as he tabled each plea (his words shows this).

This preacher has totally misrepresented what happened in this situation, as himself and others like him are known to do.

But, we shall look further at Scriptures to see if indeed the Creator of Heaven and Earth, the God of the Bible, really needs the permission of His creations in order to get things done.

The God of the Bible

The Bible is full of descriptions of God, and He is nothing like the god that this preacher and his type serve. Here are a few:

Behold, he taketh away, who can hinder him? who will say unto him, What doest thou? (Job 9:12)

That’s the reason why Abraham’s words were words of trembling, pleading and respect. Abraham was not the flippant, disrespectful character that the preacher portrayed.

The Gentile king, Nebuchadnezzar, has something to teach people who make the kind of grossly faulty claims like this preacher made. After years in the school of hard knocks, the old king said:

At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation;

All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?” (Dan 4:34-35)

None. Not any preacher – by any title and in any position. Not you. Not me. No-one.

Nebuchadnezzar had learnt the hard way that God was soveriegn, dependent on no-one, needed no-one’s permission, and sought none.

King And Jehoshaphat once stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, and proclaimed the awesomeness of the glorious God of the Bible:

O LORD, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you. (2 Chronicles 20:6)

Have you heard of anyone negotiating with a King who is far stronger than him? No; you don’t negotiate. You plead. You submit. You grovel, if necesarry. If you were to stand before such a king, like Abraham, you would call yourself dust, born again or not.

Paul, writing to the Ephesians, had this to say of our God:

In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will (Ephesians 1:11)

You cannot be working things according to the counsel of your will if you need permission from others; you would be doing things according to the counsel of their wills.

James, writing to believers, gave us this insight to what our attitude before the Lord should be:

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”–

yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.

Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. (James 4:13-16)

Read that and ask yourself again if the Bible teaches that God needs your permission to get things done.

A few other examples from Scriptures are instructive:

1. God decided to wipe out the earth with a flood. He didn’t seek permission from anyone
2. God wanted to save Nineveh. He didn’t ask for any man’s permission. He commanded Jonah to go preach and when Jonah got smart, the Lord showed him who was boss
3. When the Lord would save Saul of Tarsus, from whom did He seek permission?
4. When God would take the Gospel to the Gentiles, He commanded Peter to go. There is no record of a negotiated mission. Thankfully, Peter obeyed.
5. From whom did God obtain permission to put into effect the plan of redemption? Adam? Eve?

Many of our modern-day preachers have abandoned the faith and have invented an inverted gospel where man rules and God serves him. Obedience to the Lord is not a virtue in that gospel. Rather, foot-soldiers are hailed for issuing instructions and granting permission to their Commander-in-Chief. What army operates that way?

Only an army of fools.

Scriptures tell us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. But men who teach this sort of nonsense have lost it totally. These men have absolutely zero fear of God. They have become foolish and a spectacle to behold.

Not only are they not interested in entering the kingdom; they also woo multitudes to follow them into the depths of darkness that they have sunk.

If you think that God needs your permission to get anything done, you are in more trouble than you can imagine. You are serving a different god, not the God of the Bible.

Share on Facebook

That question is one that can be answered easilly. Here goes:

1. Like all other spiritual manifestations, tongues is not for private edification but public benefit – 1 Cor 12:7: To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. Why then do Pentecostals/Charismatics claim that tongues is a private prayer language for private edification?
2. Tongues is one of several spiritual manifestations distributed differently to different members of the Church. A manifestation of tongues is given to this one, a manifestation of prophecy to another – 1 Cor 12:10: to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. Why do Pentecostals/Charismatics teach that every believer is meant to speak in tongues?
3. Just like any other spiritual manifestation or equipment, not all are used by God in the same way – 1 Cor 12:29-30 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? Again, why do Pentecostals/Charismatics hold the position that all Christians are meant to speak in tongues?
4. Prophecy edifies the Church more than tongues and so is to be desired more than tongues – 1 Cor 14:4 The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church. Why, therefore, are Pentecostals/Charismatics so fixated on something that is inferior? Why are they not seeking to prophecy more and get more people edified?
5. The instruction is to pursue prophecy above tongues – 1 Cor 14:1 Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. Why are Pentecostals/Charismatics blatantly disobedient to the God that they claim to serve?
6. The verse (1 Cor. 14:4) that Pentecostals/Charismatics use to justify using tongues for personal edification actually compares the self-centredness of using tongues for private benefit with the loving posture of seeking to edify the Body via public use of prophecy, but is usually pulled out of context by preachers – 1 Cor 14:2-5 For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church. Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up. Why do Pentecostal/Charismatic teachers twist God’s word this way to justify a self-centred concept, especially when self-centredness is so contrary to the Spirit of Christ?
7. Tongues is only of benefit to the Church when there is an interpretation – 1 Cor 14:5 Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up. So why do Pentecostals/Charismatics consistently speak in tongues and most of the time without interpretation? Why are they not interested in the edification of the Church?
8. In Scriptures, the manifestation of tongues occured to serve as a sign for unbelievers – 1 Cor 14:21-22 In the Law it is written, “By people of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord.” Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers. Why is tongues “manifested” among Pentecostals/Charismatics mostly without it serving the same function? Why are they abusing the purpose of tongues?
9. The use of tongues without interpretation in the presence of unbelievers is equivalent to admitting to being mad – 1 Cor 14:23 If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds? Why are Pentecostals/Charismatics acting like mad people? Why do they keep using tongues without interpretation at public settings?
10. In the Bible, tongues was always a human language unknown to the speaker but known to at least one other person present – Acts 2:7-8, 11: And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? –we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.”; 1 Cor 14:10-11: There are doubtless many different languages in the world, and none is without meaning, but if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be a foreigner to the speaker and the speaker a foreigner to me. Why is it that much of what is spoken as tongues by Pentecostals/Charismatics is gibberish and unintelligible babble; not proper languages?
11. Everytime there was a manifestation of tongues in the Bible, God supernaturally made sure that at least one interpreter was always present – someone who understood the language being spoken – 1 Cor 14:27-28 If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret. But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God. Why is this hardly ever the case with Pentecostals/Charismatics?
12. Like every other spiritual manifestation, tongues is given as the Spirit wills – 1 Cor 12:10-11 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as He wills. Why are Pentecostals/Charismatics able to speak their ‘tongues” at will – anytime they choose and for any length of time?

Whenever and wherever there is a manifestation of tongues that fit the Biblical profile of an authetic manifestation inspired by the Spirit, we must not shy away from admitting that it is of God.

But until we see such an authentic manifestation, tongues as taught and practiced by Pentecostals/Charismatics is nothing but a sham. It is purely a mental exercise motivated by flesh and selfishness. It is the exact opposite of what an authentic manifestation of the Spirit is.

If you belong to that camp, you are part of this big sham and you need to re-think your position.

May the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ grant you understanding.

Share on Facebook

There are plans on ground to have a campmeeting event this September. We are told that there is a public holiday coming up that month and we thought it would be a great time to get out of the hustle and bustle of Lagos, unwind, fellowship and get into some nitty-gritty Bible study as always.

The date and venue will be confirmed as soon as we are able to set those in concrete.

Share on Facebook

While that sounds good, it is faulty. Brothers and sisters, we cannot praise God on a faulty foundation. Let us examine this subject some more.

The Holiness of God
God, by nature, exists separate from all things and independent of all things. He depends on nothing, relies on nothing, and draws His value from nothing other than Himself. This is what holiness means. He is separate.

When we say that God is holy, we are saying that God is. We are recognising Him as the I Am, the one who is totally separate from all else. That’s God’s holiness. That is God’s unique attribute. No-one else, nothing else, is like that. That’s why Scriptures repeatedly extols His holiness. He alone is completely separate from and independent of everything else.

Do we get that? If we do, we can move on.

Once we understand the concept of God’s holiness, everything changes. Literally.

God does not derive His worth or worthiness from anything. Not from what He has done or will do. Not from what we or anyone else thinks. He is simply worthy because He is.

Before God created the heavens and earth, he was worthy. After He did, His worthiness did not jump up a scale; it stayed the same. He was as independent and self-sustaining as He was before creation.

Before God sent Jesus Christ to redeem us, He was worthy. After He did, he was just as worthy.

Remember Job? Remember how He praised God even when things went downhill for him? He could do that because he understood God’s holiness and God’s worthiness. He knew that God was God regardless of whether or not He acted on your behalf.

If God hadn’t lifted a finger to save man from sin, He would still be worthy of praise. If God didn’t put food on your table, He would still be as worthy of praise. God’s worth and/or worthiness is unchanging because it has to do with His inherent nature, not His actions or inactions.

How about Thanksgiving?
Oh, giving of thanks is another kettle of fish entirely. We give thanks for acts of goodness and kindness done to us. This has nothing to do with the worth of the doer. We don’t necesarilly have to esteem someone to say thanks when the person does us good.

Now, this is where much of the professing Church is stuck today. Our music, our words, our services revolve around thanksgiving. That is not surprising, seeing that the vast majority are in church circles for selfish and self-centred reasons. We are a Gimme, gimmeee! generation.

As such, we give thanks for food, for finances, for God’s protection, etc. There would be nothing wrong with that if we included it as part of a balanced diet in our relationship with God. As a matter of fact, the Bible commands us to be full of thanks. Unfortunately, by and large, the diet is far from balanced.

When Jesus taught the disciples to pray, the phrase “Hallowed be your Name” was a pointer to appreciating and praising the worthiness of God. God’s name is holy. God’s name is I Am. It is so fundamental to our relationship with Him, yet it has been retired to a back burner.

God is worthy of praise regardless of whether or not He has acted on your behalf in a certain way. Don’t forget it.

So, what shall we do? We shall give thanks for the blessings and benefits that God has bestowed on us, but we must spend more time praising Him and hallowing His name simply because He is. We must spend more time in awe of His holiness.

Share on Facebook

From a distance, it looks like a revival is on. Our churches are full every Sunday. Some have multiple shifts to accomodate the masses of people surging in. We have churches on almost every street. Some of our special meetings, conventions and conferences record attendance of hundreds of thousands.

But is it really revival?

Jesus once performed a miracle in which 5,000 men were supernaturally fed from a boy’s meal of five barley loaves and two fish. It was an amazing feat, if you think about it.

Trust human beings, by the next day, the news had spread and people wanted some more of this amazing preacher! So, they went looking for Jesus. However, when they found Him, here was His response:

“Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” (John 6:26-27)

Thankfully, Jesus knew clearly what He came for. He came for eternal purposes. He did not come for bread. He did not come for temporal needs. He had worked that miracle as a sign that He was the Messiah to come, so they could look to Him for what He came for – redemption from sin.

But man, as always, missed the point. Their temporal need was the overriding motive. But Jesus knocked that and pointed them in the right direction.

Now, compare this to the situation on ground today:

• Our churches are full, but people mostly come because of bread
• Our preachers are preaching, but they are mostly offering people bread instead of the food that endures to eternal life
• While Jesus refused to become seeker-sensitive and give the people what they wanted, our preachers are totally into giving the people what they want, as long as the crowds (and offerings) come in

Brothers and sisters, what we are seeing is not revival! It is a self-driven, flesh-motivated show. It is about making money, getting a healing, getting married, having babies, getting jobs and all things temporal. Were Jesus in many of our churches today, He would be rebuking preacher and congregation alike.

Eventually, those people looking for Jesus in the passage above all walked away. They were disappointed. They had not been seeking eternal life. They just wanted their needs met.

Most of what is called Christianity today has a label on it that reads: “Powered by covetousness“. It is all about what I want. Do we ever remember the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, when He said:

“Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” (Luke 12:15)

God has no problem with you having things. It is just not what Jesus came to do. Even non-believers have things. Many of them are richer than their “Christian” friends and neighbours, and there is no problem with that. This one thing was not available to anyone, this one thing was impossible with man – redemption from sin – and Jesus came to fix that.

God does care about us, but Jesus did not come for the purpose of putting bread on your table, giving you babies, getting you a job or making you famous. He gave us heads and hands for those.

Our heads and hands cannot save us from sin, however, so He came for that. In the words of the apostle Paul:

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)

Have you believed on the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins, or did you believe a gospel of bread and butter?

Share on Facebook