Lessons From The Holy Spirit. Vol.1

LESSONS FROM THE HOLY SPIRIT (VOL. 1)

Re-Published By:

READ AND REAP BIBLE ENTERPRISES
(A VOLUNTEER CHRISTIAN ENTERPRISES AND BIBLE READING CULTURE PROMOTER INITIATIVE)

MOTTO: “OH HOW I LOVE THY LAW” (Psalm 119^97a)

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28 Hilltop Church Drive, Rumukalagbor, Rivers State, Port Harcourt, South-South Nigeria.

P. O. BOX 606, Eket, Akwa Ibom State.

07053417736

Email: [email protected]

WEBSITE: www.readandreap.org

ISBN: 978-978-58279-2-7

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENT:

 

 

Dedication

Foreword one

Foreword two

Acknowledgement

Introduction

Lessons

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DEDICATION

With gratitude to God who gives every ability, I dedicate this book to all who love Jesus Christ most of all to be loved and cherished through heeding of His commandments.

 

 

FOREWORD ONE

 

Evangelist Michael James Ekperikpe is a freelance Missionary and founder of READ AND REAP BIBLE ENTERPRISES, a volunteer Christian Enterprise and Bible Reading Culture Promoter Initiative in Akwa Ibom State, South-South Nigeria. God has given him words to speak and write, an assignment I have observed him do with pride to the glory of Him who assigned him, the benefit of his generation and beyond as well as that of his joy and blessing having obeyed and stayed at his duty post maximizing the grace of God in his life. I have read his previous books before this one I foreword, and have discovered the unbiased nature of his work. He has endeavoured to make the death, resurrection, ascension and the promised return of Jesus Christ shower eternal benefit to all mankind. The book is neither confrontational nor denominational. As many as use and understand the contents of the book are introduced to Jesus Christ and Him crucified and nothing added or subtracted – the very essence of Gospel preaching.

His books also reintroduce to some of us who may want to forget, the standardized and academic way of writing lessons’ notes as we were given orientation in Teachers Training College. God counts on gifted people among us like Bro. Ekperikpe whose work deserves our full support and I appeal to you, especially, the Body of Christ to support and read indigenous Gospel materials like his books which are home-grown and relevant in our situation who live in this part of the globe with beliefs and traditions only peculiar to us. Finally, appealing to all for support of his efforts, I congratulate the READ AND REAP TEAM for the grace God has lavished upon one of their own to write this Bible Study Guide for Christians and intending Christians and the people of Nto Okon, Ukanafun L.G.A. of Akwa Ibom State for their illustrious son – Michael James Ekperikpe – who is a pride to have.

 

Dr. Andy Ikpe

District Pastor,

Christ For The World Mission

Eket Munucipal, Akwa Ibom State

South-South Nigeria

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FOREWORD TWO

 

I have said it over and over again that God’s time cannot be late. It has pleased God to begin to shine this light of His will from Eket L. G. A. and to keep me alive as one of the witnesses. For this, I am grateful to the Maker and keeper of all things, visible and invisible, even our God. I am also very thankful to Him for bringing this vision into mission during my tenure as the Chairman of Bible Society of Nigeria, Essien Udim Auxiliary. I also welcome with gratitude my nomination by the leadership of Read And Reap Bible Enterprises as its Pioneer Chairman in Essien Udim LGA for the recognition and confidence they have reposed in me to chair the mission agency in the LGA. I read these words in “Luke 24:45”, “Then He opened their minds so they could understand scriptures.” (NIV) I have been a youth and now in my seventies, I have seen here a Christian God has opened his mind to know and teach scriptures with ease that only God, by His spirit, can supply. That man is Michael James Ekperikpe. I have worked with him in my capacity as the chairman of Bible Society of Nigeria, Essien Udim Auxiliary for the past two years. He is unassuming and easy going and would be patient enough to recap a point he had taught previously a hundred times until evidence on the learners is evident.

I owe God many thanks for preparing men like Bro. Ekperikpe until evidence of His divine invisible orientation to him can be made to manifest in the manner we have witnessed in this book he has written. The book, “LESSONS FROM THE HOLY SPIRIT” is truly a product of a person whom God has opened his mind to understand Scriptures. Our debt owed God and Bro. Ekperikpe is to read and apply the contents for our benefits, those of our neighbours and to God’s glory.

 

 

BISHOP UDO U. NDUDU

Chairman, Bible Society of Nigeria, Essien Udim Auxiliary

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

 

All of us in the family of Read And Reap Bible Enterprises (the divine mission agency) are proud to identify with our Missionary and Mentor, Michael James Ekperikpe, the Evangelist of the Most High God, our founder and administrative head of our mission agency in Nigeria to whom belongs the sole writership of “LESSSONS FROM THE HOLY SPIRIT”. He does not deserve the praise but His God who variously furnishes His people with manifold grace deserves the praise for illuminating his mind enabling him to write this Bible Study Guide for all of us. To Him be all the glory, power, dominion, majesty and honour even now and always in the Lord Jesus’ Name – Amen.

Finally, I am thankful to his amiable wife, Excel and his two children, Victoria and  Destiny, for their support and understanding.

 

N/B: You can hear your Father in heaven when He directs: if He does not direct you to do something in this direction yet, please don’t join others who have been divinely directed. But if you hear Him tell you to support this work, please do not be disobedient to such heavenly vision. Others, before you, never were (cf. Acts 26:19 – KJV).

 

Below are our accounts’ details:

NAIRA:

A/C NO: 1022221136

A/C NAME: Read And Reap Bible Enterprises

BANK: UBA/Current

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DOLLAR:

A/C NO: 3003790958

A/C NAME: Read And Reap Bible Enterprises

BANK: UBA/Current

Swift Code: UNAFNGLA

 

 

JP Ekefre

(State Coordinator – Akwa Ibom)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INTRODUCTION:

 

The divine responsibility which we have accepted to be writing mind renewal lessons for Christians and intending Christians continues to be uncompromising in view of the increasing need for godly and divinely standardized Bible study materials that should be instructive, informative, educative, corrective and prophetic enough for the Christian populace. We are aware of the fact that many Christians are in dire thirst and hunger for spiritual growth and development but are in want of suitable Bible study materials and conducive environment to do so. Jehovah expects all Christians to know as much information about Christ as will enable them share with fellow persons. But the begging and divine question now, as always, is: ‘how can they hear and share Christ without anyone witnessing first to them?’ (cf. Rom.10:14). Copies of the Bible in various hands we see are books of spirits written in letters which cannot be helpful to bearers until they learn and understand how to convert those letters into spirits and stored in their hearts – the only desired and conducive place God provided for His Word to thrive. It is in the heart, the centre from which the life of God functions, that God’s Word can save and sustain the believers.

In this edition, various lessons on the Christian faith, holiness, how to preach Christ and the Christian call are featured. Also featured in this edition are lessons on the Holy Spirit, the Church, The prosperous Christian, Prayer and the Christian Woman. Other lessons are, Giving the Christian Way, Baptism and Christian Thanksgiving. It is our prayerful belief that a religious use of this lessons’ book for one year will mature the characters of those who have been through it prayerfully which will consequently make them not just sharers of the Faith but able teachers too (cf. Jam.3:1). The lesson on “How to Conduct Cater Baptism” (where it has been adopted) should be treated as a working pattern or handbook which is subject to change by the local believing community leaders where the intended outcome is of more benefit as it is not meant to be creedal or dogmatic.

Many Christian leaders have become so self-satisfied with their local Church dogmas like the Scribes and Pharisees, who thought flawless keeping of their oral laws (The TALMUD) was enough to please God (cf. Matt.5:20), that they have turned their churchyards into modern day Tower of Babel and Zion where they rarely allow the flock of God under their watch to participate with others outside their local Church fellowships in searching Scriptures – even though they know they are not gifted teachers of the Christian tradition (cf. Jam.3:1). If a billionaire prize is brought among some Christians nowadays on condition that the sixty six (66) books of the Bible be written on a piece of paper in five minutes in the order they appear in the Bible, the prize may be taken back because nobody, even professional preachers, could write. But take such challenge to a Muslim faithful, even the whole Koran can be recited for you. Such feat does not just happen. IT IS FROM STUDIES AND COMMITMENT!

As for you, follow what is honourable in the sight of God; be ready to share with others what Jehovah deposited for them at your disposal and to receive from them what they received from God for your encouragement interdependently-for “Iron sharpeneth iron.” (Prov.27:17-KJV). Let’s be a good example of Bible studies, obedience thereto and desire to share with others. AMEN

 

 

 

Michael James Ekperikpe (Missionary)

(Missionary)

Tel: +2348141291073

Email:[email protected]

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR/BOOK

 

The signs of the end time are manifesting by the day – Bible teachers emerging from every corner with all sorts of teachings; diverse churches/denominations cum cathedrals dotting every street, and so on. Paradoxically, the more the churches, the less the truth taught (2Tim. 3:1-5; 4:3-4). There is indeed the dearth of the undiluted word of God in the world today.

 

However, in every generation, God would always raise a remnant to uphold His truth. Evangelist Michael James Ekperikpe happens to be available for this divine mandate. This compilation titled, “Lessons From The Holy Spirit” is apt for the time.

 

His research is thorough and the presentation simple and unambiguous. Having personally gone through each of the lessons, I dare say that the compiler by the illumination of the AUTHOR – the Holy Spirit, has put together a spiritual compass which can help the disoriented, the lost or unbelieving to navigate his/her way back to the TRUTH. This work also has lots of lessons which can provoke and/or sharpen a sincere Christian to keep the fire burning. My advice, however, is that having laid your hands on this copy, you must lay aside every bias or religious sentiment so that the AUTHOR can unveil the truth in it to you.

 

I congratulate you for getting a copy for yourself. I also implore you to go beyond that and recommend it to others.

 

 

UBONGABASI AKPANISONG (PASTOR)

1. A. (Hons) Soil Sc.; B. A. (Missiology)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THEME: “FAITH IN GOD”

 

LESSON ONE:                                     MEANING OF FAITH

TEXT:                                                     1Thess.3:6-7 -NLT

MEMORY VERSE:“But now Timothy has just returned bringing us good news about your faith and love. He reports that you always remember our visit with joy and that you want to see us as much as we want to see you.”(1Thess.3:6 – NLT)

 

INTRODUCTION: Faith, as an invisible reality, must have components that will enable adherents identify its kind which will include source, message borne and service or visible evidence (SMS). Since faith is simply dependence, on whom the dependence is expressed must be spelt out. Ours is a faith in Jehovah God through Jesus Christ which we confirm in obedient services delivery. (cf. ICor. 8:5-6, James 2:14, 26). Faith in Jehovah God confines adherents to what only receives endorsement from heaven, His throne and their Christian headquarters, through the only true Spirit (the Holy or God’s Spirit). Faith, in our dispensation, is communicated in word form as is found in the New Testament or constitution of Jesus Christ, Jehovah’s anointed King (cf. Matt.26:28). His (Christ’s) Faith serves as the only authentic means to fellowship with His Father Who is our Father too through the same Faith. What God says through Christ is an oracle and through Christ’s original Apostles, it has become possible for us who want to become His children to do so effortlessly (cf. Rom.10:7-13).

 

 

OBJECTIVE: To appreciate words or phrases similar to faith; faith as an unseen reality; saving faith as well as faith as a warrant to future possessions.

 

PRESENTATION:

STEPI: WORDS OF SIMILAR MEANINGS TO FAITH

1. The Greek word for faith is “pi’stis” and basically means ‘trust’, ‘firm persuasion’ and ‘thought of confidence’.
2. In view of the context in which it may be found, it can also mean ‘fidelity’ or ‘faithfulness’ (cf. Tit.2:9-10).

 

STEPII: FAITH AS AN UNSEEN REALITY

1. Faith is an unseen or abstract (spiritual) noun existing without a physical form like wind that only God always sees (cf. Matt.8:10; 13:58).
2. It is a seed formed in people who have either seen or heard something as a means to formation of such seed (cf. Lk. 8:11; Gen. 21:12).

 

STEPIII: SAVING FAITH

1. The faith that saves is a demonstrative faith (cf. James 2:26).
2. The type both spoken and acted (cf. James 2:12, 20-24).

 

STEPIV: FAITH AS THE GUARANTOR FOR FUTURE POSSESSION (James 1:5-8)

1. Faith is a means to a reward, whether good or bad.
2. Faith in the wrong things fetches a negative reward as faith in the right things fetches a positive reward.
3. Services driven by a selfless spirit – cf. Gal. 6:2

 

CONCLUSION: As we trust and express our confidence in an invisible God, fidelity and virtues of holiness are expected of us for onlookers around to judge based on how we are daily blessed and consider joining us. This is the only way we make our Lord who is complex, afar and unreal to be simple, near and real before unbelievers to believe. May added grace be our portion from Him for this uncompromising task in Jesus’ Name – Amen. Faith remains the only window for worship of any god that is not visible. There are many gods and goddesses that are worshipped by humans who are only distinguished through their visible representatives. The Christian Faith is one of many faiths that adherents are strongly warned by its representative (Christ) never to compromise – in thought, word and work – His ordinances with another.

 

 

EVALUATION:

1. There is a type of faith that cannot give reward. (True or False)
2. To have faith that saves, we spend all the time speaking it. (True or False). Why?
3. Why do we say faith is a spiritual reality?
4. Give one phrase similar to faith as you learned.
5. or Sis. ………….…….. has faith that frees him/her from sin. (Put your name there)

 

PRAYER POINT:  Thank God for His word not different from Himself in potentiality and ask for growth in Christ’s grace and faith by which we unarguably maintain our claim as members of Christ (cf. Cor. 6:15-16).  Pray also for revelation against what I call “Biblical idolatry” of confusing the faith of Christ for that of Moses, Elijah, John the Baptist, etc. due to ignorance (cf. Matt.22:29).

 

 

LESSON TWO: FAITH AS A CONDITION

TEXT: Heb.11:1-6

MEMORY. VERSE:“And it is impossible to please God without faith.  Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that God exists and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him.” (Heb.11:6 – NLT)

 

INTRODUCTION:  The God we seek to worship is a spirit who can be viewed by humans as wind, intangible. As such, faith becomes an imperative and an indispensible factor for a relationship with Him. (cf. Heb. 11:1). Services rendered based on faith in Him is the testimony that such faith (dependence) is in Jehovah. God’s consideration of accepting us and our services is in His view of our intentions and/or consciousness prior to such services (cf. Matt. 15:9).

A suitable means of fellowship with an invisible Jehovah God should be an invisible device as it is written above in our memory verse. If faith is an acceptable agency for a walk with God, it then means that, it is no other than the Faith of Jesus Christ obeyed. It is so because of Christ’s interest in the salvation of all mankind – God’s supreme property. (cf. John 10:16-17)

 

OBJECTIVE: To appreciate faith as:

1. A condition for salvation of the soul
2. A condition for membership in the Christian church
3. A means of worship and
4. A pathfinder for religious fellowship

 

PRESENTATION:

STEPI: FAITH AS A CONDITION FOR SALVATION OF SOUL

1. a) Faith that can deliver one’s soul is that which is acquired by reading or hearing about Jesus Christ resulting in forming a seed of same in the heart (memory verse).
2. b) Such is the kind of righteousness Jehovah the Father accepts (cf. John 3:36; Gal.2:16; Rom.1:16- 17).

 

STEPII: FAITH AS A CONDITION FOR MEMBERSHIP IN THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH

1. Jesus adds the faithful ones in Him to His group or congregation which is invisible (Acts2:47; Eph.4:17-24).
2. He has circumcised their hearts with His unseen hands (cf. Col.2:11-12).
3. These are members indeed; not members in creed. Not professed but possessed.
4. They are identified by their fruits of ‘holiness’ and ‘hospitality’ (cf. Jam.1:26-27; Matt.7:15-20; Gal.5:22-23).

 

STEPIII: FAITH IN CHRIST AS WORSHIP MEANS

1. Since faith in Christ is all-inclusive in the Christian’s affairs even as worship of the true God is (both in the spirit), then faith is the sole means toward worship (memory verse).
2. Worship of God is working with God and for God for a reward. And Jesus Christ is the One whom God has granted to be the Judge to reward every service (cf. John5:22-23; Acts17:30-31).

 

STEPIV: FAITH AS A PATHFINDER FOR RELIGIOUS FELLOWSHIP

1. Fellowship with an unseen God is only possible by faith in His directives (cf. Rom.10:17).
2. It is activated in giving and taking – a two way thing (cf. Phil.4:15-16).

 

CONCLUSION: Our services of faith are representatives of the services of Jehovah in whom we claim as the One we serve – such that He Himself would be serving for the benefits of His mankind. They must, therefore, be of benefits to our neighbourhood in need, or they are not of faith in Him and not deserving His positive reward now and in eternity. So, we must surrender ourselves wholly to Him as instruments for the relief of humanity spiritually (Psychically) and physically.

 

EVALUATION

1. Only faith in the true God can have fruit (true or false). Why?
2. God only identifies His believers in the initial fruits borne (True or False).
3. Why is faith an imperative for salvation?
4. Can God use your life to teach others faith in Him today?

 

PRAYER POINT: Thank God for the lesson and pray that the Faith of Jesus Christ will permeate every part of our world for our peace and wellbeing through the peace of Christ in peoples’ hearts and also for grace to maintain a faith in Him through Christ strong enough to weather any storm from the heavens likely to come as trials for our perfection as Christians as well as for others’ benefits God will bring our way afterwards.

 

LESSON THREE: THE CHRISTIAN FAITH

TEXT: 2John9-11

MEMORY VERSE:“Anyone who wanders away from this teaching has no relationship with God. But anyone who remains in the teaching of Christ has a relationship with the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to your meeting and does not  teach the truth about Christ, don’t invite that person into your home or give any kind of encouragement. Anyone who encourages such persons becomes a partner in their evil work.”(2^nd John 9-11 – NLT)

 

INTRODUCTION:  The faith of Jesus Christ is the Christian Faith; it is not the faith of Moses, of Aaron, of Elijah or any other messenger of God as seen in the Holy Scriptures prior to the coming of Jesus. Whatever happened before Jesus’ appearance on earth in the flesh was preparatory and pointing the world to Jesus. (cf. John 5:39-47) The substantial salvation is tied to Christ alone as Jesus Himself taught that He is the sole door through whom believing people in His teaching could pass to see the Father in whom everything good resides (cf. Acts 17:24-27). The faith in Jehovah God that Jesus Christ does midwife is known as the Christian Faith. In the words of Jesus Christ Himself in ‘John 14:6’, (NIV), “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me,”it is reasonable for the descriptive there-of. Jesus refused any attempt to combine His Faith with any other for reasons best known to Him, even with those of the previous messengers the Father sent before Him (cf. John 10:1-8; Mark 2:18-22). When we can live a moral life is one thing. When we can talk (trace it to Christ) the reason for living so is another. The former is natural; the latter is spiritual. The begging question is, “Is Jesus Christ through His teaching the reason for the exercise?” (cf. Rom. 8:9; 2John 9-11).

 

 

 

OBJECTIVE: To understand the distinction between the Christian faith and other faiths; Christ as the Perfecter of it;  the pre-Christian examples of the faith and the Christian Church examples of the faith in the Bible.

 

PRESENTATION:

STEPI: HOW THE CHRISTIAN FAITH IS DIFFERENT FROM OTHER FAITHS

1. As the adjective of quality, ‘Christian’ describes it, it is the type that revolves around Christ and His teachings (cf. John1:17; Eph.4:20-21).
2. Christ Himself does not welcome any combination with any other type (cf. Rev.22:18-19; Mark2:18-22; Luke9:33-36).
3. Jesus says that previous messengers from God before His coming were not the door and the true shepherd, who must not demand our loyalty anymore to what they brought, lest, they be seen as thieves (cf. John10:7-8).

• Moses had prophesied that at the coming of Jesus, his prophesies must not be followed anymore (cf. Deut.18:15,18-19; John5:45-47).

 

STEPII: CHRIST AS THE INITIATOR AND PERFECTER OF THE FAITH

1. The embodiment of the teachings of Christ as handed down to us by His original Apostles is the ‘Christian Faith’ or ‘The Faith’ (cf. Heb.2:12 and our text).

 

STEP III: PRE-CHRISTIAN CHURCH EXAMPLES OF FAITH

1. The Bible speaks in ‘Heb.12:1’ (looking at the preceding chapter) of our being surrounded by “a crowd of witnesses” – a reference to those who had faith in God before us.
2. The faith of Abraham awarded him the fatherhood of all the faithful ones and first recorded friendship status with God (James2:20-23).

 

STEP IV: THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH EXAMPLES OF FAITH

1. By Christian Church examples, we refer to the exercise of believers’ faith after Jesus’ physical ministry on earth (cf. Matt. 26:29).
2. ‘In my Father’s kingdom’ simply means ‘when I vacate the body and its limitations to assume my position as Lord and Christ in the heavens’.
3. The original Apostles and those they taught showed that their faith was in Christ (cf. Acts 4:18-20).

 

EVALUATION

1. What is the cardinal factor that distinguishes the Christian faith from other faiths?
2. Define the Christian faith.
3. What is the place of physical evidence in our faith?
4. Are you a faithful person in Christ? How are you sure?

 

PRAYER POINT: Thank God for the lesson and pray for our neigbours’ willing surrender to the Spirit of Christ preached by His original Apostles as documented for us in the New Covenant Jesus does midwife. Also pray for revelation into what the Faith of Christ is about in all its ramifications of our ventures as Christians for easy credibility among the heathens.

 

 

LESSON FOUR: THE GOSPEL MINISTER AS A FAITHFUL SERVANT

TEXT: Lk.12:42-48

MEMORY VERSE:“If the master returns, and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward. I tell you the truth, the Master will put the servant in charge of all he owns.”  (Matt.24:46-47 – NLT)

INTRODUCTION:  The exemplary leadership of any Christian at family, church and secular business of any kind is always expected. In “so great a crowd of witnesses”, Paul could see a valid basic example for faith in God. (see Heb. 12:1). A servant who is placed by his master above other servants conveys thought of confidence and trust the master reposes in him. The master hopes, that servant will treat his other servants with the fear that they also belong to him. Similarly, Jesus – our Master of masters – expects that we, who call on Him as Lord, be aware of our responsibilities to Him and His people as it will end with enviable rewards. (Matt.24:46-47). “So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.” (1Cor. 4:1-2-NIV). Ministers of Christ’s Gospel (all Christians by extension) are expected (as the Scripture above puts it) to be God’s trustees holding God’s secret treasure for the good of His mankind. God does not refer to professional preachers in this expectation, but all Christians. Faithfulness in this context concerns giving as God demands firstly, (free), and not merchandizing and profiteering through it (cf. 2Cor. 2:14-17). The next consideration is measures against all forms of moral corruption (cf. Jam. 1:26-27).

 

OBJECTIVE: To see the professional Gospel Minister as a servant of servants; as appointed by the people but confirmed by God as well as an administrator.

 

PRESENTATION:

STEP I: HE IS A SERVANT OF SERVANTS

1. Jesus desires all His believers to share with or preach the Gospel to others as a mark of servanthood and/or stewardship (cf. Acts1:8; 1Cor.11:I; 2Tim.2:1-2).
2. But His believers can choose to pay anyone among them to do the same work who is gifted (that is, professionalize it). (cf.1Cor.9:14)
3. He is expected to be faithful to be promoted at the Master’s return (memory verse).
4. He is not different from the others except where those who appointed him have placed him. But he is not to deify himself or herself capitalizing on the ignorance of the others (cf. 1Cor.3:5-9; 4:6-7).

 

STEP II: HE IS ALSO AN ADMINISTRATOR

1. Every position we occupy here on earth in the things of faith, the Bible sees it as ‘little’ compared with eternal blessings hereafter (cf. Gen.24:2; 39:1-6).
2. Although John the Baptist is the greatest, humanly speaking, being the first to announce the long awaited God’s eternal kingdom which was withdrawn when the first Adam sinned, the smallest fellow in that kingdom, compared with him, is greater than him (see Matt.11:11).
3. Similarly, although the Gospel Ministers occupy honourable places serving with Jesus, they must keep themselves from moral corruption, the snares of material prosperity and works of the flesh (cf. 1Tim.6:6-10; Gal.5:19-21).
4. Everything about us is selfless service delivery and that, all the way – the very place our Master (Christ) dropped for us (cf. Acts10:38).

 

CONCLUSION: The root idea from which the original word for “Minister” (diakonos) is derived is the diligent and persistent attitude of the one who reaches out to render services to others in ancient times. We are called by Jesus to imbibe such consciousness as we minister to Him and His family members – cf. II cor.3:4-6

 

 

EVALUATION

1. What does the Gospel Minister use for his stewardship?
2. Who can professionalize Gospel preaching?
3. To what are all service positions we may be placed on in this world be likened?
4. What reward would you give to your Gospel Minister if God had empowered you?

 

PRAYER POINT: sThank God for His Word and pray for Christians all over the world especially professional ministers of the Gospel of Christ for manifold grace to be models of the Christian dedication to Christ. There is no outstanding benefit God enjoys when we obey Him. It is all for our good who obey through Christ’s directives. Thank Him, therefore, and ask for grace to stick on to Christ more and more for His blessings on us now and always here and hereafter.

 

 

 

LESSON FIVE:                     EXAMINING YOUR FAITH

TEXT:                                     1Cor.10:1-6,11

 

MEMORY VERSE: Examine yourselves to see if your faith in genuine. Test yourselves.” Surely, you know that Jesus among you if not you have fail the test of genuine faith.”(2Cor.13:5-NLT).

 

INTRODUCTION: God expects exclusive devotion from us who call on His name and will not tolerate any rivalry. He is a jealous God (Exd.20:5) and teaches those who learn at His feet to demonstrate a jealous spirit anytime His glory is either threatened or transferred to another (cf. 2cor.11:2-4). It is the reason Israel chosen of Him, was viewed in a husband-wife relationship so that what God expected was exclusive fidelity and loyalty from them even as disobedience would be viewed as adultery warranting God`s righteous anger (cf.Deut.32:16, 21; Ezek.16:38). The reason Apostle Paul would recommend a test of our faith is not unconnected with the manner those who opposed his Gospel were parading themselves among those Christ converted through his preaching in Corinth – those he refers to as “super apostles.” In his divine argument with them, Paul asked, “Who is weak without my feeling that weakness? Who is led astray, and I do not burn with anger.” (2Cor.11:29 – NLT). According to Paul in the Scripture above, such is the evidence of his fellowship with Jesus Christ against those who questioned his credibility. Testing our faith, therefore, according to our daily walk with Christ will always make our opponents baseless in their claims against us.

 

 

OBJECTIVE: To understand our faith in two perspectives, namely, faith as doctrine and faith as moral conduct.

 

PRESENTATION:

STEP I: FAITH AS DOCTRINE

1. The doctrinal perspective of our faith is the inward conviction based on what is heard, who says it and through whom he has said it.
2. Ours is the faith of Jesus Christ which we have been warned never to compromise (cf. Jam.2:1; Heb.12:1-2).
3. The word of God is ‘yes’ and ‘amen’ (Hebrew – ‘a.man’) denoting firm establishment, long-lasting and trustworthiness (cf. 2Cor.1:18-22).
4. It has to be ‘the doctrine of Christ’ (cf. 2John9-11; 1John4:1-6).
5. It is otherwise called ‘the Apostles’ doctrine’ (see Acts2:42).

• It has to be in document form, ‘it is written’ by the original Apostles or their associates who wrote by inspiration or divine guidance to safeguard it against error (cf. 1John1:1-4).

1. If not examined on such bases, another spirit will be loosed to come and sit on God’s temple (our bodies/hearts) pronouncing himself God and performing fake signs and miracles (cf. 2Thess.2:4, 9-12).

 

STEP II: FAITH AS MORAL CONDUCT

1. The moral perspective of our faith has to do with our evident demonstration or conviction to make it real and credible (Greek ‘e’leg.khos’) (cf. Jam.2:18-20).
2. The truth is that ‘one plus one is two’. But since the one who knows the answer does not live by it, it is not the type of truth that sets men free according to Jesus (see John8:31-31, 36).
3. Those who know the truth under Jesus show in the fruit of daily lifestyle. It is the truth about the kind of life God lives and approves (cf. Eph.4:17-18).
4. As many as know this ‘life of God’ are those God uses in our time to impact others for their salvation (cf. Matt.5:13-16).

 

CONCLUSION: It is said that to be forewarned is to be forearmed. In the midst of the world system dragging to have its way in our hearts, it is also on our shoulders to carry the divine responsibility of witnessing, through our conduct of life, God`s marvelous light, joining Jesus outside the world system and bearing His shame with the assured optimism that we will be glorified with Him in due season (see Heb.13:12-14). The first Israel`s apostasy and divine judgement on them have been written down for our learning (Icor.10:6, 11).

 

EVALUATION

1. Based on what two factors can one or groups be sure he/they are teaching ‘the doctrine of Christ’?
2. In what part of the Bible can we find ‘The Faith of Christ’?
3. How is the Old Covenant (Constitution) useful to the Christians?
4. How is the truth of Christ different from “two plus two is equal to four” as a truth also?
5. Do you have the evidence to testify that you know the truth? What is that evidence?

 

PRAYER POINT: Thank God for His Word you have just received and pray for divine revelation into what we confess and before whom we confess so that we maintain our boldness of confession to the end without wavering; May His grace enable us to live a life in this earth that will always silence those who oppose us with false accusations because of believing in Christ.

 

 

LESSON SIX:        THE FAITH THAT UNVEILS GOD

TEXT: Dan. 6:1-28

MEMORYVERSE: Luke 7:9

When Jesus heard this, He was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following Him, He said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel”. (NIV)

 

 

INTRODUCTION:

Faith is simply dependence. Information from any source makes those who abide by it worship or have faith in that source. In the same vein, if we receive a message from God through Christ and abide by it today makes us worshippers of God through Christ (cf. Matt. 15:7-9; Luke 6:46). Our faith is, therefore, in God through that same message of Christ (cf. Rom. 10:17). Let us, therefore, see what the faith of Daniel in Persia was. In doing so, let’s carry out an expose on our text.

Daniel means “My Judge is God”. David named his second son, Daniel, born for him by Abigail, former wife of Nabal the Carmelite; (see 1Chr.3:1) he was also named Kileab or Chileab (see 11Sam. 3:3).

 

OBJECTIVE: To understand the source, feature and aftermath of a genuine faith – the faith in the only true God.

 

PRESENTATION

STEP I: IT AROUSES OPPOSITION (Dan. 6:1-5)

1. An opposition that takes pride in frivolity (cf. Dan. 6:6-9)
2. What does one make out of such a government policy that stops the citizenry from fending for themselves for one month in order to feed from government supplies during the period?
3. God allows such to strengthen the faith of His own (Heb. 12:11).

 

STEP II: IT IS BASED ON KNOWLEDGE (Dan. 6:10)

1. Daniel had both the knowledge of the plot and that of the power of His God (cf. Rom. 8:35-39).

 

STEP III: IT MAKES THE BELIEVER BOLD (Dan. 6:10-11)

1. Daniel never hid to pray his prayers (Eph. 6:19-20).
2. The silence of the Scripture on where Daniel was while the faith of his three countrymen was tried does not indicate compromise on the part of Daniel in view of God’s approval of Daniel’s devotion to the end alongside Noah and Job (cf. Ezek. 14:14; Matt. 24:15; Heb. 11:32-33).

 

STEP IV: ONLY GOD CAN DELIVER SUCH BELIEVERS NOT MEN (Dan. 6:14-18)

1. The king, as a sincere and kind-hearted man, unsuccessfully tried to save Daniel.
2. Hear his lamentations in “Dan. 6:20”.

 

STEP V: OPPONENTS OF SUCH FAITH MUST BE PUNISHED BY GOD IN THE END (Dan. 6:19-24)

1. They made a wrong choice which afterward consumed them and their own without God’s mercy (See also “Josh.7:19-26”).

 

STEP VI: SUCH FAITH MUST EXALT GOD IN THE END (Dan. 6:25-27)

1. Even unbelievers raised praise to God after the incidence (cf. Matt. 5:16; Phil. 1:27).

 

STEP VII: SUCH FAITH MUST PROSPER THE OWNER IN THE END (Dan. 6:28)

1. Weeping as a result of doing right always results in prosperity and promotion (cf. John 16:20-22).

 

CONCLUSION

At times, we are opposed by fellow persons for our growth and development in the things of the spirit (without our knowing it) as God our Father in heaven deems fit. As such, God always encourages by His Word making the challenge light and unserious before us as against the thought of those agents of our promotion. The unceasing inward comfort from God helps the faithful to endure to the end for the consummation of the reward. So, do not panic in such moments to allow any qualms in your heart and possible harm on your body. It is for your good (cf. Rom. 8:28).

 

 

EVALUATION

1. What is another word for faith?
2. What does the word “Daniel” mean?
3. State how God disciplines and trains His own.
4. Mention a similar circumstance to that of Daniel through which we may face opposition today.
5. How may children suffer the consequences of the sin of their parents today?
6. State the way(s) we can extract the comfort of God in trials.

 

PRAYER: Thank God for His Word and ask Jehovah to give us the spirit of revelation into His powerful will always able to deliver adherents.

 

THEME: “HOLINESS”

     

LESSON SEVEN: THE MEANING OF “HOLINESS”

TEXT:                                     John17:11-26

 

MEMORY VERSE:“Now I am departing from the word; they are saying in this world but I am coming to you. Holy father, you have given me your name; now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are.”  (John17:11-TSB).

 

INTRODUCTION: What makes humans holy before God must be determined by God, even, as what should make them sinful will also be determined by God. That is why among men, individuals offend each other as they also sin against God in similar circumstances. Standards that acknowledge humans as holy or righteous are set by God and vary in generations. For instance, God’s standard for crediting humans as holy under Moses is different from the standard under Christ (cf. Lev.24:19-20 with Matt. 5:38-42). Read also “Rom. 1:16-17”. Besides, the status of Moses as a servant in God’s household is inferior to that of Christ, a begotten Son (Heb. 3:4-6; John 8:36).

 

 

OBJECTIVE: To understand ‘holiness’ as God’s quality; as sanctity of personal conduct and as separateness.

 

PRESENTATION:

STEP I: ‘HOLINESS’ AS GOD’S QUALITY

1. ‘Holiness’ is sacredness and the character of being holy.
2. The word in the Christian Greek Scriptures, according to scholars, is ‘ha’gi.os’ meaning ‘holy’ and ‘gi.osmos’ meaning ‘holiness’.
3. It is also translated ‘sanctification’ or ‘separation to God’ as well as ‘perfection in one’s personal conduct’ (cf. Matt.5:48).
4. God’s name is set apart from all defilements (see 1Chron.16:10).
5. Using His name in vain was and is still punishable by death (cf. Lev.24:10-16).
6. It is sacred (to which the suffix ‘ment’ is added to have ‘sacrament’) denoting that which is exhaustibly of Jehovah’s occupation and consumption.

 

STEP II: ‘HOLINESS’ AS SANCTITY OF PERSONAL CONDUCT

1. Those who are holy are those God has sanctified to serve with Christ in the manner of Melchizedek (cf. Heb.7:17).
2. They are the under priests whom the Father provides for Jesus also known as ‘the royal priesthood’(1pet.2:9) and ‘associate kings’ with Jesus waiting to be glorified (cf. Rom.8:17).
3. These are those John saw in his vision saying that Christ bought them and made them a kingdom and priests to rule as kings over the earth (Rev.5:9-10).
4. This is indeed so, because they have consciences washed with the real water of the teachings of holiness taught by Jesus Christ (see Heb.10:19-24).

 

CONCLUSION: Holiness is not only used to refer to the character of God; it is also being used to refer to the quality of God in His believers’ obedient lifestyle in their day to day exercise of their faith in Him. Are you holy in this context? Yes, it is possible to be holy and righteous in this world (cf. I John 5:18-20).

 

EVALUATION

1. Why are we correct to say that God is holy?
2. What makes anything sacred?
3. What is sanctification?
4. Seeing Jesus as King and Priest, what is the qualification for entering into His service?
5. Looking at your present spiritual standing with God, can you say that He has made you holy?

 

PRAYER: Thank God for His Word and pray that men surrender totally to God like Jesus did in order that men will always be proved wrong who say that there’s none holy on earth, not seeing it is possible in the mind of Christ.

 

 

 

LESSON EIGHT:                 WHO IS HOLY ON EARTH?

TEXT:                                     Rev.4:1-8

MEMORY VERSE: “… Day after day and night after night they keep on saying, ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, the one who always was, who is and who is still to come.”     (Rev.4:8b – TSB)

 

INTRODUCTION: If the source of true holiness is Jehovah God, it follows also that it is He alone that can grant that status to whoever He pleases. When someone or anything is holy in the sight of God, such declaration becomes a shield protecting them that He has found to be holy or righteous (cf. Noah – Gen. 6:17-18).

 

OBJECTIVE: To understand that nobody is holy except Jehovah and all that He declares holy as well as appreciate holiness as an invisible reality.

 

PRESENTATION:

STEP I: JEHOVAH GOD IS HOLY (The Mighty in holiness – Exd.15:11).

1. Jesus Christ referred to Him as ‘Holy Father’ (see John17:11).
2. ‘Holiness’ as a quality begins with God (Exd.39:30).
3. He is the ‘Most Holy One’ among all that should be termed ‘holy’ – ‘holiness’ in the superlative sense (cf. Prov.30:3).
4. He is excellent in holiness and majesty.

 

STEP II: GOD ALONE DECLARES INDIVIDUALS HOLY

1. Wisdom and understanding come from God, the Most Holy One (see Prov.9:10).
2. Anyone can be holy based on a relationship with Him secured in obedience to His righteous principles and laws (cf. James 4:12).
3. It is only in holiness that worship can be given to Him so that our offerings do not appear disgusting in His sight (cf. Prov.21:27).

 

STEP III: ‘HOLINESS’ IS AN INVISIBLE REALITY

1. ‘Holiness’ as a spiritual noun or reality is only evident in what migrates out of Jehovah God, the Most Holy One (ibid).
2. Jesus comes out of Him as God’s Holy One (see Acts4:34).
3. The spirit coming out of Him is ‘The Spirit of Holiness’ or ‘The Holy Spirit’ (cf. Eph.1:13).

 

CONCLUSION:Whatever comes out of God is holy and acceptable in the heavens devoid of any wrinkle of sin. The seed the Word of God plants in the believers has an inherent cleansing power that cannot be negotiated, whatever way. In being so, the power of the Word is evident for use in the believers’ day to day exercise of their faith. Praise God!

 

EVALUATION

1. Who is the initiator of holiness?
2. Why is God the Most Holy One?
3. Why is Jesus addressed as ‘God’s Holy One’?
4. What is the yardstick for God to declare a person holy?
5. What sin were you committing before that you no longer commit, thus, now testifying that you are holy?

 

PRAYER:Pray for the gift of the spirit of holiness.

 

 

 

LESSON NINE:                    HOLINESS, THE PRODUCT OF REPENTANCE

TEXT:                                     Lk.13:1-9

MEMORY VERSE:“Not at all! And you will perish too, unless you repent of your sin and turn to God. No, and I tell you again that unless you repent, you will perish, too.”(Lk.13:3,5 – TSB).

 

INTRODUCTION: To pull an object, one must stand in front of it even as one is expected to stand behind any object he intends to push. It is as the saying goes, “put the horse before the cart” and not the “cart before the horse” which should have pulled the object. Similarly, holiness becomes next to none if God the Father of Jesus Christ is concerned (see Heb. 12:14). It is in holiness that God is attracted. God’s presence cannot be visited by humans; it is attracted in well doing. It is a condition for relating with God and an evidence of repentance.

 

OBJECTIVE: To appreciate ‘holiness’ as a condition for fellowship with God as well as an evidence of repentance andvice versa.

 

STEP I: HOLINESS, A CONDITION FOR SEEING GOD (Heb.12:14)

1. God in ‘1Pet.1:13-16’ invites us to exhibit the virtues of holiness even as He, our Maker, is holy.
2. In ‘Heb.12:14’ above, He gives holiness as an imperative without which we can neither see Him nor work with Him.
3. Brethren, holiness brings us to a state at which we look at our past life with regret for ever living such a wicked life in ignorance (cf. Eph.4:17-24).
4. This past wicked experience repented of will serve as a boost for others’ blessing whomGod will bring our way.

 

STEP II: HOLINESS AS EVIDENCE OF REPENTANCE

1. As ‘holiness’ is the evidence of ‘repentance’, so is repentance a demonstration that one is holy. If one is abstract, the other must be actual in fruit bearing (cf. Jam.2:21-26).
2. There are sins from which one must abstain and deeds by which one must abide in showing repentance and holiness (cf. Gal. 5:19-21; Eph.5:3-7).
3. The wickedness of sexual immorality, impurity of heart, greed, foolish talk or coarse jokes, idolatry, etc. must be avoided.
4. The HolySpirit’s fruit of sincere love, peace, patience, kindness, self-control, gentleness, etc. must be displayed.

 

CONCLUSION: Those who abstain from the things God hates and adhere to the things He approves can bank on His unfailing love and providential care – cf. Heb. 13:5-6. Whatever we sow in His hand in repentance to His way of life and service delivery, He is not like a man that covers with excuses and forgets in a hurry. He knows how to reward accordingly (cf. Heb. 6:10). Even though our residential addresses change after we give a divine service in the love of Christ, His good reward follows us wherever we go unchanged.

 

EVALUATION

1. What does our partnership with God require according to ‘Heb.12:14’?
2. What is the relationship between holiness and repentance?
3. Mention two fruits each of repentance and sin.
4. What benefit(s) has our life of repentance for the neighbourhood?
5. What is your bad past, as a Christian, from which you have been converted?
6. If a Christian damsel (or anybody) does not protect her virginity, there is the risk of HIV/AIDS, diseases and Hell fire. (True or False).

 

PRAYER:   Let’s thank God for His Word and exemplary life of Christ and pray for revelation in our hearts into seeing Him as He is in order that we be able to replicate same in the strength such revelation provides.

 

 

THEME:                                                HOLINESS

LESSON TEN:                      MAINTAINING GOD’S STANDARD OF HOLINESS

TEXT:                                     Col.3:18-4:1

MEMORY VERSE:             “Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.” (Col.3:2-TSB)

 

INTRODUCTION:Holiness, just as every other benefit we have received from God, is a gift. He gave us a good earth to maintain for our good. He does not live here in the body, but His wish is that we prosper in His earth-the rationale for giving manifold life-sustained instructionsto us through Christ (3 John 2). He gave us unity in Christ and demands that we make every effort to keep that unity by being peaceful one with another (Eph. 4:3).

 

OBJECTIVE: To understand that it is in person to person relationship because of the love of Christ (see 2Cor.5:14).

 

PRESENTATION:

STEP I: HOLINESS MAINTAINED IN RELATIONSHIP

1. It is evident in how wives submit to their husbands and how husbands love their wives and children for Christ’s sake (Col.3:18-19).
2. It is evident in how children obey their elderly ones beginning with their parents.
3. God assures them that He has instructed their caretakers (parents/guardians) never to be bad examples in order that they be not discouraged (Col.3:20-21).
4. It is in how employees see their employers as Christ Himself so that they joyfully serve for their perfect reward in the end (Col.3:22-25).
5. Holiness is also maintained in how employers on earth are mindful that they, too, have an employer (Christ) in heaven.
6. This will enable them sow in their employees the very thing they expect to reap from Christ in the end (see Col.4:1).

 

STEP II: HOLINESS IS TO BE MAINTAINED IN THE CONSCIOUSNESS OF CHRIST’S LOVE

1. When the basis upon which we go to God is the consciousness of His love lavished upon us through Christ, we can willingly repent and serve God (cf. Rom.5:6-8; 2Cor.5:14-15; Heb.12:3).
2. God’s love in our hearts answers the question, ‘why do you do it?’ Every reward from God is tied to this consciousness (cf. 1Cor.13:1-3).

 

CONCLUSION: Each day God gives us Visa into must be marked with a consciousness of service delivery which will benefit and/or relieve a fellow person. These Visas of life are stamped for us to enter any day because the government of heaven on earth has to continue through us the believers of the (Jehovah) God of heaven who controls the heavens for the good of His humanity.

 

 

EVALUATION

1. In what two ways can a Christian maintain God’s holiness?
2. Why should serving man please God for a reward?
3. ‘There are payable jobs everywhere human beings are present.’ Why?
4. Are you sure as a Christian that, should Jesus return today, you can be given a good reward?

 

PRAYER: Thank God for His lesson and pray for humility to see a fellow person Jesus died for as deserving our service in the love of Christ.

 

 

 

THEME: “PREACHING CHRIST”

               

LESSON ELEVEN:               CHRIST, THE PERFECT LAMB OF GOD

TEXT:                                     John1:35-39

MEMORY VERSE: John1:36: “As Jesus walked by, John looked at him and declared, ‘Look! There is the Lamb of God’.” (TSB).

 

INTRODUCTION:Yes! There were lambs for sacrifices in Palestine long enough and seen as a tradition. Therefore, to the hearers of John the Baptist addressing Jesus as the ‘Lamb of God’, the meaning would not be obscure and ambiguous. Such would spark enquiry by the hearers who would want to know John’s rationale for addressing Jesus that way as we notice in the next verse of two of his disciples absconding to find out from Jesus Himself what John, their master, should mean concerning Him.

 

OBJECTIVE: To appreciate Jesus unspotted throughout His lifetime on earth as a model perfect sacrifice His followers will offer by faith and how only such sacrifices are pleasing and acceptable to the Father.

 

STEP I: JESUS IS PERFECT FROM CONCEPTION

1. Mary’s womb was used for molding His body by God’s Spirit (see Lk.1:34-35).
2. If God had looked for one virgin with whom to solve the problem of humanity, even in your family, would He have found one?
3. Lambs have multiple value in the supply of physical needs:
4. Their horns were used as containers and for sounds production (cf. Josh.6:4-6,8,13; 1Sam.16:1).
5. They were also used as commercial products (cf. Ezek.27:21) and for paying of taxes (cf. 2Kgs. 3:4; 2Chron.17:11).

• Their skins were sometimes used as clothing (Heb.11:37; Job31:20; Prov.27:26).

1. They were also used by governors, kings and others for meat (see Neh.5:18; 1Kgs.4:22; Amos 6:4).
2. Truly, figuratively speaking, Jesus is a perfect lamb which God raised and packaged with manifold benefits.

 

STEP II: HE IS PERFECT IN HUMILITY

1. His humility, in order that we, as God’s enemies, be not destroyed, destroyed Him. He took our place and died (cf. Phil.2:8).

 

STEP III: HE IS THE PERFECT LAMB BECAUSE OF THE ROLE LAMBS SACRIFICE PLAYED IN ISRAEL’S DELIVERANCE IN EGYPT   

1. It climaxed the liberation of the Israelites and punishment of their enemies (cf. Exd.12:5,9).
2. That is what the death and resurrection of Jesus have done to Satan after the heavens accepted His sacrifice for our salvation (cf. Eph.4:7-10).

 

STEP IV: HE IS A LAMB BECAUSE LAMBS COULD BE EASILY DISCIPLED

1. According to a research by J. Hartley (London, 1831, pp.321, 322), in ancient Greece, shepherds named their sheep and distinguished them by their various names. They took some time to teach some that were not fast to know their names (cf. John10:3-5).

 

CONCLUSION:The Word of God became Jesus, the son of man, so that acceptable sacrifice of superbly pure blood and water might be acquired. He is now in His original and permanent state to influence the world by means of His Word of power. That influence, He will exert through us who have believed in Him (cf. 2 Cor. 5:16). Come on. Let’s be willing to submit to Him.

 

EVALUATION

1. Why do you think Prophet Samuel chose to use “fat of rams” as figure for “sacrifice”?
2. State the relationship between the Passover lamb in Egypt and Jesus as a Passover Lamb.
3. State two ways lambs were useful economically according to our lesson.
4. With regards to humility, why is Jesus likened to a lamb?
5. If we are not humble, are we qualified to claim to follow Jesus?

 

PRAYER: Thank God for the lesson and pray that, through humility, we hesitate not to recommend a fellow person for any benefit whatsoever, even if it will result to more prosperity and firm on the part of the beneficiary than us, like we see John the Baptist’s example. Also pray for grace to be led by the spirit of Christ – Romans 8:9.

 

 

THEME: “PREACHING CHRIST”

               

LESSON TWELVE:             THE COMPASSIONATE JESUS

TEXT:                     Mark10:46-52

MEMORY VERSE: Matt.5:7: “God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” (TSB)

 

INTRODUCTION: Our topic of discussion about Jesus depicted as compassionate is a round peg in a round hole. He is the very essence of God’s compassion to mankind. In fact, He is a byword for compassion. In our text, He took pains to make that known to those who cared to know. Some of His followers thought it was too unbearable for Him to attend to the blind man, but, that is not the making of our compassionate Master, Jesus. It was not usual for a person of such personality like Jesus to be halted on His convoy in order to attend to a common person like blind bartimaeus who was not renowned in any area in Palestine. But that is our compassionate Saviour, Jesus, for you.

 

BEHAVIOURAL OBJECTIVE:To appreciate that Jesus hears and answers our sincere calls on Him; that spirits in wicked people will try to resist our relief; that knowing Jesus always pays and that following Him makes it difficult for the devil to enslave us.

 

PRESENTATION:

STEP I: JESUS HEARS ALL THAT CALL ON HIM SINCERELY (v.49)

1. Life forms in everything is because Jesus is in them to hear them as they call on Him (cf.Col.1:15-17).
2. ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved’ (see Rom.10:13).

 

STEP II: CARNAL PEOPLE PREACH SUSTENANCE OF DIFFICULTIES (v.48)

1. The agents of Satan are always victorious where people do not know their Saviour, Christ, how He is merciful unto all who diligently seek Him (cf. Heb.11:6).

 

STEP III: THOSE WHO RESIST US WILL ALWAYS JOIN US IF WE ARE CONSISTENT WITH CHRIST

1. As soon as they realized that his persistence paid off, (Jesus has asked that he be brought), the same people came excitedly calling him with the report that Jesus was looking for him (see vv.48, 49).
2. Our enemies are daily watching our reactions to their distractions. So, whoever is a persevering and focused follower will always be rewarded in the end (cf. 1Cor.15:58).

 

STEP IV: A KNOWLEDGEABLE FAITH IN CHRIST ALWAYS COMPENSATES

1. Knowledgeable faith knows who Christ is, what the need is and ask accordingly (vv.47,51).
2. Those who have such ask with faith according to God’s will and receive (cf. v.52; 1John5:14).

 

STEP V: THOSE WHO RECEIVE SPIRITUAL ILLUMINATION, LIKE THIS MAN, FOLLOW JESUS TO                      CONSOLIDATE (v.52)

1. Bartimaeus knew, if he followed Jesus, he cannot be blinded again by any opposing force (cf. 1Pet.3:13).

 

CONCLUSION: As Jesus’ followers living with both believers in Him and unbelievers alike, we ought to be sober in spirit to be able to be consistent with all Jesus has revealed without wavering even as that  will result to our constant defeat of the adversary to the life of compassion for which our Lord is known.

 

EVALUATION

1. In our text, how is Jesus compassionate?
2. From our study, show how there is always an opposition to our possessions as Christians?
3. What spectacular quality has Jesus that makes Him able to hear as many as call upon Him? (cf. John2:23-25)
4. Has Jesus taught you compassion? How much of it have you shown this week?

 

PRAYER: Thank God for His Word and pray for grace for all those who trust in Christ’s healing potentiality through His Word never to waver in their faith and persistence till their faith becomes sight. Pray also for a competitive spirit among us on who will show the most mercy to each other.

 

 

THEME: “PREACHING CHRIST”

               

LESSON THIRTEEN:          JESUS, THE COMPASSIONATE PASTOR

TEXT:                                     Mk.8:1-10

MEMORY VERSE: Mk.8:2: “I feel sorry for these people. They have been here with me for three days, and they have nothing left to eat.” (TSB)

 

INTRODUCTION: Care of the needy is not taught by Jesus to be just a hobby. More than that, it demands a punctilious spirit by which one knows what the needs of the people are and when to meet them. It must be so because any person that is given relief or oneself giving relief to another who never had any need at the time is a waste before God, especially, where those who are facing challenges that such relief would have relieved are all around us praying and expecting.

 

BEHAVIOURAL OBJECTIVE: To do an expose on our text so as to appreciate the truth that Jesus knows our needs before we ask; that with man all things are impossible and that when Jehovah is involved, everyone is satisfied.

 

PRESENTATION:

STEP I: JESUS KNOWS OUR NEEDS BEFORE WE ASK

1. He is our true Shepherd who always knows when we have and when we do not have (vv.1-3)
2. Because He is always the all-knowing, the crowd in thousands did not perturb Him from knowing the situation of all of them (cf. Matt.6:8).
3. He could see that many were presently exhausted, having been with Him for three days without eating (circumstantial fasting) (vv.2,3).
4. He could see that some had come from far places (v.3).

• Oh! May our Pastors see like Jesus and think more of giving than receiving.

 

STEP II: WITH GOD ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE, NOT MAN

1. With man, such provision for feeding of over 4,000 people in desert area was not visible.
2. Hear the disciples in “v.4”
3. But with Jesus, we hear, “Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself…” (Matt.6:34). AMEN?
4. So, with Jesus, what is available is suitable (cf. vv.5-10).

 

STEP III: WHEN GOD IS INVOLVED, EVERYONE IS SATISFIED

1. Smallness and largeness of quantity are not what matter with God.
2. The love of God will bring the satisfaction and the needed increase (vv.5-8).
3. When all of us weep together, no one gets tired; when all of us rejoice together, the divine supply cannot be insufficient (vv.8, 9).
4. It is the right spirit that counts in expecting God to meet our needs.

 

CONCLUSION: Jesus is compassionate when He gives reliefs to us His believers. But He is revealed as being more compassionate when we submit our hands as instruments by which He gives reliefs to others through us.

 

EVALUATION

1. Why do we see Jesus as a Pastor of sheep?
2. Jesus did not see difficulty as His disciples did. Why?
3. From the lesson, what happens to a giver according to God’s will?
4. When we introduce peoples’ problems to Jesus, we have helped them solve them. Why?

 

PRAYER: Thank God for His Word and pray that our infinite heavenly Father bless us with the spirit of revelation and understanding in our beings inside so that no form of waste in our stewardship will be noticed. Please also pray that our testimonies reflect how we are rich because of what God has put in peoples’ lives through us as an index of Christian maturity.

 

 

               

LESSON FOURTEEN:        JESUS CHRIST, THE UNSPEAKABLE GIFT

TEXT:                                     John3:16-17

MEMORY VERSE: 2Cor.9:15: “Thank God for this gift (Christ) too wonderful for words.” (TSB)

 

INTRODUCTION:When, in this life, we live a moral life is one thing. When we can confess the reason for living so is another. The former is natural; the latter is spiritual. The begging and, of course, imperative question is, “is Jesus Christ and His doctrine the reason?” (cf. 2John 9-11; Rom.8:9). What is acceptable in heaven and the heavens for a good reward to be allowed to get to us must have alliance with Jesus, or, Jehovah the Father must not be expected to reward our service. The buck stops with Christ’s authorization. (cf. Acts 17:30-31).

 

OBJECTIVE: To see Jesus Christ as God’s mega gift to us from His name, ante-human state and His role in creation of all things by God and finally, the eternal redemption through Him.

PRESENTATION:

STEP I: HIS NAME AND ANTE-HUMAN STATE

1. The Hebrew name, ‘Jeshua’ or ‘Jehoshua’ and the Greek ‘I.e.sous’ or ‘Jesus’ mean ‘Jehovah is salvation’.
2. Others bore ‘Jesus’ making identity with the association of descent mandatory, such as, ‘Jesus the Nazarene’ (cf. Mark 10:47; Acts 2:22).
3. The Hebrew, ‘Ma.shi’ach’ (Messiah) and its Greek equivalent, ‘Khri.stos’ mean ‘Anointed One’.
4. Although David, Moses, Aaron, etc. were anointed, they were not ‘the Christ (Messiah), the Son of the living God’ (see Matt.16:16).
5. Jesus’ life never began on earth for ‘In the beginning was the Word (Greek – Logos), and the Word was with God and the Word was God’ (John1:1).
6. Whether He exists internally in or externally from God, He does not cease to exist eternally – internally as the Word and externally as the Christ.
7. Jesus Himself spoke of His ante-human heavenly life (see Jn. 3:13; 6:38,62; 8:23,42,58).

 

STEP II: JESUS’ ROLE IN THE CREATION OF ALL THINGS AND IN REDEMPTION

1. God Himself is the Spirit and the Word even as Jesus is; no one is complete without the other.
2. Nobody would know whether there exists God without His Word.
3. With regards to redemption, therefore, effort to distinguish them by humans will amount to a waste of mental energy (cf. Matt.19:4-6; John1:3-4).
4. Jesus Christ cannot be ‘wisdom’ personified in ‘Prov.8:22’because that will equally make Jehovah ‘prudence’ it dwells together in ‘Prov.8:12’ (NIV).
5. Besides, ‘Proverbs’ is not among those books Jesus makes mention that predicted His coming in the body and His assignment (see Luke 24:27,44).

 

STEP III: JESUS’ SELF AND SINLESS SACRIFICE MEETS THE REQUIREMENT FOR SALVATION

1. God priced everything on Jesus, in that, if His body was not raised after His defeat in the flesh through death, then everything God made would be gone (cf. Rom.8:1-4).
2. We do know that after the completion of the redemption, the name ‘Jesus’ will be no more just as He existed as God’s Word internally and eternally in the Father before the fall of God’s creation (see 1Cor.15:24-28).

 

CONCLUSION:Everything about Jesus Christ, as God has revealed to us, is blessing, benefit and breakthrough for believers in Him. In Him, every life, visible and invisible, springs forth. Life hereafter at the bossom of Abraham is guaranteed in Him too. Every authority there is, is subject to Him. He is a gift appropriate from an Omnipotent Jehovah, who is also Omniscient, for His creation.

 

 

EVALUATION

1. What does ‘the Christ’ mean?
2. What does the name ‘Jesus’ mean?
3. Does the spiritual name ‘Christian’ conflict with the various names we bore in the flesh?
4. How can you show that the ‘wisdom’ of ‘Prov.8:22’is not referring to Christ?

 

PRAYER: Thank God for the lesson and pray that we unswervingly focus on Christ and His indoctrinations making sure we find reason there-in for every venture we undertake.

 

 

THEME: “THE CALL OF CHRIST”

         

LESSON FIFTEEN:              A CALL FOR SERVICE DELIVERY

TEXT:                                     Matt.9:35-38

MEMORY VERSE: Matt.9:37-38: “Hesaid to His disciples, ‘the harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask Him to send more workers into His fields’.” (TSB)

INTRODUCTION: The call of God through Christ is a call for service delivery beneficial to His humanity. To the praise of His name, not necessarily as frustration due to no other option, He has chosen to do this. Rather, God has done this as a demonstration of His Omnipotence to preserve His creation, no matter what. At least, this call has become a pathfinder for fellowship with our beloved heavenly Father who is always anxious to bless us through any licit means.

 

OBJECTIVE: To appreciate that Christ calls everybody but chooses a few that obey by means of His message of redemption.

 

PRESENTATION:

STEP I: THE CALL IS FOR ALL

1. When we hear people say that God’s call stopped them from doing something else, then one may ask, ‘Is His call for the idle then?’ (cf. 2Thess.3:10-11).
2. It should be seen, instead, that when we answer God’s call partially, a jealous God who called us cannot give us peace (cf. Rev.3:1-3, 14-16).
3. God calls everybody upon the face of the earth(up to believing age) through the preaching of His Son’s atonement (cf. Mark 16:15).

 

STEP II: GOD CHOOSES A FEW THAT OBEY

1. Many are called through Christ’s witnessing but few are chosen through obedience (cf. Jam.1:22-25).
2. Referring to believers as a chosen generation is because we are not as stiff-necked as the former generation of the Israelites (1Pet.2:9; Acts 7:51-53).

 

STEP III: GOD’S CALL IS BY MEANS OF HIS WORD

1. As you hear Him, if you do not harden your heart, you havebeen called and chosen of God (cf. 2Cor.6:1-2,11-13).
2. Just as God is the owner of all but saves as many as choose to obey Him, that is how His call through the preaching of His Son is for all (cf. Acts 17:28).

 

CONCLUSION:It is our choice to make God’s call through Christ fruitful choosing the way to service prior to success instead of success prior to service. Success without service is always deceptive. God’s Word, the only means to our call, has inherent productive power for provision of our needs-those of us like Timothy (Phil. 2:19-21) who genuinely cared for the welfare of the service of Christ.

 

EVALUATION

1. With what does God call everybody to Himself?
2. Who are the chosen?
3. Why are we a chosen generation?
4. One can be called but not chosen. Why?
5. How can you be sure you are both called and chosen?

 

PRAYER: Thank God for His Word and pray that through an expanded workforce, Christ will continue to capture new soils for His lives’ saving and perfecting operations, and that, through our persistent services in His love.

 

 

               

LESSON SIXTEEN:             SALVATION IN CHRIST

TEXT:                                     Acts 4:1-12

MEMORY VERSE: Rom.10:13: “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (NIV)

 

INTRODUCTION: Those who are saved by Christ have made their wills tributaries or subordinates to that of         Christ. In other words, they allow the indoctrinations of Christ to play a leading role in all their affairs (cf. Gal.2:20). The salvation is credible only in the experience of Christ’s constant appearance in their hearts through His living messages for guidance in everyday life. In no other way can any person claim to be saved of Christ.

 

OBJECTIVE: To see the salvation Christ offers as freedom from self and slavery to His will as evident in a daily walk with Him.

 

PRESENTATION:

STEP I: SALVATION AS FREEDOM FROM SELF

1. Salvation of the soul is neither a physical or material gift that can be arranged through agreed rituals nor can it be purchased with money (cf. Acts 8:18-24).
2. Nobody can be ‘christianized’ as we solemnize marriage to the best of our understanding (cf. 1Cor.1:21; John 3:8).
3. The other day, someone was praying against ‘islamizing’ Nigeria. Then, I ask, ‘If we cannot Christianize Nigeria, why then do we believe it can be Islamized?’
4. Individuals (not groups) can only be saved in the soul by means of accepting the message of redemption by Jesus’ atonement to a life changing effect.
5. As we do not have extrasensory powers with which to see into the hearts of people who have been saved like Jesus (see John2:23-25), we cannot be sure any person is saved except in such salvation bearing fruits (cf. Jn.15:3-5; Gal. 5:22-23; Matt.7:20).

 

STEP II: SALVATION IS ALSO A REWARDING SLAVERY (Rom.6:22)

1. Salvation is a freedom from the flesh – inborn desires or innate tendencies – the self or spirit part of us which are destructive (cf. Rom.8:16; 1Cor.15:44).
2. It is not a contradiction, therefore, to say that salvation is also a slavery (cf. Rom.6:17-18; Lk. 17:7-10).
3. Slavery for doing the right thing (righteousness) in the love of Christ (cf. Rom.8:35-39).
4. Such is the sole choice that salvation in Christ presents.

 

CONCLUSION:Noticeable salvation, humanly speaking, is made easy in tangible fruit bearing lifestyle. This salvation is a living life; not a certificate award life. Its viability is in deeds not in enrolments according to denominational creeds and dogmas. There is no group salvation. Whatever service was given corporately, the Bible teaches that rewards will be given individually by Christ Himself. Salvation in Him is forever personal.

 

EVALUATION

1. Where would you point to Jesus in your life if He had asked, ‘do you love me?’ as He did Peter?
2. What is the evidence of the Christian salvation?
3. What makes salvation in Christ a different kind of slavery?
4. “Every Christian is not a slave but are into a form of slavery.” Explain.

 

PRAYER: Thank God for the lesson and pray that we may keep being those who keep the door of salvation and heaven constantly open for unbelievers in Christ as we live lives that help to simplify what we preach about Christ and His salvation.

 

               

LESSON SEVENTEEN:      THE CHRISTIAN CALL AS A MUSTARD SEED MOVEMENT

TEXT:                                     Matt.13:31-32

MEMORY VERSE: Matt.17:20: “’You don’t have enough faith’, Jesus told them. ‘I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘move from here to there’, and it would move.’ Nothing would be impossible.” (TSB)

 

INTRODUCTION: When we bring God in, it is, “believing is seeing” and no longer “seeing is believing” as we say in carnal things. It is the eye in the heart called illumination that becomes operational without which it will not be the Father of Jesus Christ that would be seen (cf. Eph.1:18). The Topical Study Bible says that, to see our confident inheritance, our hearts have to be flooded with light that will introduce Christ to us who is the acceptable mediator and bearer of this inheritance.

 

OBJECTIVE: To understand the Christian call as an illumination into seeing and observing a lifestyle not popular in our system of existence but, by the same time, not making us separatists.

 

PRESENTATION:

STEP I: THE CHRISTIAN CALL IS A CALL FOR ILLUMINATION

1. Illumination through Christ’s indoctrination is an eye in our minds through which we behold His lifestyle (cf. 2Cor4:6; Eph.4:17-18).
2. This can be the smallest of the good all others have seen, or, the remainder of the benefits others have not yet seen.
3. If the benefit is represented with 100% and 98% of it has been popular, it will take someone or people who have ‘a mustard seed understanding or sight’ to uncover for the people the 2% left.
4. This is what is seen as ‘the wisdom of God’ which the world system, by its philosophy, cannot know (cf. 1Cor.1:20-21).

 

STEP II: ILLUMINATION OF OUR MINDS DOES NOT MAKE US SEPARATISTS

1. It is our Christian impact that God intended to bless our world with, and so did not foresee separating us from the others into a life of solitude (cf. 1Cor.5:9-10).
2. We can contact sinners, doing business with them, without being contaminated (ibid).
3. Only sin within us that we choose to commit can kill us, not the sinners around and without (cf. 1Pet.3:13).
4. There is a divine guarding device (DGD) inherent in the Christian service.

 

CONCLUSION:Our wisdom, to be divine, is because it is exercised for the benefit of our neighbourhood for whom Jesus died and resurrected. If our wisdom becomes the bridge through which God passes to bless others, then, our blessing is unfailing –cf. Matt. 7:12, “the Golden Rule”.

 

EVALUATION

1. What trait distinguishes the spiritual man with the carnal man?
2. Who are the divinely wise people in town?
3. The mustard seed may not be the tiniest seed to all people. But to the Palestinians, with whom Jesus talked, it was. Why?
4. What is a facilitator to acquiring God’s wisdom?
5. Both sin and sinners can kill us in this life. (Yes/No). Why?
6. What if sinners destroy our possessions in our bid to be agents of their salvation? (Yes/No). How?
7. Are you a member of this ‘mustard seed movement’? How can you prove it?

 

PRAYER: Thank God for the lesson and pray for the spirit of revelation into the mystery in the heavens of how powerful God has made us who believe in Christ to be before rulers and principalities in dark places in line with the power that raised Christ from death.

 

 

               

LESSON EIGHTEEN:         CHRIST, THE CURRENT PROPHET AND LAWGIVER

TEXT:                     Deut.18:15-19

MEMORY VERSE: Jn.1:45: “Phillip went to look for Nathanael and told him, ‘we have found the very person Moses and the Prophets wrote about! His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth’.” (TSB)

 

INTRODUCTION: God did not want to take humanity by surprise by not giving any prior information before         effecting the salvation and restoration He promised in “Gen.3:15”. From the confusion and scattering at the tower of Babel, the call of Abraham, the raising of the nation of Israel, the guidance He provided for them through the Mosaic Law and His Prophets, including David and John, the Baptist, He was pointing humanity to His Christ (cf. John 5:45-47). He will always tell us, “…This is my beloved Son, my chosen One. LISTEN TO HIM.” (Luke 9:35-TSB)

 

OBJECTIVE: To see Jesus as the current prophet fulfilling the predictions of Prophet Moses and a fitting substitute to Moses as a lawgiver who has given to the world a more perfect law system also from a mountain top.

 

PRESENTATION

STEP I: JESUS IS THE CURRENT PROPHET

1. Moses defined a prophet for us in ‘Deut.18:18’ as one God puts words in his mouth to speak to His people.
2. Addressing the people, he said that God will raise ANOTHER PROPHET for them (like He raised him) from among them (our text).
3. By foreseeing an upcoming prophet (Jesus – Acts 3:22), he clearly saw himself an incumbent.
4. At a mountain in Arabia (Mt. Sanai), God had put words in his mouth to proclaim to the people (cf. Gal.4:24-26).

 

STEP II: JESUS IS THE GIVER OF A MORE PERFECT LAW ALSO FROM A MOUNTAIN TOP (Matt.5:1)

1. Now Jesus has fulfilled the sayings of Moses by revealing its deeper meanings (Read Matt. 5:20-48).
2. Jesus has given deeper meanings in the cases of ‘murder’ (see Matt.5:21-26), ‘adultery’ (Matt.5:27-32), ‘oaths swearing’ (Matt.5:33-37), ‘revenge’ (Matt.5:38-42) and ‘love’ (Matt.5:43-48).
3. Just as God has solved the world’s problem that came through a tree as effected through the disobedience of the first Adam through the obedience of the last Adam, Christ (1Cor.15:45) Himself dying on a tree to reverse the curse, in the same way He has replaced, now with a better system, what came from a mountain in Arabia with what has come from Mount Olive in Jerusalem.
4. Jesus truly, has fulfilled them all and afterwards, has inaugurated a new perfect legal system (but this time with grace)(cf. Matt.5:17-18; Lk.24:27, 44). Read also ‘Lev.24:19-20’ vis-à-vis ‘Matt.5:38-42’.

 

CONCLUSION:Just as God asked Adam, “who told you that you are naked?,(Gen. 3:11) obedience to any message must be done in the light of who gave the message. Following obedience to any message will be a change of action as a testimony to its acceptance. God was in a way asking Adam, “Whogave a message contrary to mine shown in your change of action?” Then He added, “Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?”  (TSB) Christ, similarly, is the incumbent prophet, through His original Apostles, to tell us God’s demands in this dispensation (see John 12:48; 17:14, 20, 21).

 

EVALUATION

1. Why do you think there was any need for Moses and Elijah to come discussing with Jesus on His atonement as in ‘Luke 9:28-31’?
2. ‘When the ……… (Son/Servant) set you free…’ (John8:36). Between Moses and Jesus, who can set free and with what? (cf. Heb3:4-6).

 

PRAYER: Thank God for the lesson and pray that we understand God’s update on the announcement, planning of our salvation (being preparatory through His messengers before Christ’s advent) and execution through Christ’s atoning sacrifice, the only acceptable offering in the heavens for this salvation.

 

               

LESSON NINTEEN:            THE ADMINISTRATIVE CALL

TEXT:                     Acts 6:1-7

MEMORY VERSE: 1Cor.14:40: “But be sure that everything is done properly and in order.” (TSB)

 

INTRODUCTION:In the call that God has called us through faith in the preaching of Jesus’ atonement, we must, first of all, see that the call is for all. In order that we are able to make it a gift to all, we must learn what it is we must do that will be relevant to their needs to attract their attention. All such cannot be pulpit ministrations which will only address the spiritual need of our prospects. There has to be administrative strategies put in place before and after people’s conversion. This is possible among the selfless because they know Jesus died for all.

 

OBJECTIVE: To understand that God’s work is not entirely spiritual but administrative, yet, still requiring the wisdom of God’s Spirit and is for the welfare of the material person.

 

PRESENTATION:

STEP I: GOD’S CALL IS NOT LIMITED TO THE PULPIT

1. It is not properfor believers in Christ to think and conclude that Jesus’ call is limited to oral preaching.
2. It is, rather, for the edification of the entire body of Christ (cf. Rom.12:3-8).
3. God’s command is that we ‘do all things unto edification’ (see 1Cor.14:26,40). That is just anything that can edify each other.
4. Peter and the other Apostles could see the welfare of the body as another phase of giving service to God (our text).
5. Truly, a spiritual God needs the physical body to live in as temple before being able to function on earth – a physical realm (cf. Rom.12:1-2; 1Cor.3:9, 16, 17; 6:16-17).
6. Leaders in Christian communities must appreciate this fact and balance their teaching to the welfare of both the soul and the body – the house in which God and the believer live.
7. In God’s theocratic reign, as always, God directs that even if there will not cease to be the poor on earth, where He is recognized, there should be no poor people (cf. Deut.15:11,4).
8. ‘It is either all rich or all poor based on the choice we make’ is God’s recommendation (cf. Acts4:32).

 

STEP II: HOLINESS ALWAYS GOES WITH HOSPITALITY (Jam.1:27)

1. Evidence of loving God in being holy in Scripture is always expressed in refraining from sin and being hospitable (cf. 1John 3:17-18; 4:20-21).

 

CONCLUSION:The Holy Spirit has diversely blessed the believers in such a way that nothing is expected to be lacking in the brotherhood. Ours is to pray for revelation to uncover our gifts and exercise same and to also pray against all forms of malice likely to arise from envy of others due to ignorance.

 

EVALUATION

1. What is always a partner to holiness?
2. Explain the statement, ‘it is either all rich or all poor’.
3. What is God’s reason in ‘Deut.15:4’ why there should be no poor people in His theocratic regime?
4. Why should we pray that God take us to the helpless instead of helpers? (cf. Heb.13:5-6).

 

PRAYER: Thank God for the lesson and pray for wisdom of evangelizing in view of the fact that many are fed with chaff, not the seed of the Kingdom of God (cf. Luke 8:11) borne by Christ through the Holy Spirit as handed down to us through Christ’s original Apostles and their associates in document form.

 

 

THEME: “THE HOLY SPIRIT”

               

LESSON TWENTY:            THE PERSON OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

TEXT:                     Matt.12:30-32

MEMORY VERSE: Eph.4:30: “And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as His own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.” (TSB)

 

INTRODUCTION: Whatever migrates out of God, in terms of substance, is God. If our God-sent President, MuhameduBuhari, can go to any place in a representative capacity through his vice and others he may choose, then, Jehovah, God can come to the earth in a representative capacity through His Son, Jesus Christ and His Spirit, The Holy Spirit. After-all, in science, if A = B and B = C, then A = C. Similarly, if God is spirit as in ‘John 4:24’, and that spirit is a holy type, then God is Holy Spirit.

 

OBJECTIVE: To know qualities possessed by the Spirit that gives Him a personality as well as His form of manifestation

 

PRESENTATION:

STEP I: PERSONAL QUALITIES OF THE SPIRIT

1. The Holy Spirit is intelligible.
2. He has a mind (cf. Rom.8:27).
3. He intercedes for His own (cf. Rom.8:26-27).

• He teaches His subjects (cf. John 14:26).

1. He testifies and witnesses (cf. John 15:26; Gal.4:6).
2. He speaks and reveals (cf. Rev.2:7; 2Pet.1:21).
3. He comforts and commands (cf. John 14:16; Acts 16:6-7).
4. The Holy Spirit has a feeling.
5. He may be grieved (memory verse).
6. He may be lied to (cf. Acts 5:3).

• He may be blasphemed against (our text).

1. The Holy Spirit has a will or determination (cf. 1Cor.12:11).

 

STEP II: CONFUSION ABOUT HIS MANIFESTATION

1. The Holy Spirit always works in a representative capacity – in the invisible realm –talking for Jesus and hiding in Christians through the Word of God in the conscience (cf.Rom.8:9,14; John 16:13).
2. Since He is not visible with a definite form, many are confused as to His personality.
3. This is particularly so in the Old Covenant Scriptures in which the name, according to research, appears only three times and even in the New Testament that He appears eighty-six times, He is associated with the sanctifying power for Jesus’ followers as a source of bestowal of holiness generally.
4. Everything that exists must not have a definite form before we accept that they exist like wind and wisdom.

• The Scriptures present the Spirit’s manifestations variously in the forms of a dove, fire, wind, seal, etc. (cf. Isa.4:4; John3:8; 7:38-39; Eph.1:13).

1. All the above are operational descriptives not wresting His personality.

 

CONCLUSION:For God who is Spirit to adopt us as children is only possible through His Spirit so that mortal men can interact with an invisible Jehovah. The Holy Spirit serves as the middle person in all transactions witnessing the Father and the Son, Jesus our Elder Brother, in an intelligible manner as deserving an Omniscient God infinite in wisdom (cf. Rom. 8:9, 14).

 

EVALUATION

1. Mention any three features that designate the personality of the Holy Spirit.
2. Identify what shows that the Holy Spirit has a feeling?
3. In what three forms does the Scripture show the Spirit’s manifestations?
4. In what capacity does the Spirit work in this era under Christ?

 

PRAYER: Thank God for His Word and ask Him to take us away from attempts to win arguments during evangelizing which is not the same as winning souls.

               

LESSON TWENTY ONE:  THE PORTRAIT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (Part 1)

TEXT:                     1Cor.12:4-6

MEMORY VERSE: Lk.1:35: “The angel replied, ‘the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the son of God’.” (TSB)

 

INTRODUCTION: If the Spirit of God performs like God, the honour due God must be accorded Him. Any form of ridicule to Him is equally a ridicule of His sender-Jehovah, God. He is mentioned as an executive player in the cabinet of the government of heaven; the rank far above all the heavens. We do know that at the total restoration of God’s creation eternally from corruption, both the Son and the Spirit will return to be in the Father eternally as before the corruption, that Jehovah will be everything to everyone (see 1Cor.15:24-28).

 

OBJECTIVE: To understand how the Spirit is identified due to functions, relationship and status in the Godhead.

 

PRESENTATION:

STEP I: THE SPIRIT ACCORDING TO RELATIONSHIP WITH THE FATHER AND JESUS CHRIST

1. He is an executive member in the Godhead (see 2Cor.13:14).
2. He is ‘the finger of God’ through whom God created and preserves the universe (cf. Lk. 11:20; Gen.1:2).
3. He is as Omnipotent, Omnipresent and Omniscient as the Father and Jesus Christ (cf. Ps.139:7-10; 1Cor.2:10-11; Matt.28:19).
4. He is the Spirit of God who is holy, hence, the Holy Spirit.
5. Where He is not independent of God, He is also distinct from God acting in the realms of our thought, will and activity.
6. It is the mysteryin the Godhead that the Spirit is one with God and yet is seen to be distinct from Him.
7. He is the Spirit of Christ (cf. Rom.8:9).
8. Christ reveals to us that the Spirit will speak of Him (Christ) and not of Himself (John16:13).
9. In the Spirit of God; Spirit of Christ and the Holy Spirit, there is no pronounced or essential distinction since they have similar objective of redeeming the Godhead’s creation (cf. Rom.8:18-25).

 

STEPII: IDENTITY ACCORDING TO FUNCTIONS

1. He is the Spirit of Christ because:
2. He is sent by Jesus (John14:26) and has come in His name.
3. The new life of Christ is borne by this one Spirit and believers are baptized by Christ in the Holy Spirit (cf. Acts 1:4-5).

• Heis an envoy in this world to glorify Christ (John16:14). He is to make men worship Christ by only following His teachings.

1. He has come to make Christ and His atoning love real in the believers.
2. The born again person is both ‘in Christ’ and ‘in the Spirit’ since they both indwell the believer (cf. Gal.2:20; Rom.8:9).

 

CONCLUSION:He who is indwelt by the Spirit of God can be easily noticed in the behavioural patterns of the individual. For God to change the first covenant replacing it with the present one inaugurated by Jesus as borne by His original Apostles, He saw avenues in the Spirit through which the adversary – Satan-would have used to dilute and infiltrate with lies or “weeds” the truth in us (cf. Heb. 8:7; 9:1, 8).

 

EVALUATION

1. With regards to creation, how do members in the Godhead relate?
2. Give two descriptives of the Holy Spirit in His relationship with the Father and the Son.
3. Why is the Holy Spirit identified as the Spirit of Christ?
4. How does the Holy Spirit glorify Christ?

 

PRAYER: Thank God for the lesson and pray that in our spirits, God should unveil Himself with such degree of clarity that no form of codification by Satan can affect our fellowship with Him.

 

 

 

LESSON TWENTY TWO: THE PORTRAIT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (Part II)

TEXT:                     John14:15-21

MEMORY VERSE: Jn.14:16: “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate who will never leave you.” (TSB)

 

INTRODUCTION:Jesus knows the very best gift for our encouragement, comfort and empowerment. He calls the gift (the Holy Spirit) an Advocate. Where His believers would not be able to speak, He knows the quality and capability of the Father’s substitute that He (The Spirit) will speak for us if we lean on Him. Thanks be to God again for His indescribable gift of the Holy Spirit like Jesus He first sent (cf. 2Cor.9:15).

 

OBJECTIVE: To understand how the Spirit is identified due to status in the Godhead and functions.

 

PRESENTATION:

STEP I: THE SPIRIT IS ANOTHER COMFORTER

1. If not Jesus God sent to teach and guide His children; to stand by them as they teach and preach; to face an opposing world; who will do those things for God’s children? Another comforter – the Holy Spirit will.
2. The Greek word for ‘comforter’ is “paracletos” and literally means
3. An aide to somebody especially in legal and criminal proceedings.
4. In ancient times, the practice was that one was allowed in court or tribunal to be joined by one or two of his most influential friends who can stand in for him and defend him called in Greek, “paracletes” and in Latin, “Advocatus”.

• Such was the role Jesus played for His disciples while He lived with them that brought about their sadness at Jesus’ announcement of His departure.

1. The Holy Spirit invisibly will be what Jesus was to His disciples – another comforter.
2. The word, “another” used here makes it clear that Jesus is different from the Holy Spirit.
3. Therefore, the Holy Spirit is both the successor and presence of Christ.
4. “…Christ in you, the hope of glory”(Col.1:27). How will Christ be in them? By the Holy Spirit who will feature the life, nature, virtues and sentiments of Christ in the believer.
5. If not Christ and His teachings, the Holy Spirit has nothing to offer the Christians. It is in Christ’s likeness and model that He is fashioned.
6. As the Christian’s ‘paraclete’ in heaven is Jesus defending them against ‘the accuser of the brethren’, so is the Holy Spirit their‘paraclete’ on earth silencing the earthly adversaries of the church (cf. Heb.7:25; John 14:18).
7. Jesus is now more than an example to be copied as He was in the flesh. In His Spirit now, He is a life to be lived.
8. He was not omnipresent while in the flesh as He is now in the Spirit (cf. 1John2:1).

• Someone thanked God that through the Spirit now, Christ has become the Soul of our souls; the Spirit of our spirits; the Truth of our minds; the Love of our hearts and the Desire of our wills.

1. Just as David prepared the materials for a physical temple but was built by his son, Solomon, Christ also had prepared the materials (His inspired teachings) for the spiritual temple of God (the Church) but was built by the Holy Spirit.
2. Christ was sent to do something FOR us even as the Holy Spirit was afterward sent to do something IN us.

 

CONCLUSION:The continuation of the comfort of believers by Christ is guaranteed in the presence of the Holy Spirit. He is another comforter of the Christians through the ministry of the teachings of Christ the same way Christ did while He was in the body. Let’s do our best to submit to Him, our divine light.

 

EVALUATION

1. What is the Latin word for comforter?
2. Looking at our legal system today, how can you illustrate the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives?
3. How is it possible for Christ to be in heaven and on earth simultaneously on our behalf?
4. Why is the Holy Spirit another comforter?
5. Has God put comfort in you for your neighbours by His Spirit? How are you sure?

 

PRAYER: Thank God for His Word and pray that our partnership with Him in the redemption of His creation be renewed through a renewed commitment to do His will like never before as a demonstration of our growth in the knowledge of spiritual things.

 

               

LESSON TWENTY THREE:              SOME DESCRIPTIVES OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (Part 111)

TEXT:                     Lk.24:44-49

MEMORY VERSE: Lk.24:49: “And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.” (TSB)

 

INTRODUCTION: Christianity is a government or kingdom which cannot be functional without power. The bearer of both the inaugural and administrative power of Christ’s government is the Holy Spirit. The power that sustains citizens in this Jesus’ kingdom is also the Holy Spirit. As such, He is indispensable in the Christians’ affairs.

 

OBJECTIVE: To understand how the Spirit is identified due to functions.

 

PRESENTATION:

STEP I: HE IS THE HOLY SPIRIT OF PROMISE

1. His coming is a subject of prophetic fulfillment bearing grace and power with which to bless believers in Christ (cf. Joel2:28; Ezek.36:27).
2. So, according to Jesus, He is “the promise of the Father” (our memory verse; Gal.3:14).

 

STEP II: HE IS THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH

1. He is the true interpreter of the Lord Jesus, His life and His Word, just asthe Word became incarnate to reveal the Father so that He may be glorified in us through a change of life.

 

STEP III: HE IS THE SPIRIT OF GRACE AND LIFE

1. Beginning with our physical lives preserved by God’s grace through His Spirit, there is anointing for sanctification, patience in trials and service delivery (cf. Heb.10:29; Zech.12:10).
2. Preservation of both natural and spiritual lives is the function of God’s Spirit as a person in the Godhead (cf. Rom.8:2).

 

STEP IV: HE IS THE SPIRIT OF ADOPTION

1. He reiterates the consciousness in us that we are the children of God who share in the divine nature (cf. Rom.8:15).
2. He is the regenerative Spirit of God who was not emphasized in the Old Testament era except as a future blessing to whom the coming Messiah will be preached (cf. Jere. 31:34).
3. He was the need of the Israelites when the mass of the people would incessantly be lapsing into paganism and iniquity even as their leader (Moses) lamented His absence (cf. Num.11:29).

• He was needed to raise workers and speakers for administrative and spiritual obligations (cf. Joseph – Gen.41:38-40; Bezaleel – Exd. 35:30-31; Samson – Judges13:24-25 – workers for God).

1. Consider the Spirit also raising speakers for God (prophets) by resting on them; laid hold of them; filled them; moved them; took them up as well as spoke through them (cf. Ezek.8:1-3; Isa.6:1-6; Rev.1:10; Acts 22:7).

 

CONCLUSION:The mission of raising children for God as a testimony that the teachings of Christ is a living faith resides with the Holy Spirit. He releases the Christian grace and truth to the believers of His message to enhance obedience. Life in the flesh without the leading of the Holy Spirit is sinful and dead. If we get more familiar with loving material wealth, we’ll get less familiar with loving Christ the Holy Spirit preaches.

 

EVALUATION

1. Give two descriptives, according to our lesson, of God’s Spirit and why He is so described.
2. Mention two workers the Holy Spirit raised for God in the Old Testament era?
3. Why was an outpouring of the Spirit needed for the people?
4. As Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to glorify Him, who was sent to glorify the Father initially?
5. Only those who live in the Spirit can glorify God. Are you one of them? Why?
6. God still desires to speak to your generation. Can He use you? (Yes/No) How are you sure?

 

PRAYER: Thank God for the lesson and pray for grace to totally lean on our Advocate and injector, the Holy Spirit, so that the fruit of divine life in us will ceaselessly be displayed for the edification of the neighbourhood.

 

 

THEME: “THE CHURCH”

                               

LESSON TWENTY FOUR:                THE CHURCH, A SPIRITUAL BUILDING

TEXT: 1Cor.3:9-17

MEMORY VERSE: Heb.3:6: “But Christ, as the Son, is in charge of God’s entire house. And we are God’s house, if we keep our courage and remain confident in our hope in Christ.” (TSB)

 

INTRODUCTION: Anywhere Jehovah, God is mentioned, God Himself must warn concerning attempts by man to try to confine Him to one location. Naturally, there is always in man the instinct and tendency of seeing God as being distant from him to always seek for an intermediary that would bring Him close to him. As a result, our African Traditional Religion thrived in primitive times now modified in spiritism. Truly, the Church is where God situates the light of salvation of the world since the saved are the Church. (our memory verse)

 

OBJECTIVE: To see the church as a building but not built with hands of men, but, the hand of God with  spiritual materials where the theocratic influence is felt.

 

PRESENTATION:

STEP I: THE CHURCH AS A DWELLING PLACE

1. The church is the only house or temple God desires to indwell (our memory verse).
2. God says that Church is YOU (US) if we allow His message through Christ to guide our lives here till the end (ibid).
3. Just as He did not allow the head of the Church (Christ) to come from the flesh, He would not allow the material for building His Church to come from the flesh (cf. 1Cor.3:10-13).
4. The Church is built with the Word of God in the mind which is the mind of Christ (see Phil.2:5) that makes believers living stones (cf. 1Pet.2:4-5; Eph.2:20-22).
5. Money can build church place for shelter and for space where that is necessary even as the Word as seed will build the Church and edify too (cf. Lk.8:11).
6. The Church is a believing people, not a place or a thing. An attempt to make God dwell one place by constructing cathedral as His presence makes Him an idol (cf. Acts 17:16).
7. Any God that is localized is equally idolized. Solomon knew this when he prayed to dedicate a temple or place built with human hands which he supervised (cf. 2Chron.6:18. Join “2Chron.7:11-12” to see God’s reply to His prayer).
8. As many as have the consciousness that the Church cathedral (hall) is the Church, where you have God’s presence constant, end up as worshippers of idol sacrificing to demons in the sight of God (see 1Cor.10:19-20).
9. God knows where to draw the line. The physical eye of our mind is imagination; the spiritual eye of our mind is illumination both of which God reads.
10. Every idolatry starts with a house built with human hands to confine God and is called shrine. But there is the true shrine in the heavens, the one Jesus entered with His blood.

• The place the Church gathers cannot be the Church because the Church can change her meeting place any time the need arises.

1. The presence of God is in His Church (believers); not in the place they gather.
2. Denominationalism is a spirit of the Antichrist. The Church cannot, therefore, be a denomination Jesus prayed against (see John 17:20-21).
3. If not one sheepfold under one Shepherd as Jesus earmarked, it cannot be identified with Him and therefore not Christianity (see John 10:16). We can be sure of this.
4. In the expression ¹/₄, one has been fragmented or denominated into four smaller parts. The number for below is the denominator showing the number of places into which one, the numerator, has been divided or denominated. It is not allowed in Christianity by Christ’s order.

• There is no distance observed in the spirit realm. Therefore, neither locations in which the Church (believers) gathers nor the various descriptives they write on sign posts can denominate or partition them in the true nature of the Church – a spiritual entity (see 2 Cor. 5:16; Eph. 2:21-22).

1. The Church’s business is to build lives, not infrastructure. To edify souls; not building of material edifices (see I Cor. 14:26).
2. To congregate is not what puts us in the Church. Jesus adds to the Church those who believe His Word – See Acts 2:47.

 

CONCLUSION:God has not commanded Christians to build a material house in the world as a condition and testimony that there is the Church in the world. The reason is because the church is a house in itself which God has built for His dwelling and is an operational base on earth. It is therefore optional (not mandatory) for the Church to consider having earthly property of her own-house, vehicles, schools, hospitals, etc. as the need arises.

 

EVALUATION

1. If the Church is built with God’s Word, why do believers build cathedrals with money?
2. When does the Church become a physical shrine?
3. What consciousness makes Christians worship demons?
4. Is there any difference between Church and cathedral (hall)?

 

PRAYER: Thank God for His Word and pray for revelation and grace to maintain a dwelling place in our hearts such as our beloved Father will be willing to remain constantly, not constructed with human hands, but with the teachings of Christ.

 

               

LESSON TWENTY FIVE:  THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH

TEXT:                     Matt.16:13-18

MEMORY VERSE: Acts 20:28: “So guard yourselves and God’s people. Feed and shepherd God’s flock-His Church, which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as elders.” (TSB)

 

INTRODUCTION:As we will later see that the Church is a smaller group of people who come out of a larger group, it entails that there must be a stimulus before the coming out. There has to be a voice heard that makes                her belong to the owner of that voice. Under the same arrangement, Jesus claimed, before His death and resurrection, that He will build His group (Church) (cf. Matt.16:18). In essence, He meant to have a people that His indoctrinations will regulate their lives for their good and that of their neighbourhood.

 

OBJECTIVE: To know the original word for ‘Church’ in the Christian Greek Scriptures and what makes the               Church belong to Christ.

 

PRESENTATION:

STEP I: ORIGINAL WORD FOR ‘CHURCH’

1. The word in the Christian Greek Scriptures from which the English word ‘ecclesia’ is derived is ‘klesi’a’ and means ‘congregation’ as:
2. ‘Num. 20:8’ (KJV) refers to the Israelites as a ‘congregation’.
3. In ‘Num. 20:4’, they are the ‘congregation of the LORD’ who have been called out together. But with whose voice?

• The Greek words, ‘ek’ (out) and ‘kaleo’ (call) are combined to give the meaning of the Church as people who are called out together from a larger world. So, the people became a church through obeying a voice.

1. The Hebrew equivalent is ‘hal’ which the Hebrew nation started to be identified with from the time of Moses and for which reason God gave them a covenant to distinguish them from others (cf. Exd.19:3-9).

 

STEP II: THE CONGREGATION (CHURCH) BELONGS TO HIM WHO CALLED

1. If a community comes together for the purpose of doing what their head tells them, it makes them ‘the congregation or church of that chief’.
2. Similarly, if why we live the kind of life we have lived is because of the message of Christ, we are ‘the Church of Christ’ or ‘the congregation of Christ’ or ‘the people of Christ’ (cf. Eph.4:17-21; Lk.6:46).
3. It is that simple; the very reason Jesus Christ Himself says that we are His body as He is our Head, no longer seeing any demarcation between us who have believed His message (cf.Col.1:18,24).
4. From that point, we are of like Spirit with Jesus for which reason He declares us as brethren before the Father and the council in heaven (cf. Heb.2:11-13; Matt.10:32-33).
5. Before His death, He promised to build His Church (congregation) (see our text).
6. In other words, this one is going to be built upon Him as a mass of rock and a figurative ‘Stone’ rejected of men, but chosen and precious before God as a foundation Cornerstone (cf. 1Pet.2:4-6; 1Cor.3:11; Eph.2:19-22).

 

CONCLUSION:Just as Israel was God’s Old Testament Church because they heard God’s call through Moses and were heedful, the Christians are God’s New Testament Church through heeding the call He has made through Jesus Christ. It is one God, different messengers with different messages which He obliges us to study to follow the order He has done everything to avoid confusion and the resultant contradiction (cf. Mark 2:18-22). Our God is not the author of confusion or disorder (I Cor. 14:33).

 

EVALUATION

1. What midwifes the inseparable relationship between the Church and Christ?
2. What is the English word for church?
3. Upon what did Jesus prepare to build His Church?
4. What is the word for church in the Christian Greek Scriptures?

 

PRAYER: Thank God for the lesson and pray that we, who are the church, will always, through knowledge, allow for the smooth running of our inseparable partnership with Christ our Head to its fruit bearing peak always as God expected when He sent Jesus.

 

 

LESSON TWENTY SIX:     THE CHURCH, A KINGDOM

TEXT:                     Matt.20:1-6

MEMORY VERSE: John 18:36: “Jesus answered, ‘my kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my kingdom is not of this world’.” (TSB)

 

INTRODUCTION: The spiritual place called “Church” is not just a political arena through which Jehovah demonstrates His might in the control of the heavens. She is also a workshop in which some access to be repaired and where others are there as agents of Jehovah the Repairer. (cf. Eph.3:7-10; Heb.3:4-6) Jesus was anointed the Christ for the singular purpose of ordering her affairs for the upkeep of God’s creation and its unperturbed continuity (cf. John 18:37).

 

OBJECTIVE: To see the features of a given government as evident in any kingdom to affirm that the        Church of Christ on earth is also a kingdom.

 

PRESENTATION:

STEP I: THERE IS THE PRESENCE OF KING JESUS

1. Jesus anticipated a time when He will die and be raised the Christ when He asked that we pray for that to be realized in “Matt.6:10”.
2. After He defeated sin and death triumphing over them, all authority to rule over everybody and everything has been given to Him (see Matt.28:18-20).
3. His Word counts in every realm and so, He is qualified to be the Judge of the living and the dead (cf. John5:20-23; Acts 17:30-31).

 

STEP II: HIS WORD IS A CONSTITUTION OR COVENANT

1. Jesus, by the authority given Him by the Father, has made decrees with which all other kingdoms before now become tributaries or subordinates to His kingdom (cf. 1Kgs 4:21; Esther 3:6, 8).
2. Jehovah rules in the kingdoms of men through Christ, His Word, and gives them to anyone He wishes (cf. dan.4:32).
3. Jesus Himself made references to the replacement of God’s constitution, the Law of Moses, when He said, “It was said … but now I say …” in “Matt.5:38-42” as we read it vis-à-vis “Lev.24:19-20” teaching on revenge.
4. Moses himself had told the people that, as soon as God’s prophet that will be raised among them arrives, they should listen to that current prophet, not him any longer (see Deut.18:15-19).
5. God Himself concurred what Moses had said on the mountain on which Jesus was transfigured when He said, “hear ye Him” (see Luke 9:28-36).

 

STEP III: THOSE WHO BIND THEMSELVES WITH CHRIST’S CONSTITUTION ARE CITIZENS

1. Obedience to what Jesus says expresses the loyalty of His subjects to Him (cf. Lk. 6:46).
2. The citizens are the Christians or Church built with the mind of Christ in their hearts and consciences (cf. Phil.2:5-11).
3. Through them, Jesus Christ is still being active in the world in a no-ceasing manner. Jesus lives their lives for them by His Spirit in them leading them into righteousness perpetually (cf. Rom.8:9,14; Gal.2:20).

 

CONCLUSION:The identity of a Nigerian is different from that of an American because of their leaders and the instruments with which their governments are run. Similarly, we are Christians (not Muslims, Hindus, polytheist, etc.) because of our loyalty to Christ in His indoctrinations (constitution).

 

EVALUATION

1. What are the three cardinal elements depicting the presence of God’s kingdom on earth as we speak?
2. Why are Christians citizens in this kingdom?
3. Why does Jehovah, the Father, love Jesus, the Son, to such extent of giving Him all power to rule over all there is He made?
4. Does Jesus reign over you and in you? How are you sure?
5. Can you say that he who has seen you has seen Jesus just as Jesus said that he who has seen Him has seen the Father?

 

PRAYER: Thank God for the lesson and pray for grace upon us who confess Christ to be effective in total loyalty to Him in order that it becomes simple for the heathens to submit to Christ as well.

 

               

LESSON TWENTY SEVEN:              THE CHURCH, GOD’S FARM ON EARTH

TEXT:                     1Cor.3:6-9

MEMORY VERSE: John 15:4: “Remain in me, and I will remain in you; for a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine; and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.” (TSB)

 

INTRODUCTION:Everything good for God’s mankind starts in the Church. If the Church, as the centre of God’s light, turns dark, then, the whole wide world is in utter darkness. To maintain God’s world satisfactorily, the perfect foundation for doing so is the Church. The world’s hunger (spiritually, psychically and physically), God had scheduled  to be addressed through the Church (believers in Christ). Therefore, the Church can be viewed as God’s farm on earth.

 

OBJECTIVE: To see believers in Christ (Church of Christ) as God’s sole agents of blessing and preserving                 humanity.

 

PRESENTATION:

STEP I: THE CHURCH IS GOD’S AGENT OF BLESSING TO MANKIND

1. The church is God’s light that attracts the hidden blessings of God (cf. Matt.5:16).
2. Every God’s programme of blessing to mankind starts with light (cf. Gen.1:3).
3. In our text and memory verse, that blessing to mankind is figured as farm produce from God’s farm on earth – the Christian Church – who are those that obey Jesus Christ.
4. God, in this case, desires to feed His humanity comprehensively in the body, soul and spirit beginning with the soul.
5. The invisible component of us (Christians) needs invisible nourishment which is the teaching of Christ (cf. Matt.6:33).

• The visible part of us must also depend on the invisible supply for its upkeep or poison will come from the elemental spirits to destroy us (cf. 1John4:1; 1Tim.4:1-5).

 

STEP II: THROUGH THE CHURCH, GOD WAS TO PRESERVE MANKIND

1. The Christians as God’s priests are the bridge God has constructed in Christ through which He will cross to visit the unbelievers (the world) with blessing (cf. 1Pet.2:9; Rev.5:9,10).
2. The Church (people) of Christ on earth is also seen as salt to preserve the good taste of the earth God saw that it was good before giving to us (cf. Matt.5:13; Gen.1:10).
3. In plain rendering, God will use us, individually and collectively, as a nuclear farm, to maintain His extended farm (unbelievers) for whom His only begotten Son, Jesus, also died (cf. John 3:16-17; 1Tim.2:1-4).

 

CONCLUSION:The sole light God put in the world for giving direction is the people who have believed in Christ who are called “Church”. This group, God has earnmarked as the pillar upon which a rocky and solid foundation would be raised (cf. I Tim. 3:15). Through the Church and in the Church both the substance of the unbelievers with living bread and the constant presence of God respectively can be guaranteed.

 

EVALUATION

1. What makes the Church of Christ on earth seen as a bridge?
2. God cannot save the world without the Christians. (Yes/No). Why?
3. What will the Christendom produce for God as His farm?
4. What is the nourishment that is needed for the world, first and foremost?
5. How are you sure you are fruitful in God’s hand?

 

PRAYER: Thank God for His Word and pray for a fruit yielding Christian lifestyle which will serve as nourishment to the unbelievers in Christ for strength to believe also in Christ and for expansion of His kingdom.

 

 

 THEME: “THE PROSPEROUS CHRISTIAN”

                               

LESSON TWENTY EIGHT:               DIVINE FAVOUR AS THE ROOT OF TRUE PROSPERITY   

TEXT:                     Matt.5:1-10  

MEMORY VERSE: 1Tim.6:9-10: “But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.” (TSB)

 

INTRODUCTION:When favour is seen and taught in the perspective God depicts in Scripture, then the world’s problem is half-solved if not completely solved. As in the beatitudes Jesus was teaching about those who are favoured or blessed by Jehovah, God, the whole thing is a focus on the spiritual realities first before its materializing in God’s fullness of time (FOT) in the earth. Therefore, ability to quit sin and obey God is a foundational prosperity or favour-favour here and hereafter. Come on, let’s hear the Master, Jesus, tell us who is divinely favoured.

 

OBJECTIVE: To do an expose on our text to ascertain those who are truly favoured, or prospered or blessed according to God’s schedule.

 

PRESENTATION:

STEP I: THOSE THAT ARE BLESSED OR PROSPERED ARE POOR IN SPIRIT

1. They may be rich materially, yet, they are with the consciousness of not having or doing enough to arouse any measure of pride (cf. v.3).
2. They do not get satisfied for the past services they rendered for the love of Christ but continue to be constrained by that divine love (cf. 2Cor.5:14).
3. Whatever emerges from such mindset is blessed or prosperous (cf. Ps.1:1-3).

 

STEP II: THE PROSPEROUS OR BLESSED GRIEVE FOR UNBELIEVERS (v.4)

1. Prosperity, according to Jesus, is grieving over the sins of unbelievers due to knowledge of what will befall them if they continue in unbelief to the end of their lives.
2. Likely, righteous people are always grieving over their land because of moral corruption like Lot, the righteous, in Sodom in Scripture (see 2Pet.2:8).
3. God’s favour starts here since out of the abundance of this type of reasoning that the entire life will be led (cf. Mark 7:17-23).
4. God blesses intentions, not the actual services we render. This is why David was blessed for nursing a good thought of building a befitting place of sacrifice for God’s name even when he did not build it (cf. 2Sam.7:1-3, 8-16).
5. They also grieve to repent immediately and never to persist in sin as soon as they discover (cf. 1John 1:9).

 

 

STEP III: THE PROSPEROUS OR DIVINELY FAVOURED ARE MEEK AND RIGHTEOUS (vv. 5,6)

1. Where they are meek; they are not weak. They are not arrogant in character but vigorous against wrongdoing and any other related tendency (cf. 1Cor.4:18-21).
2. Jesus, as a model of meekness, checked His annoyance when the Samaritan villagers refused Him passage (see Lk. 9:51-56).
3. But He threw surprises when He whipped those who misused the temple (see John2:13-16).
4. The ‘thirst and hunger for righteousness’ in verse six is similar to the ‘poverty in the spirit’ of verse three above.

 

STEP IV: THE DIVINELYFAVOURED ARE MERCIFUL AND PURE IN HEART (vv 7,8)

1. This is active mercy as the Samaritan did to that wounded Jew in Jesus’ illustration (see Lk. 10:33-37).
2. The pure in heart is evident in the lifestyle just as in metallurgy that the reference is to unalloyed (unmixed) quality.

 

STEP V: THEY ARE THE PEACEMAKERS AND THE UNJUSTLY PERSECUTED

1. In ‘John14:27’, the peace spoken of here is not just an absence of strife. It is the type the Spirit of God produces as in ‘Gal. 5:22’.
2. They may be beyond peacemakers to peacekeepers with workable strategy to keep the peace going.
3. Mark, as an earlier Gospel writer, wrote about the imminent persecution (see Mark 13:9-13).
4. Here in Matthew, the persecution is already ongoing.

 

CONCLUSION:True prosperity is determined using divine yardstick. It remains so because “what this world honours is detestable in the sight of God”. (Luke 16:15^b). If not so, those who repent of their sins would not be seen by Jesus as being prosperous. Let us quit this girlfriend, manfriend thing and other sins which easily beset us and join others to realize the pathfinder to true prosperity (Heb. 12:1).

 

EVALUATION

1. From our studies, we can see that true prosperity starts from the spirit. (True/False). Why?
2. Why would Jesus allow His followers to be unjustly persecuted?
3. “God blesses intentions, not the actual services we render.” Explain.
4. If a wicked person repents, is that prosperity to Jesus? (Yes/No). Why?

 

PRAYER: Thank God for the lesson and pray for revealing grace for our Bible teachers to prioritize what God prioritizes and minor what God minors for a balanced knowledge of how to engage those they teach in order that Jesus would not tell them “I never knew you” on the reward day.

               

LESSON TWENTY NINE:                 THE PROSPEROUS PERSON THAT IS FOOLISH

TEXT:                     Lk.12:13-21

MEMORY VERSE: “And I’ll sit back and say to myself, ‘my friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink and be merry!’ But God said to him, ‘you fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for’?” (Lk.12:19-20) (TSB).

 

INTRODUCTION: When a people are not taught God’s priority about things, they set their own priorities which will run counter to that of their creator. God will always earmark such people as being ignorant, because, for us to do anything successfully, even to eat, empowerment must come from Him-“For in Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28b-NIV). True prosperity, as God endorses, is consecrating oneself to God as             instrument through which He will relieve those in need. In other words, it is better for God to give THROUGH us than TO us. After all, we cannot be said to be lacking the very things God has used us to give to others. It must soak us, the agents of the relief, first, before going to others.

 

OBJECTIVE: To see what makes us rich in the sight of God  contrarythe world’s view of prosperity.

 

PRESENTATION:

STEP I: GREEDY PEOPLE ARE FOOLISH BEFORE GOD (v.5)

1. Greed makes people selfish, thus, making them worshippers of the things they lust for or covet (cf. Eph.5:5).
2. What they are greedy for becomes an idol in their hearts.
3. To be carnally minded like the man in the crowd who asked Jesus irrelevant question who was concerned about the many eternal principles Jesus taught– one cannot please God through understanding and obeying of God’s Word that is being taught.
4. Jesus was sharing spiritual riches, but this carnally minded person asked a question to uncover his covetous and discontent mind (v.13).
5. To this type of people, “Money answers all things” like the spirit of Solomon could see (see Eccle.10:19); whereas, Jesus, in this parable, says in verse fifteen that it is not so, because life is not in money – it does not come or is determined by the abundance of one’s possession.

 

STEP II: SELFISH PEOPLE ARE FOOLISH BEFORE GOD (vv.16-20)

1. “I have no place to store my goods” v.17, then give to others who do not have; invest in their lives (cf. Prov.19:17).
2. If you want only your shops and warehouses to be seen everywhere, you will be in conflict with the original owner (God) who did not ordain His property will be managed that way (cf. vv.18-20).
3. My crops, My smaller barn, I will increase; My grain; My goods; all for Myself is not God’s pattern; it is devilish and carnal.

 

STEP III: THE FOOLISH DO NOT KNOW THEY HAVE A LITTLE WHILE TO BE HERE (v.20)

1. They do not plan for the next life in heaven which is eternal by storing up treasure for themselves there (cf. Matt.6:19-21; Heb.2:5).
2. They would have been wise if they were rich towards God. How?
3. If they had fed God during hunger; clothed Him when naked; sheltered Him when in strange land; paid His hospital bills with the money in their hands, and so on by giving same services to fellow persons who needed them knowing that Jesus also died for them (cf. Matt.25:34-40; Lk.12:21).

 

CONCLUSION:All of us in this world are delegate owners of the things God made who are expected to be trustworthy. To be trustworthy, we godly use (or allow God to use) what is at our disposals to minister reliefs to those who are needy. By so doing, God opens and credits an account of what belongs to us daily.

 

EVALUATION

1. When rewards for services are not seen by us beyond the present world, that will render us selfish. (Yes/No). Why?
2. Why are covetous people said to worship the things that they covet?
3. How can Christians be both materially and spiritually prosperous?
4. Are you truly rich? If ‘yes’ or ‘no’, why?
5. If one is materially rich, how can one protect it to endure for him?

 

PRAYER: Thank God for His Word and ask Him for grace to be selfless as God and Christ in order to be truly rich-truly rich here and hereafter.

 

 

 

LESSONTHIRTY:                THE TRULY PROSPEROUS PERSON

TEXT:                     Rev.3:14-17

MEMORY VERSE: “I know about your suffering and your poverty-but you are rich! I know the blasphemy of those opposing you. They say they are Jews, but they are not, because their synagogue belongs to Satan.”(Rev.2:9-TSB)

 

INTRODUCTION: The Christians in the city of Smyrna were facing a lot of challenges that made them not favourably disposed to much material possessions. Jesus counted their steadfastness with Him in His Wordin their hearts as true riches – riches without much money, mighty mansions, exotic cars, private jets, etc. However, in the hearts of the people in the city of Laodicea who were professing Christianity and seeing themselves as rich, acquiring wealth, Jesus saw that they were before God’s eye wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. Wow! What a picture! How come? Let’s see in the body of our discourse.

 

OBJECTIVE: With two congregations of Smyrna and Laodicea, as case study, we will see, through some words studies, how one can both be rich and poor simultaneously and how material riches without Christ makes people vulnerable, blind, wretched, pitiful, stupid and penniless before God.

 

PRESENTATION:

STEP I: POOR IN WORLD’S VIEW – CHRISTIANS IN SMYRNA (Rev.2:9)

1. But they are rich in God’s view
2. Therefore, they are rich and poor simultaneously (cf. Matt.6:19-21).
3. God’s endorsement lightens their hope (cf. Jam.2:5).

 

STEP II: RICH IN WORLD’S VIEW – CHRISTIANS IN LAODICEA (Rev.3:14-17)

1. Though rich in the world’s viewpoint, they are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked in God’s view.
2. Let’s consider similar words to those descriptives above:
3. WRETCHED: devastated, dejected, distressed, desolate, downcast, despairing, depressed, sad and sorrowful.
4. PITIFUL: pathetic, heartbreaking, heartrending, abject, plaintive and miserable.

• POOR: needy, destitute, penniless, impoverished and pauperized.

1. BLIND: ignorant, insensitive, imperceptive, stupid and unintelligent.
2. NAKED: unprotected, unguarded, exposed, powerless and vulnerable.
3. So, what would they have lacked? They lacked spiritual or real riches.

 

CONCLUSION

Jesus seeing His brethren poor in Smyrna was not because they lacked basic necessities of life but because, in their spirit, they never allowed ambitions to amass material possessions derail their walk with Him. So, they received Jesus’ commendation for their steadfastness. “Life is not all about acquisition of material wealth. But it is wealthy depending on Jesus Christ” is the lesson we have learnt in the whole episode.

 

EVALUATION

1. According to ‘Jam.2:5’, where should all those with material wealth visit and share to be rich in God’s sight?
2. In this world, who are those that have arrived, materially speaking?
3. How can Christians be rich and poor simultaneously?
4. How can a person be poor who has had material riches?

 

PRAYER: Thank God for the lesson and pray that money and other material riches, to us, will never be a snare and root of any evil but, that we, through knowledge, will used them judiciously as good stewards for the advancement of Jehovah’s government in Christ here on earth.

 

 

LESSON THIRTY ONE:     CAN MONEY ANSWER ALL THINGS?

TEXT:                     1Tim.6:6-10

MEMORY VERSE: “A feast is made for laughter, and wine makes life merry, but money is the answer for everything.”(Eccle.10:19-NIV).

 

INTRODUCTION:King Solomon made the statement in our memory verse above that money is the answer for everything. In the light of Christ’s teaching through His Apostles, can such statement be affirmed? NO! It stands that money can be answer for material things only where it can, but not spiritual things of the soul. In “Acts 8:18-22”, Simon of Samaria was told never to see things like Solomon when his money was rejected by Peter and John for security of spiritual blessings that comes only on the basis of faith in Christ’s teachings. Besides, Solomon, who saw everything as vanity for want of knowledge of whether there’s life beyond the grave, is an inferior teacher to Christ who has conquered death (cf. Matt.12:42).

 

OBJECTIVE: To see that money, as every other material thing, cannot solve spiritual problems which had to be solved with sincere faith in the teaching and learning of the life of Christ.

 

PRESENTATION:

STEP I: MONEY CANNOT BUY THE GIFT OF GOD’S GRACE

1. Peter and John, the Apostles, were bold to tell Simon, the sorcerer-turn Christian, that there is a limit to what money can acquire (see Acts 8:18-24).
2. However huge the money may appear (as Simon’s would be, judging from his antecedence), it could not go for the gift of God’s grace which can only be acquired through a genuine faith in the Words of Jesus Christ (ibid).
3. If you like, build a cathedral worth billions of dollars covering acres of land without the knowledge of the life of Christ; God will still treat you like Simon. Okay?

 

STEP II: JESUS COMMANDS THAT MONEY SHOULD NOT BE LOVED AS HIMSELF

1. If money answers all things like Jesus and His teachings, then, God would have directed that we love and commit our hearts to it (see our text).
2. Anything we love and pursue like Jesus in our hearts will equally become a master and an idol (cf. Lk.16:13; Eph.5:5).
3. Money cannot build shelter to house God on earth as teaching His Word to produce the mind of Christ can (cf. Acts 17:16, 22-25).

 

STEP II: SOLOMON IS AN INFERIOR TEACHER TO JESUS (Matt.12:42)

1. Jesus is the creator of Solomon who has lived beyond the grave (death) that terrified Solomon most, so that, as he never saw a way out, resorted to using money (a material thing) to pursue satisfaction unsuccessfully.

 

STEP III: MONEY COULD NOT ANSWER MANKIND’S NEED OF SALVATION

1. There was money in the world before God’s Word became incarnate into Jesus to meet the salvation need of mankind.
2. Christians must study the Bible to discover those sayings that are just for their knowledge of how the salvation we now enjoy was planned and executed by God as well as the part of the Bible that is for our consumption – as doctrine for practice (cf. 2Tim.2:15).
3. There is the difference between ‘The Word of God’ and ‘The Word of God in Christ’ in the same Bible.

• One is for knowledge (the former); the other is for consumption (the latter) (cf. Mark 2:18-22; Gal.4:21-26).

 

CONCLUSION:Money has a material role to play primarily in our lives even as the teachings of Christ have had a spiritual and blissful eternal role to play. Each must not be misapplied because of the resultant devastating consequence. Just as money can build for the church a dwelling place, the Christian tradition can build God’s dwelling place too. We must balance the orientation we give to Christians under our watch in this regard (cf. Acts 20:28). The church can exist without a material house, thus, making the material house optional (not mandatory).

 

EVALUATION

1. Between money and the life of Christ, which one terrifies Satan more?
2. According to Peter and John, the Apostles, what was the limit over which money can cross?
3. “Anything we love and pursue like Jesus in our hearts will become a master and an idol.” Explain.
4. According to ‘Acts 17:16, 24’, any house built for us to take as God’s dwelling is a shrine for idolatry, however costly it is. (Yes/No). Why?

 

PRAYER: Thank God for His Word and pray for revelation into what obtains in the heavens as Christ has revealed to us through the Holy Spirit via His original Apostles that we may not place the wrong priority in being about His service here on earth.

 

               

LESSON THIRTY TWO:    THE DIVINE INVESTMENT WINDOW

TEXT:                     Jam.2:1-5

 

MEMORY VERSE: “If you help the poor, you are lending to the LORD and He will repay you.” (Prov.19:17-TSB)

 

INTRODUCTION: For God to give us access to fellowship with Him in rendering service to our fellow persons is an investment opportunity He has offered to us who surrender to commit our hearts to Christ in the redemption and preservation of His human race. This is the reason for Jesus’ call of us for a continuity of the beneficial services delivery to mankind as a testimony that God is still with His humanity in our generation since He left in the flesh (cf. John 17:18; Acts 10:37-38). We should endeavour to make God’s material blessings upon us not to serve as a snare to us, because if we do not glorify Him with them, the same become a curse to us.

 

OBJECTIVE: To see where God has provided the materially prosperous persons to invest their   possessions in this world so as to guarantee stability of divine supply and the kind of mindset they need.

 

PRESENTATION:

STEP I: INVESTMENT OF THE REAL POSSESSION – THE HEART

1. Whatever investment – in quantity and quality –must start with the love of God for humanity in the heart (cf. 1Cor.13:1-3).
2. God must see the reason for any investment in the spirit which abides in the heart before He is expected to be the giver of a good reward in the end.
3. That reason is the love of God for it and not for anybody or anything else (visible and invisible) – cf. Matt.15:9.
4. The real possession, in other words, is what ‘Rom.12:1’ calls “our bodies as living sacrifices holy and pleasing to God”.
5. If God is to bless or punish, He watches the heart to do so accordingly (cf. Prov.4:23; Mk.7:20-23).

 

 

STEP II: INVESTMENT IN THE MATERIALLY POOR AND NEEDY

1. Working for the welfare of the needy is a sacred service (see this principle in ‘Deut.26:12-14’).
2. It is sacred because this service benefits the Lord Himself according to the Bible passage above.
3. In the welfare programme above, God specified under the former regime of Moses those to be beneficiaries:
4. The Levites (ii) The strangers (iii) The fatherless and  (iv) The widows.
5. Giving to anyone who is not in need as above is not a sacred service such as God is expected to bless and reward.
6. In verse five of our text, the Scripture says that those who are materially poor are rich in the faith of Jesus that makes them a good window or opportunity for us to enrich ourselves with, by being generous to them.
7. Those who are materially rich, in the eyes of the Scripture above are poor and are given opportunity to enrich themselves by being generous to the materially poor (cf. Lk.16:10-12).

 

CONCLUSION:Remove purity of life and relief of the needy from Christianity, and leave it non-effective all the way. Working toward the welfare of fellow persons is a divine window through which we fellowship with God in His upkeep of His creation thereby attracting His positive reward.

 

EVALUATION

1. From the lesson, how does somebody invest his body in God’s service opportunity?
2. What type of materially poor people are rich?
3. What makes a giving not sacredand so not deserving God’s good reward?
4. Why is working for the welfare of the needy a sacred service?
5. How many people have you spoken or done anything to, as assistance this week?

 

PRAYER: Thank God for His Word and pray for grace to see a lack of what we have in our neighbours as an opportunity for us to enrich ourselves forgetting any previous offence(s) on the part of the prospective beneficiary.

 

 

 

THEME: “PRAYER”

     

LESSON THIRTY THREE: PRAYING AS TALKING BACK TO GOD

TEXT:                     Matt.6:5-8

 

MEMORY VERSE: “Never stop praying.” (1Thess.5:17-TSB)

 

INTRODUCTION: One of the many ways in which we fellowship with God is in praying, because, in fellowship we exchange offerings. In praying, we exchange words with our maker by citing what He wrote about Himself which we have believed and relied upon as reason for Him to act in our favour against the destructive wishes of Satan and his demonic agents. In doing this, we think also of the good of each other-intercession (cf.1Tim.2:1-4). Acceptable praying in our era as Christians is limited to what Christ has taught about the Father as handed down to us through His original witnesses (cf.1Jn.1:1-4).

 

OBJECTIVE: To see that prayer is to talk or appeal to God; to talk for one’s benefit as well as the benefit of           others (intercession).

 

PRESENTATION:

STEP I: PRAYER IS TO TALK OR MAKE AN APPEAL

1. Because Christ abides in us through His Word, everything about us – mental, vocal or active – is recorded in heaven for a corresponding reward (cf. 2Cor.5:10).
2. In praying, we think about God in His Christ and talk without which it will not be based on true faith (Rom.10:17; Heb.11:6).
3. To talk back to God is to make necessary inference based on God’s Word as reason God should do or refuse to do a particular thingfor us and our neighbourhood as we see in ‘Acts 4:23-31’ as the first Christians exemplify.

 

STEP II: PRAYER IS TO APPEAL TO GOD FOR OUR BENEFITS AND THOSE OF OTHERS (INTERCESSION)

1. We pray or talk to God to express our dependence upon Him which is otherwise called ‘faith’ (cf. Mark11:22).
2. We do not pray so that God can provide our needs, but because we believe He knows our needs and well able to provide them even before we ask (our text).
3. Prayer is a measure of checking the Devil and his destabilizing effect in our neighbourhood (cf. 1Tim.2:1-3).
4. In praying for the good of others – even our enemies – we are blessing ourselves (cf. Matt.7:12). This is what Bible believers call ‘the golden rule’.
5. Our enemies are not human beings. Human beings are like horses on which our true enemy (Satan) rides to attack us.

• Therefore, it is the rider of the horse (Satan) that we should target to banish, not the horse (human beings – his visible representatives) – cf. Luke 9:51-56.
• It is not Christianity to ask God to kill human beings who are ignorant agents of the Devil who use them to attack us. Christ, our head does not want it so. So, we must desist from it (see Matt.5:43-48).

 

CONCLUSION: Every recommendation God has made to us is meant to keep us His followers inseparable from Him-singing, praying, alms giving, witnessing His Word to others and every other thing edifying. They are also sources of recompense created by God which we must not ignore however veiled and seemingly insignificant.

 

EVALUATION

1. What did God say to us that we should talk back to Him in prayer?
2. Prayer is restricted to vocal or vivavoce type.(Yes/No).Why?
3. Why do we say our physical enemy is like a horse?
4. Why does Jesus forbid us from asking for the death of our physical enemies?

 

PRAYER: Thank God for His Word you have just received and pray that we be enabled to uphold this place of authority God has given us to make decrees (in prayers) which the heavens must obey since we base them on God’s Word.

 

               

LESSON THIRTY FOUR:   VARIETIES OF CHRISTAN PRAYER AND POSTURE

TEXT:                     Matt.6:9-13

MEMORY VERSE: “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get.” (Matt.6:5-TSB)

 

INTRODUCTION:How Christians pray is important since it is done with words used by spirits in the heavenly places as oracles. No wonder, the early followers of Christ requested Jesus to teach them the techniques of effective praying (see Luke 11:1). You and I should neither think that effective praying is in the quantity of words spoken and quality of time covered (cf. Matt.6:7); nor is it in appearing nude, prostrating and rolling on the floor as some falsely think. Rather, it is a knowledgeable activity flowing from the consciousness of Christ’s directives whose Words count in the heavens. Godly living and compassion play a major role (cf. John 9:31; Isa.58:5-12).

 

OBJECTIVE: To see two pronounced varieties of Christian prayer and the acceptable posture.

 

STEP I: VARIETIES OF CHRISTIAN PRAYER

1. There are two pronounced varieties of Christian prayer, namely, the corporate and individual varieties.
2. The corporate prayer is sub-divided into corporate vocal and corporate candidate approaches.
3. Corporate Vocal: This approach denotes all talking according to items given by the prayer leader as in ‘Acts 4:23-31’.
4. Candidate or Delegate Vocal:This approach denotesone member appointed to lead other members who will agree with an ‘amen’ as in ‘1Cor.14:16-17’.

• In leading corporate or collective prayers, understood medium must be used for easy communication as the Bible passage above emphasizes.
• Corporate worship activities’ leaders must also acknowledge order and decency with regards to the time allotted since divine acceptance does not hinge on duration of time spent and quantity of words spoken (see Matt.6:7-8).
• The laity or members must also do well to obey the leaders appointed to lead without any interference whatsoever.

2. Individual Prayer:
3. Unlike corporate way of praying, the individual praying has no Scriptural administrative order except in not appearing nude and in doing all things to the glory of God and for one’s blessing (cf. Col.3:17).
4. The one praying chooses venue and duration as we see Jesus did in the Scripture (see Lk.6:11-12; Heb.5:7).

 

STEP II: POSTURE OF PRAYER IN SCRIPTURE

1. Aside from not appearing nude as stated already, the Scripture does not outline acceptable and explicit praying posture since prayer is a spiritual exercise (cf. Eph.5:18).

 

CONCLUSION: Someone has said that “order is the first law of heaven”. I agree totally to the thought above, hence, not joking with God’s directives on how to order public corporate worship assemblies of believers in Scripture (cf. I Cor. 14:26, 40). Knowing how to pray to the Almighty God was important for which reason the early followers of Christ demanded from Him orientation on how to do it well (see Luke 11:1).

 

EVALUATION

1. What are the features of a collective or congregational prayer?
2. According to ‘1Cor.14:40’, what two things are observable during corporate worship?
3. In candidate vocal type of corporate praying, what important element must be considered?
4. What is the Scriptural, acceptable prayer posture?

 

PRAYER: Thank God for the lesson and pray for knowledge of what we affect during praying so as to conduct our hearts and assemblies in a manner that will not negatively affect our prayers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

               

LESSON THIRTY FIVE:     HOW CHRISTIAN PRAYERS ARE ANSWERED BY GOD

TEXT:                     2Cor.6:1-2

MEMORY VERSE: “For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile-the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on Him, for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved’.” (Rom.10:12-13) (TSB).

 

INTRODUCTION: It is joyful to receive of God what one had asked of Him. Abel prayed and got a positive answer from God in his days, and we are told he is still praying to this day (cf.Heb.11:4). If we do not receive from God our prayerful expectation, conclusion should not be arrived that it is as a result of our sin. Instead, we should see that our Father is all-knowing who always wants the very best for us in the end (cf.Jere.29:11; Jam.1:2-4). He always knows our needs before we ask of Him (cf. Matt.6:8). Let’s trust Him for maturity of the blessing before He releases to us.

 

OBJECTIVE: To see five ways the Scripture depicts as possible ways God may answer the prayers we pray to        Him.

 

PRESENTATION:

STEP I: WE MAY GET THE VERY THING WE ASK

1. In praying, sometime we receive the very thing we asked for, like Jonah (see Jon.2:1-10).
2. Jonah asked God to give him a second chance, that he will obey Him, and God granted by directing the whale to vomit him at the very point (Nineveh) at which he will perform his assignment.

 

STEP II: WE MAY GET MORE THAN WE ASKED

1. King Solomon asked for wisdom but received more because it met God’s will for His people (see 1Kgs 3:9-13; 1John 5:14).

 

STEP III: WE MAY GET AN EXCHANGE OF WHAT WE ASKED

1. God gave to Moses and Aaron an exchanged answer of not stepping into the material promised land (see Deut.32:48-52).
2. In order that they be forgiven to be able to enter the true promised land whose builder is God, they were denied visa into the material promised land (Palestine) – cf. Heb.11:10, 39-40.

 

STEP IV: WE MAY BE ASKED TO KEEP PRAYING, BELIEVING AND WAITING

1. The widow in the illustration Jesus used in ‘Luke18:1-8’ is an example of persistence in our exercise of praying.
2. We must pray without ceasing jealously (see 1Thess.5:17).

 

STEP V: WE MAY GET NOTHING

1. Sometimes, God says ‘NO!’ because of seeing that what we have asked for will neither glorify Him nor be helpful to our existence (cf. Jam.4:1-6).

 

CONCLUSION: All Christian prayers are answered immediately after we offer. This is so because they are in accordance with God’s will in Christ. The answers in heaven may or may not immediately manifest on earth. If the answer does not immediately manifest physically, it is awaiting God’s fullness of time (FOT) and not necessarily tantamount to denial or sin on our part.

 

EVALUATION

1. Mention three ways in which God may answer our prayers.
2. When do we say a prayer is according to God’s will?
3. Why did God refuse Moses and Aaron visa into Palestine?
4. In order that we persist in prayer, what does God do with answers to some of our prayers?
5. In what way(s) can you ensure your prayers to God are acceptable?

 

PRAYER: Thank God for His Word and pray for grace to always, through knowledge, be resolute in our fellowship with Him trusting in His unfailing and never-ending care.

 

 

LESSON THIRTY SIX:        DETERMINANTS TO FAVOURABLE ANSWERS TO PRAYERS

TEXT:                     Isa.58:5-12

MEMORY VERSE: “We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but He is ready to hear those who worship Him and do His will.” (Jn.9:31-TSB)

 

INTRODUCTION: Prayer is not a bribe given to God for a favour since He has more resources than any prayerful demand of those praying to Him. In other words, God does not give favourable answers to prayers because those getting favourable answers can lobby Him more than others who do not yet get such replies. His fullness of time (FOT) also counts in His answer which is entirely His making. Right or sinful living does not influence the answer in this respect. In not answering prayers, God also teaches persistency and discipleship which, too, does not hinge on well doing or wrong doing.

 

OBJECTIVE: To know four outstanding elements the Christian praying must have to facilitate favourable answer from God.

 

PRESENTATION:

STEP I: DOUBTLESSNESS (FAITH UNWAVERING)

1. Any doubt and/or qualm in our minds limits the power of God and will always constitute hindrance to favourable answers to our prayers.
2. God expects us to always approach His throne of grace with confidence and boldness (cf. Mark 11:23-24; Matt.6:8).

 

STEP II: PERSISTENCY

1. When we do not immediately get what we need from God, it is a good thing so as to help us become more sober going closer to God for solution (cf. Lk.18:6-7; 1Thess.5:17).
2. Why God should give us is also important in God’s sight (cf. Jam. 4:3)

 

STEP III: HOLINESS AND HOSPITALITY

1. Holiness or purity of heart is imperative and indispensible in God’s dealing because God is holy (see 1Pet.1:14-16; Heb.12:14).
2. The inward or unseen holiness must be expressed in obedience to Christ’s indoctrinations and in hospitality (see Jam.1:27).

 

STEP IV: FULLNESS OF TIME (FOT)

1. God’s patience is not forgetfulness as some ignorant folks see (cf. 2Pet.3:9; Rom.5:3).
2. He (Jehovah) that calls us is faithful; He will do the things He has promised (see 1Thess.5:24). AMEN?

 

CONCLUSION: In praying, we imbibe the consciousness of being sons and daughters of a King and never ask our beloved Father as beggars. We must show that we are not just talking, that beyond that, we are making declarations and announcement as in preaching. God is our Helper (see Heb.13:5-6) who expects us to receive from Him the help for His world and go about helping just as Jesus did (cf. Acts 10:38; John 17:18).We should stop asking God to lead us to our helpers instead of the helpless. We have only one helper who is God. If we are agents of help to others, we will surely be helped. May God bless you in Christ with knowledge.

 

EVALUATION

1. How many helpers do we have in the world and who is he?
2. If God delays the answer to our request, He does not deny us and will not let us die before the answer. Discuss.
3. Why do we need persistency in our dealing with God?
4. If our wickedness neither harm God nor our righteousness benefit Him in heaven, why does He bother to correct us?
5. How do you examine yourself to ascertain that you are fit to be called His child?

 

PRAYER: Thank God for the lesson and pray that our prayers will always seek to have the things that glorify God in being of benefit to each other for the love of Christ.

 

 

 

THEME: “THE CHRISTIAN WOMAN”

                               

LESSON THIRTY SEVEN: THE CHRISTIAN WOMAN AS THE DAUGHTER OF SARAH

TEXT:                     1Pet.3:1-6

MEMORY VERSE: “This is how the holy women made themselves beautiful. They trusted God and accepted the authority of their husbands. For instance, Sarah obeyed her husband, Abraham, and called him her master. You are her daughters when you do what is right without fear of what your husbands might do.” (1Pet.3:5-6b) (TSB)

 

INTRODUCTION:Mothers teach their children ethics of moral living. A good example shown by Sarah as a model for women, therefore, designates her as a mother to housewives who revere their husbands for the love of Christ even as she did to Abraham her husband. Present day wives are expected to be courageous, respectful and supportive of their husbands for the divine union to continue unhindered as Sarah in Scripture. They should bear in mind that though blessings of such people delay in years in God’s hand, they are neither denied nor terminated by diseases and death.

 

OBJECTIVE: To bring to the consciousness of the Christian woman of her exalted state of being accepted to        be reckoned with under Christ by way of the meaning of the name, ‘Sarah’; to count it all joy when grieved for doing what is right and expect a good reward from God always at the end.

 

PRESENTATION:

STEP I: THEY ARE THE DAUGHTERS OF SARAH EXALTED

1. The name, ‘Sarah’ means ‘Princess’ and ‘Sarai’ probably means ‘contentious’ (cf. Gen.17:15-16).
2. As Sarah was very pretty in appearance, that is how her ‘daughters’ are – dependable and industrious; lovers of husbands and children as well as knowledgeable (cf. Tit.2:3-6).

 

STEP II: SHE MUST ENDURE SUFFERING FOR DOING GOOD

1. At 75, Sarah encouraged Abraham to raise children through their Egyptian maidservant, Hagar (see gen.16:1-3).
2. This, Sarah did in order that what God promised to do as recorded in ‘Gen.15:1-16’ might be fulfilled.
3. But she was taunted and despised by Hagar when she saw herself pregnant (see Gen.16:4).
4. She dealt with the situation squarely until Hagar ran away only to return due to divine direction (see Gen.16:5-9).
5. Christian wives as, daughters of Sarah characteristically, must know their rights in their matrimonial homes like Sarah above.
6. They must learn to prayerfully silence every opposition in their husband – wife relationship because only the two of them were made to become one by God (cf. Matt.19:4-5).

 

STEP III: AS BIBLE SARAH, GOD MUST CONSOLE HER DAUGHTERS IN THE END

1. The blessing started from changing an inglorious name to a glorious one –from ‘Sarai’ to ‘Sarah’.
2. At about 65 years old in Egypt, Sarah, due to her exemplary beauty, was seized from Abraham, but, through divine intervention, she was returned to the husband without being violated (see Gen.12:10-20).
3. There is a document discovered through research of how one of the Pharoahs had ordered his armed men to kill the husband of every attractive woman. So, Abraham’s instruction to Sarah had legal precedence.
4. God also stopped King Abimelech of Gerar later from violating this covenant woman (see Gen.20:1-7).
5. This favoured woman, (before she died at age 127) at age 90, gave birth to her covenant son, ‘Isaac’. ALLELUIA! Praise the Lord, the Promise Keeper (see Gen.21:1-7; 23:1).

 

EVALUATION

1. Why does the Bible parallel the Christian women as ‘daughters of Sarah’, not ‘Jezebel’?
2. What does the name, ‘Sarah’ mean?
3. Sarah knew her rights in her matrimonial home. She was meek but not Why?
4. Accordingto history, why did Abraham tell Sarah to address him as a brother in Egypt?
5. Are you as submissive to your husband to such extent as neighbours can cite as example?

 

PRAYER: Thank God for the lesson and pray that our women will be as good example in our time to unbelievers in Christ, submitting to their husbands as Mrs. Sarah Abraham in Scripture; their outward beauty, notwithstanding.

 

               

LESSON THIRTY EIGHT:  THE MARRIED WOMAN

TEXT:                     Gen.2:21-23

MEMORY VERSE: “The man who finds a wife finds a treasure, and he receives favour from the LORD.” (Prov.18:22-TSB)

 

INTRODUCTION: Married women are separated from the abuse likely to be suffered by unmarried (freelance) ones. That is natural and brings honour and satisfaction to the woman that desires the headship of a husband.  Animals with wildlife can be hunted and killed without any worry to the hunter. But he cannot try that with domestic pets. Similarly, married women who revere their matrimonial place are not toyed with by womanizers as they treat the unmarried, especially, those not giving their lives to Christ. Married women should, therefore, be very proud and enjoy everything in their matrimonial homes including bearing  honourable children giving God glory in Christ.

 

OBJECTIVE: To see that a married woman is called a wife and a compound person, no longer on her own; she does not have her life alone again to live, physically speaking; has been given a procreative mandate and is to be trustworthy.

 

PRESENTATION:

STEP I: WHO IS A MARRIED WOMAN?

1. She is a wife. In Hebrew, the word is ‘shah’ and literally means, ‘a female man’ or one owned by a husband according to Hebrew scholars.
2. The Greek equivalent ‘ne’ can be used to refer to both a wife and a woman, whether married or not.
3. The first wife was named ‘woman’ by the husband to mean, ‘from the womb of a man’ (our text).

 

STEP II: THE MARRIED WOMAN AS A COMPOUND PERSON

1. Her desire, naturally, is to her husband to submit to him totally (cf. Gen.3:16).
2. Here-in lies her fulfillment and satisfaction and may God help husbands to allow a conducive environment for this to thrive.
3. She becomes the one owned ‘be’u.lah’ and the husband, her head and owner ‘ba’al’ and therefore, inseparable.

 

STEP III: SHE, TOGETHER WITH THE HUSBAND, IS GIVEN A PROCREATIVE MANDATE (Gen.1:28)

1. To fill the physical society with human beings is a matrimonial responsibility; whereas to fill the spiritual society with spirit beings is that of the Church of Christ – a God-ordained task.
2. Caution must be observed by every physical family, not to bite more than they can chew, to bear as much children as they can breed for a balanced society to be sustained (cf. 2Cor.8:12).

 

STEP IV: A MARRIED WOMAN IS TO BE TRUSTWORTHY

1. She is to be trustworthy and industrious and much valuable to the husband (Read carefully ‘Prov.31’ at home).
2. She is expected to wisely attend to the needs of her family.
3. The community holds the husband and her entire family in high esteem because of her ingenuity.

 

EVALUATION

1. When has a husband or wife the right to their own body?
2. Why do we say that a married person is a compound person?
3. What gives the Christian woman delight in her matrimonial home?
4. Why are you practically one with your husband and not with the other men around you?

 

       PRAYER: Married women, thank God and pray for continued peace in matrimonial homes such that only Jesus can supply by His Spirit and for those who are marriageable to see their heartthrobs.

 

               

LESSON THIRTY NINE:    THE WOMAN OF ENDOR

TEXT:                     Deut.18:9-13

MEMORY VERSE: “Saul then said to his advisers, ‘Find a woman who is a medium, so I can go and ask her what to do’. His advisers replied, ‘There is a medium at Endor’.” (1Sam.28:7-TSB)

 

INTRODUCTION: When we lose divine direction, there is always a likelihood of diabolical improvising that cannot produce the same outcome with what the Spirit of Christ holds for us. Such was the nemesis of Saul, the first king of national Israel. In his impunity, he had killed all genuine prophets in Israel before the need for one arose. He needed to hear from God to know which way to go or not to go, but that was farfetched. Similarly, when Christians hesitate to search the Scriptures as Christ has directed due to its life-inherent potentiality, (cf. John 5:39) there must be other voices that will be communicating to them from the heavens  which will resemble the voice from heaven (VFH) but are not (1Jn.4:1-2).

 

OBJECTIVE: To understand the activities of this woman of Endor; how God wanted such people to be treated and how such spirit can be identified in order that those who practice this for selfish ambition be disfellowshipped.

 

 

 

 

PRESENTATION:

STEP I: WHO WAS THE WOMAN OF ENDOR?

1. Firstly, Endor is a plain city of the Canaanites assigned to Manasseh but situated in the territory of Isaachar which the Israelites did not dispossess in its entirety but kept under forced labour (see Josh.17:11-13).
2. Evidently, many fleeing Canaanites were exterminated here which served as a general region of Taanach and Megiddo where Sisera’s army was divinely cut off (cf. Judges 5:19-20; Ps.83:9-10).
3. The woman was into spirit mediumship, a mistress who consulted a spirit (magically confused for Samuel)to speak to Saulthe first King of national Israel (memory verse).
4. Saul saw this as an improvised approach as a result of lack of divine direction from the true God of Israel (cf. 1Sam.28:4-7).

 

STEP II: MEDIUMSHIP WAS BANNED IN ISRAEL BY GOD (Our text)

20. Mediumship as a magical art was related to spiritism (literally, sorcery) – cf. Gal.5:19-20.
21. A similar word is witchcraft prominent in women today.
22. Those who engaged in spiritism in Israel were to be given capital punishment under the regime of Moses (Lev.20:6).
23. Spiritism is the belief that the spirit of dead people can communicate with the living using another person (medium or channel) it can influence known as necromancy.
24. According to our Christian Greek Scriptures, those who practice it will not inherit the kingdom of God (see Gal.5:20-21; Rev.21:8).

 

STEP III: THE CHURCH MUST CLOSE HER DOORS AGAINST SPIRITISM

1. As Paul to a slave girl in Philippi (Acts16:16-19) who lost her powers of prediction through the expulsion of the demon of divination assisting her, the Church must close her doors against the manifestation of spiritism in all its ramifications.
2. Greek mythology has it that the cult of Apollo whose demon was named after a Pythian serpent or dragon was responsible for the spirit of divination in that girl. (Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, vol.1, p. 328).

 

STEP IV: HOW TO IDENTIFY THIS DEMON IN THOSE IT POSSESSES

1. Heaven does not allow it to mention the name of Jesus Christ (cf. Mark 1:23-26, 34).
2. This wicked spirit is predominant in women with strange languages especially connected to water (aquatic) creatures.
3. Those who practice do not bear fruit for the Holy Spirit as in ‘Gal.5:22-23’ but bear fruit for the flesh – cf. Gal.5:19-21.

 

EVALUATION

1. Mention two things in our text that made King Saul to consult a spiritist.
2. Why can’t a spiritist mention Jesus frequently as one giving the message to His people?
3. Who was responsible for the predicting power of the slave girl in Philippi which Paul expelled?
4. Can a dead person be allowed by Jesus to speak to the living?
5. Do you believe that a beloved dead person can be an angel of favour to his/her people?

 

PRAYER: Thank God for the lesson and pray that no familiar spirits from your ancestry will ever see you nor any spirit from the heavens through spiritists and necromancers in the name of “prayer house”.

 

 

 

 

               

LESSON FORTY: FROM CHARISMATIC GIFTS TO KNOWLEDGEABLE GIFTS

TEXT:                     1Cor.12:4-11

MEMORY VERSE: “Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the Church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and the teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do His work and build up the Church, the body of Christ.” (Eph.4:11-12) (TSB)

 

INTRODUCTION: The Greek word ‘kha’ri.sma’ from which we have the English adjective ‘charismatic’ literally means ‘gracious gifts’ from God’s ‘undeserved kindness’ (grace-‘kha’ris’) (cf.Rom.6:23; 1Pet.4:10). They (the Christians in Corinth) got those gifts freely and God expects that they be used for rendering of free services to fellow persons (Matt.10:8).God’s ark of all gifts to us is Jesus Christ. He is the indescribable gift to the world (see 2Cor.9:15). Through Jesus, God has given us the gift of the Holy Spirit (see Acts 2:38). The                            charismatic (unlearned) gifts of wisdom, knowledge, tongue speaking, etc. also emanated from God and were                  goal-oriented (cf. Jam.1:5 and our memory verse).

 

OBJECTIVE: To know how to make God’s temporal or charismatic gifts to us become long lasting and purposes driven.

 

PRESENTATION:

STEP I: THE PURPOSE OF CHARISMATIC GIFTS (memory verse)

1. To indicate that God has shifted attention from the Jewish congregation to that which His Son, Jesus Christ, has established (cf. Heb.2:2-4).
2. To mature the Church (in infancy) pending knowledgeable gifts through studies of the Scriptures (especially the New Testament which was then intangible in the original Apostles) – cf. 1Cor.13:8-11; Acts 2:1,4,14; 8:9-20; 10:44-46; 19:6.
3. The original twelve Apostles and Paul, had, through hand laying, impartedthese charismatic gifts to keep the believers, illuminating their minds to perform in such a way that the consciousness of God’s presence in their midst would still be felt (cf. 1Cor.14:26,40).
4. Performance of these miraculous gifts by Christians, as in our text, did not, however, prove in itself divine authorization nor would a lack of them render them invalid God’s representatives on earth (cf. Matt.16:4;).

• In ‘Matt.7:21-23’, Jesus earlier cleared such insinuations, just as John the Baptist’s was authentic and acceptable even when he did not perform one such sign (see John 10:41).

 

STEP II: SOME CHARISMATIC GIFTS

1. The gift of the Holy Spirit to all believers to teach them the life of Christ is one (ibid).
2. But GIFTS of the Holy Spirit to some Christians to keep the Church in infancy is another. The origin was the original Apostles and later, Apostle Paul (Acts 2:7)
3. The gifts of ‘the message of wisdom’, of ‘knowledge’ and of ‘faith’ – Christians can get them today through Bible Studies as the early Christians would have gotten if the New Covenant of Jesus Christ was available at the onset.
4. But they were miraculous abilities to apply wisdom and knowledge not learned before for the purposes of handling issues successfully among the early Christians; for silencing the Gospel opponents and for writing like Paul (cf. 1Cor.12:8; 13:2; 2Pet.3:15-16; Acts 16:9-10;).
5. The ‘faith’ spoken of is different from that of ‘Rom.10:17’ which comes through hearing the Apostles’ teaching (Acts 2:42).

2) The Bible teaches that the miraculous or charismatic gifts of healing, powerful works and discernment of inspired oracleswere terminal gifts likened to a mirror view pending when their permanence, through the written Apostles’ teachings, will be realized.   (Acts 5:15-16; 9:40; 1cor.12:10).

1. God employed these strategies in order that the new faith of Christ be seen to be the most effective and powerful among the heathens (cf. Acts 13:8-12; 19:11-12).

3) Miraculous tongues and the ability to interpret them attended the introduction of the faith at Pentecost (Acts 2; 1Cor.15:5).

1. All helped to keep the faithful ones informed constantly on the things of their faith.
2. Charismatic Apostles, Prophets, Teachers, Pastors and Evangelists of ‘Eph.4’ must study the Scripture to turn their gifts to knowledgeable gifts.

• They must work with what God has given to them to work with now which are written prophecies to which nobody is permitted to add or subtract from(see Rev.19:9; 22:18-19).

 

 

EVALUATION

1. Between charismatic gifts and knowledgeable gifts, which ones were temporal? Why?
2. Which ones could be learned today?
3. There can still be schools of prophecy, tongues speaking and healing today. (Yes/No). Why?
4. How were both the charismatic and knowledgeable gifts imparted by God?
5. Can people still have the gifts of God today by birth even though not believing in Christ correctly? (Yes/No). Why?

 

PRAYER: Let’s thank God for the lesson and ask for grace of knowing and following the updates in His Word correctly so that we are not left behind in the expression of His power due to ignorance (cf. Matt.22:29).

 

 

THEME: “GIVING”

                               

LESSON FORTY ONE:       GOD AS THE GREATEST GIVER

TEXT:                     Acts 17:16,22-25

MEMORY VERSE: “He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since He is Lord of heaven and earth, He doesn’t live in man-made temples, and human hands can’t serve His needs-for He has no needs. He Himself gives life and breath to everything, and He satisfies every need.” (Acts17:24-25) (TSB)

 

INTRODUCTION: The love of God for us became a motivating force for releasing Jesus to us to meet our salvation need. Initially, He had used Him to provide our material needs evident in the creation of the other creatures. Evidently, we can conclude that, even if it may be possible for an enemy to give to his target as a bait to harm, it is impossible to love without giving,  “For God SO LOVED the world that He GAVE His only begotten Son…” (John 3:16). For us to show love to each other, as God has exemplified, it is not only in giving services to meet needs, but also in thinking of what to do as a testimony in us to that love so that we may not miss any anticipated opportunity to show it in any circumstance life may present.

 

OBJECTIVE: To see how Jehovah demonstrates His love toward us and some characteristics of that love.

 

PRESENTATION:

STEP I: DEMONSTRATION OF GOD’S LOVE FOR US

1. A gift of the other creatures for our corporeal (material) wellbeing (see memory verse).
2. This is truly love-inherent as we never prayed about it (cf. Eph.1:3-4).
3. A gift of Jesus for our spiritual wellbeing (cf. Rom.5:8).
4. Again, we never asked God for Him (ibid).

 

STEP II: CHARACTERISTICS OF GOD’S GIFT OF LOVE

1. It is good and pleasing (see Gen.1:4,10,12,18,21,25; Rom.8:32; Eph.5:2)
2. It is indescribable (see 2Cor.9:15)
3. It is need-oriented or need-meeting (cf. Gal.4:4-5).
4. It is priceless (cf. 1Pet.1:18-19).
5. It is inventive – the first of its kind (cf.Rom.5:7-8; John 15:13; 1Cor.2:7-9).
6. It is an expression of love, not forced (cf.Eph.1$; 5:1-2).

 

CONCLUSION: A giving God is a reigning God. He that is God-like perpetually arms himself in giving to           meet the needs of the needy in the society for His sake. By so doing, he unarguably reigns with God                 (cf.1Cor.3:9). Let us please apply His grace into our hearts to willingly subject ourselves to identify with God In such traits as outlined above.

 

EVALUATION

1. If a materially rich fellow only keeps friends who are rich like himself, has he any opportunity to demonstrate God’s love? How?
2. How does gift of the Bible demonstrate His love for us?
3. If at the place one lives in this world, he will be alone all his life without seeing a fellow person, the preaching of Jesus is not for him. (Yes/No). Why?

 

PRAYER: Let’s thank God for His all-round generosity to us and ask that we be able to imitate Him so that it may be done on earth as is being done in heaven-an answer to Jesus’ prayer guide in “Matt.6:10”.

 

               

LESSON FORTY TWO:     MY BODY AS THE FIRST AND COMPULSORY OFFERING

TEXT:                     Rom.12:1-2

MEMORY VERSE: “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Gal.2:20-TSB)

 

INTRODUCTION: The Christian is both a living and a dead person. He is living in the world but not of the  world. He is alive by the will of God in his spirit, but, he is dead to his fleshly will. That, plainly speaking, means to be led by the dictates of the Spirit of God (the Holy Spirit) who overwhelms his inborn desires (innate   tendencies) as a result of his willing surrender to the message of God’s Spirit (cf. Rom.8:16; Rev.3:20). God does not allow Himself to be limited by us to Church cathedrals in which He never lives.

 

OBJECTIVE: To see that the Christian is the purified vessel that bears God around as His priest and prophet who replaces the animals’ offerings of the Hebrew Greek Scriptures.

 

PREENTATION:

STEP I: WITH OUR BODY, WE BEAR GOD AROUND

1. Just as God revealed Himself to His mankind through Christ Jesus (cf. John 14:6) and through Christ’s life transforming message, He is pleased to accept a takeover by Christians as recommended by Christ (cf. John 17:1-2,13-14,20-21).
2. The Christian life is the life of God Himself (cf. Eph.4:17-18; Rom.8;28-29).

 

STEP II: THE LIVING CHRISTIAN REPLACES THE DEAD ANIMALS’ SACRIFICES

1. His self sacrifice of service deliverywill ooze out mercy just as the animals’ sacrifices of the Mosaic regime sought to bring relief to the needy (cf. Lev.7:8; Matt.12:1-8; Hos.6:6).
2. Those who brought the animals, after examination, had to lay hands on their animals’ head to indicate that they were offered on their behalf (see. Lev.1:4).
3. This was symbolic of our personal salvation today (cf. Gal.6:5; Phil. 2:12).

 

 

STEP III: THE LIVING GOD INDWELLS THE CHRISTIAN

1. The treasure of life for mankind, God dwells in Christians to deliver (cf. 2Cor.4:6-7; 1Cor.3:9,16-20; Eph.2:20-22).

 

STEP IV: THE CHRISTIAN IS GOD’S PRIEST AND PROPHET

1. See who a prophet is in ‘Deut.18:18-19’.
2. God Himself has described us, the body of Christ, as a royal priesthood and a kingdom (see 1Pet.2:9; Rev.5:9-10).

 

CONCLUSION:

Our physical bodies, God, being a Spirit, desires to live in orderto do business in a physical realm being a Spirit. May we totally surrender to Him our hearts in His Word so that He can purify our bodies for us because no other offering from us can replace this mega offering first expected.

 

EVALUATION:

1. “The Christian is both a living and a dead person.” How?
2. How can God’s Word become flesh again in our day?
3. God is invisible. How, then, can physical beings bear Him around?
4. According to ‘Deut.18:18-19’, how can we define a prophet?
5. But do you believe you are God’s prophet to the unbelievers? Why?

 

PRAYER: Thank God for His Word and let’s pray for grace to keep our bodies as pure vessels (habitat-worthy) for God to indwell here on earth in order that He will still be active in our generation.

 

 

LESSON FORTY THREE:   A GIVER UNDER THE OLD COVENANT (CONSTITUTION)

TEXT:                     Deut.16:16-17

MEMORY VERSE: “Each year every man in Israel must celebrate these festivals: The Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Harvest, and the Festival of Shelters. On each of these occasions, all men must appear before the Lord your God at the place He chooses, but they must not appear before the Lord without a gift for Him.” (Deut16:16-TSB)

 

INTRODUCTION:What will later become an act under the regime of Moses after Israel had become a nation,God had shown, in a way, to people before then. In the instance of tithing and Sabbath, God had shown during creation and in His dealings with the fathers – Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. In our study today, we will restrict everything to what it was during the national Israel – the period under the act or law.

 

OBJECTIVE: To appreciate that all givings were welfare programmes for the care of the poor (orphans, widows, slaves, strangers, handicapped and priests) and the compulsion associated there-with.

 

PRESENTATION:

STEP I: ALL FORMS OF GIVING WERE WELFARE PROGRAMMES

1. Tithes were for the welfare of the Levites (Num.18:21-24) who had to give their tithes (tithe of tithes) from there (Num.18:25-29).
2. Tithes were also for the welfare of the orphans, widows and strangers (see Deut.26:12; 14:22-29).
3. All the various offerings stipulated by God except the burnt and sin offerings (Lev.1:3-9; 4:1-12) were targets of mercy God had for the people. They included:
4. Communion or fellowship offering (Lev.3:1-17; 19:5).
5. Guilt offering (Lev.5:1-6:7).

• Grain offering (Lev.2)

1. Drink offering (Num.15:5,10).
2. Wave offering (Lev.23:10-11, 15-17), etc.

 

STEP II: LAW CONTROLLED GIVING; NOT GRACE (Our memory verse)

1. All MEN must appear … each of you MUST bring a gift … (our text).
2. All men of age 20 and above must bring an offering and these were such as were numbered (cf. Num.14:29; Exd.12:37).
3. There is no other place in the entire Bible that makes it a MUST for anybody who seeks God’s face to necessarily bring a material offering as a condition (cf. Acts 17:24-25; Micah 6:6-8).
4. God was aware He had given those men arable land in which to farm and, unless they were lazy, that they could not have been able to produce something from which to bring as offering.

 

STEP III: SOME GIVING LIKE TITHE WAS REGULATED

1. Tithe simply means “one out of ten”. More or less of it makes it sinful under the act or low.
2. Godly giving today is not by threat of law as some of us use ‘Mal.3:8-10’ to illustrate. Instead, divine giving today is named according to needs and varieties, determined by the expected diverse needs to be addressed.
3. Name themfirst fruit and harvest and restrict them to seasons (Read ‘Gal.4:9-11’ to see how seasonal offering is not a good option).
4. Name it tithe and restrict it to law – one out of every ten.

• Name it giving and restrict it to welfare which is need-oriented and acceptable to Jesus Christ (see Gal.6:2,9,10).
• If you had asked Moses, ‘how am I going to love my brother with my wardrobe?’ He would say, ‘’count, if your shirts are up to ten, give him one” (Mal.3:10-11).
• If you asked John Zechariah the same question, he would say, ‘if you have two, give him one and do same with other things’ (see Lk.3:10-11).
• If you asked Paul, the Missionary, he would say, ‘if you have opportunity, do good to all men’ (see Gal.6:10).

1. To solve #5,000 problem of your brother, where you had #20,000, all messengers of God in the Bible, except Moses, will tell you to go ahead and do so because you are under the grace and truth regime of Christ.
2. To solve such problem under the Law of Moses, you would need to have #50,000 before removing #5,000 as tithe.
3. As grace has come with a need-meeting approach seeking for problem to solve, that is how the Law of Moses came with a fault-finding approach seeking for defaulters to punish.
4. “Heb. 7” speaks about the superiority of Jesus and His priesthood to Abraham and the priesthood of Aaron the Levite using the giving of tithe by Abraham to Melchizedek as an illustration.

• During then, Abraham showed that he was less than Melchizedek to seek his blessing and Christ is a type of Melchizedek (Heb. 7:4,7).
• So Abraham whose junior was Levi, together with Levi, acknowledged the superiority of Melchizedek in a way (Heb. 7:9-10).
• So the whole idea of “Heb. 7” is about superiority, not tithing used for illustrating that superiority.
• “Matt. 23:23” is similar to “Mark 1:44”where Jesus encouraged His people to keep the Law which existed before His manifestation in the flesh pending when He would inaugurate another system as replacement (cf. Heb. 7:12; 8:6-8, 13; Matt. 26:28).

1. A person (knowingly or unknowingly) is a Muslim when he practices the Law of Moses (Gal. 4:21-26) which is also known as the Law of Sin and Death (Rom. 8:2).
   1. To kill and dispossess of material land or enslave enemies (where God permits) became the divine mission of those who followed the Law of Moses.
2. A person, conversely, is a Christian when he practices the Law of Christ (Gal. 6:2) which is also known as the Law of the Spirit of Life (Rom. 8:2).
3. To help and pray for one another, even one’s enemies, is a divine mission of those who follow the Law of Christ.
4. This is so because Christ has taught His followers to hope for a land that is to come, not the present one (cf. Heb. 2:5; 2Cor. 4:16-18).

• Where all Scriptures are given by divine inspiration (2Tim. 3:16)for our welfare generally, the part of it that guarantees our welfare after this earthly life is “the Apotles’ doctrine (Acts 2:42; 1John 1:1-4; 4:1,4-6; John 17:13-21)

 

EVALUATION

1. Between proportionate giving and regulated giving, which one has Jesus’ endorsement?
2. If God was still using the first covenant to govern the spiritual life of His people, would our text apply to everybody?
3. Reading ‘Lev.24:19-20’ vis-à-vis ‘Matt.5:38-42’,would you still say that Jesus fulfilled the Law of Moses for us so that we keep practicing it?

 

 

PRAYER: Thank God for His Word and let’s pray for grace to look up to Jesus Christ in His teachings as He handed down to us through His original Apostles for a unified spirit of effectual worship to God through Him.

 

               

LESSON FORTY FOUR:    THE GIVER UNDER THE NEW COVENANT

TEXT:                     2Cor.3:1-11

MEMORY VERSE: “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full-pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” (LK.6:38-TSB)

 

INTRODUCTION: Any government needs a testament to regulate the activities of those involved – whether a changed one or an amended one. A saved person under the New Covenant that had lived under the Old Covenant does not change face; he changes fate through the new faith. He does not change race; he changes realm; He does not change name; he makes a name. Similarly, giving under the Old Covenant remains. What changes is the approach, an improvement in method to reveal its deeper meaning and meet a greater need of the people.

 

OBJECTIVE: To see giving supervised by the Holy Spirit, as in the New Testament, as being distinct from that       ordained under the Law of Moses.

 

PRESENTATION:

STEP I: GIVING UNDER THE NEW COVENANT IS PROPORTIONATE

1. Givers give according to income and extant needs (cf. 1Cor.8:12; 1John3:17-19).
2. No giving of material things was needed for ritual or giving sake (cf. Exd.36:4-7; Num.7:6-9).
3. The timeless business of the church is spiritual as the leader (Christ) cannot be accessed physically (see 2Cor.5:16).
4. Sharing of spiritual gifts/blessings through the Christian teaching is the reason God recommended gathering together (cf. Heb.10:25), not for material possessions which can be possessed by all at any point.

 

STEP II: THE NEW TESTAMENT GIVING IS MERCY-DRIVEN IN ITS ENTIRETY

1. They are entirely relief offerings.
2. Under the first Covenant, one was allowed to eat and be satisfied in another’s farm but never to take some home (see Deut.23:24-25).
3. Owners of farms were not to glean to the four edges of their farms for the good of alien residents, the orphans and the widows (see Deut.24:19-21; Lev.19:9-10).
4. But the New Testament acts of charity gain greater significance than that of the Old because of Christ’s endorsement (cf. Heb.2:1-4).
5. Later handlers of the Law of Moses came to view these acts of charity as meritorious and possessing the power to atone for sins against the message in ‘Prov.11:4’. (The Jewish Encyclopedia, 1976, Vol.1,p.435).
6. This attitude brought about Jesus’ statement of ‘Matt.6:2-4’.

 

 

EVALUATION:

1. Besides giving proportionately, what else distinguishes New Testament giving?
2. In what way is giving under the first Covenant different from that of the New Covenant?
3. According to ‘Num.7:7-9’, what should be the yardstick of any giving?
4. Why should individual or optional material giving be more encouraged than the corporate and/or regulated material giving?
5. Should giving meant to be offered during fellowship be used to help a stranded person before then? Why?

 

PRAYER: Thank God for the lesson and may we pray for grace to see material giving of any type not any compulsory activity in God’s teachings in Christ today, but as an upkeep module for each other in His love.

 

 

               

LESSON FORTY FIVE:       GIVING AS A FRIENDSHIP EVANGELISM STRATEGY

TEXT:                     1Sam.30:7-20

 

MEMORY VERSE: “When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some.” (1Cor.9:22-TSB)

 

INTRODUCTION: The spirit of getting what one desires is the reason for the choice of our text in which David refused to kill his first enemy in anguish but fed him and, as a result, saw the window for total        recovery of all the previous raids by the invaders. This I call, ‘friendship evangelism’.

 

OBJECTIVE: To see that vengeance is the Lord’s if we allow Him to fight for us, and that, His victory for us will always be total and full of blessing in the end.

 

PRESENTATION:

STEP I: PERFECT VENGEANCE IS THE LORD’S

1. When we allow God to handle our enemies from the real world, then, we are sure of a total victory like in our text.
2. When we pray for their peace and wellbeing and exercise same as opportunity appears, we empower God to deal with them (cf. Rom.12:17-21; 1Pet.3:9-12).
3. We can destroy what God desired to preserve and become judges with our evil thoughts if we do not listen to the Holy Spirit and handle situations as David did in our text above.

 

STEP II: GOD IS ALWAYS EXALTED AND HIS OWN ELATED FINALLY

1. Because David won one with the love of Christ, God used that and glorified His name in the midst of His enemy (our text).
2. He also brought great joy and reunion in the camp of His people.
3. May patience finish its work in us – Amen? (see 1Sam.30:19-20).
4. The text above says that nothing was missing – David recovered all – and it could be rightly said that God recovered all for David.

 

STEP III: THE BLESSING IS WRAPPED IN EMPTYING OF SELF

1. Begin now to greet that supposed enemy because of the experience you have had in this lessonso that God may start now to gather your blessings (see Matt.5:43-48).
2. See that you count it all joy whatsoever happens (see Jam.1:2).

 

EVALUATION

1. According to the lesson, what do you understand as ‘friendship evangelism’?
2. In relation to the Egyptian in our lesson, why did David not miss his blessing?
3. Between the visible person and invisible Satan, who is the real enemy?
4. In banishing Satan or his visible agent, which one will solve our lingering problem(s)?

 

PRAYER: As we thank God, let’s pray for perfected patience on our part as Christians so that we allow vengeance to God who knows the very best for us in blessing and in the handling of our opponents.

 

 

THEME: “BAPTISM”

                               

LESSON FORTY SIX:         THE MEANING OF BAPTISM

TEXT:                     Rom.6:1-7

 

MEMORY VERSE: “And that water is a picture of baptism, which now saves you, not by removing dirt from your body, but as a response to God from a clean conscience. It is effective because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” (1Pet.3:21-TSB).

 

INTRODUCTION:Why do believers in Christ want to be baptized of water? Is it to identify with God or with one another? When we believe in Christ (according to the Scriptures-John 7:37-39), that had made us identify with God through our faith in the atoning message of Jesus Christ, and of course, our salvation of the soul. To identify with others who have adopted water baptism as a compulsory common experience, we get baptized of water. The Holy Spirit had cleansed (baptized) us when we believed His Word as He ministered to us the efficacy of faith in the atoning sacrifice of Christ for us. (cf. John 15:3). Believers baptize of water because they are required to do so as a condition for fellowship after they have been saved through baptism of the Holy Spirit by faith in Christ, not because they want to be saved. Baptism of the Holy Spirit is compulsory to everyone who desires to be saved of the soul; water baptism is optional unless it is required by fellow Christians as condition for fellowship.

 

OBJECTIVE: To how how baptism (original and/or symbolic) is applicable to believers in Christ today; the target place to be cleansed and the means.

 

PRESENTATION:

STEP I: MEANING OF THE WORD ‘BAPTISM’

1. The word migrates from the word ‘ba’pto’ which means ‘To dip something in water in order to fetch some out’.
2. The original meaning has been modified to mean ‘immersion’ (cf. our text).
3. So, it must be done where there is much water and quantum faith (see John 3:23).
4. One can be immersed or baptized into anything: work, thought, business, difficulty, etc.
5. It is to be deeply absorbed or involved in anything good or bad.
6. When a newly recruit soldier fires gun at a warfare for the first time, that experience is called, “baptism of fire” because it is an initial experience.
7. We are believers in Christ because of committing our hearts deep enough to the life of Christ as taught by His original Apostles (cf. Eph.4:17-24).

 

STEP II: THE TARGET PLACE TO BE CLEANSED

1. The washing of regeneration is from Jesus who is the Word of God and who had water, blood and spirit in Him (see 1John 5:7-10).
2. He washes the heart which is the altar of our sacrifices (cf. Mk. 7:17-23).
3. The heart is inside which the physical water cannot wash except the power of Christ’s Word borne by the Holy Spirit (cf. John 6:63).

 

STEP III: THE MEANS TO THIS CLEANSING

1. The Word of Christ washes or baptizes the conscience (see John 15:3).
2. The word of John the Baptist had no power to do so (cf. Acts 19:1-7; Matt.3:11,14).
3. Only words borne by the Holy Spirit can take away impurities of the heart.

• For this reason, it is proper also to say that one is baptized by the Holy Spirit (cf. Acts 1:4-5).
• This is a kind of circumcision not done with physical hands but by the spiritual hands of Christ through the Holy Spirit in our hearts using His Word (cf. Col.2:11-12).

1. What makes baptism acceptable to God is the Word of God spoken which is the Spirit of God that the one who is baptized had received by faith before the outward show (cf. John 3:22; 4:2; 1Cor.1:13-17).
2. When Jesus finished preaching, even His Apostles who were not perfected in His Word were allowed to baptize those who indicated interest as the Scriptures above show.
3. Who does the baptism does so by means of the Word of God spoken which is the Spirit of God (ibid) and NOT any other thing.

• As such, it is baptism by Christ and by the Holy Spirit who will empower the individual to bear fruit for the Spirit in Christ afterward (cf. 1Pet.3:21; Matt.1:18; Lk.1:34-35).

1. This baptism is illustrated to us as a death and burial. Watch why God uses them as examples (cf. John 3:4-13; Col.2:11-12).

 

CONCLUSION: The Holy Spirit does not make it mandatory for intending followers of Christ to be baptized of water except those who choose to adopt the Hebrew tradition like Jesus who was both working among the Hebrews and Himself a Hebrew. Jesus never had in mind to compel the non-Hebrews and all who would come to His faith to be ceremonially washed before they are washed in the soul by His Word by His statement in ‘Mark16:15-16’. Neither did Peter think so in ‘1Pet.3:21’.

 

EVALUATION:

1. First of all, what does the Christian baptism (water or Holy Spirit) demand?
2. Can immersion or baptism take place without physical water?
3. What is the means by which Jesus baptizes by the Holy Spirit?
4. Between the Word of God preached and the individual preaching, who is more important before God, reading ‘1Cor.3:5-9’?
5. Where does the Spirit of God seek to wash or baptize in baptism?
6. Are you sure Jesus has baptized you with His Spirit? (cf. Gal. 5:22-23, 25)

 

PRAYER: As we thank God, let’s pray that may the Faith of Jesus Christ be not corrupted or materialized either by ignorance or by the Jewish tradition read on the pages of the Bible.

 

 

               

LESSON FORTY SEVEN:  TYPES OF BIBLICAL BAPTISM      

TEXT:                     Matt.3:7-12       

MEMORY VERSE: “Then what baptism did you experience?” he asked. And they replied, ‘The baptism of John’. Paul said, ‘John’s baptism called for repentance from sin. But John himself told the people to believe in the one who would come later, meaning Jesus’.” (Acts19:3-4) (TSB)

 

INTRODUCTION: Baptisms in Scripture are both positive and negative – some for obedience to Jesus due to understanding His messageand some for expression of ignorance to the Christian teachings. In calling it biblical baptism, we refer to it as being seen in the Bible, not, to acceptance for salvation of the soul.

 

OBJECTIVE: To know the six (6) types of baptism recorded in Scripture and to show briefly those to whom they are applicable.

 

PRESENTATION:

STEP I: THE BAPTISM WITH MOSES AND JOHN ZECHARIAS

1. The baptism with Moses was a show of endorsement by God that He sent Moses on the one hand and the people following his order to enter the midst of the Red Sea dried by God demonstrated their acceptance of him on the other (1Cor.10:1-5).
2. John’s baptism was both a public declaration of acceptance of the impending God’s kingdom to be borne by His Son, Jesus, and preparatory for entry through confession of sin publicly by the people (see Matt.3:7-12; Acts 19:1-7).
3. In the spirit of accepting John’s divine assignment, even as the people accepted Moses at the Red Sea, Jesus accepted to be baptized of John not because of sin like the others (cf. Matt.3:14-15).

 

STEP II: THE BAPTISM OF HOLY SPIRIT AND FIRE (our text and ‘Acts 1:4-5’)

1. The baptism of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4-5) gives all believers the right of entrance into the body of Christ (cf. Gal.3:27) and is done by the invisible hands of Christ through His Word borne by the Holy Spirit.
2. This is the bearer of the empowerment and comfort Jesus promised His followers even before He left in the body (cf. Acts 1:8; John 14:28; 16:12-15, 20-22).
3. This is the “one believers’ baptism” we read of in ‘Eph.4:5’.
4. The baptism of fire is for unbelievers like the Scribes and the Pharisees who never showed the fruitage life God desired (see Matt.3:7-12).
5. When Jesus referred to baptism of the Holy Spirit in ‘Acts 1:4-5’, He never added fire because there were no unbelievers present.
6. His Holy Spirit will comfort and guide the believers as fire unquenchable (Hell fire) will destroy the unbelievers if they continue in unbelief till the end of their earthly lives.

 

STEP III: THE ERRANT BAPTISM FOR THE DEAD AND WATER BAPTISM

1. Paul brought in the heathen practice of mediumship as illustration for the reality of the resurrection arguing that without the belief that there is a resurrection, doing such a thing on behalf of the dead would not be considered necessary (cf. 1Cor.15:29).
2. Only believing people who are able to express a living faith in Christ (cf. Rom.10:9,10,17) were suitable candidates for baptism (water or Holy Spirit).
3. Infants and children, though not to be forbidden from learning the Christian faith, (see Matt.19:13,14)cannot exhibit such qualities as in ‘Rom.10’ above, and so, are not qualified candidates for baptism.
4. They are safe in God’s hand until they become accountable.
5. Water baptism was traditional and ceremonial not mandatory for justification of the soul as the Gospel except where it is optionally adopted as condition for admittance into a believing community (cf. John3:25-26; 4:2; Matt.28:18-20; 1Pet.3:21).
6. Peter says the true baptism was about the cleansing of the conscience, (not the outward washing) which only the Word can do (cf. John 15:3).

 

EVALUATION

1. Between the Word of Christ and the water, which one is more important in the sight of God?
2. Between the Word of Christ and the one speaking it, who is more important reading ‘1Cor.3:5-7’?
3. What is in the water and the Christian officiating that cleanses?
4. Why does water baptism require much water?
5. Can the individual who is baptized like this backslide? (cf. John 6:70).
6. The officiating Christian does not have what to do as he/she has what to say. (Yes/No)Why?
7. Mention anythree kinds of baptism that you have learned.

 

PRAYER POINT: Thank God and pray for grace of revelation for Christians which will enable them know the difference between what is traditional (like the Hebrews’) and what is divine under Christ Jesus both in the Scripture.

 

 

               

LESSON FORTY EIGHT:   THE ONE CHRISTIAN BAPTISM

TEXT:                     Eph.4:1-6

MEMORY VERSE: “And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes.” (Gal.3:27-TSB)

 

INTRODUCTION: Yes! The Christian baptism is such that can unite those who undergo with Christ because it is spiritual. Flesh and blood (carnal people) cannot access Christ who cannot be reached today without the Holy Spirit (cf. 2Cor.5:16; 1Cor.15:50). This one Christian baptism done by Christ Himself through the Holy Spirit opens the door of the heavenly sanctuary for those who believe in Christ through His original Apostles as the Scripture has said (cf. Heb.10:19-23). As in our memory verse, they put on Christ as though they were putting on new clothes.

 

OBJECTIVE: To see what the “one Christian baptism” in our text above is and why it should not be confused with the physical symbol to it called (water baptism which is not mandatory for souls’ salvation) and for admittance into the spiritual body of Christ like the Gospel that regenerates the believers.

 

PRESENTATION:

STEP I: THE CHRISTIAN BAPTISM IS SPIRITUAL

1. It is done with the spiritual hands of Christ purifying a dwelling place for God in the spirit in our hearts (cf. Col.2:11-12; Eph.2:22).
2. It is done with spiritual instruments – His Word (cf. John 6:63; 15:3).
3. As many as Jesus purifies with His Word this way, He adds to His fold (cf. Acts 2:47; Eph.2:19; John 10:16).
4. Men like Ananias may not see immediately (cf. Acts 9:13-15).
5. God knows who are His only from the spiritual perspective (2Tim.2:19; 2Cor.5:16).
6. This one baptism is mandatory for all those who seek salvation of the soul (cf. 1Pet.3:21).

 

STEP II: WATER BAPTISM IS SYMBOLIC OF THE ONE BAPTISM

1. Water baptism is symbolic of the inward cleansing by the invisible hands of Christ by means of His Word borne by the Holy Spirit (ibid).
2. It illustrates that we were born into sin (in the womb of the world), died to it in repentance at hearing the Gospel of Christ; buried with Christ in that belief (symbolized by immersion in water) and resurrected to live henceforth looking up to Jesus in His sanctity (cf. Heb.12:1-6).
3. It is a demonstration that Jesus died FOR sin so that we may die TO sin.

 

STEP III: IT IS BAPTISM WITH/BY THE HOLY SPIRIT

1. The Holy Spirit who bears the Gospel of Christ commits our hearts deep enough to get involved in the things above, where Jesus Christ is, by means of our faith in His preaching (cf. John 16:12-15; Col.3:1-3).
2. This is equated with baptizing our hearts since to baptize is to dip or immerse one’s thought in anything good or bad.
3. Again, one can be immersed into work, thought, business, sin, difficulty, etc.
4. God Himself does not wait until a thing takes place physically before accepting that it exists.
5. He knows those who have been so baptized in their hearts to add to His flock before the actual fruit.
6. This baptism is done by means of His Word which is Spirit (cf. John 15:3).

 

EVALUATION

1. How is baptism with water different from baptism with the Holy Spirit?
2. By means of what are the two baptisms done?
3. How did Jesus see Paul as His chosen one where Ananias was recounting his wicked activities against His fold? (cf. Acts 9:13-15).
4. Between baptism with water and that done with the Holy Spirit, which one can stand independently to offer salvation of the soul?
5. Which of the baptisms does heaven rejoice about as we read in ‘Luke15; 7, 10’?

 

PRAYER POINT: Let’s thank God for His Word and pray that, through the Holy Spirit, Christian leaders will rightly divide the Scripture so that what looks like chaff in the Bible may not be combined with the seed for nourishing God’s flock.

 

 

 

LESSON FORTY NINE:                     HOW TO CONDUCT WATER BAPTISM (Where It Has Been Adopted)

TEXT:                                     Mark 7:1-7

 

MEMORY VERSE: “Then God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” (Gen.1:3-TSB)

 

INTRODUCTION: Water baptism as every other item of our worship is meant to be taught to believers   how it should be conducted and with what. Not everything we do as Christians is explicitly taught in              Scripture. But the Holy Spirit is always readily available to meet whatever the teaching needs of Christ’s followers are by revelation (cf. John 16:12-13; 20:30-31).

 

OBJECTIVE: To learn what to say during water baptism; what is required and who is qualified to                                 administer.

 

PRESENTATION:

STEP I: WHAT IS REQUIRED

1. Where there is enough or much water (baptistery or stream) up to torso level and quantum faith (cf. John 3:23).
2. A Christian appointed (male or female) (cf. John 3:24; 4:2; Gal.3:26-28).

 

STEP II: SAMPLE PRAYER BY THE OFFICIATING CHRISTIAN

“Father before You I stand thankful and on behalf of Jesus declare that You bind and loose there in heaven whatsoever I bind and loose today concerning these ones in Christ’s name.” Amen

‘

 

STEP III: CONFESSIONS

OFFICIAL: Do you (name) believe that Jesus is the Saviour of mankind including you?

INTENDING MEMBER: Yes, I do with my whole heart.

OFFICIAL: Shall any member of your household speak?

EARTHLY KINSMAN: “On behalf of your family and community, I confess to this witness that (candidate’s name) has declared for Jesus Christ publicly to the hearing of all of us and the principalities and I accept  his/her freedom to serve Him now and always – AMEN!”

1. The candidate is held by hand by the kinsman and handed over to the officiating Christian as an open testimony, who receives in the name of the Lord.

 

STEP IV: THE CANDIDATE(S) ENTERS WATER

1. All at the same time where there is space for all of them.

‘

STEP V: UTERANCES BY THE OFFICIATING CHRISTIAN

1. “As this water covers you, may the power of God’s Spirit overwhelm you so that you henceforth be empowered to bear fruit of righteousness to His glory.” AMEN.(cf. Acts 2:38; Luke 1:34-35).
2. “As this water washes your physical body, may the Word of Christ cleanse your heart and conscience now and always.” AMEN (cf. John 15:3; 1Pet.3:21).
3. “As you are buried with Christ by faith in this water into God’s family, you are separated from all condemnations curses and evils of your visible family and community now and always.” AMEN (Rom.6:3-4).
4. “On behalf of Jesus, I declare you new to all your past consequences of sin and death as a result of this faith in Christ by whose baptism you enter into the family of God in the Lord Jesus’ name.” AMEN (cf. 2Cor.5:16-17).

 

STEP VI: IMMERSION

Whether or not the officiating Christian enters the water or touches the intending member(s), he/ she says the following: “You are baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” and the  intending member(s) says “AMEN” and submerges himself/herself/themselves in water and comes/come out the same time.

 

CONCLUSION: About the formula of water baptism, “Acts 2:38” does not conflict with “Matt.28:19”         because “Acts 2” shows how the Jews, Jesus’ enemies, confessed (accepted) Jesus now as their Lord and Christ after hearing His Gospel and agreed to be baptized as an aftermath. When it came to the actual baptism, one Godhead in the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit was acknowledged as in “Matt. 28:19”.

N/B: This lesson is not to be taken as a denominational document other than an instrumental sample and therefore is subject to change where the need arises.

 

EVALUATION:

1. What is the difference between baptizing in the name of Jesus and in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit?
2. If not for admittance of adherents into any faith, what other spiritual reason(s) accounts for water baptism?
3. Where do baptisms of water and that of the Holy Spirit seek to cleanse?
4. Mention any other three forms of baptism seen in Scripture apart from the one believers’ baptism of the Holy Spirit?

 

             PRAYER POINT: Thank God and pray for Christian evidence in the life of those who confess Christ as Lord and Saviour, especially, those who have so publicly declared through water baptism.

 

 

 

THEME: “PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING”

               

LESSON FIFTY:   THE REASONS FOR PRAISING AND THANKING GOD

TEXT:                     Ps.113:1-9

MEMORY VERSE: “Who can be compared with the Lord our God, who is enthroned on high? He stoops to look down on heaven and on earth.” (Ps.113:5-6) (TSB)

 

INTRODUCTION: To praise God is to express, in His acceptable way, appreciation and love for Him (cf.    Ps.69:30). The Greek noun “hy’mnos” and Hebrew verb “ha.lal” from which we have the English words “hymn” and “hallel” – “hallelujah” carry in them that sense of raising songs of praise and             thanksgiving to God.

 

OBJECTIVE: To appreciate some reasons we praise God and the divinely recommended timing.

 

PRESENTATION:

STEP I: GOD IS AN EXAMPLARY PERFECT BEING AND OUR MODEL

1. In everything, God has revealed Himself as a Perfect Model for our successful living in this world to eternity (cf. Matt.5:43-48).
2. The paramount job He has assigned us, first of all, is to strive to be like Him as taught by His Christ (cf. Rom.8:28-30).
3. By so being, we will be invincible and too strong for our adversary – Satan.

 

STEP II: HE IS OUR CREATOR AND THE CREATOR OF THINGS WE NEED

1. Before bringing us out of Himself, He had prepared all that will be needed for our existence (cf. Ps.135:3; 1Chron.16:25-26).

 

STEP III: IN DISTRESSED MOMENTS, HE IS OUR HELPER

1. God is the assurance of our confidence in times of distress to deliver and to sustain (cf.Heb.13:5-6; 1Cor.10:13; Psalm 46:1).

 

STEP IV: RECOMMENDED SEASONS OF PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING

1. Under the New Testament (constitution) of Jesus Christ, praise and thanksgiving to God is every moment since it has to be done in the spirit that is not intermittent (cf. Acts 2:46-47; Phil.4:4-7).
2. We are to be full of praise and thanksgiving to God always.

 

CONCLUSIN: Praising and /or thanking God in word and deed is a means of expressing our appreciation to Him for the upkeep of His Children daily, beginning from His commanding the morning to our side of the globe (see Job38:12) and granting us Visas into the dawning days. Brethren, we are limited in our knowledge of how to identify all divine blessings and to accompany the acknowledgement thereof. But we must all the time be thankful to Him.

 

 

EVALUATION

1. Give three reasons why God deserves our thanksgiving?
2. Why are there no longer seasons of thanksgiving?
3. What benefit(s) do we derive from being thankful to God?

 

PRAYER: Let’s thank God for the lesson and for our lives, every person and everything He has put in place for our blessing and upkeep.

 

     

LESSON FIFTY ONE:         SEPARATING THANKSGIVING FROM REVELRY

TEXT:                     Gal.5:19-21

MEMORY VERSE: “In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision and moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge.” 2Pet.1:5

 

INTRODUCTION: What is revelry? According to Greek/English Lexicon of the New Testament by Joseph Thayer, it is “a nocturnal and riotous procession of half-drunken fellows who, after supper, parade through the streets with torches and music in honour of Bacchus or some other deity and sing and play before the houses of their male and female friends.” (1889,p.367). It is an intemperate or licentious behaviour, with street procession, equivalent with modern day carnivals in cities and communities. True worshippers who were converted in ancient times were not to continue like that after repentance to the faith of Jesus and were abhorred (1Pet.4:1-5).

 

OBJECTIVE: To know that praising and thanking God should teach our neighbours godliness, bringing them and us to a state of sober reflection on the life of God taught by Christ (cf. Eph.4:17-21).

 

PRESENTATION:

STEP I : SELF CONTROL NEEDED DURING PRAISES

1. Without the consciousness of self-control as a fruit of the Holy Spirit, the pathway will lead to revelry during corporate worship.
2. Worship is what is thought of in the heart, said with the mouth and done with the hand with the consciousness of Christ’s teachings; to the welfare of the neighbourhood and to the glory of God.
3. It does not matter the day, season, place and time. It is worship because it attracts a good reward from God.
4. Worship of the true God is working for Him and with Him deserving pay.
5. Raising songs of thanksgiving to God is ‘worship in praise’ which is not even limited to vocal singing. It includes doing or saying things as God would have done and said if He were visible in the body like us.
6. Doing so means we are carrying out those good things on His behalf which will surely gladden Him to reward us accordingly (cf. Heb.11:4; Prov.19:17).
7. Jesus in the presence of the Father on our behalf gives voice to our service of faith in Him – cf. Heb. 7:25.
8. ‘Worship in acappela’ is when we sing without instruments which is the New Testament praise pattern as it has to be spiritual songs from the heart and the fruit of our lips as a sacrifice (cf. Col.3:16; Heb.13:15).
9. About one tenth of the entire Bible is songs, Psalms being the foremost.
10. It is evil to allow our beloved worshippers to get into “religious rascality” in the name of praising God without knowing.

• Our youths are the most vulnerable who will have no business in sober reflexion during corporate worship like the others due to distractions from instruments under their watch.
• The other day, a self styled “Bishop” announced that the organists should please not stop playing so that his anointing will not stop flowing. You now understand what I mean. But where did he get that to yoke our Christian youths with?
• For the records, harpists cannot bring down the influence of the Holy Spirit in this era as in “2Kings 3:14-19”.

1. It is obeying the teachings of Christ as taught by His original Apostles that releases the Holy Spirit to the believers – cf. Acts 2:36-38; 5:32
2. Many of our youths have discovered business in learning how to play instruments because believers groups now consider them as indispensible agents of Church growth and are sometimes paid.

 

EVALUATION

1. In your own words, what is revelry?
2. Have you seen anything like revelry or carousing in your fellowship?
3. Has our Christian Greek Scriptures recommended instruments in Christian music as it does with the spirit of sobriety?
4. Youths who spend their time studying God’s Word and teaching are not encouraged as those playing instruments. (True/False). Why?
5. According to our lesson, which practice recruits our youths into religious rascality?

 

PRAYER POINT: Thank God for His Word and help pray for generational legacy of the truth in the way Christian leaders of nowadays treat it with seriousness before their followers.

               

LESSON FIFTY TWO:                        PRAISING GOD AS A CHRISTIAN                               

TEXT:                                     Acts11:22-26     

MEMORY VERSE: “But it is no shame to suffer for being a Christian. Praise God for the privilege of being called by His name!” (1Pet.4:16-TSB)

 

INTRODUCTION: Christians live by God’s ransoming power and His enabling grace. They are those who have resolved to follow Jesus no matter what (cf. Matt.16:24). To praise God as Christians is all the Christians think, talk and work watching what Christ teaches as a show of love to Christ (cf. John 14:15; Lk.6:46). The term which is derived from “khristi.anos” is only found three times in the Christian Greek Scriptures in ‘Acts11:26; 26:28 and 1Pet.4:16’ and first used in Antioch of Syria (our text). King Agrippa 11 using the descriptive in Caeserea at about A.D.58 is a testimony that the term was well known even then. The Scripture says that it was a God-ordained name with those who are used to first call them notwithstanding (our text).

 

OBJECTIVE: To appreciate that praising God as a Christian is praising Him with the knowledge of what Christ teaches as well as anticipate a good reward.

 

PRESENTATION:

STEP I: CHRISTIANS DO ALL THINGS INCLUDING PRAISE IN CHRIST’S NAME (Col.3:17)

1. To do all things in Christ’s name is to have His authorization based on His inspired teachings beneficial for educating and disciplining humanity (cf. 2Tim.3:16-17; John 17:17; 2Pet.1:21).
2. What brings God praise is beyond lip singing to a working or living faith (cf. Jam.2:17, 21-26).

 

STEP III: IT IS A PRAISE FROM THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN CONVERTED

1. Why the Christian must repent and live the life of the born again person is that it is not only his direct praise that will suffice but also the indirect praises of others to God through his beneficial lifestyle (cf. Matt.5:16).
2. It is the life lived that praises God, not the songs sung which is just a fragment or fruit of that life.
3. The Christians live to demonstrate in real terms what they are called: ‘the chosen’, ‘believers in the Lord’, ‘brothers and disciples’, ‘faithful ones’, ‘slaves to God’, ‘holy ones’ and ‘those who call upon the name of the Lord’ (cf. Col.3:12; Acts 5:14; 6:3; 9:2; Rom.6:22).

 

 

EVALUATION

1. How can praises given to God differ from other praises?
2. If a Christian is not a Christian indeed, can God receive his praise and give him a positive reward?
3. If not for lip praise, can praise be given to God through other means? (Yes/No). If yes, what are they?

 

PRAYER POINT: Let’s thank God for His Word and ask Him for more grace with which to thank Him as a demonstration of our trust and continued dependence upon His unfailing promises to us.

 

 

 

LESSON FIFTY THREE:THE SECULAR GOVERNMENT, A REASON FOR THANKING GOD

TEXT:                                     Rom.13:1-7

MEMORY VERSE:“For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you.” (Rom.13:3-NIV)

 

INTRODUCTION: In view of its original meaning, to govern is to guide or direct using authorized institutions. Where there is no law, there is no order and where there is no order, there is no government; where there is no government, there is no God. Therefore, government is a blessing if the governing body and the governed run according to rules. The government of heaven extended to earth through Christ and His Church (believing people) is a perfect political model for all secular governments.

 

OBJECTIVE: To see the various blessings in the existence of governance as lacking in anarchy.

 

PRESENTATION:

STEP I: THE GOVERNMENT IS A UNIFYING FORCE

1. The blessing of the people pooling their resources (human and natural) together is only possible in a central arrangement called government.
2. Harmony in the day to day existence and in business transactions of the subjects for the expected dividends will be guaranteed (cf.Gen.11:1-9).

 

STEP II: THERE IS THE BLESSING OF RESTRAINT

1. With government in place, evil people with their sabotaging intentions can be restrained.
2. This authoritative influence exercised over them is for the wellbeing of the peace lovers; hence the divine recommendation that we pray for any extant government (cf. 1Tim.2:1-4).

• Have you heeded that divine charge by praying sincerely for our government at federal, state and local government levels or you are casting aspersions against it

 

STEP III: THERE IS THE BLESSING OF PROMOTIOM AND EMPOWERMENT

1. In enforcing law and order by the government, those who do good will be promoted and empowered (our text).
2. Civil authorities are approved by God to share God’s material resources to mankind equitably through the instrument of beneficial or need-oriented legislations (our text).
3. Similarly, the Church (Christians) is placed of God to share God’s spiritual resources (the more important and eternal resources) to mankind equitably through the instrument of Christ’s teachings (cf. Eph.1:13-14; 2:17-19; 3:6).
4. Everybody in the world who does not express sincere faith in Jesus Christ is poor in the true sense of poverty.
5. This is the “poverty in spirit” to which Jesus referred in ‘Matt.5:3’.

• Such, is the real hunger of which the Scripture speaks (see Matt.5:6).

 

 

EVALUATION

1. Considering the effects of anarchy and governance, what are two merits of a government?
2. What makes an individual a part of an extant government?
3. Who are the givers of power to those in authority after God?
4. Why should we pray for our government?

 

PRAYER POINT: Praise God for the lesson and ask Him for the spirit of loyalty to and prayer for instituted authorities knowing fully that no authority can be exercised without Christ’s endorsement who alone is the King of kings and Lord of lords.

 

 

LESSON FIFTY FOUR:      THANKSGIVING FOR DAILY UPKEEP

TEXT:                     Matt.6:25-34

MEMORY VERSE: “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.” (1Thess.5:23-24) (NIV)

 

INTRODUCTION: According to our text, when pagans worry, more ideas of how to invent sins, expressed in diverse atrocities, are revealed to them by the one (Satan) who lives in them (cf. Eph.2:1-2; Rom.1:30).We, too, have had Jesus abiding in us by the Holy Spirit as an assurance and guarantee of God’sfaithfulness. He says, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Heb.13:5 – NIV).

 

OBJECTIVE: To see reasons for thanking God for daily grace of life and upkeep of us and all that concerns us.

 

PRESENTATION:

STEP I: OUR PHYSICAL LIFE, A REASON FOR PRAISE

1. It is the grace of God in Christ that grants us entry into any new day through elect angels’ ministration (cf. Heb.1:14).
2. God has done so from the beginning of this year till today, the last week of the year.
3. He started the good work of securing and sustaining us from January and now he has perfected it bringing us to the last week of December. Praise God! (see Phil.1:6).

 

STEP II: KEEPING ALL THAT CONCERN US

1. In fact, no amount of praise and thanksgiving can go for God’s care for all that concern us.
2. Our husbands, wives, children, relations, business associates, etc.
3. Our spiritual relations: our professional Pastors, other Christians, our hearts – mentality, intelligence, will, etc.

• Our economic activities: our offices, shops, workshops, security during travels – for us and all our partners – physically and spiritually. The list is endless.

 

STEP III: SONGS/PRAYERS OF THANKSGIVING

1. Singing! Singing!!     Singing!!!
2. Prayers of thanksgiving

 

CONCLUSION:

This period should be used for singing spiritual songs to the glory of our God, our Protector and Sustainer. To Him be all glory, power, dominion, majesty and honour now and always.  AMEN! AMEN!! AMEN!!!