Lesson: PRAYING THE GODLY WAY
TEXT: Matt. 6:5-8
MEMORY VERSE: 1Thess. 5:17
‘Pray continually.’ (NIV)

INTRODUCTION:
Praying the godly way starts with purity of heart (cf. Jn. 9:31) and relief of the needy (cf. Isa. 58:5-12). It takes into account the needs of others also (intercession – 1Tim. 2:1-6). Praying is talking. It might include action as in the case of Abel who had died but is still talking – cf. Heb. 11:4. It makes necessary inference based on God’s Word which is spirit, thus, making the one praying to be seen as praying in the spirit. In other words, it is to talk to God the very thing God told us before as reason for Him to order your life and world according to His spoken Word in which you have believed and spoken. Read a model Christian prayer in ‘Acts 4:23-31’. Praying is also talking in action and cannot be limited to words of mouth as Abel is still talking through the acceptable sacrifice he offered when he was alive (ibid). One that relieves the needy is said to be lending to God expecting repayment (see Prov. 19:17). Someone is praying for healing when he gives alms to the poor (see Ps. 41:1-3). More so, Jesus intercedes on our behalf as He watches over us as He watches us live His life that benefits our neighbourhood (see Heb.7:25). The Holy Spirit is also praying for us giving oracle to our faithful sacrifices before God (see Rom.8:15, 16, 26). Prayer to God is fellowship with Him as fellowship is expressed in giving and taking (cf. Phil.4:15).

OBJECTIVE: Briefly, we are going to see features of corporate and individual praying as well as how God answers our prayers and the determinants.

PRESENTATION:
Step I: CORPORATE PRAYER
1. Corporate vocal and candidate vocal
(a) The corporate vocal denotes all talking according to items given by the leader as in ‘Acts 4:23-31’.
(b) The candidate or delegate vocal denotes one member appointed to lead other members who will agree with an “amen” as in ‘1Cor. 14:16-17’.
i. In leading corporate prayers, understood
medium must be used for easy communication as the Bible passage above emphasizes.
ii. Corporate worship activities must acknowledge order wth regards to obeying
the leader appointed and bound by the time allotted since divine acceptance does not hinge on duration of time spent and quantity of words spoken (cf. Matt. 6:7-8).

Step II: INDIVIDUAL PRAYING
(a) Unlike corporate way of praying, individual praying has no administrative order in Scripture except in not being nude and doing all to God’s glory for one’s
blessing. (cf. Col. 3:17).
(b) The one praying chooses venue and duration as Jesus did (see Luke 6:11-12; Heb. 5:7)

Step III: HOW GOD ANSWERS OUR PRAYERS
1. In asking, sometimes we get the very thing for which we asked like Jonah. (see Jonah 2:1-10).
2. Sometimes, God gives to us more than we asked for like Solomon (see 1Kgs 3:9-13).
3. At times, God gives in exchange of what we asked for like Moses and Aaron (Deut. 32:48-52).
i. In order that God forgive them, He denied them visas into the material Promised Land so as to save their souls and guarantee them entrance into the eternal Promised Land.
4. Sometimes, we are asked to keep praying, believing and waiting like the widow of ‘Luke 18:1-8’ teaching persistence.
5. Sometimes, God says ‘NO’ because what we have asked for will not glorify Him and will be detrimental to our existence (cf. Jam. 4:1-6).

Step IV: DETERMINANTS TO FAVOURABLE ANSWERS TO OUR PRAYERS
Five pronounced factors determine favourable answers to our prayers:
1. Doubtlessness (Faith unwavering) (Matt. 6:8; Mark 11:23-24).
2.. Persistency (Luke 18:6-7; 1Thess. 5:17).
3. Fullness of time (FOT) (see Gal. 4:4-5).
4. Holiness, humility and hospitality (cf. Jn. 9:31: Heb.12:14; Jam.1:27).
5. Motives (Jam.4:3).

CONCLUSION:
Do you pray like the son or daughter of a King because that is who you are? Or, are you praying beggarly like the son or daughter of a slave and foreigner? As we announce the will of God in preaching and teaching His Word, that is what prayer and singing do also. In case you did not understand it so, begin now to talk or pray or make decree as though you know who you really are in your relationship with the King of kings and Lord of lords, even Jesus. Sing too with that consciousness to the hearing of principalities (leaders in spirit’ settlements) always. See where you are now as the presence of God since His Word which is spirit abides in you, and then do all things (in thought, words and deeds) in the name (authority) of Jesus Christ, giving the Father glory in Him. (see Col. 3:17).

EVALUATION:
1. Why do we say prayer is talk back time?’
2. What method of corporate praying is more effective?
3. Reading ‘Jn. 2:23-25 and 2Sam. 7:1-17’, can God bless people for nursing a good thought to give services to Him even if not yet doing? Why?
4. Why are we correct to say that God gave Moses and Aaron an exchanged reply?

PRAYER: Thank God for His Word and pray for knowledge of why we pray so that our daily prayers will seek, first of all, the things of the spirit to which God will attach the needful things of this world to us.

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Lesson: THE INSURMOUNTABLE AUTHORITY IN JESUS’ SERVICE
TEXT: John 7:14-36
MEMORY VERSE: John 3:31
‘The One Who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The One Who comes from heaven is above all.’ (NIV)

INTRODUCTION:
There is round the clock security for those in Jesus’ service. It is that best this security is offered by celestial personnel (elect or loyal angels). As in the idea of our memory verse, security from above is above all. The mandate that Jesus servicemen be secured roundabout is from the Father Who rules in the kingdoms of men (see Dan. 4:32): Who hangs the earth on nothing without any worry of a possible collapse (see Job 26:7); Who alone can command the morning (see Job 38:12) and Who alone can regulate the waters from overstepping their bounds (see Job 38:8-11).

OBJECTIVE: To see after an expose on our text that:
(a) Jesus’ service is from above
(b) Jesus’ service has instructors from above.
(c) Its authority is from above
(d) Its healing power is from above
(e) It confuses its opponents

PRESENTATION:
Step I: JESUS’ SERVICE IS FROM ABOVE (John 7:14-16,28,29)
(a) His service’s duration is the ‘light-shine period’ (cf. Luke 22:53).
i. When light shines (being about Jesus’ service), darkness, (frustrations from the pit of hell) cannot thrive. (cf. Jn.1:5)
ii. From the beginning, light overturned darkness. (cf. Gen. 1:1-3)

Step II: JESUS’ SERVICE HAS INSTRUCTORS FROM A8OVE (Jn. 7:15-17)
(a) The instructors are spirit beings who work with our senses but never make us insane persons.
(b) It takes only mindsets committed to God’s will to verify such claims (ibid).

Step III: JESUS’ SERVICE AUTHORITY IS FROM ABOVE (Jn. 7:18, 25-27,30)
(a) There is neither qualm nor harm while in Jesus’ service. (cf. 1Pet 3:10-14).
(b) There is inherent security services (ISS) resident in His service. (cf. Jn. 7:30)

Step IV: JESUS’ SERVICE HAS HEALING POWER
FROM ABOVE (Jn. 7:19-24)
(a) This healing power works without season with benefits to humanity as priority. (cf. Jn.7-23-24)
i. The right judgment should ask, ‘How much benefit to mankind does it release?’

Step V: JESUS’ SERVICE CONFUSES OPPONENTS (Jn. 7:32-35)
(a) Virtually everywhere in Scripture where God is at work, the devil is confused.
(b) What was preached to help the sincere turned kinky to the opponents, so, they grapple for understanding unsuccessfully. (cf. John 7:35,36)
i. A downfall starts with a doubt to a fall. – cf. Rom. 11:7-10.
ii. Excelling in Jesus’ service is determined by the amount of growth in the knowledge of Jesus’ leadership pattern. (cf. Rom. 14:1-8,13,19)
III. It is in making the love of truth taught by Jesus paramount so that maximizing the benefit inherent in the service for His creation may become realistic. (cf. Rom. 8:35-39)

CONCLUSION:
We have to see clearly enough that there was not a time that Jesus went about doing His Father’s will that was there any force that hindered Him. Such power could not come during Jesus’ ministry only to be terminated after His earthly ministry. The power in Christ’s service, rather, lives on from generation to generation. The power is service-inherent showing that, as many as sign up to this eternal service, enjoy this invincible power from our Omnipotent Maker.

EVALUATION:
1. Everything good in Jesus’ service is as a result of its source. Where is that source?
2. According to ‘John 20:30,31’, all Jesus said and did are not recorded for us in Scripture. Why then are we expected to be as perfect as He is? (cf. Matt. 5:48).
3. According to ‘Matt. 22:29’, give two reasons why men sin against God.
4. When Christians are no longer learning, they are into an ‘occultism of ignorance’. Explain.

PRAYER: Thank God for the lesson and pray for boldness in our everyday exercise of our faith in Christ combining same with the joy that is in His Spirit.

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Lesson: THE CHRISTIAN FAITH, THE PLACE THAT RENDERS GOD A DEPENDANT
TEXT: John 18:19-21
MEMORY VERSE: 2Cor. 4:7
‘But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us.’

INTRODUCTION:
God depended on Jesus to make Him known, even as Jesus has depended on us to make both Him and His Father known. How will this our uncompromising obligation be strategized for effectiveness? What will we do with Jesus as there is no neutral ground? It is either we say, ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ to Him. Of course, to be neutral is tantamount to refusal.

OBJECTIVE: At the end of this brief lesson, the audience, by God’s grace, should be able to adopt strategies favourable to the revelation of Jesus as the Saviour of all creation as well as to every individual and group.

PRESENTATION:
STRATEGY ONE: To Learn Jesus
(a) ‘Ask those who have heard me, what I said to them; they know what I said’ (Jn. 18:21b) were the words of Jesus to the high priest.
i. By the statement Jesus made above, He has shown what He expects of us, His followers, not to let the bulk stop with us.
(b) To learn Jesus involves discipleship without which one is left in an “occultism of ignorance” where he becomes his own judge (cf. Jn. 8:31-32).
(c) It is upon the believers’ shoulders to encourage others who will, in turn, encourage others to learn and exercise.
(cf. 2Tim. 2:2; 1Pet. 3:15).

STRATEGY TWO: To Teach Jesus (cf. Acts 2:42)
(a) We are to teach the plan and execution of God’s salvation in Christ (cf. Acts 4:11-12; 1Pet. 1:10-12; Gal. 4:1-5).
(b) We are to prayerfully teach the stories and parables about God’s kingdom as Jesus does midwife its establishment on earth. (cf. Matt. 13:1-52; Col. 1:12; Eph.5:5).
(c) We are to teach the examples of Christ’s suffering and those of His early believers as models for encouragement. (cf. 1Cor. 11:1; Phil. 3:17; 1Pet. 2:21-23; 4:1-2)
i. What is the Christian Faith without a change of life? Therein is the only way to know who a true preacher of Christ is.
(Eph. 4:20,21).

STRATEGY THREE: To Live Jesus (cf. Heb.12:1-2)
(a) Emphasis here is on good fruit-bearing lifestyle. (cf. Jn. 13:17; 15:5,8)
i. It will not be good fruits if the bearer is the only consumer and/or beneficiary. (1Jn. 3:17-19; Matt. 5:16).
ii. Such fruits must bring reprieve to the neighbourhood before God can be glorified as He rewards. (cf. Matt. 5:13-15).

CONCLUSION:
Jesus never preached to convert any unbeliever at the period between His resurrection and ascension – forty days to be specific. That, really, is a doubtless handing over to His believers to continue from there. Even elect angels (spirits) are not permitted to be preachers of Christ. If their services are needed, they have to communicate their God-given message to target persons who will share with fellow persons afterwards. (cf. Rev. 19:9,10; 22:8,9)
Make yourself available too for this rewarding and divine assignment.

EVALUATION:
1. In what way(s) are human beings significant in God’s salvation in Christ?
2. Mention the three strategies you have just learned about revealing Jesus.
3. How could the life of the early Christians teach Jesus?
4. Between you and your neighbour, who will the Christian life seek to bless first?
5. When a believer or group of believers claims to know everything, what will they always be doing and want to
do with others?

PRAYER: Thank God for His Word and pray for grace to ably represent our invisible, yet always present, Father here on earth through bearing the good fruit of His Spirit always.

Lesson: THE CHRISTIANS AS STAKEHOLDERS IN GOD’S VISION
MEMORY VERSE: Gen. 1:26
TEXT: Eph. 1:3-4
Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness. and let them rule over the fish of the sea and tho birds of the air. over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” (NIV)

INTRODUCTION:
A vision is an invisible reality in the mind which, after execution, becomes a mission. God’s vision originally was to extend His administration from heaven (3rd heaven) to earth. As a result, He first of all reconstructed or developed his earth where the representative of His heavenly government (kingdom) will comfortably dwell. (cf. Gen. 1:1-26)

OBJECTIVE: At the end of the lesson, the congregation should be able to see Christians as ministers, ambassadors, divine law enforcement agents and their presence, a satellite heaven on earth.

PRESENTATION:
Step I: THE CHRISTIANS AS MINISTERS
i. God makes Christians Ministers in His government as a way of promoting and placing man above every other creature He made. (cf. Heb. 2:5-8)
ii. All the Christians on earth collectively are called ‘Church’. (cf. Heb. 3:4-6; Col. 1:18, 24; 1Pet. 2:9).
iii. The Church is the spiritual Garden of Eden or Paradise in which believers in Christ have accessed now by their faith in Christ’s message. (cf. Eph.5:3-7,32; 2Cor. 6:14-18).
iv. The Church (group of believers) is also a Ministry or work phase in which believers in Christ serve according to their various gifts. (see Rom. 12:3-8).

Step II: THE CHRISTIANS ARE AMBASSADORS
(cf. 2Cor.5:17-20)
i. We represent the home government of heaven from where we have come to the earth in order to assist all who aspire to do business with our heavenly or home government.
(a) This, we do by making the living policies of our home government known. (cf. 2Cor. 5:17-19; Matt. 28:18-20)

i. I pray for you for grace not to forget to make the reason for your existence here your priority. (cf. Rom.8:28,29)

Step III: CHRISTIANS ARE DIVINE LAW ENFORCEMENT
AGENTS
i. We are expected to guard jealously against the wresting of our King Jesus’ directives where we are. (cf. 2Cor. 11:2-4, 29; Jude 3)
ii. We must be ready to give to our host (the unbelievers) whatever the home government commands with the boldness it deserves (Eph. 6:19: Jn. 16:33; Matt. 10:19).
iii. We must correct as the need arises from time to time. (cf. 2Cor. 10:3-6; 1Cor. 5:1-2, 12, 13; 13:6).

Step IV: THE CHRISTIANS’ ABODE IS EXPECTED TO BE A SATELLITE HEAVEN
i. Among the believers, the host government (the world) witnesses the life of God. (cf. Matt. 5:38-48; Eph. 4:17-20)
ii. The joy and peace within them cannot be found anywhere else. (cf. Jn. 14:27; 16:22)

CONCLUSION:
The Christian is God’s leg, hand and mouth as well as everything the world needs for understanding their God of heaven. Everything about the Christian Faith is programmed to depict God going to man; dwelling with man; talking to man; working in man and for man. You want to know how and Who God is? Watch a Christian. God is pleased to be revealed through the Christians to the world.

EVALUATION:
1. How would you define a vision?
2. What is God’s original vision which He turned into a mission?
3. Why are the Christians divine law enforcement agents?
4. What is the relationship between the Church and the Garden of Eden?
5. In what one way is the Church a satellite heaven?

6. How can the unbelievers discover an invisible God through watching the Christians’ daily behavioural patterns?

PRAYER: Thank God for His Word and pray that no circumstance caused by spirits in the heavens will make you quit your duty post as a stakeholder in God’s dream of saving His mankind.

Lesson: SELFLESS USE OF ADVANTAGE
TEXT: Mark 1:35-39
MEMORY VERSE: Matt. 4:10
Jesus said to him, ‘away from Me, Satan! For it is written: ‘worship the L Lord your God, and serve Him only.‘

INTRODUCTION:
Everything we possess in this earth is a gift from God. To simply put, we are delegated owners (cf. 1Cor. 4:7); whether they are spiritual or physical possessions, notwithstanding. They belong to God for all mankind. The Word of God made flesh into (Jesus) shows us so in our text above by not yielding to where people were looking for Him just to experience miracles. He was sent as God’s Word for changing peoples’ hearts to be God-like through preaching. Jesus stood His ground, even to His death (cf. Rev.2:10).

OBJECTIVE: At the end of the lesson, the audience should be able to see the need for selflessness in the use of all God deposited at their disposals.

PRESENTATION:
Step I: JESUS, OUR MODEL OF SELFLESSNESS
(a) Jesus would only use His miraculous powers during preaching; not for personal advantage. (see memory verse).
(b) He chose to be known more a preacher than a sign and miracle worker. (cf. Jn. 10:41; Matt. 12:38-41).
(c) For people to come together today just because a seemingly miracle worker is to minister is incorrect scripturally (see our text).

Step II: SELFLESSNESS, A FEATURE OF THE FAITH OF JESUS
(a) The selfless seek Jesus for a window to deliver service. (cf. Acts 9:6; Luke 3:10-14)
(b) The selfish people cannot inherit the Kingdom of Christ. (cf. Luke 18:24-28).
(c) To be selfish is to be carnal-minded. (cf. 1John 3:16-19; Jn 10:9,10,17)

Step III: SELFLESSNESS, AN ATTRIBUTE THAT
GLORIFIES GOD (Matt. 8:16-18)
(a) Jesus’ good Spirit fulfilled Scriptures positively thereby making God true (see lsa. 53:4).
(b) One is God-dependent when remaining selfless.
i. The same knows that God is a Rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (see Heb. 11:6b).

CONCLUSION:
The Christian Faith is not about who performs the most miracles. It is about who converts the most sinful lives to the life of Christ. We do not need, in our time, those who can do what Satan can do. We, rather, need to identify with those who can do what God can do. Only God can love as we can attest in the lives of those He indwells and teaches. His opponent, Satan, can only lust and this, too, we can attest in the lives of unbelievers in Christ. As God bears life to His humanity in the message of Christ, even, so is how Satan shows himself a killer in those he possesses in his camp. (see Jn.10:10) Satan can fake God’s signs and miracles, but he cannot fake His love, light, truth and spirit. By fruits expressed, we will always know. (see Matt. 7:15-20).

EVALUATION:
1. Mention one significant reason goodness should be moved from one place to another.
2. Between working miracles and preaching Christ, which can change life and, thus, be more important?
3. At what point does God permit us to use our gifts for personal advantage?
4. When people are selfish, they are also carnal-mínded. (True or False). Why?

PRAYER: Thank God for the lesson and pray for us to be agents of God’s blessings to our neighbourhood according to His will and grace that is in Christ Jesus.

Lesson: THE CHRISTIAN REWARD SYSTEM
TEXT: Heb. 11:1-6
MEMORY VERSE: 2Cor. 5:10
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. (NIV)

INTRODUCTION:
The Christian reward is influenced by the kind of rewarder and means to that reward. The rewarder is a spirit (unseen) Who gives spiritual rewards to the faithful ones by means of His Word which is also spirit (cf. Jn.4:23,24; 6:63; Eph. 1:3,4). Therefore, everything about the Christian Faith starts and ends in the spirit. The essence of God’s recommendation for which we study and work hard to defend is to keep us, the adherents, focused on the spiritual perspective of our confession in order that what God has said might be prioritized in all ramifications of our being.

OBJECTIVE: To see who the rewarder of the Christian is; what He considers before His reward and the perspective of His reward.

PRESENTATION:
Step I: THE REWARDER OF THE CHRISTIANS
(a) The rewarder is a spirit (invisible being) (ibid).
i. In a physical realm such as ours, the rewarder (Jehovah) can only be known for His righteous and benevolent attributes we express. (cf. Matt. 5:13-16,43-48).
ii. His various benevolent attributes are severally used to refer to Him.
– He is love (see 1John 4:16).
– He is faithful (see 1Cor. 10:13) etc.
(b) The love of God is manifested only in Jesus Christ. (cf. Jn 3:16,17)
i. Therefore. Jesus is described in Scripture as the love of God unspeakable (2Cor. 9:15 – KJV; Rom.5:7,8; Jn. 15:13-14)

Step II: CONSIDERATIONS BEFORE REWARD
(a) He considers the state of the heart first, the place He abides in His Word. (cf. Mark 11:22-25).
i. That place must be kept free from qualms and doubt.
(b) His Word which is His Spirit must power our intentions for thinking, saying or doing anything to please Him or He is not
expected to be the Rewarder afterwards. (cf. Jn.6:63; Mat. 15:9).
(c) God considers our intentions for a good or bad reward from Him – not the physical quantity and/or quality of the offerings or services (cf. 1Cor. 13:1-3).
i. Prayers are not positively rewarded by God due to the quantity of words spoken and duration of time covered (see Matt.6:7).
ii. Anything that defiles basically comes from the heart according to God’s word. (see Mark 7:20-23).
– In the same vein, what should make worship and a worshipper be acceptable to God must also come from the heart (cf. Prov.4:23). Is that real with you? Check again.

Step III: THE CHRISTIAN REWARD IS FIRSTLY SPIRITUAL
(a) The agent of the Father’s reward (Christ) is only accessed spiritually now (see 2Cor. 5:16) and He only serves spiritual blessings first. (see Eph. 1:3)
(b) The reason is that every material blessing had been here with us before Jesus came, yet, they could not serve as successful means to our redemption.
(c) No wonder Jesus says that visible dependence (the flesh) does not profit anything. (Jn.6:63).

CONCLUSION:
Enough of our doing anything for God just for sightseeing without the consciousness of His love in our hearts. God desires that we work for the welfare of all for whom Jesus died and cleansed. (cf. 1Tim.2:1-7). Let us replace every act and tag with the love of God for all. For instance, compared with Islam, the Christian ‘Adam’ is ‘Adamu’; ‘Moses’ is ‘Musa’; ‘Jacob’ is Yakubu; ‘Abraham’ is ‘lbrahim’; etc. How can we allow just a language difference like that to destroy the love of God among us, His people, for whom Jesus died? Among the Christians also, ‘Christ’s membership‘ (see 1Cor.6:13-17) must be seen to be superior to ‘Church membership‘. We must be possessing Christians and not professing ones; not members in creed but members in deed.

EVALUATION:
1. What can quench every religious division due to names, patterns of administration and dogmas?
2. Looking at the enemy of God’s Word, why would God not operate through the flesh?
3. Reading ‘Rom.8:1-3’, why would God only bless us with spiritual blessings first in Christ?
4. Explain ‘…For the prince of the world is coming. He has no hold on me’ – (Jn.14:30b – NIV) Jesus’ statement above.

PRAYER: Thank God for the lesson and pray for grace to reach the divine target of our lives on earth pleasing God in the end.

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