Monthly Archives: June 2012

Be Not Deceived, God Is Not Mocked: For Whatsoever A Man Soweth, That Shall He Also Reap (Gal.6:7)

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Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap (Gal. 6:7)

“Sow Today” A Sermon By Pastor E. A Adeboye

Apart from telling people that our God is the ultimate leader, leaders must teach their members principles of God’s Kingdom, particularly on giving. Some pastors are shy in doing this for fear of having their intentions misrepresented. You are not the author of the Bible. Never keep kingdom truths from your people or else, you will deny them opportunities of being blessed. Galatians 6:7says it is what you sow that you will reap. At the time I became the General Overseer of the RCCG, we were among the poorest people on the face of the earth, because we hardly gave offerings in those days. Then, leaders did not want to teach on giving. The truth is that anyone who refuses to give may never be delivered from begging. If you have become a perpetual beggar, check yourself; it could be that you are defaulting in giving. Besides, the most favourable time to give is during a famine. As difficult as it may sound, sow in your famine season. From experience, I can safely say God is faithful to His Word as long as you act on it.

When we were about to roof the old auditorium, we had N 1,000.00 but needed N 16,000.00 more. Meanwhile, the dormitory being built by the area pastors had equally reached roofing level and they needed N 1,000.00. When the pastor came to ask me for N 1,000.00, I virtually chased him out. He ran out having not seen me in such a mood before. But then the Lord asked me to give him the N 1,000.00 I had. Reluctantly, I called him back and handed over the money. However, I felt I had returned to square one. While grumbling over this development, the Lord asked why I was grumbling, that, after all, there were two problems and I was used to solve one of them. Later that day, a woman came from Port-Harcourt saying that after collecting her rent, the Lord asked her to bring it to me. I prayed for her and she left. On opening the envelope, there was N 17,000.00 in it. If I had held back the N 1,000.00, I may not have received the N 17,000.00 I urgently needed. Are you holding back the seed that can release your harvest? Don’t be myopic! Look beyond your immediate need; see into the great harvest that is awaiting you and sow to release it.

That seed you are about to sow may be what you need to receive your turn around. Sow, again and again!

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

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And The Man Waxed Great, And Went Forward, And Grew Until He Became Very Great (Genesis 26:13)

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English: Joseph made ruler in Egypt

English: Joseph made ruler in Egypt (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great (Genesis 26:13)

 

 

 

 

 

Famine uplifts!

As bad as economy – based famine may appear, some are really blessings in disguise. One lesson here is that some famines are meant to add value to you and make you more relevant to your world.  One Bible character whose life was boosted by a famine was Isaac. Until the famine, there was nothing significant about his wealth and status. He could still pass off as an ordinary man. Then came famine! The gains during the dry period affected him so much that his life was never the same afterwards. His greatness and possessions so increased that he became the envy of everyone in the land of the Philistines. He became wealthier than a nation! The blessing and covenant of being a lender to nation was fulfilled in his life during a famine. Do you know that wealth far beyond your dreams can come to you during a famine?

Similarly, a famine can be God’s avenue for the fulfilment of pending prophecies or promises. Let us take Joseph as a case in point. For several years, Joseph wondered when God would fulfil His dreams of greatness. When the time came finally, God used an imminent seven-year famine period to move him from prison to the status of prime minister. Has God made you certain promises and you are wondering whether they will ever come to pass? If so, do not be afraid of famines as long as you are living to His pleasing. That famine could be the medium by which God intends to fulfil that pending prophecy in your life. Moreover, while famines take many down, some are lifted up. The same famine that impoverished Gerar, enriched Isaac. The same famine that impoverished the Egyptians and residents of neighbouring countries enriched Joseph and his family. From today, as others are going down in terms of reserves, wealth and relevance during famines, you will be going up. While others are begging for food around you, you will have more than enough to eat and to give out. Famines will work in your favour. Famines will become avenues to uncover your hidden talents for te benefit of mankind. Celebration is yours during famines from now on.

Prayer Point:  Dear Heavenly Father! As You used a famine to raise Joseph from being a nobody to a somebody, use the present famine situation to move me from being nobody into somebody, in Jesus Christ Name, Amen!

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American, and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

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Sin Changes Everything

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The Christian concept of apocatastasis include...

Sin changes everything

 

 

 

 

 

“In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” (Genesis 3:19).

 

 

 

 

 

 

After God created Adam, he ruled as a king over the whole earth. He named all the animals with his God-given, unparalleled wisdom. Everything went well and was peaceful. In addition, he regularly received his heavenly visitor – GOD. All he needed had been provided ever before he was created. Then came SIN! The man who wanted to be like God was reduced to dust. While meting out judgment to them, God told him, “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” (Genesis 3:19). Nothing debases a man like sin! Sin can relocate the one on the mountain top to the valley! The moment sin surfaced, everything on earth changed. Suddenly, man realized that he was naked. The animals also realized they could now govern themselves and did not need to be under the control of men. The ground hardened up as it resolved to reduce man’s harvest. The heavens seemed to moved farther from man as divine visitations now become a rarity. Sin changed everything!

 

 

 

 

 

There are some people who are still looking at their mother-in-law, or at one relative somewhere as the root cause of their problems, whereas they fail to see the real culprit-Sin-which they are carrying about with them. They are busy chasing shadows. Face reality! Is sin in your life? If yes, you are the one undoing yourself. It is an irony that people can go to any length searching for invisible enemies, whereas the visible enemy they are harbouring has become “Invisible” to them. In the Garden of Eden, sin brought nakedness. It also brought disgrace and sweating. Until man’s fall, there was no sweat. Progress was without sweat. Little effort delivered great results. But when sin came, great efforts delivered very little result. It was all work, much sweat and little or no progress. Have you not noticed that your gossiping, backbiting and jesting are working against you? As long as you refuse to cut off from sin – lies and deceit – you may continue to retrogress. Check yourself and pinpoint the sin that is hindering your life. Repent and ask God for forgiveness, resolving never to return to it.

 

 

 

 

 

Live right before God while asking for your covenant benefits.

 

 

 

 

 

Sin and Righteousness are two things that can rewrite one’s destiny, but from opposite angles. Choose righteousness!

 

 

 

 

 

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

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There Is No Guarantee That Debtors Will Make It To Heaven, Including Senior Pastors

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There is no guarantee that debtors will make it to Heaven, including senior pastors

Several years ago, Myles Munroe spoke on five questions you must ask yourself: Who am I? Where am I from? Why am I here? What can I become? Where am I going to? These are very crucial issues which, if properly answered, will help you to optimize your earthly existence. Have you been able to find the answers to these questions?

In addition to the above questions, it is important to ask yourself: How far am I from my goal? If you left point A for point B, it is important to take stock so as to know how close or far your destination is. This calls for self-examination, personal appraisal or evaluation of actions, tactics, strategy and plans. Why do you think Paul asked the Corinthian church to examine themselves, to know whether they were still in the faith?  (2 Corinthians 13:5) It is because it is possible to start off as a Christian but along the way lose one’s faith in Christ. For this same reason, Paul queried the church in Galatia as to why they would end up in the flesh, having begun in the spirit (Galatians 3:3). Today, many believers who started the Christian race as honest, God-fearing, Jesus-seeking, Spirit-filled, heaven-bound saints, are now flesh-controlled, position-seeking, money-serving, people-victimizing political beings. Unfortunately, they have continued their journey without asking how far or how close they are to their original goal.

If truth be told, position is robbing many of holiness. It is shocking to hear that some senior pastors fix the stipends and salaries of junior pastors and workers in banks for a period and receive interest up front into their personal pockets, without thinking of the hardship they cause such families. Such leaders are farther from their destination. There are some things you do that takes you several miles away from your destination. It is safe to assume that if you were saved 10, 15, or 20 years ago, and you were living to please God for that period; you are closer to heaven than when you started. But if you begin to do certain things wrong, it will set you backwards, even beyond the years you started out. Have you asked how close you are to your heavenly goal?

There is guarantee that debtors will make it to Heaven, including senior pastors, top Christian leaders who deliberately sit on the salaries and stipends of their subordinates. They may pay their debts eternally in hell.

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

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Are You Sure You Are Heading For Heaven?

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Detail - Glory of the New Born Christ in prese...

Detail – Glory of the New Born Christ in presence of God Father and the Holy Spirit (Annakirche, Vienna) Adam and Eva are represented bellow Jesus-Christ Ceiling painting made by Daniel Gran (1694-1757). Post-processing: perspective and fade correction. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Are You Sure You Are Heading For Heaven?

We live in a world of very many uncertainties. For example, it is uncertain that a new baby will one day become father or mother of children. Though we say that the young shall grow, we are not sure: because the young may die young. Only God knows tomorrow. Isaiah 46:9-10.

However, certain things are certain now and forever, for example, it is certain that the sun shall rise tomorrow. It is also certain that we will never see today again above all, it is certain that sooner or later, even a child that is born today shall die one day, James 4:13-14.

It is certain that this world is not our home; we are just passing through on a journey to our final home. Now there are two different final homes with different people heading for different homes. One final home is called Heaven or Eternal Life. The other is called Hell or Eternal Destruction, Matthew 7:13-14.

The great question now is, “Where are you heading for? “Where is your final home? Is it Heaven or Hell? Are you sure you are heading for heaven? If you are not sure, you can be sure today. If you think you are sure but not very certain, you can make assurance doubly sure today. This is how to make Heaven, two principal things are essential.

You must be born again John 3:3-8

You must live holy from now on Hebrews 12:14.

Now to be born again, all you need to do is repent of your sins, decide to forsake them and call on Jesus Christ to forgive you and save your soul, Proverbs 28:13; Romans 10:13. Please do that right now and you will begin to enjoy the joy of salvation.

Say this prayer aloud with all sincerity:

Dear Heavenly Father! I come to You in the Name of Jesus Christ Your only begotten Son. Your Word says, “…..whosoever shall call on the Name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21).

I ask Jesus Christ to come into my heart to be the Lord of my life. I receive eternal life into my spirit and according to Romans 10:9, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved,” I am saved; I am born-again; I am a child of God! I now have Christ dwelling in me, and greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world! (1 John 4:4). I now walk in the consciousness of my new life in Christ Jesus. Hallelujah!

If you have just said this prayer with me CONGRATULATIONS! You are now a child of God.

You are now seated above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named (failure, poverty, sickness, infirmities, limitations, lack, diseases, fear)not only in this age but also in that which is to come with Christ Jesus Our personal Lord and Saviour.  Amen! (Ephesians 1:15-23)

Receive power to succeed in every area of your life. Study your Bible diligently and meditate in it day and night (Joshua 1:8).

And lastly, don’t forget the fellowship of the Saints; prayerfully find and belong to a Bible – faith believing Church and watch God fulfil all His Word concerning You!

Congratulations!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

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Are You A Leader?

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English: 4 days of Evangelism Training in Southern California provided by LivingWaters Ministry. Obeying the great commission of Jesus Christ. “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to everyone” Mark 16:15 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Are You A Leader?

 

“And hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father; to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen!” (Revelation 1:6)

One commodity the world is in short supply of is good leaders. Even in families, they are needed. A family can be the smallest organisation – comprising the husband and his wife. Yet, if the man lacks leadership skills to provide the required direction, guidance, coordination and control, it may be difficult for the family to realize its collective goal. Every organization is only as good as its leaders. Therefore, it becomes mandatory for future leaders to acquire leadership training, education and skills. To succeed, you will need to learn from those who succeeded or failed and why they had such outcomes.

 

“For many are called, but few are chosen” (Matthew 22:14). Position of leadership is not meant for all but for the chosen few. In the world, there is a large space for followers, whereas the space reserved for leaders is quite small. But in the Kingdom of God, it is possible for everyone who receives Jesus Christ as Lord and personal Saviour to become a leader. Revelation 1:6 says Christ has made us kings and priests unto God the Father. Every king has his sphere of influence, area of authority, and subjects under him. If you have been saved, then exercise your God-given authority and dominion over sin, sickness, satan, agents of darkness and elemental forces. If they are convinced you know your kingdom rights, they will have no choice but to obey you.

Believers in Christ are destined to reign for 1000 years with the KING of kings during the millennial reign and then eternally with Jesus Christ. In other words, you were born to reign. However, are you preparing for this great leadership opportunity? Some people struggle, fight, malign others and carry out all tricks in the book just to have an opportunity of occupying a leadership position during their lifetime. But after a few years in that position, they become eternally irrelevant. In contrast, you can be relevant today and in eternity. You may not become a president, governor or captain of industry but you can become the spiritual father of the president or governor. You can become the mentor youths would like to pattern their lives after. You can become a reference point standing as light in a dark world. Are you occupying this vantage position?

God sees you as a leader. But if you do not see yourself as such, you may never lead throughout your life.

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

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Divisions Not Allowed In God’s House

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English: Tiverton : Angel Hill & Remembrance S...

Divisions Not Allowed In God’s House

 

 

“Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.” (Corinthians 1:10)

 

 

 

 

If there will be unity in a family, church or a group of people, the role of the leader cannot be over emphasized. A leader should be the unifying force over those he or she leads. In this regard, the leader should ensure his subordinates’ opposing or dissenting views are harmonized in a way as to carry all of them along their common objective for being together in the first place. Unfortunately, some leaders deliberately encourage divisions, by sowing seeds of discord and turning one subordinate against the other. They call it divide and rule ‘strategy’. That is satanic! Some leaders encourage or provide the platform for subordinates to create camps. Not Jesus! As long as Jesus was physically present, He was the rallying point of unity for all His disciples. One day, two brother – James and John brought their mother to lobby Jesus, so that they would secure the highest positions in Heaven, right beside the Lord Himself (Matthew 20:20-24). When the other disciples heard of it, they were very angry! That move could have broken the twelve into separate camps. But the Lord handled it with wisdom and they remained united without killing the desire of the Zebedees to attain heavenly greatness.

It is very challenging to unite people with diverse backgrounds, goals, interest and understanding. However, it is very easy to cause division. One hallmark of a true leader is that he or she is not easily carried away by comments or selfish actions of the team he or she is leading, as the group goal is uppermost in his or her heart. Another person who could not stand God’s church being broken into camps was Paul. In His days, converts began to break into at least four different camps right in the church in Corinth but with wisdom, Paul resolved this and unified Christ’s church. Are you instrumental to the division of God’s church? You are calling for God’s judgement. Repent and restitute. Go and meet the people you sowed those seeds of discord into and compel them to reverse their rebellious acts. This will be good evidence of your repentance.

A body that is dismembered cannot operate as whole. A part of the body can never be whole. Division limits us. Strive for peace and unity.

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

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God’s Testimonial

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Detail - Glory of the New Born Christ in prese...

Detail – Glory of the New Born Christ in presence of God Father and the Holy Spirit (Annakirche, Vienna) Adam and Eva are represented bellow Jesus-Christ Ceiling painting made by Daniel Gran (1694-1757). Post-processing: perspective and fade correction. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

God’s Testimonial

 

“Henceforth I call you not servant; for the servant knows not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you” (John 15:15)

 

 

 

 

God testifies that you are the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Matthew 5:13-16). The testimony of a child of God is of great significance. Revelation 1:5-6 says we have been made kings and priests unto God. 1 Peter 2:9 says, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous lights.” By divine appointment, every child of God is a priest of the King of kings, a saint and a holy person. He is peculiar – different. As salt of the earth, the believer arrests decay and preserves what is good. This is why corruption should not thrive anywhere a bona fide believer is. Are corrupt practices flourishing where you are? If yes, then you are not living as the salt of the earth that you are.

Long before refrigerators were invented, salt was used in preserving meat. It is able to keep flies at bay and therefore prevent infestation of maggots. If meat was already decaying, as soon as salt was introduced, that was the end to its decadence. In what ways have you lived up to God’s billing or testimony? Being called the “Light of the World” makes us the opposite of darkness. The entrance of light brings in shouts of jubilation, joy and life. Whenever there is light, you would be prompted to attend to tasks that were abandoned. To what extent have you affected people around you as salt or light?

In John 15:15, Jesus further calls us friends. it is a great honour to be introduced as the friend of Mr President how much more as the friend of the Most High God. You can be certain that all doors will fling open to you at the mention of that Name – JESUS. What God expects from you is that having called you with such precious names, He wants you to live up to what you are called so that, it can become your testimonial. Ask God for grace to live up to the worth of your names. It is when your life agrees with the name the Lord has called you that it becomes your testimonial.

Prayer Point: Dear Heavenly Father, empower Your church worldwide to live up to the gracious names she is called, in Jesus Christ Name I pray! Amen!

 

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

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Dangers Of Loving The World

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Paul van Dyk @ Powerzone ADE Amsterdam

Dangers Of Loving The World

 

 

“For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” (1 John 2:16)

When you love the world, it can affect salient areas of your life. This is why we must pray for leaders to shun worldly lust and focus on the things of God. The love of the world can stand between you and your requests. A leader who loves the world will be incapable of making effective intercession for the flock. The love of the world also terminates spiritual life. The fellow who loves the world will find his or her love for God ebbing by the day. With love for the world, it will be impossible to love God with all your heart. Yet, God demands 100% love from you. “and thou shall love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and wit all thy soul, and with all thy might” (Deuteronomy 6:5).

 

“For Demas hath forsake me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescene to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia” (2 Timothy 4:10). Another danger of loving the world is that it can lead to progressive compromise and ultimately to backsliding. One sign of knowing that your love for God is waning is that you will begin to make excuses for certain sins or wrong doings. God’s standard will become so tall and unreachable, that you will come up with unhealthy substitutes. Do you find yourself explaining away premarital sex, office theft, manipulation of church record, etc? It shows your love for God is being replaced with the love of the world. If worldly standards are now being favoured above the standards of the Bible, your love for God is fast ebbing. It starts with little complaints and finding faults with the church, church leaders, activities and programmes. Before long, one would realize how far one has drifted. Can you imagine a great leader and fellow companion of Paul becoming a victim of this? Demas, who was so consumed with the things of the kingdom, gradually allowed worldly lusts to seep into his heart, until it was too late. He had totally backslidden. He left Paul for Thessalonica, the height of ungodliness and sinful pleasure. If Demas could fall, any leader can. Pray for God to insulate the heart of our spiritual leaders against worldliness.

Prayer Point: Dear Heavenly Father, in the mighty Name of Jesus Christ, keep our leaders from being overtaken by worldliness, Amen!

 

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

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Hospitality Of God’s Children

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The "Hospitality of Abraham" by Andr...

The “Hospitality of Abraham” by Andrei Rublev. The three angels symbolize the Trinity, which is rarely depicted directly in art. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Hospitality Of God’s Children

 

 

 

 

 

“Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares” (Hebrew 13:2)

 

 

 

One lesson from the story in 1 Kings 17:17-24 is that God rewards the hospitable. The woman who lost her son was a hospitable person. One benefit of hospitality is that hospitable people may not suffer a permanent loss. An example here was Abraham. In Genesis 18:14, Abraham received heavenly visitors and pending promises of many years were fulfilled. Another example was Lot. In Genesis 19:1-22, when he received the angels who came in the form of men, he made a feast. Through his hospitality, he delivered himself and his immediate family from the fire that fell from Heaven on Sodom. Similarly, Cornelius was hospitable and through this, he and his family were saved.

 

 

“Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares”  (Hebrews 13:2). God wants His children to be hospitable. The hospitable have a way of attracting divine visitors such as God, angels or even men of God that can command God’s blessings on them. Hospitable people are generous. They do not have to necessarily have all the money in the world. The little they have is presented with love and with all their heart. They strive to make their guests comfortable. They are prepared to sacrifice for the maximum comfort of their guests. The way they receive the guests will make them want to come back. They would prepare the best meals and present it in a most attractive and healthy way. Where they can, they would do everything to spoil their guests. They would make sure the visitor’s room is swept, cleaned and dusted. The bed is well dressed and inviting. They will wait on their guests throughout their stay. Where they cannot drive them to, they would arrange the cab that would convey them there. Hospitable people are homely and humble. How hospitable are you? Some people do everything just to scare visitors from coming to pay them visits. Are you hospitable? Hospitality should be taught to all your children. It is one of the healthy family values that Christian families must imbibe. How do you receive your pastors and ministers? How do you receive unbelievers in your home? The truth is, through hospitality, the Gospel message can be preached non-verbally and souls of visitors can be won.

If your hospitality cannot attract your visitors to Christ, you are probably not doing it right. Always be prepared to make your guests, even unexpected guest comfortable.

 

 

 

 

 

 

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

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