Tag Archives: Gospel of Matthew

There is no higher authority than God

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English: at dusk in Kensington, Maryland, USA.

There is no higher authority than God

God’s Judicial Authority

“I have been given complete authority in heaven and on earth.” (Matthew 28:18)

A judge, above all else, must have authority. Our government endows judges with authority through the oath they take to execute justice. The law enforcement and prison systems back up the judge’s authority. The robe that he wears and having everyone in the courtroom stand as he enters, help to emphasize that authority. His gavel and his elevated seat in the courtroom show that he commands the proceedings.
Similarly, God, as the Creator, has the authority to do whatever He deems best with His creation. He is the potter; we are the clay. His throne is high above us in the heavens. His pronouncements are final. There is no higher authority than God.
God will judge every wrong act ever committed every sinful motive, every evil word. The sentence for these crimes is eternal separation from God and His holiness.
But there are those who will live in safety with God. These are the ones who have accepted Christ‘s payment for our sin when He died on the cross. Our loving Saviour, Jesus Christ, paid the sentence pronounced by the Perfect Judge. God sees these “sinners saved by grace” as righteous in His courtroom. Therefore, they will live eternally in the love, peace, and joy of God’s presence.

Your View of God Really Matters……..

Are you ready to stand before the Perfect Judge who has all authority? Remember, God’s standard of justice is perfection. Will He see your shortcomings, or will He see Jesus’ perfect sacrifice? It’s your choice.

What More Does God Say?

John 9:39; John 3:16-18

Because God is Just, He will always treat me fairly

 

 

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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The Unpardonable Sin. Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost.

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Church of the Holy Spirit in Chełmno

The Unpardonable Sin. Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost

 

 

MATTHEW 12:31,

 

 

“Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shalt be forgiven unto men: but blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.”

 

 

LUKE 12:10; MATTHEW 12:24-31; MARK 3:22-30

The word “blaspheme” means “to speak evil of; defame; or revile.” In context, Jesus is saying that blasphemy against the Holy Ghost is attributing the working of the Holy Spirit to the devil. Many people in the Bible did this, including Saul, who became the Apostle Paul. However, we see in 1 Timothy 1:13, that Paul said he received mercy concerning his blasphemy because he had done it “ignorantly in unbelief.” Therefore, the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost Jesus is warning against must be willfully reviling the Holy Ghost with knowledge of what is being done.

This parallels Hebrews 6:4-6, where qualifications are placed on those who can fall away from grace. This passage indicates that only a mature Christian can commit such a thing. Likewise, with blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, rash statements spoken against the Holy Spirit in ignorance or unbelief by those who don’t really know what they are doing can be forgiven.

From our human perspective, no clear line can be drawn as to when someone becomes accountable for blasphemies and has committed this unpardonable sin. We can be assured that God knows the hearts of all men and that He will judge righteously concerning this. However, God’s Word does show us that when anyone becomes a “reprobate,” they lose all conviction from God (Rom. 1:28).

Therefore, anyone who is convicted and repentant over having possibly blasphemed the Holy Ghost has not yet reached the place where it is unpardonable or they wouldn’t care. Keep your heart tender and sensitive to Him. Listen to His voice speak to you through His Word today.

 

 

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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Acknowledged by Our Lord Jesus Christ

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Acknowledged by Our Lord Jesus Christ

Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their
garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.
He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and
I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will
confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
Revelation 3:4-5
The Bible is the book of life. Your name is in this book. If God has to
say “I will not blot out your name out of the book of life,” that must
mean that your name can be blotted out, that you can lose your
salvation. Just because you were once saved doesn’t mean you’ll go up
in the rapture. He is telling this church that their lethargy and
religion could cause them to become totally backslidden and return to
the ways of the world. This is not easy to do, especially with the
mercy, long-suffering, and grace of the Lord, but it is possible. You
don’t want to be the dead church.
But look at what God does for those who are overcomers! The word
confess means to acknowledge; if you’re an overcomer, Jesus will
acknowledge you before His Father and before His angels.
When you have the Father manifesting or appearing, going before your
point of need, your point of need is not going to be there very long!
The power of God will show up and show out. God will acknowledge that
power in front of men. We see that in Psalm 23 where the Psalmist says,
“I will prepare a table before you in the presence of your enemies.” In
other words, “I am going to show everybody that you belong to me by
what I do. The table is set in front of you and in front of your
enemies.” God wants to manifest Himself to you and through you.

Prayer for Today

Father,
I confess that I am an overcomer through Your sacrifice! I confess that
I am an overcomer through Your power! Thank You for manifesting Yourself to me and through me time and time again! In Jesus Christ Name,
Amen!

Think on These Things

Revelation 19:8
Matthew 10:32

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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You are favoured by God

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You are favoured by The Lord

 

By acknowledging and giving thanks for the little things, we open the door to the much

If nothing could stop you…

How much could you accomplish?

If you woke up tomorrow morning with an unfair advantage…

How far could you go?

If the universe worked with you and not against you…

How would your reaction to your circumstances differ?

 

Favour can change your life.

And whether you realize it or not, you are favoured.

You see, Jesus purchased favour for you on the cross.

He gave up His life so that yours could be abundant. (John 10:10)

In Romans 8:32, Paul asks, “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all–how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”

It’s a rhetorical question which means God is not going to withhold anything from you.

But you say, “if you realized how difficult times have been…”

“If you could only see the trouble that I’m in…”

“Perhaps then you would see that I am not favoured at all.”

 

So where’s the favour?

Maybe the problem is that we don’t always recognize God’s favour.

And if we don’t recognize His favour, then maybe we don’t properly respond it.

I had lunch with a friend of mine this last week. He told me about some billboards he leased.

He paid for a single month blitz several months ago, but his billboards are still all over the city.

The leasing company has not been able to rent them to anyone else so they decided to keep them up until they do.

That’s free advertising and real money.

 

That’s favour!

I was at another friend’s house a couple of weeks ago.

I made a comment about how beautiful his new retaining wall was (iron fence and all). He said MSD put that retaining wall and fence in for free.

 

That’s favour!

Then there’s the story of the woman who got in a fender bender and missed a promising job interview.

 

She had been unemployed for months. She thought, “Why does everything seem to work against me?”

 

Little did she know she would be receiving a better paying job offer the next week.

If it had not been for the wreck, she would have never been in a position to take the better job.

 

That’s favour (even though she didn’t recognize it)!

 

Each and every day, God’s favour surrounds us.

 

Surely, LORD, You bless the righteous; You surround them with Your favour as with a shield. – Psalm 5:12 (NIV)

 

Search for God’s favour and acknowledge it (even when it seems miles away).

Jesus said that if you are faithful over the little, you will be ruler over the much. (Matthew 25:23)

James wrote that every good gift is from God. (James 1:17)

So even when it seems like all hell is breaking loose…

 

Seek to recognize that one moment today that made you forget about your troubles, or that one thing that put a smile on your face.

 

Acknowledge these small gifts as signs of God’s favour.

Then give Him praise and thanks for them.

 

By acknowledging and giving thanks for the little things, we open the door to the much.

 

We produce and promote full recognition and appreciation and understanding and precise knowledge of every good thing that is ours in Christ Jesus. —Philemon 1:6 (AMP)

Then, true to His word, God will pour out a blessing that we cannot contain. (Malachi 3:10)

 

Repeat after me…

 

Lord Jesus Christ, thank You for purchasing supernatural favour for me on the cross.

By Your blood, every aspect of my life is blessed and highly favoured.

Something good is going to happen to me today, and I am going to recognize it.

And when I do, I will acknowledge You and give You thanks.

Thank You Lord! Amen!

 

You should expect to find favour this week.

When you find favour this week, I want you to acknowledge it by sharing it with me.

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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Jesus did not come to accept our sacrificial acts, but to make Himself a sacrifice for our sins. He did all this to give us new life in Him

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Jesus did not come to accept our sacrificial acts, but to make Himself a sacrifice for our sins. He did all this to give us new life in Him

SOMETHING NEW

 

Luke 5:36-37, “And he spake a parable unto them; No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old. And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish.”

 

MATTHEW 9:11-17, MARK 2:16-22, LUKE 5:30-39

These two parables are in response to the scribes’ and Pharisees‘ criticism (v. 30) and the question from John’s disciples about why Jesus didn’t act according to their religious traditions and expectations (Mt. 9:14; Mk. 2:18). The gist of these parables was to show that Jesus came to do a new thing that would not mix with the old covenant ways that were familiar to people (Isa. 43:18-19; Jer. 31:31-34; Heb. 8:7-13).

A new cloth sown on an old garment in Jesus’ day would shrink the first time it was washed. Then it would tear away from the old garment that had already shrunk, making the hole worse. This illustrates that Jesus did not come to patch up the old Mosaic covenant, but to replace it (Heb. 7:18-19).

Also, new wine (not yet fermented) had to be put into new or reconditioned wineskins to allow for the expansion of gases within the skin as the result of the fermentation process. Otherwise, an old wineskin that had already been stretched by use would simply burst and all the wine would run out. The Old Testament laws could never stretch enough to accommodate the New Testament truths of mercy and grace (Heb. 10:1-10). Jesus set us free from the judgment of the Old Testament laws (Rom. 6:14; 7:1-4; 8:2; 10:3-4; Gal. 3:12-14, 23-24; 5:4; Phil. 3:9).

These religious scribes and Pharisees (Lk. 5:30) were making the terrible mistake of trusting in their own efforts to produce their right standing (righteousness) with God. Jesus did not come to accept our sacrificial acts, but to make Himself a sacrifice for our sins. He did all this to give us new life in Him. Thank Him for His grace today.

 

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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Get UP! And Claim Your Miracle!

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Get UP! And Claim Your Miracle!

But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” -Matthew
17:7

Today, Jesus is walking through a crowd. Suddenly He stops, turns, and picks you
out of the crowd. He looks you in the eye and asks you: Do You Want to be made Whole?
Do You Want a Miracle?

If your answer is “Yes, I want to be made whole, I want a miracle,” here is Christ‘s prescription to get well: Get UP! Get up and claim your miracle!

For example, men and women come to our Hope Center on Mondays and get a free meal,
free haircuts, and free clothing. In addition, the head of our ministry’s HR department
has been helping men and women with their resumes at the Hope Center. They bring
their resumes to Eileen, who reviews them, makes notes on them, goes home and revises
them until they’re up to professional standards. Bringing multiple copies with her
the following Monday, she goes over them with the men and women seeking employment.

A while back, a man came running up to Eileen and said, “I got a job! I got a job
and I have two days off! Sundays and Mondays – so I can come to church and help
out here during Monday Meals!”

He got up! He claimed his miracle! He got up and came to Hope Center. He got up
and brought his resume to Eileen. He got up, came back to Hope Center, and picked
up his revised resumes. Then he got up and applied for his miracle job. He continues
to get up every day, goes to work, and gets up every Sunday and Monday to give back
to God.

Do you want to be well? Do you want a miracle? Then get up! And claim your miracle!

PRAYER:

Lord, thank You for touching me today, for giving me renewed faith. With Your help,
I will get up today and walk into Your miracle for my life. Thank You, Lord. Amen.

How has fear kept you from getting up – getting up from depression, from failure,
from rejection, from discouragement? How can the touch of Jesus renew your faith
so you can get up and walk into your miracle?

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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Touched By Love

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Christ cleansing a leper by Jean-Marie Melchio...

Touched By Love

 

Mark 1:41, “And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him…. and he was cleansed.”

 

MATTHEW 8:1-4, MARK 1:40-45, LUKE 5:12-15

Only Mark records this important statement that Jesus was “moved with compassion” in the healing of this leper. There are three other instances in the gospels when Jesus was moved with compassion which resulted in healing (Mt. 14:14; 20:34; Lk. 7:13; and once in deliverance – Mk.5:19). The difference between seeing a person healed or not healed many times is this all-important ingredient of love.

All three of the Gospel accounts record Jesus touching this leper. This not only illustrates the doctrine of “laying on of hands”, but was probably included because according to Numbers 19:22, this action would have made Jesus unclean. This illustrates the New Testament ministry of the Spirit versus the Old Testament ministry of the letter of the law (2 Cor. 3:6).

Jesus did not have to avoid the ceremonial uncleanness that would come from physical contact with a leper because He came to bear our sins in His own body. As can be seen from Mark’s account, two things happened: (1) the leprosy departed and (2) the man was cleansed. Jesus not only removed the disease but restored the damaged parts of his body. This leper was healed as soon as Jesus spoke.

The Word of God is the will of God, and it reveals that it is always God’s will to heal. Jesus often healed people by touching them, and others received their healing as they touched Jesus. You can transmit the power or the anointing of God through the laying on of hands. Let Him use you today to touch others.

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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The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.”

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The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.”

—Psalm 14:1

 

READ: Luke 12:16-21

It seems to me rather contradictory that Jesus, who was so gentle at times (Matt. 19:13-15), would call some people fools. Yet, as recorded in the Gospels a number of times, our Lord used this derogatory term to describe those He spoke about—especially the Pharisees (see Matt. 23:17-19; Luke 11:39-40).

Jesus also used the word fool in a parable after warning a man about coveting (Luke 12:13-21). What made him foolish is not the fact that he built bigger barns to store his abundant harvest (vv.16-18). It would have been more foolish of him to leave it out in the fields where inclement weather would spoil it. Nor was he foolish because of his thought that this unexpected windfall was enough to last him a long time (v.19). After all, we are urged to follow the example of the ant in “storing up” the harvest (Prov. 6:6-8).

What made the man foolish? He left God out of the picture. He was called a fool because he failed to realize that his life was in God’s hands. While he was planning carefully for his comfortable life on earth, he failed to plan for eternity and store up treasures in heaven (Matt. 6:20).

Does your plan for the future have God in it? You won’t want to be called foolish by Him in the end. —C. P. Hia

Oh, why not turn while yet you may;
Too late, it soon will be—
A glorious life you may possess
Throughout eternity. —Anon.

 

He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. —Jim Elliot

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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Healing Is God’s Will

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Healing Is God’s Will

 

Matthew 8:2, “And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.”

 

MATTHEW 8:1-4

Leprosy was a hated disease and its symptoms are described in detail in Leviticus 13:1-46. This leper believed Jesus could heal him, but doubted His willingness to heal him. Jesus showed him His willingness to heal, and since He is no respecter of persons, He established a precedent for us (Rom. 2:11). This leper did not know God’s will concerning healing, but this is not the case with us. The Word of God is the will of God, and it reveals that it is always God’s will to heal.

Isaiah 53:5, makes it clear that when Isaiah said “with his stripes we are healed”, he was speaking of the physical healing of our bodies. Jesus provided for physical healing as well as forgiveness of sins. The very word “save” (Gk.-“sozo”) is translated “made whole” in reference to physical healing in Matthew 9:22, Mark 5:34, and Luke 8:48. James 5:15 says, “the prayer of faith shall save (Gk.-“sozo”) the sick.” Many scriptures mention the healing of our bodies in conjunction with the forgiveness of our sins. Healing is a part of our salvation, just as much as the forgiveness of our sins.

Nowhere do we find Jesus refusing to heal anyone. In light of Jesus’ statement that He could do nothing of Himself, but only what He saw the Father do (Jn. 5:19 and 8:28-29), His actions are proof enough that it is always God’s will to heal. There are certain things Jesus suffered for us that we should not suffer. Jesus died for our sins so that we would not have to pay for them (Rom. 6:23). Jesus took our sicknesses and diseases so that we could walk in health (Mt. 8:17; 1 Pet. 2:24). Jesus became poor so that we, through His poverty, might be rich (2 Cor. 8:9). If God be for us, then no one can successfully be against us.

The Lord has made every provision for you to walk in all He has provided for you today. Don’t put it off a minute longer.

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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Christ’s Love creates unity out of our diversity

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Resurrection of Christ

World’s Longest Table

READ: Matthew 26:26-30

I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom. —Matthew 26:29

On Sunday, July 18, 2010, one of the busiest highways in Europe became what some called “the longest table in the world.” Officials closed a 60-kilometer (37-mile) section of the A40 Autobahn in Germany’s Ruhr region so people could walk and bicycle or sit at one of 20,000 tables set up on the roadway. An estimated 2 million people came to enjoy an event the director hoped would connect people from many cultures, generations, and nations.

This event made me think of an even grander table around which believers gather to share the Lord’s Supper. During communion, we remember Jesus’ death for us as we anticipate the culmination of history at His return.

Just before Jesus was crucified, He shared the Passover meal with His disciples, telling them, “I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom” (Matt. 26:29).

The Lord’s Table unites everyone Christ has redeemed by His blood “out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation” (Rev. 5:9). One day, in a scene of reunion and joy, all who belong to Jesus will sit down together with Him at a table that will dwarf the Autobahn gathering. We joyfully anticipate sharing that table together! —David McCasland

Here we gather to remember,
In the breaking of the bread,
Jesus, who for us was broken,
And is now our living Head. —Anon.

Christ’s love creates unity out of diversity.

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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Right now Jesus is asking for our help

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Resurrection of Christ

Right now Jesus is asking for our help

 

 

The Least of These

My whole being will exclaim, “Who is like you, O Lord? You rescue the poor from those too strong for them, the poor and needy from those who rob them”.
Psalms 35:10

Simon is a little boy who saw his parents die before he was five years old. For the past two years, he’s been on the street, begging for help, praying to a God he knows is there to help him.

Sudan has suffered tragedy upon tragedy. Millions of Sudanese are dead, and more than four million have been driven from their homes. They are being targeted for two reasons: They are black and they are not Muslims.

They are our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Through compassionate supporters over the last decade, Bridge of Hope has freed more than 29,000 men, women and children from slavery and provided food, medical aid and basic necessities.

It’s the very least we can do, for as Jesus said in Matthew 25, whatever we do to these our brethren, we do to Him.

If Jesus were to cry out for help to us, would we turn our backs on Him? Right now Jesus is asking for our help…in the form of a little Sudanese boy named Simon.

Dare we turn our backs on Him?

Further Reading

God Bless

Email: pastorrodparsley@breakthrough.net
phone: 800-637-2288
web: http://www.rodparsley.com

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 is A Personal Spirit

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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 is A Personal Spirit

“Won’t You revive us again, so Your people can rejoice in You?” (Psalm 85:6)

For years, Evan Roberts yearned to preach the gospel. One day in 1904 while he was in prayer, God revealed to him that He was going to send a revival to Wales.

Roberts was a young Welsh miner with coal dust in his hair and grime beneath his fingernails. He possessed no skills as an orator. The only book he knew was the Bible. But his heart burned with a passion for God.

Roberts begged his pastor to let him preach. At first the bewildered minister said “No.” Finally, after much pleading, the pastor relented. “All right, Evan, you can preach following the Wednesday night service,” he said, “if anyone chooses to stay and listen.”

Seventeen curious seekers stayed behind. The young evangelist boldly proclaimed that he had heard from God. Although Roberts was unskilled in preaching, the pastor and those 17 church members began to burn with a fiery touch from God.

The next night more came to hear the young preacher, and the fire quickly spread to other churches. In the next thirty days, 37,000 people came forward to repent of their sins and receive Jesus. Within five months, 100,000 responded!

Just as God had shown him, Roberts saw the revival leap to England. There, an estimated 2 million people received Christ. Then the Holy Spirit coursed out into Western and Northern Europe, Africa, India, China, Korea and to America. Historians estimate that 20 million people began a personal relationship with Christ while this revival burned in America.

Your View of God Really Matters …

Does your heart burn with a passion for God? Have you confessed all known sin? Do you tolerate any doubtful habits? Do you listen for the Holy Spirit’s voice? Do people around you even know you are a follower of Jesus? Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Follow Jesus today.

What More Does God Say?

Revelation 2:2-5; John 15:9-11; Matthew 24:12-13; Matthew 10:32-33; Matthew 4:19-20

Because God is personal Spirit, I will seek intimate fellowship with Him!

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 is good

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Stained glass at St John the Baptist's Anglican Church http://www.stjohnsashfield.org.au, Ashfield, New South Wales. Illustrates Jesus' description of himself "I am the Good Shepherd" (from the Gospel of John, chapter 10, verse 11). This version of the image shows the detail of his face. The memorial window is also captioned: "To the Glory of God and in Loving Memory of William Wright. Died 6th November, 1932. Aged 70 Yrs." (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

God is Good

 

READ: Matthew 19:16-26

[Jesus said,] “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” —Matthew 19:17

When someone asks, “How are you?” it has become common for the response to be, “I’m good.” When we say this, we are really saying, “I’m well” or “I’m doing fine,” speaking of our general well-being and not our character. I have answered with that response more times than I can count, but lately it has begun to bother me. Because, whether we realize it or not, we are saying something specific when we use the word good.

Jesus once encountered a wealthy young man who called Him “Good Teacher” (Matt. 19:16). The young man was right, for Jesus is both good (completely perfect) and the Teacher. He is the only One who can truly make that claim.

The Lord, however, challenged the man to think about what he was saying in using that term good. “So He said to him, ‘Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments’” (v.17). Jesus wanted the man to understand that the assertion he was making needed to be taken seriously. Jesus can be called “good” because He is God.

Next time someone asks you, “How are you?” it is great to be able to say, “I’m well.” But remember, only Jesus is good. —Bill Crowder

Eternal with the Father, One,
Is Jesus Christ, His own dear Son;
In Him God’s fullness we can see,
For Jesus Christ is deity. —D. De Haan

God is great and God is good, but without Him we are neither.

 

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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When you follow Christ, it is what you seek you will get

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When you follow Christ, it is what you seek you will get

And when He was entered into a ship, His disciples followed him (Matthew 8:2)

In today’s reading, our Lord Jesus Christ was thronged round about by a crowd as was their custom. We can learn some salient truths from this account. First, many people have different reasons for following the Lord, most of which are selfish. He directly confronted some of such seekers:

Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled (John 6:26)

They were part of the five thousand who were fed with five barley loaves and two fishes. They were not thrilled by the miracle, but by the fact that they came hungry and He gave them food to eat. To say the least, the Lord was disappointed. Why are you seeking the Lord? If it is just for food, you are not better than these people and what the Lord said to them, he is saying to you:

Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for Him hath God the Father sealed. (John 6:27)

When you seek God, seek Him not just for carnal blessings, but especially for spiritual blessings. Seek to know Him. Seek to hear His Voice distinctly. Seek to have Him fill your life. Seek to see more of His power operating through you. Seek to carry more of His presence. Why do you seek Him?

Moreover, after the crowd gathered, the Lord ordered them to go to the other side. For many of them, that was the end of their following Christ at least for that moment. Majority of the crowd went home. They were not prepared to pay any price. Only the disciples followed Him(Matthew 8:23). Certain instructions of God are given to sift between believers and disciples. If you are not prepared to pay a price for your love or service of God, you can never be His disciple. One mark of Christ’s disciples is that they follow Him. They hear His Voice and immediately gear their lives in that direction. Are you follower of Jesus Christ? To what extent do you fellow his instructions? If you will serve God at your convenience, you cannot be His disciple.

When you follow Christ, it is what you seek you will get. Many who follow Him end up with mundane things and not Christ because He was never their focus.

May Our God The Almighty prosper Nigeria and Israel and defend us from all our enemies in Jesus Christ Name, Amen!

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The Leper and Our Lord And Saviour Jesus Christ

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Jesus H. ChristThe Leper and Our Lord Jesus Christ

Matthew 8:2-3 says: “And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped Him, saying, Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean. And Jesus put forth His hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.”

In Mark 13:37 Jesus said: “What I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.”

Jesus is not a respecter of persons. When He responded to the leper’s question, Jesus said, “I will”, but His words were not limited to the leper on that day. It is as if Jesus said, “I will” to all of us.

We can simply say to Him, “Lord, I know you can, and I know You will, so I ask You boldly today to do what You desire to do, and I thank You for it.” This is a simple faith, the kind that knows that what Jesus said to one, “I will”, He says and will do for all.

Let Him do what He desires to do. He’s waiting, and if you will ask Him, He will say, “I will.”

He will do it for you!

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In the kingdom of God, we won’t be given any great opportunities until we are proven faithful in the small things

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In the kingdom of God, we won’t be given any great opportunities until we are proven faithful in the small things

MINISTRY IN ACTION

Mk. 1:31, “And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them.”

MT. 8:14-17; MK. 1:29-34; LK. 4:38-41

How did Peter‘s mother-in-law minister unto Jesus and His disciples? Did she sit them down and preach to them? Certainly not. Yet sometimes people think the only way we can minister to another is to admonish them with the scriptures.

Peter’s mother-in-law apparently ministered to them by serving them. The word translated “minister” is the same word that was translated “deacon” twice in the New Testament, and “serve, served or serveth” eight times.

We can minister for the Lord by doing some of the menial tasks that many consider to be unimportant. Jesus said that even a cup of cold water given in His name would not go unrewarded (Matthew 10:42).

Many people are waiting for the important jobs to come along where they can make a big impact or receive a lot of recognition, while they pass by many lesser opportunities every day. But in the kingdom of God, we won’t be given any great opportunities until we are proven faithful in the small things (Luke 16:10).

Today, ask the Lord to show you ways you can minister to others by serving them.

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But whom say ye that I am?

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Jesus H. ChristBut whom say ye that I am?”

Matthew 16:15 says: “He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?”

In the world there are people who have differing images of who Jesus is. Some see Him as a healer because He has healed them.

Others see Him as a God who blesses because He has blessed them over and over.

Some see Him as one who has forsaken them because of the experiences they have had and the many situations they have encountered in life. They believe Jesus did not come through for them. They believe He does things for others, but He does not do anything for them. This is very sad.

There are many other images of Jesus around the world in our churches, in our communities, and in our homes. The most important image of Jesus is found in the Bible. The Bible is a reflection of who He is, a reflection that is unchangeable. What the Word says Jesus is, He is, and what it says He will do, He will do. What the Bible says Jesus wants to do, He wants to do. So today, erase every image that is contrary to the Word, and look at the scripture to see clearly who He is.

Look at Our Lord And Savior Jesus Christ  anew!

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Just worship God

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JUST WORSHIP GOD

Then Jonah prayed unto
The Lord his God out of the fish’s belly (Jonah 2:1)

This is beautiful! Right in the midst of trouble Jonah still
prayed unto The Lord; he forgot about his situation and fully turned his
attention to God. When you study the content of his prayer in Jonah 2:2-9,
you’ll discover that he wasn’t praying the “give me” prayer but a prayer of
worship and thanksgiving (Jonah 2:9). The next thing that happened is simply
marvellous; “And The Lord spake unto the
fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land” (Jonah 2:10). What a
mighty deliverance!

Deliverance comes when you worship God in the midst of your
trouble. Blind Bartimaeus didn’t say, “My eyes, my eyes”, rather he cried out, “…….Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on
me” (Mark 10:47); he worshipped Him. The Lord Jesus didn’t say a word to
the woman whose daughter was vexed with an evil spirit until she worshipped
Him. And her daughter was healed at that hour (Matthew 15:22-28). When you
worship God, your heart goes to Him and you don’t see the evil around you
(Hebrews 12:2 AMP). Somebody rightly said, “Those who look at the sun do not
see the shadows.” How true!

There was a young lady who had been sick for several years
and she’d been given up to die. In this state she went for a meeting, diseased
and in pains. Nevertheless she joined in the worship in spite of all her pain
and had a wonderful time because she looked away from her sickness onto God.
Suddenly, she noticed her hands that hadn’t moved for years were lifted up.
Then it dawned on her that she’d been healed of her disease. Overwhelmed with
joy, she gave her testimony in tears. Hallelujah!

Forget about your pains, diseases or financial condition and
worship God. Love Him with all your heart because He’s good and real; more real
than whatever situation you’re going through!

PRAYER

Dear Heavenly Father,
I worship You in reverence and humility. Great and mighty are Your works in my
life and wondrous are Your ways. I worship Your Omniscience and Omnipresence
with my hands lifted to Your throne. Let my worship ascend to You as sweet
smelling savour, in Jesus Christ Name! Amen!

 

www.rhapsodyofrealities.org

May Our God The Almighty prosper Nigeria
and Israel and defend us from all our enemies in Jesus Christ Name, Amen!

 

 

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Nigeria is 51 Hip Hop Hooray!!!!

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NIGERIA IS
51! HIP HOP HOORAY!!!!!!

Don’t always
be asking, “Where are the good old days? Wise folks don’t ask questions like
that” (Ecclesiastes 7:10 MSG).

For many,
our national independence day has become a time to reminisce and wish for “the
good old days”. Many wonder how come fifty-one years after independence, we
still find ourselves where we are today. Many complain and blame the government
of the day for the deplorable state of affairs in virtually every sector of our
national life. Well, though the nation might have been afore dominated by
governments that may have been lethargic to the needs of its people, yet it’s
important for us to count our blessings as a nation and rejoice about where we
are today.

Our opening
scripture shows that it’s unwise to wish for the “good old days”. The Words of
God in Matthew 7:17 let us know that the results we’re seeing today as a nation
are harvests of the decisions we made yesterday: “Even so every good tree bringth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree
bringth forth evil fruit.” This means the state of the nation today is
founded on the choices of past governments. This is a spiritual reality. So
rather than lament how badly things have turned, be glad about today’s
opportunities, and seize the moment. Be glad about the day you’re living in and
create the joyful atmosphere for a change.

Celebrate
the hope of the glorious future that lies ahead. If we all make the right and
proper investments in our today, we will all reap the harvest of a more
prosperous tomorrow. Make projections and proffer solutions to current
challenges while positioning yourself and the nation for a greater tomorrow.
Our hope of a better tomorrow is in itself worth celebrating.

CONFESSION

My path in life is the path of the
just which shines brighter and brighter unto the perfect day. Today is better
than yesterday, and tomorrow will be better than today. I’m on an upward and
forward journey, and the story of my life is the testimony of God’s grace,
mercy and kindness! Amen!

http://www.rhapsodyofrealities.org

May God Almighty prosper Nigeria and
Israel and defend them from all their enemies in Jesus Christ Name, Amen!

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It Pays To Praise And Worship God. Sermon Note.

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IT PAYS TO PRASIE AND WORSHIP GOD!(SERMON
NOTE)

SONG:                          You Deserve The Glory And The Honour!

TEXT:                           John 4:23

STUDY:

  1. Paul And Sila               Acts 16:25-26
  2. The Samaritan Leper   Luke 17:11-19
  3. King Jehoshaphat and the 3 kings 2 Chronicles 20:1-3; 14; 17; 20

WHEN TO WORSHIP AND PRAISE THE LORD

  1. Now That I am Still Alive! Psalm146:2

HOW TO PRASIE AND WORSHIP GOD

  1. With All Our Heart And Forever            Psalm 86:12;  Psalm 9:1-2
  2. Among People And Nations                    Psalm 57:9-11
  3. With Your Own Song                                Psalm 28:7
  4. Continuously And It Is A Sacrifice          Hebrews13:15;  Psalm 113:3

WHY YOU SHOULD WORSHIP AND PRAISE GOD

  1. For God Is Holy And He Inhabit ThePraise Of His People Psalm 22:3
  2. Because Praise  Is Beautiful                                                       Psalm 147:1
  3. For God’s Awesome Majesty                                                      Exodus 15:11
  4. They bring Down The Cloud of God’sGlory                            2 Chr. 5:13
  5. For The Lord Is Good And Praise IsPleasant                         Psalm 135:3
  6. For God’s Loving kindness And HisMercies                           Isaiah 63:7
  7. To Be Saved From All Our Enemies                                          Psalm 18:3
  8. For Whom we are in Christ Jesus                                              Psalm 139:14

In Conclusion:

Matthew 22:37-38

May God Almighty prosper Nigeria and
Israel and defend them from all their enemies in Jesus Christ Name, Amen!

 

 

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