THE PREVAILING WORD

DYMYSTIFYING DEATH

2015-09-20T05:46:00.002-07:00

So today, my Pastor preached on death and its benefits.

And as I watched and listen to her on my laptop I remembered that I have an article somewhere that states this same truth in a somewhat different light. I must have written it over 5 years ago. It is the fourth part of a series I titled YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST.

Dearly beloved, I beseech you as STRANGERS and PILGRIMS.......(KJV)
Dear friends, I urge you, as ALIENS and STRANGERS in the world .......(NIV)
Dear friends, I warn you as “TEMPORARY RESIDENTS and FOREIGNERS”......(NLT)
Beloved, I urge you as SOJOURNERS and EXILES .......(ESV)
It's amazing the Bible calls us pilgrims and strangers. The Greek word for Pilgrim also means alien or resident foreigner. You may also wish to use the word 'visitor'. God wants you to know that you are a Passer-by here on earth.

Heb 11:13-16 - These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. for they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned
Luke 12:13-21.....And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth......then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
1Pet 2:11-
When you go to visit a friend, 2 things are uppermost on pour mind:
1. You have a specific limited time to spend there
2. You will have to restrict yourself from doing certain things because you will have to go back to your own home.

There is no amount of money that can purchase Heaven Citizenship. You may have free access to many earthly Countries but without heaven citizenship, it means nothing. Therefore, we rejoice at all times and give thanks to God for His son Jesus Christ on whose account we have obtained this glorious Citizenship.
Heaven is our home, Heaven is our own!

MY WORDS .................... MY WORLD

2013-02-05T03:59:00.000-08:00

You may have heard that words are powerful, they have been likened to an egg, a dagger, a scorpion and I join in the league of those who have described words to say that words are the world. Yes, your words are your world.

I may be speaking of how God spoke, and all of creation came into being - Then God SAID, “Let there be light”; and there was light¹ but there is more to this as shown in the Bible, and you are about to see the truth established in a manner that you are not likely to forget quickly.

By faith, we understand that the things which are seen were not made by the things which are visible², there is an invisible force that brings into manifestation every physical reality and the tool or medium through which this unseen force operates is a word. Words spoken through any individual’s mouth are unseen but yet they are potent enough to bring about manifestation of a physical reality.

This is why from the fruit of a man's mouth, his stomach is satisfied. He is satisfied by the yield of his lips³, in the same vein, if that which comes out of a man's mouth brings forth fruits, then we can say that words are seeds (could be good or bad).

Words are not ordinary seeds, they are seeds which in themselves have the capacity to germinate, grow, and bear fruits. They do not need any other factor or variable to survive. God spoke of this when He said – “if the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish....... so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it⁴”.

What about faith, what about believing?

To have faith is to speak what you have believed. It is the declaration of an unwavering belief; this is exactly how our salvation came. It came when we confessed (with our mouth) what we believe⁵ (the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ- the savior).

A man demonstrates faith when he speaks what he believes⁶. The Christian is no ordinary person; he must learn to be deliberate about his words, knowing that they have the potential to bring about a manifestation in the physical realm. Seeing that our words are seeds we can create a whole lot of things. We must be careful to make sure that our words align with the intent and purpose of God, by so doing, we will attain greatness.

It is not enough to know that death and life are in the power of the tongue⁷, the essence of that is for us to choose our words correctly at all times. If words are seeds, it will be nice to sow them all 7 days of the week and to do same even if an eighth day comes⁸, this way, your clouds will become very full and heavy, ready to rain down⁹ all of the things that you have spoken and by this, you shall create your own world.

Believe it and say it with your mouth. Do not stop. Write it down¹⁰ and let your eyes keep seeing ¹¹it, very soon you will become it.

References

1. Genesis 1:3 - Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.

2. Hebrews 11:3 - By faith, we understand that the things which are seen were not made by the things which are visible

3. Proverbs 18:20 - A man’s stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth; from the produce of his lips he shall be filled.

4. Isaiah 55:10-11 - 10 “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud… So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

5. Romans 10:9-10 - that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

6. 2 Corinthians 4:13 - And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak

7. Proverbs 18:21 - Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

8. Ecclesiastes 11: 2 - Give a serving to seven, and also to eight, For you do not know what evil will be on the earth.

9. Ecclesiastes 11: 3 - If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth.

10. Habakkuk 2:2 - Then the Lord replied:“Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it.

11. 2 Corinthians 3:18 - And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplatethe Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

WELCOME TO THE PREVAILING WORD

2012-11-19T03:25:00.000-08:00

.....am glad you came

Hello and welcome to THE PREVAILING WORD. Truly The Word works for every situation that we go through in life more than anything else.

The Word is for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, and for training in righteousness, in holy living, in conformity to God's will in thought, purpose, and action.

As a Believer, you will find the articles in this Blog to be refreshing to your spirit man and renewing to your mind. They will remind you of the things that you most likely already know and this will help you to remain in the 'straight and narrow' as you continue to desire to please the Almighty God - your Creator.

Feel free to 'LIKE', post your comments, and ofcourse ask all your questions. You can subscribe for articles by typing in your E-mail address in the space "Follow By E-mail" and click on "submit", feel free to enter as many E-mail addresses as ;possible. Don't worry about too many messages appearing in your inbox THE PREVAILING WORD is not a daily devotional. You can also do well to invite a friend to be a part of this blog .

I trust that you are going to be ministered to because the Word of God does PREVAIL.

_tosin Babalola

GUARDING THE GATE WAYS TO YOUR MIND

2012-02-20T14:34:00.000-08:00

BY: Tosin Babalola

….. unfortunately the Christian mind has succumbed to the secular drift with a degree of weakness and nervelessness unmatched in Christian history. - Harry Blamires

That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.1 John 1:3

The major path ways into the mind are the eyes and the ears. All the things that are impressed on your mind right now (mental sights and sounds) are sited there as a result of the things that you have at one point in time seen and heard. In fact, your philosophy of life, ideas and opinions have been formed by the things you grew up seeing and hearing.

However, it is amazing that the two words ‘see’ and ‘hear’ go together in some verses of scriptures. This calls for serious attention. The reference made to Lot

in 1Pet2:8 is a good example- For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds.

The wrath of God was kindled against Sodom and Gomorrah because the people who lived there were utterly evil in their deeds (Gen19:13) Lot was a righteous man, he saw all their wicked works, but he was sick and tired of everything. You must understand that when an individual sees and hears some particular things over a long period of time, he is molded along the same lines and will find it difficult to change or accept a new order of behavior.

Every person who is neither blind nor deaf has every right to see and hear. Also, as Christians we will continue to see and hear one thing or the other. But in spite of all these, we have the power to choose what we want to see and hear. The power of choice is one of the greatest tools that God has given to us.

It is not what Christians see and hear that make them sinners.Salvations in the first place was not obtained by works but by faith. Hear Paul: Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace,(2Tim1:9) Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us,(Tit3:5) For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God (Eph2:6-8 Gal2:15-16) . Before you got saved, you had been a sinner, not for anything you did wrong but because sin in itself is a nature - Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me (Ps 51:5) For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, (Rom 5:14,19). Jesus Christ died and paid the penalty for sin on the cross. But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God;(Heb 10:12, John1:29 Heb9:22) He took away the sin nature and by His resurrection from the dead, He brought eternal life and the free gift of righteousness to everyone who believes(John 3:16, Rom 4:25 2Cor 5:21). This righteous nature is a gift which God can never take back from a believer (Rom 6:2, 1Cor 5;15-18, Rom 11:29, Prov 10:22, Ecc3:14). This is grace, but it is not a license to walk in sins, (Rom 6:1, Tit2:11). This grace teaches us how to live right and it does not condemn (Rom 8:1).

Every man born again is a spirit, living in a body and he has a mind (soul). The latter is the seat of emotion, knowledge and decision making. How then can a believer allow his criteria for decision making to be framed by the Holy Spirit? It is by feeding upon the word of God (John6:63), this is a life-long process called ‘renewing of the mind’ ' (Rom12:2 Col1:9-10 Eph4:22-24 Col 3:9-10). This process enables you to make the right choices of what to see and what to hear.

In life, there can never be a zone of complacency or stagnation. It is either you are progressing spiritually or you are retrogressing spiritually. This is the import of Rom 12:2- if you are not consciously renewing your mind, then you are consciously conforming to the world. when you regularly exercise your mind in the things of the spirit - study and meditate on the word, pray in the spirit, fellowship with believers, read other gospel literatures, et cetera) you will begin to enjoy God and it becomes easy for you to refrain from certain things, people, and places that are not profitable.

We find another place where the words “see” and “hear” go together in Phil 4:9-Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: …. The man Paul understood that after a particular thing gets into the mind and sits there, there is usually a performance of the same, (1Cor2:9, Acts4:20). He therefore urged his audience to do the things they have observed in his life style.

The question is: what are you seeing and what are you hearing? 2Cor 5:21 describes the man in Christ, he is completely new. God sees him as a brand new man who has never existed before and does not expect to find old attitudes in him anymore. Some Christians actually live as though they are in-between the old life and the new life. They call it ‘striking a balance’ but permit me to call it ‘compromise’. We must properly understand what we believe and live each day to defend it. Grace does not mean that we should live a little like unbelievers. Many people are not serious Christians today because they think God has no standards.

The Bible says in Col 3:17-And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. Before you begin to ingest anything into your mind, all you need to check is if it has been designed to help your spiritual progress and to edify your mind along the path of righteousness or otherwise. 1 Cor 10:31 says …or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

This message is not to condemn any one for we all will not get to the climax of the Christian journey until we reach our destination and have put off these mortal bodies in exchange for immortal ones. This is only a call to pay attention to our lives, to be carefully selective with the things that we see and hear because they transform into our actions and our actions turn out to please or displease God; this ultimately determines the extent of our success and happiness.

Begin to surround yourself with materials that will help you grow in the things of God, they will enable your mind to form the right criteria for decision making. It does not matter what the people around you are doing or saying. Just continue in this endeavor and lasting results will certainly come your way. You will be distinct and separate from others in a good way.

Prov 4:23 - Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

_tosin Babalola

THE 1,2,3 OF RIGHTEOUSNESS - PART 5

2012-01-15T10:43:00.000-08:00

THE 1,2,3 OF RIGHTEOUSNESS - PART 5

FRUITS OF RIGHTEOUSNES

By: Tosin Babalola

Matthew 7:16-18

You will know them by what they produce. “People don’t pick grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles, do they? In the same way every good tree produces good fruit, but a rotten tree produces bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, and a rotten tree cannot produce good fruit. (GOD’S WORD Translation )

As we gradually draw close to the end of this series, it will be good to adopt the sociological approach of the study of human behaviour - NATURE versus NURTURE. this will help to properly drive home the message of Righteousness. Our nature speaks of what we are made up of from birth i.e the new birth. We were born by God Himself, He gave to us His divine nature and His own very Righteousness. ( by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.2Peter 1:4)

Nature is different from characteristics (nurture) - the way an individual has been trained and encouraged in the process of growth.
The nature of a Dog is different from that of a Cat by reason of their respective progenitor. But a Puppy that is trained like a Cat will certainly grow up to behave, act and respond like a cat but no matter how cat-like it behaves, it remains a dog by nature. However, in the real sense, that the puppy is behaving like a cat is completely abnormal.In essence, such a puppy has been living bellow standard, short changed, and cheated!

Being a New Creature means you now have a new Nature (2Cor 5:17). Please let me re-sound again that this does not mean a new order of doing things ("the things i used to do, i do them no more") or else, unbelievers who live morally upright and pious lives should also be referred to a 'New Creatures.' Becoming a New Creature talks about a change in Nature, having a Nature that has never existed before. It becomes hard for you to tell whether an individual is a New Creature by physicical appearance or by the activities which they perform.

Being a New Creature also connotes the fact that there was an old Creature. Yes! He is called the 'old man' (Eph 4:22 Gal 3:9 - Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man ....... Rom 6:6) While the old man lived in us, we instinctively sinned against God, in fact with or without doing anything, we were sinners. But the Good News is that the old man is dead. he died with Christ on the cross. What Baptism means is that this 'old man' died and was buried together with Christ (Rom 6:1-7 - knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him,...... Gal 2:19-:20a, 1Peter 4:1 2Cor5:15-16a -So from now on we don’t think of anyone from a human point of view.) That old man has been buried and CAN NEVER RISE UP AGAIN. When Jesus rose up from the dead by the power of God, we also rose up together with Him, but guess what? It was a 'New Man' who rose up and not that former old man, HALLELUYAH! (Rom 7:4-6)

Therefore there is a call on us to respond to that New Nature in us through our walk.The old sinful nature is gone and can no longer dictate to us what to do (Rom 6:4 - Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life., 9-22, Rom 8:10-13 - Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh., Gal 2:20 1 Pet 4:1-2, - Since Christ has suffered in His body, we must be ready to suffer also. Suffering puts an end to sin. You should no longer spend the rest of your life giving in to the sinful desires of the flesh. But do what God wants as long as you live in this world. 2 Cor 5:15)

When we do certain things which can be referred to as 'sinful acts', they are works of the flesh which are not potent enough to change our nature or reverse the work of Christ on the Cross because He will not Die again a second time to make us Righteous.

You have the Righteousness of God as an irrevocable Gift (John 10:28-29, Rom 11:29, James 4:17 Prov 10:22 Ecc 3:14). but take note that when you do the works of the flesh, you are living short of who God has made you to be (remember the cat-like puppy?). You are not bringing forth fruits like He expects you to (phil 2:13, Mat 5:16. 2Pet 3:9 - But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;).

If you claim to be a Believer and your works are no different from that of the children of this world, please CHECK YPUR SALVATION AGAIN. It is possible that, like Saul, you have been playing religion (see also : http://www.tosinbabalola.blogspot.com/2011/10/123-of-righteousness-part-3-two-kinds.html) you may ask- 'how do i walk in this newness of life?' You walk in newness of life by learning, you must be taught {Col 2:6-7 - As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. ,Col 1:8-9,28, }this process is also called the renewing of the mind.(Rom 12:2, 1 Thes 2:9-13)

I beseech you to take advantage of every medium which you know will enhance your knowledge and will better equip you on how to walk worthy of the calling you have received. Not just knowledge, but right knowledge.Philippians 1:11May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God.(New Living Translation (NLT))

THE 1,2,3 OF RIGHTEOUSNESS - PART 5 FRUITS OF RIGHTEOUSNES

2012-01-13T14:53:00.000-08:00

FRUITS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

By: Tosin Babalola

Matthew 7:16-18

You will know them by what they produce. “People don’t pick grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles, do they? In the same way every good tree produces good fruit, but a rotten tree produces bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, and a rotten tree cannot produce good fruit. (GOD’S WORD Translation )

As we gradually draw close to the end of this series, it will be good to adopt the sociological approach of the study of human behavior - NATURE versus NURTURE. this will help to properly drive home the message of Righteousness. Our nature speaks of
what we are made up of from birth i.e the new birth. We were born by God Himself, He gave to us His divine nature and His own very Righteousness. ( by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.2Peter 1:4)

Nature is different from characteristics (nurture). Nurture is the way an individual has been trained and encouraged in the process of growth. The nature of a Dog is different from that of a Cat by reason of their respective progenitor. But a Puppy trained like a Cat will certainly grow up to behave, act and respond like a cat. No matter how cat-like it behaves, it remains a dog by nature. However, in real sense, as the puppy behaves like a cat is completely abnormal. In essence, such a puppy has been living bellow standard, short changed, and cheated!

Being a New Creature means you now have a new Nature (2Cor 5:17). Please let me re-sound again that this does NOT mean a new order of doing things ("the things i used to do, i do them no more") or else, unbelievers who live morally upright and pious lives should also be referred to a 'New Creatures.' Becoming a New Creature talks about a change in Nature, having a Nature that has never existed before. It becomes hard for you to tell whether an individual is a New Creature by physical appearance or by the activities which they perform.

Being a New Creature also connotes the fact that there was an old Creature. Yes! He is called the 'old man' (Eph 4:22 Gal 3:9 - Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man ....... Rom 6:6) While the old man lived in us, we instinctively sinned against God, in fact with or without doing anything, we were sinners. Now the old man is dead, he died with Christ on the cross. What Baptism means is that this 'old man' died and was buried together with Christ (Rom 6:1-7 - knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him,...... Gal 2:19-:20a, 1Peter 4:1 2Cor5:15-16a -So from now on we don’t think of anyone from a human point of view.) That old man has been buried and CAN NEVER RISE UP AGAIN. When Jesus rose up from the dead by the power of God, we also rose up together with Him, but guess what? It was a 'New Man' who rose up and not that former old man, HALLELUYAH! (Rom 7:4-6)

Therefore is therefore a call on us to respond to that New Nature in us by our walk.The old sinful nature is gone and can no longer dictate to us what to do (Rom 6:4 - Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life, 9-22, Rom 8:10-13 - Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh., Gal 2:20 1 Pet 4:1-2, - Since Christ has suffered in His body, we must be ready to suffer also. Suffering puts an end to sin. You should no longer spend the rest of your life giving in to the sinful desires of the flesh. But do what God wants as long as you live in this world. 2 Cor 5:15)

You have the Righteousness of God as an irrevocable Gift (John 10:28-29, Rom 11:29, James 4:17 Prov 10:22 Ecc 3:14). but take note that when you do the works of the flesh, you are living short of who God has made you to be (remember the cat-like puppy?). You are not bringing forth the fruits like He expects you to (phil 2:13, Mat 5:16. 2Pet 3:9 - But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light).

If you claim to be a Believer and your works are no different from that of the children of this world, please CHECK YOUR SALVATION AGAIN. It is possible that, like Saul, you have been playing religion (see also : http://www.tosinbabalola.blogspot.com/2011/10/123-of-righteousness-part-3-two-kinds.html)

you may ask- 'how do i walk in this newness of life?' You walk in newness of life by learning, you must be taught {Col 2:6-7 - As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.Col 1:8-9,28,) this process is also called the renewing of the mind.(Rom 12:2, 1 Thes 2:9-13)

I beseech you to take advantage of every medium which you know will enhance your knowledge and will better equip you on how to walk worthy of the calling you have received. Not just knowledge, but right knowledge.Philippians 1:11- May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God.(New Living Translation (NLT))

THE 1,2,3 OF RIGHTEOUSNESS - PART 3- -TWO KINDS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS - THE SAULS

2011-10-08T19:24:00.000-07:00

THE 1,2,3 OF RIGHTEOUSNESS - PART 3

TWO KINDS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS - THE SAULS

By Tosin Babalola

Indeed, there are two kinds of Righteousness revealed from the scriptures -

(a) Righteousness which is of God

(b) Righteousness whichh is of man

The sub title of this article reminds me of a character in the Bible. He exixsted between Acts 7:54 and Acts 9:4. This man percecuted Christians and thought that he was doing God a favour. he was exceedingly zealous for the Temple, the work of God and keeping the commandments of Moses, in fact he was a Pharisee ;

For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it: And profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers.Gal 1:13-14

Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless phil 3:4-6

.....Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: ..........Acts 23:6

I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day.And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women. As also the high priest doth bear me witness, and all the estate of the elders: from whom also I received letters unto the brethren, and went to Damascus, to bring them which were there bound unto Jerusalem, for to be punished. Acts 22:3-5

The man Saul was very learned and there was almost no one like him in all of Isreal at his time. Doesn't this sound like some of the Clergy we see in churches today? they have been serving God before you were born and we have lived our lives to watch them put all the Laws of Moses to pratise and you wonder if you can ever be like them. the amazing thing about Saul is that HE WAS NEVER BORN AGAIN. Yes! He was not born again. Hear his words in Romans 10: 1 - Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. and he attested (as seen in the above quted scriptures) that he once belonged to that categoty - the unsaved.

He was not born again because he kicked against the gospel of christ. he did not belive that faith alone, in christ alone, saves alone, that obeying the Laws of Moses will never get a man to heaven.that Jesus Christ is the saviour who has come to take away the sins of the whole world - not just of the Jews alone but also of the Gentiles. He did nto believe in grace which is seperate from fulfilment of "dos and "don'ts". hear him - And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. 1Tim 1:12-15. At Acts 2:14-40 ; Acts 3:12-26 ; Acts 5:19-20 ; Acts 7:2-53 - he rejected the Gospel which Peter and Stephen preached and just did not agree with the 'words of this life'.

This is a serious matter and it is the reason lots of people think they are Christians: since they go to Church, bear hristian names, wear/do not wear, eat/do not eat certain things. All of these do not translate into righteousness, at best they are filthy rags before God - But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. - Isaiah 64:6 ; If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me: if I say, I am perfect, it shall also prove me perverse. Though I were perfect, yet would I not know my soul: I would despise my life. If I wash myself with snow water, and make my hands never so clean; Yet shalt thou plunge me in the ditch, and mine own clothes shall abhor me. - Job 9:20-21' 30-31

After Saul's conversion, he discovered the true way to God. He realised thst the Laws of Moses were given to the Children of Isreal alone and to serve them for a specific tme - the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises.Rom 9:4-5 (NIV) ; What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was put into effect through angels by a mediator. ; Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.Gal 3:19 ; 23-25 (NIV). The Law brought bondage, He saw that through the law, mankind can actually see the inherent sin nature in them, the law gave power to sin - Rom 3:20 ; Rom 4:15 ; Rom 7:7-14 ; Acts 15:10-11 ' Gal 5:1-4.

Saul also realised later that it is God's perfect intention to call every one in the world into a new family, one big family So that not those who are offspring of Abraham will be the beloved of God but those who have faith in Jesus Christ (Even Gentiles)- Acts 15:7-9 ; Col1: 25-27 ; Eph 3:1-9 Eph 2:11-22 Gal 3:26-29 ; Rom 9:6-8 ; rom 2:28-29 '; 1 Pet 2:9-10 , 25 ; Eph 1: 6 ; Eph 3: 14-15.

After he became Paul, he called the Laws of Moses 'vain traditions', 'shallow', 'elements of the world', 'doctrines of men', 'rules that are humiliatingto the body and makes one become proud' - Col 2:16-23, 1 Pet 1:18.

Thank God that we have been redeemed frm the Law-But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. Gal 4:4-5, Gal 3:10-11.

THE 1,2,3 OF RIGHTHEOUSNESS - RIGHTEOUSNES.............HOW?

2011-08-06T04:57:00.000-07:00

HOW CAN MAN BE RIGHTEOUS?
By Tosin Babalola

It is true that God alone is righteous, He can not withstand iniquity and sin. God knew that there was nothing that man could do (all by himself) to be righteous but yet He wanted to establish a union/relationship with man.

For this to happen, man needs to be holy as God is and to be righteous as God is righteous before he could ever enjoy this union and fellowship with God.

So what did God do? God imputed in man His own righteous nature not as a reward for any thing that man has done or could do but as a free gift Rom 11:6 - And if by grace, then it is no more works: otherwise, grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.. Rom5:15-17.

On the part of man, the nature of righteousness was received as a free gift but on the part of God, somebody paid the price.

Our sin nature and its consequences were dealt with on the cross of Calvary when Jesus Christ hung and died, tasted the penalty of sin on our behalf - as us. We paid paid the price for sin in Him. He was made the sacrifice for our sin so that we would be washed clean and be seen as cleaning the sight of God.- 2Cor 5:21 For God made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, so that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.

1Pet 1:18-19 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as of silver or gold , from your conversation received by vain tradition from your fathers . But with the precious blood of Christ , as a lamb without blemish or without spot.

John 1:29.

As a result of the perfect sacrifice which was offered just once, God forgave the sins of man. Not only has he forgiven but that he has forgotten and will remember them no more Heb 10:110 - 12 ; Heb 10:16 - 18 Rom 11:27 Isaiah 43:25 Isaiah 1:8 Jer 31:34.

It is is only on the account of Jesus' death on the Cross. He died for the sins of the world 1John 2;2, Rom 3;25, Col 1:14,20, Eph 1:7.

The blood of Christ forever makes intercession for us Before the Father (Heb 7::25 Rom b:34). It will not be shed again, i t was shed once and for all. This means that sins are forever taken care of.

Therefore, man becomes righteous by expressing faith in the finished work of the Cross ( Rom 4:4-8). Righteousness is not a reward, God did not owe humanity any thing. Rather, righteousness is a gift from God. The prophet and King (David) foresaw this and spoke by the Holy Spirit that the only way man can become righteous is when God Himself actually does not reckon sin against that man. He says this man iis highly favored.

We are going to learn more about how man can be righteous in the succeeding parts of this series. Take some time to thank God because He alone has made it possible for human beings (though in the flesh) to stand holy and righteous before Him.

-tosin Babalola

The 1,2,3 of RIGHTEOUSNESS

2011-07-09T21:37:00.000-07:00

The 1,2,3 of RIGHTEOUSNESS

Some decades back, Righteousness was a topic that most christians feared to think about or talk about . n Nigeria at that time,only some denominations could freely talk about righteousness through various media and publicity materials. This they did freely because people gave hem respect for their pious outlook. from what u saw on the outward, you would logically conclude that these people were righteous, they stayed away from virtually everything that looked 'worldly'. they even called the television tube 'the devil's box'.

The fear of disscusing righteousness was due to the fact that it seemed unattainable. People thought that no matter how hard they tried to pattern their lifestyle, one little thing was going to still prove them to be unrighteous. Righteousness is defined as the state of being Holy and Just, to be in right standing with God. This is the point where God sees you and considers you as sinless and completely holy in His sight. The Greek word for righteous is Dikalos which means to be innocent or holy.

Wow! Little wonder, christians quickly humble themselves before God and say that they are unrighteous we spend little time feeling righteous that the whole lot of time we spend feeling unrighteous.

The Knowledge factor is the most needed tool here. Over the years, the mind and intention of God has finally been brought to light (and we are still learning more and more daily)and this indeed has set you free. in the course of this 7-part series, we will be looking at God's own perspetive of righteousness and what He expects from us. Open your heart to the Holy Spirit to teach you and lay aside/discard every pre concieved idea or notion which you have alwauys thought about righteousness.

IT IS TIME FOR YOU TO BE FREE.!!!

_tosin Babalola

RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES ATTACHED TO YOUR IDENTITY- YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST - - PARE VII

2011-06-24T21:56:00.000-07:00

RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES ATTACHED TO YOUR IDENTITY

By Tosin Babalola

WHO AM I?

She walked into a Business Centre one morning with her work ID Card hanging down her neck and after she had finished making payments for the photocopies that she made, she was given a very rough and dirty N500 note as her balance. "No, no don 't give me this kind of note i won t accept it ". looks like she has been programmed to say this when ever any one gave her that type of currency note and so she just did it spontaneously. but the cashier (having looked at the ID Card that hung down her neck) said, "haba Madam, you work in a bank now, you are in the best position to collect this money". Oh yes, that's very true, her identity had changed but she had not gotten used to the responsibility attached to that identity. She should gladly have collected that N500 note and thereafter exchanged it with a bettter one at her office.

So far, we have been discussing certain realities of who we have become already in Christ Jesus. HE WILL NOT make us to become all these, He has already made us become all that He says we are. From now on, you are not expected to have identity crisis(see: http://tosinbabalola.blogspot.com/2011/06/identity-ceisis-your-identity-in-christ.html). Never alllow people or circumstances to define who you are. No matter what any one may say, no matter what your circustance may be right now, all of these can not alter your real identity in Christ.

When an eaglet grows up amongst chicks, even though it behaves and acts like them, its nature still remains

WHO AM I?

that of an eagle. Acting like a chick does not make it become a chicken. Its identity remains that of an eagle and so does its nature, abilities and potentials, excpt that the knowledge factor is missing coupled with a corresponding action too.

Bible expects us to comntinually give ourselves over to learning, to be filled with knowledge so that we can appropriate it in our day-to-day walk. Col 1:8-10 - and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.

And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God

Col 2:6-7 -Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rtoted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

WHO AM I?

It is not sufficient that you know who you are but a corresponding action in the light of what you know will prove that you actually know.

James 1:22-25 - But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

Make up your mind today to embark upon a life - long voyage of discovering who you are in Christ snd taking advantage of all that has been made available to you through Him. His Grace is what you have already, even right now to carry out this task, it is a worthy venture

WHO AM ?

because at the end, you will be glad you did.

Titus2:11 - For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,
with this, we have come to the end of the 7-part series, YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST. It is my desire that this WORD will indeed PREVAIL and find proper lodgement in your heart.
_tosin Babalola

YOU ARE A PILGRIM-CUM-CITIZEN - YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST - - PART VI

2011-06-17T22:06:00.000-07:00

WHO AMI

By Tosin Babalola
Heb 11:13-16 - These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. for they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned
Luke 12:13-21.....And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth......... then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
1Pet 2:11-
Dearly beloved, I beseech you as STRANGERS and PILGRIMS.......(KJV)
Dear friends, I urge you, as ALIENS and STRANGERS in the world .............(NIV)
Dear friends, I warn you as “TEMPORARY RESIDENTS and FOREIGNERS”.............(NLT)
Beloved, I urge you as SOJOURNERS and EXILES ..............(ESV)
It's amazing the Bible calls us pilgrims and strangers. The Greek word for Pilgrim also means alien or resident foreigner. You may also wish to use the word 'visitor'. God wants you to know that you are a Passer-by here on earth. When you go to visit a friend, 2 things are uppermost on pour mind:
1. You have a specific limited time to spend there
2. you will have to restrict yourself from doing certain things because you will not be in your friend's house forever.

We have a temporary stay here on earth, Heaven is our home- permanent place of abode and it is ours right now.YES! Right now, because the Word says that we are citizens of Heaven already. To have citizenship of a place means that you have the legal right of belonging to a particular country- that country is heaven.
Eph 2:6 God has brought us back to life together with Christ Jesus and has given us a position in heaven with him
Phil 2:20 - We, however, are citizens of heaven. We look forward to the Lord Jesus Christ coming from heaven as our Savior
Eph 2:19 - Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household,
The Holy Spirit in us is the guarantee and assurance that we belong to Heaven in reality.
2 Cor 5:5 - Now he who made us for this very thing is God, who also gave to us the down payment of the Spirit.
Eph 1:13-14 - ....... Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance .........
2 Cor 1:21-22 - Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set His seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. Heaven is where you belong right now.

WHO AM I?

Walking in this consciousness is very vital for success in every aspect of life. The Bible encourages us to be careful the way we conduct ourselves here on earth because it is not our final destination. 1 Pet 1:17 - And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time as "foreigners in the land."
Math 6:19-20 - Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal
Col 3:1-3 - If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
There is no amount of money that can purchase Heaven Citizenship. You may have free access to many earthly Countries but without heaven citizenship, it means nothing. Therefore, we rejoice at all times and give thanks to God for His son Jesus Christ on whose account we have obtained this glorious Citizenship.
Heaven is our home, Heaven is our own!

YOU ARE JUSTIFIED AND SANCTIFIED - YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST - - PART V

2011-06-12T21:07:00.000-07:00

YOU ARE JUSTIFIED AND SANCTIFIED - YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST - - PART V

By Tosin Babalola

There are certain times when as a Christian you do feel like a sinner. Maybe you weren't being fair to some people or maybe you just told a lie. And just as you thought about going to church for the Prayer Meeting, you felt somebody wisper to you :'you are so unworthy, you are a sinner and a wretch, people kow it and God hates you.'

At such times, you need to consciously remind yourself of who you are in Christ. That whisper you probably heard is a lie and it stands in opposition to the nature that God has given you. Let us take a look at the Corinthiam Church, lets look at what they did and how the man Paul handled the situation. These were a group of people who (even though Christans) put up all sorts of misbehaviour,1 Cor 5:1- it is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father's wife. 1 Cor 3:1-3 -because you're still influenced by your corrupt nature. When you are jealous and quarrel among yourselves, aren't you influenced by your corrupt nature and living by human standards? Paul did not condemn them. All he did was to remind them of their true identity in Christ. He simply reminded them of their true nature - they have been sanctified and they had been justified 1 Cor 6:9-11 -Don't you know that wicked people won't inherit the kingdom of God? Stop deceiving yourselves! People who continue to commit sexual sins, who worship false gods, those who commit adultery, homosexuals, or thieves, those who are greedy or drunk, who use abusive language, or who rob people will not inherit the kingdom of God. That's what some of you WERE! But you have BEEN WASHED and made holy, and you have RECIEVED GOD'S APPROVAL in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.

WHO AM I?

To be justified means to be declared not guilty (righteous) while to be sanctified means to be Holy, Clean and Spotless. They represent our status by nature. We did not attain to them by the works of our hands or through the fulfilment of the Laws of Moses. The children of Isreal tried to attain justification and sanctification by their works and the Laws of Moses but they continually failed

Rom 10:1-4 - Brothers and sisters, my heart's desire and prayer to God on behalf of the Jewish people is that they would be saved. I can assure you that they are deeply devoted to God, but they are misguided. They don't understand [how to receive] God's approval. So they try to set up their own way to get it, and they have not accepted God's way for receiving his approval. Christ is the fulfillment of Moses' Teachings so that everyone who has faith may receive God's approval.

Gal 2:16- nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified

Acts 13:39 - ...........and through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses.

It is through the blood of Christ which has been shed that we have recieved justification and sanctification forever.

Heb 9:11-13But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.

Heb 10:9-14 -By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins;but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD, waiting from that time onward UNTIL HIS ENEMIES BE MADE A FOOTSTOOL FOR HIS FEET. For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.

1 Cor 1:30-31 - But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD.”

WHO AM I?

Rom 4:25 - He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification.

Now we are born again, Born by God Himself and so He expects us to live a Holy life free of sins / works of the flesh. We have been made 100% perfect in the Inner man and God expects a manifestation of this in our day-to-day living..

It is your duty to walk in this consciousness, don't allow yourself to feel condemned for anything at all. If you have made a wrong, acknowledge it and make a decision to stop it as well as walk away from it. Rom 8:1- So those who are believers in Christ Jesus can no longer be condemned.

To begin to ask God to wash you with the blood of Christ is a request contrary to what we see in the Word. This already took place when Christ shed His blood on the cross. In the same vein, no where in the Bible was he blood of Christ pleaded, IT WAS ONLY SHED for our sanctification and justification.

Thank God at all times because by faith/ belief in the Gospel you have become partaker of this wonderful package. Justification and Sanctification by God Himself, not for a while but for ever. Glory!

_tosin Babalola

YOU ARE GOD'S TEMPLE - YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST - - PART IV

2011-06-08T05:09:00.000-07:00

YOU ARE GOD'S TEMPLE - YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST - - PART IV\

By Tosin Babalola

WHO AM I?

"You are welcome to the presence of God". Often have you heard that told in church services and various Christian gatherings . My question then is this: where was i before i came to this gathering/meeting? Where will i be after the meeting is over and we all disperse? Outside of God's presence?

The presence o God is not and can not be confined to the four walls of a building. Acts 17:24-25 - God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things.

We have been ushered into the prsence of God once and for all time by the blood of Jesus Christ - by the new and life giving way. Heb 4: 14-16 - Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. ............ Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Eph 2:18 - For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.

Under the Old Covenant, only the High Priest could enter into the Holiest of all (beyond the veil Heb 9:1-8)

but after Jesus Christ offered up Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the woirld, the veil was torn from top to bottom. This signifies that He gave us free access into the presence of God - Heb 9:11-12 - But Christ came as a chief priest of the good things that are now here. Christ went through a better, more perfect tent that was not made by human hands and that is not part of this created world. He used his own blood, not the blood of goats and bulls, for the sacrifice. He went into the most holy place and offered this sacrifice once and for all to free us forever.

Heb 10:19-22 Brothers and sisters, because of the blood of Jesus we can now confidently go into the holy place. Jesus has opened a new and living way for us to go through the curtain. (The curtain is his own body.) We have a superior priest in charge of God's house. We have been sprinkled [with his blood] to free us from a guilty conscience, and our bodies have been washed with clean water. So we must continue to come [to him] with a sincere heart and strong faith.

For believing in the finished work of the cross and accepting Jesus Christ as personal Lord and Saviour, you have been ushered into the Holies of holies, the very presence of God. this is exactly where you are right now.

The Ark of the Covenant does not represent God's presence anymore, neither is He kept in a Temple, tent, or building. He has chosen the believer to be His house, habitation and temple.

Acts 17:28-29 - For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device

1 Cor 3:16 - Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

2 Cor 6:16 - And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Eph 2:22 - Through him you, also, are being built in the Spirit together with others into a place where God lives.

We do not need to 'long to be in His presence' because we are already in His presence by nature.

In the Old Testament, The Holy Spirit came upon certain people just to perform certain functions and afterward departed from them on completion of such tasks. For instance Samson - And the Spirit of the LORD began to move him at times in the camp of Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol. (judges 13:25) ..........And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him (Judges 15:20) and Mary - The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee:(Luke 1:35)

God had made a promise of how that the Holy Spirit will dwell in Human being, not for a while but for ever, as a seal of His relationship (Joel 2:28-29) Jesus Christ said the same thing in John 14:16 - And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever.

This promise came to pass since the day of Penticost in Act 2:4 - And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Since the time you believed in the Gospel, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit Eph 1:13- You heard and believed the message of truth, the Good News that he has saved you. In him you were sealed with the Holy Spirit whom he promised

Eph 4:30 - And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. You don t need to pray Him to come again, He dwells in you already.

God is Spirit,therefore He can not be seen and can never be Seen but by the WORD, we KNOW that He dwells in us and we dwell in Him. This has to be a knowing and not a feeling.

WHO AM I?

There are many privilleges attached to this reality as well as many responsibilities. As a carrier of the presence of God, you have God's power deposited in you -

Eph 1:19 - And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,

Eph 3:20 - Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us

2 Tim 1:7 - For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

1John 4:17 - Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

Phil 2:13 - For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure

You are to function as God would because His ability resides on your inside by nature.

Also, your body, as the temple of God, is holy and you should do nothing to defile it. You are to honour and glorify God in the things that you do with your body.

1 Cor 3:17 - If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

1 Cor 16:20 - For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

1 Thes 4:3-4 - For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour.

Another responsibility is that you are not to play down on or look down upon another believer. Whenever you do such, you do it to God Himself. 1 Thes 4:8 - He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.

So how then do you welcome people to church. Its simple. Just welcome them to church, just say : "you are welcome to church". Don't welcome them to the presence of God, they came in with God dwelling in them and will not leave Hin behind in church.

_tosin Babalola

YOU ARE A CHILD OF GOD - YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST - III

2011-06-03T22:07:00.000-07:00

WHO AM I?

YOU ARE A CHILD OF GOD

By Tosin Babalola
Gal 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus

The Jews said that it was blasphemy for anyone to be called a child of God (John 5:18 - Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God. ) They saw themselves as special people in the sight of God; for being the seed of Abraham. But the appearance of Jesus Christ on the scene reveals to us all that God had in mind. In the sight of God the real Isrealites are not those who are citizens of (earthly) Isreal or those who are descendants of Jacob by geneaology - Rom 2:25-29 A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code Rom 9:6-8 For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. God's intention was to make the worle world ((Jews and Gentiles) to become members of one family.1 Pet 2:9But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light

Eph 2:11-19 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ ......Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, Jesus explained to the Jewish leaders that clain on the lineage of Abraham means that they should believe in Him as the son of God or else their lineage is that of the Devil - John 8:33-37.

WHO AM I

Right now, there is just one big family of God and we all are members of that family by reason of our faith in Christ Jesus. The moment you recieved the Gospel of salvation,you became the son of God John 1:12 as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: The Holy Spirit in us is the withness that we are indeed the sons of God. Rom 8:14-17 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 1And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

Gal 4:4-7 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

Eph 1:5-6 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved

Eph 3:14-15 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named

1 John 3:1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: By adoption, we have become the childrenof God.

This simply means that your DNA is changed. For being born of God, you have God's nature running in you 1John 5:1 Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: 2 Pet 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. Although you may have your earthly biological father, whose name you bear, there is another Father of all fathers in whose name you exist. The love that is has for you is far more than that which your earthly father can show to you. He knows the desires of your heart before you even ask them and He also knows the things that are best for you.

Therfore, as christians, when we come together, we ought not to take confidence in temporary things such as biologiucal backgrounds which may degenerate into vain glory and envy, we have a unifying factor - Our Father. He sees all of us as His children and loves us equally. This is why we ought to love an help one another out of a pure mind. We now belong to one family of God, no difference. Thank God for His fatherhood.

IDENTITY CRISIS - YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST - -PART II

2011-06-01T05:04:00.000-07:00

YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST - PART 1 - http://tosinbabalola.blogspot.com/2011/05/your-identity-in-christ-part-1_29.htmlI

IDENTITY CRISIS - YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST - -PART II
By Tosin Babalola

WHO AM I?

Identity crisis simply means a feeling of uncertainty about who you really are and what your purpose in life is. An example of someone who may have had an identity crisis in the Bible is Moses (although this is not rcorded) Exodus 2:10-11 tell us that he grew up as Son to Pharaoh's daughter, most likely in the Palace, learning and internalising all the ideologies of being a Prince. His mannerisms and comportments may not have been different from that of a Prince. He would have had certain rights and privilleges to enjoy. Even if all of these had happened to Moses, he still knew the son of whom he really was, this made him recognise his brothers and he sought to identify with them
For some of us, we have lost sense of our true identity. We have allowed people around us (friends, family and fans) to define us. Some people are born into royalty and they see themselves as such, some into slavery, some into wealth et.c and these all have acted in accordance to the acceptable norms and values of such settings.
There is a danger in allowing people or your social environment to define who you are. This is because human beings are not stable in their ways, minds and judgement. They give you a particular attribute today and tommorrow they they call you by another. This is why the Bible warns that we do not put our trust in man. Psalm 118:8 - It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.Man can never give an accurate description of who you really are because he did not create you. Only the Ancient of days, the One who knew you before you were formed and made you with His own hands can accurately describe you and guess what!- His judgement is forever the same, He will never change what ever it is that He has said you are because His word can never fall nor falter. Heb 13:8 For Jesus doesn't change—yesterday, today, tomorrow, he's always totally himself. Jesus Christ asked His disciples ; Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? (Math 16:13-17). The striking thing is that there was no uniformity in all that they said. This simply means that when you allow any other source (apart from the Word) to define you, all that you will get are varrying opinions. In the long run, just one person gave the correct and required answer and this we see was inspired by God Himself and not man.
The question therefore is 'Who am I?' Never try to avoid this question. If your do not anwer it soon enough, the devil will tell you lies about who you are not. Circumstances of life will ask you the question of who you are like it happened to the 7 sons of Sceva, Acts 19:15 - Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? I bet you don't want to wait till then.
The definition of who you are is not far-fetched. It is right there in the Word. You are a new Creation - 2Cor 5:17 Because of this decision we don't evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don't look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! (The Message)
As a result of this, there are certain things that have been made available to you, God has labelled you with them (as your identity) and they are called New Creation Realities'. We shall study some of them in the subsequent parts.
One lesson you must learn at this point is; do not allow anyone to define you. You true identity lies in the Word of God. On the physical, it may not look like it but the Word of God is ever true, it takes faith to walk in all that we have been given though it. 2 Cor 5:6-8 -that's why we live with such good cheer. You won't see us drooping our heads or dragging our feet! Cramped conditions here don't get us down. They only remind us of the spacious living conditions ahead. It's what we trust in but don't yet see that keeps us going.
Always give thanks to God because He alone had designed your Identity Card and has put it in the Bible. He also promised that He will never alter anything in it forever. Halleluyah!
_tosin Babalola

YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST - PART 1

2011-05-29T21:35:00.002-07:00

YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST - PART 1
By Tosin Babalola

Philemon 1:6 - that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.

Have you ever seen an identity card before? The conspiquous thing on any individual's ID card is the passport photograph. there are many other details on the ID card that are very important. An individual's ID card contains information that proves who the person is : name,age sex, et. c. Your identiuty simply speaks of who you are. we can also say that your identity speaks of qualities and attributes you have that make you have your own character and you are different from other people.

Very many people define themselves (form their identity) by the environment they were born and grew up in .this is why it is not strange to hear somebody say a thing like "i can never eat or drink in public because we don t do such in my family" (i used to be like that) some other people define themselves based on their culture and religion. Such people may say "i can never shake hands with any individual of the opposite sex" or "i can never put on a certain type of clothig". Some people define themselves based on other things such a s birth signs, temperament, psycho-anaytic theories et.c

In the course of this 7-PART series we shall be discussing the topic of the Christian's real identity. Does he have an ID CARD?What are the information contained in the ID CARD? we will also see why it is important for Christians to know what their identity entails and to know the privilleges, rights and responsibilities that come with such reality. We shall see the danger of deriving self-defination from various means and media.

It promises to be exciting and rewarding . What you need to do is to make up your mind and agree with the Word of God . When u refuse to agree with or consent to what God says you are, you are simply walking in pride. The only thing you need to function well as a Christian is the right information, believe it and walk in it. 1 Timothy 6:3 - If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, ⁴ he is proud, knowing nothing

storm or earthquake................your brrakthrough might just be tied to it

2011-05-29T13:16:00.000-07:00

storm or earthquake................your brrakthrough might just be tied to it

by Tosin Babalola

for God to breakthrough.........sometimes it takes

a) a storm...........imagine the prisoners that were with paul in the ship on the way to Rome Acts 27

And the soldiers' counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim out, and escape But the centurion, willing to save Paul, kept them from their purpose; and commanded that they which could swim should cast themselves first into the sea, and get to land

......sometimes it takes

b)an earthquake..........imagine the prisoners that were with Paul and Silas in the prison at Acts 16

And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed.

STORM OR EARTHQUAKE.............IT MAY JUST BE FOR YOUR BREAKTHROUGH

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee

THE STORY OF EUTYCHUS PART 1 -DISTRACTED FOR DISTRUCTION

2011-05-29T12:58:00.000-07:00

DISTRACTED FOR DISTRUCTION - THE STORY OF EUTYCHUS PART 1

by Tosin Babalola

Acts 20:7-10

On Sunday we met to break bread. Paul was discussing Scripture with the people....., he kept talking until midnight.(Many lamps were lit in the upstairs room where we were meeting.) A young man named Eutychus was sitting in a window. As Paul was talking on and on, Eutychus was gradually falling asleep. Finally, overcome by sleep, he fell from the third story and was dead when they picked him up.

His name signifies one that had good fortune—Eutychus, bene fortunatus . whether he was brought to the meeting in order to be healed or he was just an attendee, we know that the meeting was meant to do him some good especially by reason of the Word which Paul preaching.

Many Christians go to church, having the same intention but some how, along the line -like Eutychus- we become distracted with things by which we ultimately are distroyed.

That the man Paul ....kept talking until midnight..... does not justify Eutychus' act of sleeping.We must do what ever we can to maintain focus when it comes to the things of God. yes you are married.....you have a job that takes much of your time.....your leadership role in church is so demanding......u have children to look after......you are a atudent and you have a lot of books to read et cetera. all of these should never justify your act of turning a cold feet towards the things of God (things that bring spiritual progress)

It looks like inspite of the ..........Many lamps (that) were lit in the upstairs room where (they) were meeting.......this man was still bent on sleeping off. i began to wonder if there were people around him who tried to call him to order and maybe he just didn t listen. just like when people begin to call you up to know why you were not at rehearsals, the prayer meeting, church service and you do not have logical explanations but you just continue in your absentieeism. that is the Eutychus spirit at work and it always heads toward self-distruction.

Distraction creeps in gradually into an individual' s life.........Eutychus was gradually falling asleep.....the Bible says ;For this reason we must pay closer attention to what we have heard. Then we won’t drift away from the truth.Hebrews 2:1 (GOD’S WORD Translation). To drift is a gradual process.

Principles do not impose curses, they only ensure blessings. when a man begings to drift/ is distracted fron the Word of God(prayer and fe;llowship), he begings to die(experience dryness).

It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.(Luke 4:4)

I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.(John 15:5)

I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified (Acts 20:32)

As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: (1Peter 2:2)

The ultimate goal of the devil is to see christians become so distracted that they fall and are taken up dead.

I urge you to remain focused on God and His wordin the face of (legitimate) distractions for this is the way to prosper in God

1 Corinthians 9:25-27 (The Message)You've all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race. Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win. All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You're after one that's gold eternally. I don't know about you, but I'm running hard for the finish line. I'm giving it everything I've got. No sloppy living for me! I'm staying alert and in top condition. I'm not going to get caught napping,

1 Corinthians 9:25-27 (GOD’S WORD Translation)

Everyone who enters an athletic contest goes into strict training. They do it to win a temporary crown, but we do it to win one that will be permanent. So I run—but not without a clear goal ahead of me. So I box—but not as if I were just shadow boxing. Rather, I toughen my body with punches and make it my slave so that I will not be disqualified

FALLEN, NOT A FAILURE. THE STORY OF EUTYCHUS - PART II

2011-05-29T12:47:00.000-07:00

FALLEN, NOT A FAILURE. THE STORY OF EUTYCHUS - PART II

by Tosin Babalola

Acts 20:9-12 (GOD’S WORD Translation)

A young man named Eutychus was sitting in a window. As Paul was talking on and on, Eutychus was gradually falling asleep. Finally, overcome by sleep, he fell from the third story and was dead when they picked him up. Paul went to him, took him into his arms, and said, “Don’t worry! He’s alive!” Then Eutychus went upstairs again, broke the bread, and ate. Paul talked with the people for a long time, until sunrise, and then left.

The people took the boy home. They were greatly relieved that he was alive.

The story of Eutychus has helped me to identify one of the issues we (as Christians) face in life. Experiencing a down time in our spiritual walk should not be a strange thing to us but it is when we remain spiritually down that there is a problem. A Christian can be “taken in a fault”

Galatians 6:1 (Common English Bible) Brothers and sisters, if a person is caught doing something wrong,........

Galatians 6:1 (New Living Translation) Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer[a] is overcome by some sin,.....

we also see the just man fall seven times in Prov 24:16 (Amplified Bible) For a righteous man falls seven times and rises again,.....

However, this is not the will of God for us, it is a strategy wired and designed by the the devil himself.

The problem at the all night meeting where Paul preached was that Eutychus made a wrong decision of sleeping off. Sleep in the life of a Christian connotes spiritual dormancy or stagnation, better put; ‘spiritual retrogression’. The will of the devil is to get people to the sleeping position where they begin to lose appetite for spiritual things and they become sense-ruled Christians. His desire is not only to make them sleep but to make then fall.

This is why we must be very watchful in all that we do, 2 Pet 5:8 - (The Message)

Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up. You're not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It's the same with Christians all over the world. So keep a firm grip on the faith.

We must be careful not to break the hedge so that the serpent does not bite, Ecc 10:8b - (Good News Translation)

; if you break through a wall, a snake bites you.

Some theologians believe that much more than the focus on Eutychus, the lesson from that passage was that the hand of Satan was in it (by divine permission) to disturb that assembly and to bring a reproach to Paul. This is possibly true because we know that it is in the nature of the devil to do such a thing. He loves for people to begin to doubt the potency of the power in the Word which Paul preached at least just to have one person say “E hen, I said it. This Paul should have allowed us to go home and rest a long time ago. Now somebody is dead and he must face the consequences. I don t know why we must attend every church service or why we must stay to the end”. The devil loves to give Christians reasons to be half-committed towards the things of God. But thank God that Eutychus did not remain dead. Instead, the situation turned around and served as an encouragement at that time and to us today.

Here is another lesson; when an individual is fallen or taken in a fault, we should realize that this affects the whole body (group of believers) - 1Cor 2:26 (The Message)

….. every part dependent on every other part, the parts we mention and the parts we don't, the parts we see and the parts we don't. If one part hurts, every other part is involved in the hurt, and in the healing. If one part flourishes, every other part enters into the exuberance.

1Cor 12:27 (GOD’S WORD Translation)

You are Christ’s body and each of you is an individual part of it.

Paul did not ignore what happened to continue preaching, he had to stop what he was doing in order to fix the problem. The devil is still after the body of Christ to retard our progress and he does this by attacking individuals knowing that it will ultimately affect the rest, Gal 5:9 (Amplified Bible)

A little leaven (a slight inclination to error, or a few false teachers) leavens the whole lump [it perverts the whole conception of faith or misleads the whole church].

You are not to sit, fold your arms and watch a fellow brother or sister fall off the path of fervent pursuit of God. It is for your own sake and the entire body of Christ’s that you should restore him/her, Gal 6:1 - (Amplified Bible)

BRETHREN, IF any person is overtaken in misconduct or sin of any sort, you who are spiritual [who are responsive to and controlled by the Spirit] should set him right and restore and reinstate him, without any sense of superiority and with all gentleness, keeping an attentive eye on yourself, lest you should be tempted also.

The man Paul foresaw this strategy and so he instructed that a certain fornicator to be put away from among the Corinthian brethren, (1 Cor 5:1-7) sometimes you may have to deal with fallen believers in other ways such as an open rebuke,Tim 5:20 ( The Message) - If anyone falls into sin, call that person on the carpet. Those who are inclined that way will know right off they can't get by with it.

But all must be done in the spirit of love. Later in 2 Cor 2:5-11} Paul instructed again that the man should be forgiven and be restored back to the fold. It is a device of the devil to watch other Christians sleep and slip away into a backslidden condition and to do nothing to restore such a person.

The truth is that it remains our responsibility to help such Christians back on their feet that they do not turn out to be a failure. A Christian may fall several times but his power to rise again resides in the other Christians around him. Like Paul, we must take them into our arms in a bid to restore them back to life.

-tosin Babalola

JESUS THE CHIEF CORNER STONE - PART 1 -MAD OR GLAD-

2011-05-29T12:39:00.000-07:00

MAD OR GLAD
1pet1:23-25 having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever,[a] 24 because.....but the word of the LORD endures forever. Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you

From Scriptures it is very clear that human beings react to the hearing of the Gospel in either of two ways – they are either mad or glad
            First and foremost, what is a gospel? A gospel can simply be defined as something that is absolutely true. In Bible terms however, THE GOSPEL goes beyond any of the first four Books of the New Testament, but it is the totality of the Word of God that concerns the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, His death and resurrection which ushered in Salvation for mankind. In the Bible, the Gospel is spoken and it simply conveys the intention of God (2 Tim 1:9) to reconcile man from his fallen state back to Himself( 2 Cor 5:18-19) that man may enjoy fellowship with God by the Holy Spirit, share in the divine nature (2 Pet 1:4), possess eternal life (John 3:16) and have heaven as his own (Phil3:20). All of these, he will experience if he would simply believe that God (in His love) sent Jesus to die for his sins.( Rom 10:9-10 Acts 16:30-34 Acts 10:44-46 Rom 1:16)

            After the death of Jesus Christ, most people especially the Jews thought that this story about one ‘Jesus Christ’ was soon going to collapse and that sect called ‘Christians’ was going to crumble. Many Jewish leaders opposed the apostles for preaching and teaching the gospel, converting thousands of people and for healing the sick. Their opposition was translated into actions at Acts 5:17-39 Then the high priest rose up, and all those who were with him (which is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with indignation, and laid their hands on the apostles and put them in the common prison.. In the days of Paul, some forty or more people bund themselves to a curse neither to eat nor drink until they have killed Paul (because he was committed to the spread of the Gospel). They strategized a sure way to have him killed but God delivered him. This was obviously led to their own destruction because they certainly would have died of starvation (extra Biblical) Acts 23:12-31,And when it was day, some of the Jews banded together and bound themselves under an oath, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. Now there were more than forty who had formed this conspiracy. They came to the chief priests and elders, and said, “We have bound ourselves under a great oath that we will eat nothing until we have killed Paul. Now you, therefore, together with the council, suggest to the commander that he be brought down to you tomorrow, as though you were going to make further inquiries concerning him; but we are ready to kill him before he comes near.”
Here is the point, no one can stand in the way of The Gospel/succeeds in stopping the spread of it. Voltaire, the great French critic declared that he would destroy the Bible and its precepts within the span of a hundred years, little realizing that after his death, his house would be converted into a publishing house from which thousands of Bibles would be circulated to many lands. Voltaire died: Christ and His Word live on. Thomas Paine, arch enemy of Christianity made bold improbable claims about how he was going to stamp out the Christian influence wherever he could. He died penniless and drunk and was buried in a pauper’s grave. Christ and His glorious Gospel match on, you see, nothing and nobody can hinder, restrict, hamper, restrain, and stop the spread of the Gospel. There be many other gospels which by reason of death of their respective pioneers have faded into oblivion but because Jesus died rose again and He lives forever more, the Gospel which we have received has a self-propagating nature. Gal 1:11-12 For indeed I did not receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but [it came to me] through a [direct] revelation [given] by Jesus Christ (the Messiah).. The Gospel cannot be bound because it is the truth and we can do nothing against the truth but for the truth. 2 Tim 2:9 I’m suffering disgrace for spreading this Good News. I have even been put into prison like a criminal. However, God’s word is not imprisoned.2 Cor 13:8 - For we can do nothing against the Truth [not serve any party or personal interest], but only for the Truth [which is the Gospel](Amplified Bible).
            Long ago, he Prophets referred to Jesus Christ as the corner stone which the builders rejected
Psalm 118:22-23 The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.This is from the Lord and is His doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. Isaiah 28:16 - Therefore thus says the Lord God, Behold, I am laying in Zion for a foundation a Stone, a tested Stone, a precious Cornerstone of sure foundation; he who believes (trusts in, relies on, and adheres to that Stone) will not be ashamed or give way or hasten away [in sudden panic].

When Jesus came into the scene, he echoed this sayings in that whoever stumbles on this stone shall break and on whomsoever the stone falls, such shall be crumbled. This latter simply speaks of unbelief. Anyone who hears the Word (Gospel) but does not believe has done so to his own detriment for he has deliberately chosen the path of destruction.
1 pet 2:6-8 - The Scripture says: "I will put a stone in the ground in Jerusalem. Everything will be built on this important and precious rock. Anyone who trusts in him will never be disappointed."7 This stone is worth much to you who believe. But to the people who do not believe, "the stone that the builders rejected " has become the cornerstone." — Also, he is    "a stone that causes people to stumble,   a rock that makes them fall."They stumble because they do not obey what God says, which is what God planned to happen to them.

JESUS THE CHIEF CORNER STONE II - STUMBLE TO CRUMBLE

2011-05-29T12:36:00.000-07:00

STUMBLE TO CRUMBLE Psalm 118:22 The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone.

Acts 4:10-11 let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.

Still speaking of the different categories of people that emerge after the gospel is being preached, Acts 13 shows the category of the ‘mad’. After Paul and Barnabas had finished preaching, the Jews were filled with envy. They spoke against what these had preached and refused to accept it - Acts 13:43-47 (New Century Version) On the next Sabbath day, almost everyone in the city came to hear the word of the Lord. Seeing the crowd, the Jewish people became very jealous and said insulting things and argued against what Paul said.

Consequently, they lost their opportunity of receiving eternal life to the Gentiles. Another example was the instance where Paul was to make a defense of himself in the temple, the people would not just listen to him,instead they got angry at his saying (Acts 22:1-22). Peter and Stephen experienced the same thing too. Acts 5:33 (Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and infuriated and wanted to kill the disciples.) Acts 7: 54 (Now upon hearing these things, they [the Jews] were cut to the heart and infuriated, and they ground their teeth against [Stephen].)

Permit me to say that people, out of their own accord do not just decide to reject the Gospel, but there is a force behind it. It is the blindness of the mind caused by the ‘God of this world’ (the Devil).

2 Corinthians 4:4 (Amplified Bible) For the god of this world has blinded the unbelievers' minds [that they should not discern the truth], preventing them from seeing the illuminating light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ (the Messiah), Who is the Image and Likeness of God.

The Devil uses several mundane things such as tradition and religion to infuse unbelief into the heart people so that they resist the Gospel. Invariably (but unknown to them) they are lost, because they have been hindered from connecting with their creator, finding purpose in life and enjoying a sweet fellowship with Him. Therefore, when you preach the Gospel to anyone/a group, you ought to take authority over the Devil who hitherto had held them bound in darkness so that the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ might shine on them

The second category is the ‘glad’ hearers. The real intent of the Gospel is to make its hearers glad. This is why it is otherwise called ‘glad tidings’ or ‘Good News’. The Gospel should stimulate Joy in the heart of anyone who hears it, no matter what his/her physical condition may be at such point in time. Three thousand souls gladly received the Gospel and were baptized at the preaching of Peter in (Acts 2:14-47). After the Jews rejected the Gospel preached by Paul and Barnabas at (Acts 13:44-52), the Gentiles received it, rejoicing and glorifying the Word

It is God’s desire that all human beings will come to hear/understand the Gospel and be saved, therefore we ought to be willing to share the message but when we experience contrary winds we may just have to exercise your authority by dispelling that blindness of heart.

1 Timothy 2:3-4 for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

For believers, I have a word. When we gather together to receive word of exhortation, we are expected to receive it with gladness of heart. This is to the intent that we become better Christians. On the contrary, when as a believer, you hear a message/word of exhortation and you get angry (sometime we even get angry at the messenger) you become like a builder, resisting a particular stone which turns out to be a chief corner stone. It would either cause you to stumble or you crumble. Never allow the enemy to harden your heart. Receive every Biblical injunction, believe it, and walk in it so that you will be blessed in your deeds (James 1:22-24). Do not allow sentiments, bias or prejudice to hinder you from accepting and walking in the Word.

-tosin Babalola

YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST - PART 1

2011-05-29T12:09:00.000-07:00

YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST - PART 1
By Tosin Babalola

Philemon 1:6 - that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you[a] in Christ Jesus.
Have you ever seen an identity card before? The consicuous thing on any individual's ID card is the passport photograph. there are many other details on the ID card that are very important. an individual's ID card contains information that proves who the person is : name,age sex, et. c. Your identiuty simply speaks of who you are. we can also say that your identity speaks of qualities and attributes you have that make you have your own character and you are different from other people.
Very many people define themselves (form their identity) by the environment they were born and grew up in .this is why it is not strange to hear somebody say a thing like "i can never eat or drink in my family because we don t do such in my family" (i used to be like that) some other people define themselves based on their culture and religion. Such people may say "i can never shake hands with any individual of the opposite sex" or "i can never put on a certain type of clothig". Some people define themselves based on other things such a s birth signs, temperament, psycho-anakytic theories et.c
In the course of this 7-PART series we shall be discussing the topic of the Christian's real identity. Does he have an ID CARD?What are the information contained in the ID CARD? we will also see why it is important for Christians to know what their identity entails and to know the privilleges, rights and responsibilities that come with such reality. We shall see the danger of deriving self-defination from various means and media
It promoses to be exciting and rewarding . What you need to do is to make up your mind and agree with the Word of God . When u refuse to agrre with or consent to what God says you are, you are simply walking in pride. The only thing you need to function well as a Christian is the right information, believe it and walk in it. 1 Timothy 6:3 - If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, ⁴ he is proud, knowing nothing,

THE AVAILABLE BECOMES THE ABLE

2011-05-29T10:32:00.000-07:00

THE AVAILABLE BECOMES THE ABLE - Luke 14:16-24
          Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.’
          I walked into church on a Saturday afternoon for rehearsals and as the clock ticked, just a few members showed up. The choir Director insisted that we go ahead to commence rehearsal as I heard her say ‘in the house of God, there are no vacancies’. This is a true saying and worth of all acceptation.
          It will be good to first lay a foundation by saying that God has called every believer into the work of the ministry. The moment you got saved, you received the responsibility to carry the gospel to others in other that they might be saved as well. You did not just receive the responsibility but you were also given the ability to carry out the task. Thus we are called ‘able ministers’. Someone defined responsibility’ as ‘responding to ability’.
2 Cor 3:5-6 - Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but( our sufficiency is from God, who has made us competent[ to be ministers of( a new covenant, (English Standard Version)
2 Cor 5:18-20 - But all things are from God, Who through Jesus Christ reconciled us to Himself [received us into favor, brought us into harmony with Himself] and gave to us the ministry of reconciliation [that by word and deed we might aim to bring others into harmony with Him]. (Amplified Version)
1 Cor 9:16-17 - For if I do this work of my own free will, then I have my pay (my reward); but if it is not of my own will, but is done reluctantly and under compulsion, I am [still] entrusted with a [sacred] trusteeship and commission. (Amplified Version)
          As we read in the text, God is not all out looking for those who are fit and altogether correct to carry out His work, He simply requires faithfulness, those who are available. For the purpose of this discuss, I would consider faithfulness in activities of service to God within Christendom and not necessarily ‘the preaching of the Gospel’ although it is a common factor to both. 2 Tim 2:2 explains this properly as Paul wanted to teach Timothy how to cast the vision. He instructed him to commit to ‘able men who shall be faithful’, No! Because the sad thing about faithful man is that they are not always faithful. Instead, Paul instructed him to commit to ‘faithful men who also shall be able’ And the [instructions] which you have heard from me along with many witnesses, transmit and entrust [as a deposit] to reliable and faithful men who will be competent and qualified to teach others also. (Amplified Version)
The truth of the matter is that faithfulness is the key to success of any endeavor in life, especially in the Ministry. Also, at the point where the disciples needed to replace Judas Iscariot, they had criteria and a category of people they intended to select from: men who had been with them ALL THE TIME when Jesus went in and out with them. The only requirement was FAITHFULNESS.
Acts 1:21-22- Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.
Sometimes, looking out for faithful men may seem like an act of compromise: compromise of quality for quantity (because they may not look competent enough for the work at such point in time). There is error in this notion because every believer has already been enabled for the work of the Ministry. All that is needed is opportunity earned by faithfulness.
          Another mistake we can make is to look for faithful men who will carry on our own traditions and ideologies. We must search out faithful men and also be ready to listen to whatever new ideas that they bring. Do not put them in a box where all they think is ‘this is how we have always done it ’ rather than ‘this is what the Lord is saying right now.’
          As far as the work of the ministry/service in His vineyard is concerned, some of Christians grumble that they are not being charged with responsibilities because they have not paid the price – faithfulness. This alone will earn you opportunity even when you least expect it. I know you are too “loaded” with all that gift and talent but nobody is going to discover you until you are available. In fact all the people who are aware of the ‘load’ that you carry cannot help you harness it until you have proved yourself to be faithful.
          The requirement from steward of Christ and a Minister of God is faithfulness 1Cor4:1-2 - SO THEN, let us [apostles] be looked upon as ministering servants of Christ and stewards (trustees) of the mysteries (the secret purposes) of God. Moreover, it is [essentially] required of stewards that a man should be found faithful [proving himself worthy of trust].

          Of a truth there are no vacancies in the House of God, He is quick to replace any unavailable vessel with an available one because the work must go on.
Prov 22:21 - Do you see a man diligent and skillful in his business? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.
Prov 25:13 - Like the cold of snow [brought from the mountains] in the time of harvest, so is a faithful messenger to those who send him; for he refreshes the life of his masters.
Prov 25:19 - Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint.

BE NOT UNEQUALLY YOKED WITH UNBELIEVING BELIEVERS

2011-05-29T09:30:00.000-07:00

BE NOT UNEQUALLY YOKED WITH UNBELIEVING BELIEVERS

You have heard the words of Apostle Paul in 2 Cor 6:14 – “Be not unequally yoked with unbelievers” . But permit me to say that there is also an unequal yoking, and that with ‘unbelieving believers’. Unbelieving believers are Christians who have refused to grow spiritually. They have an outlook of Godliness but they do not understand nor practice the principles of spiritual growth. They are not inclined towards sowing spiritual seeds therefore they not experience the concomitant rewards of such exercise. They do not perceive the need for fervent pursuit of God nor do they know how to go about it. They are active in church activities but spiritually stagnant and retrogressing.

When you begin to operate below what your potential and your will can accomplish due to your association/relationship with such people, you can be said to be unequally yoked. In the ancient Agricultural setting, ploughing was carried out using animals- oxen that were of the same size, height , weight, and strength, usually born around the same period. If the farmer goes contrary to this principle, the ploughing is hampered. He will not get good results because the stronger ox will find it hard to work effectively as it is being deterred by the week one while the week ox will feel strained by the stronger ox. Progress of the ploughing will be affected adversely in the long run.

Many young and zealous Christians get hampered along the way in their Christian walk due to association with certain kinds of people. Having decided to serve God with their talent (potential), time and resources, denying themselves of the pleasure of youthful delight and committing to the course of the Gospel wholly and totally, then something goes wrong. For instance, you take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way to be of service to God and to Humanity especially in your local assembly but on the other hand is your colleague at work who is also a friend in church(serving in the same department), he looks for every ‘legitimate ’ reason to stay away from church meetings. This attitude begins to irritate you and then you are getting afraid that your relationship might become strained. You spend a lot of time searching out God’s perspective in order that you will align your world-view with His (God’s) but your friend thinks you are getting on the extreme. Yes! Your relationship might soon fall- apart and until you detach, you will not function maximally.

When it does not look like your friend is striving to attain you level of spiritual fervency or even go beyond that level, the Bible says to strain such relationship (1Cor 5:1-13) Paul warns us against Christians who live like unbelievers. He did not say to tolerate and manage such people because the truth is that their evil will undoubtedly influence good people. Instead, he advised that people with such attitude should be quarantined so others don t take after their attitude of lukewarmness.

Paul warns the Galatians who had began to entertain the company of people with errornoous beliefs (Judaism). He vehemently kicked against such people and their false doctrines. He wished that they were removed from among the Galatians because only then would his teachings begin to have lasting impact on the Galatians - Gal 2:3-5 But neither Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised: And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage: To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you. Gal 5:7-10You were doing so well. Who stopped you from being influenced by the truth? The arguments of the person who is influencing you do not come from the one who is calling you .A little yeast spreads through the whole batch of dough. The Lord gives me confidence that you will not disagree with this. However, the one who is confusing you will suffer God’s judgment regardless of who he is. Note that Paul did not decide to tolerate the perpetrators of Judaism by trying to convince them, he simply disallowed them.

The situations that we face today may not be as serious as the ones discussed above but the same principles do apply. If you find yourself in company with people who have ideas, opinions and viewpoints different from that which you have searched the scriptures and found out to be true (to be the will of God) you must be watchful and get ready to apply the above principle. When you find yourself in close ties with people whose level of quest and desire to love and please God is little compared to yours, there might be danger somewhere along the line - Proverbs 27:17 You use steel to sharpen steel, and one friend sharpens another. Psalm 42:7 One deep sea calls to another.

I am not down playing on the importance of one believer helping another believer and to be strong and to grow spiritually. That is very important and I have written extensively on it in the note titled - FALLEN, NOT A FAILURE. THE STORY OF EUTYCHUS - PART II. But at this point, we are looking at where area of influence is concerned. 1 Cor 15:33 says: Do not be so deceived and misled! Evil companionships (communion, associations) corrupt and deprave good manners and morals and character. It amazes me that it is ‘evil’ that corrupts the ‘good’ and not the ‘good’ changing the ‘evil’. The category of people I discussed in the first paragraph are not ‘evil’ people per say but they are lukewarm, and mediocre therefore you are not sure where their appetite actually is.

You are indeed a light in the world to shine that men might see (Matt 5:16), therefore you must stay away from pollutants else your light will not be seen. However, there are some relationships that you cannot strain i.e kinship/familial ties. In such cases, you must remain un bended and hold on tightly to what you belief. Some times, what wins the other person over is not being a little bit relaxed about your convictions (or to compromise) but your tenacity in what you do and believe in.

Check your list of close friends again, are you unequally yoked with unbelieving believers? If you are, take caution in how you deal with them. There can never be a zone of stagnation in life. It is either you are becoming like them or they are becoming like you.

Most importantly, strive to have the right people around you. People who are able to stretch you spiritually beyond the point where you are right now. For the path of the righteous is like the shining light that shines brighter and brighter.

tosin Babalola

HAVING PURPOSE IN LIFE

2011-05-29T09:25:00.001-07:00

HAVING PURPOSE IN LIFE

By Tosin Babalola

To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world,’ these were the words of Jesus Christ as He stood before Pontius Pilate to make His defense (John 18:37) several times I have asked myself: how many Christians have something to point to as a reason for their existence? It is very important to know that you have been created by God for a purpose; it is your responsibility to find what it is and to fulfill it.

‘Give us vision that we may know where to stand and what to stand for, because unless we stand for something we shall fall for anything. –Peter Marshall

JESUS

He came into the world as the Savior. He had been sent by God on a mission to redeem humanity from the shackles of the devil (sin and death). For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. (1John 3:8, Matt1:21) he accomplished this through His death on the cross as the perfect sacrifice for sins. But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God; from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. (Heb 10:12-14) his death and resurrection was God’s perfect plan and intention as spoken through the prophets (Acts 3:18). Jesus saw to the fulfillment of this Mission and when He had done all, He said: ‘it is finished’ (John 19:30), an expression of a complete sense of accomplishment.

PAUL

His encounter with Jesus Christ marked the beginning of his sense of purpose in life. I'm sure that you've heard the story of my earlier life when I lived in the Jewish way. In those days I went all out in persecuting God's church. I was systematically destroying it. I was so enthusiastic about the traditions of my ancestors that I advanced head and shoulders above my peers in my career. Even then God had designs on me. Why, when I was still in my mother's womb he chose and called me out of sheer generosity! (Gal 1:13-16). His mission statement was handed to him by Jesus Christ on his way to Damascus(Acts 26:15-28) for Paul, going home to be with the Lord seemed like a good idea, but his sense of purpose in life gave him a reason to remain alive ‘As long as I'm alive in this body, there is good work for me to do. If I had to choose right now, I hardly know which I'd choose. Hard choice! The desire to break camp here and be with Christ is powerful. Some days I can think of nothing better. But most days, because of what you are going through, I am sure that it's better for me to stick it out here. So I plan to be around awhile, companion to you as your growth and joy in this life of trusting God continues.’(Phil 1:21-25). He chose to remain alive so that he would continue to preach and teach the Gospel, to help Christians remain established in Christ.(Col 2:6)

When Paul had completed the assignment which was given to him, he said:’ You take over. I'm about to die, my life an offering on God's altar. This is the only race worth running. I've run hard right to the finish, believed all the way. All that's left now is the shouting—God's applause!’ (2Tim 4:6-8). He was ready to die empty having fulfilled his purpose in life.

PETER

Peter found purpose in life by reason of the assignment which Jesus Christ had committed into his hands. his duty was to feed the flock- the church(John 21:15-17). He taught the church all the time and continued to remind them ‘Because the stakes are so high, even though you're up-to-date on all this truth and practice it inside and out, I'm not going to let up for a minute in calling you to attention before it. This is the post to which I've been assigned—keeping you alert with frequent reminders—and I'm sticking to it as long as I live’(2 Pet 1:12).

He was bold to announce that his time of demise would come shortly; this also shows a man who has fulfilled purpose. Therefore he passed on the assignment to the elders of the church. I know that I'm to die soon; the Master has made that quite clear to me. And so I am especially eager that you have all this down in black and white so that after I die, you'll have it for ready reference (2Pet1:13-14).

ELIJA

His purpose and duty was to declare the counsel of God to the people of Israel. After a while, he was confronted with an opposition – a threat from Jezebel, so he ran away. He desired to die by asking God to take his life; he wanted to quit fulfilling purpose in life. Therefore, another prophet was assigned to administer in his office (1Kings 19:1-18). In the mind of God, there was moiré to the assignment than what Elijah could perceive.

HOW TO FIND PURPOSE IN LIFE

You must be Born Again

To be born again means to be born from above or to be born of God. You cannot identify purpose in life until you are known of God-the One who created you. It is only through Jesus Christ that you can have a relationship with God hence find purpose. Jesus said unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me (John14:6, 9-11). In Christ, you will receive a clear-cut direction for your life here on earth; you can choose to walk in it-fulfilling purpose.

To become born again, you need to believe in Jesus Christ and confess Him as your Lord and Savior. Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loves him that begat loves him also that is begotten of him (1John 5:1 John 3:16 Rom10:9-10 Acts16:31). This happens just once in a life time and from that moment; you begin a relationship with God. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name(John1:12; 2Cor5:17). The purpose of God for every one born again is to do the ministry of reconciliation. When you become born again, you become an ambassador for Christ and an able minister of the New Testament. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We're Christ's representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God's work of making things right between them. We're speaking for Christ himself now (2Cor5:17-20; 2Cor3:6)

The reason God saved you is so that you would carry out the good works which He has prepared. You have become His workmanship (Eph 2:8-10; Tit2:14).

Find the specific plan

In order to achieve the big picture above (the reason for which God created and re-created you), must find out his specific plan and map for u to achieve that purpose. Not everyone is called to plant a church or go into full-time ministry but there a path which God has designed for you alone to chat even while you are on your vocation and secular activities. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end (Jer 29:11). Take note of the word ‘expected’.

As you inquire to know God more, he reveals Himself and His plans for your life to you. Come close to God, and he will come close to you (Jas4:8a)

Stay connected and shun distractions

‘Satan uses distractions to stop our progress toward a goal, or at least to change the speed of the progress’ Myles Munroe.

If you have found God’s blue-print for your life, you have to be cautious and ensure that you stay within the right environment. Jesus, in bid to fulfill God’s plan for his life went to the temple habitually. There are certain acquaintances and relationships you must cut off in order to get to the place that God has designed for you. THEREFORE THEN, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who have borne testimony to the Truth], let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us (Heb12:1 1Cor15:33).

Turn your obstacles into stepping stones

Do not quit when you face a challenge, you must continue to press until you overcome it. If it is not worth dying for, then it is not worth living for. Paul saw his goal before him and he said; I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Phil2:14). Jesus Christ saw the joy that was set before Him and so he endured suffering. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God (Heb12:2). Do not get comfortable with challenges or past victories, there is more to your life than what meets your eyes right now. If you quit, the remainder of your assignment might be delegated to the next available person to complete. Do not wish for death like Elijah did, confront that obstacle today because your best days are still ahead of you (Ecc7:10)

Do not be in a hurry

You must seek to understand God’s perfect timing. ‘Obeying God too soon or too late is disobedience’ –Myles Munroe. Moses was eighty years old before he could go ahead to execute the assignment God had given to him. Although he made an attempt to start when he was forty but he failed (Acts 7:22-30)

At the moment, everything may not all together look like what you expect but God might just be taking you through a process of preparation. For instance, Moses and David were shepherds keeping and leading the flock until they became leaders of the children of Israel.

We must begin to focus our gaze on the Lord Jesus because our purpose in life is found in Him alone Your old sinful self has died, and your new life is kept with Christ in God. (Col3:4). It should be our duty to regularly incline our ears to Him. Paul said to Archipus; Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfill it.(Col 4:17) Therefore, in all that you do, ensure that you find God’s purpose for your life and that you fulfill it.

tosin Babalola