Where will you spend your eternity

Dear friend,


You are in serious danger if you have not YET surrendered your life to to CHRIST and living a holy life.

The first danger you are in is the danger of being harmed or even eliminated by the enemy - Satan at
any point in time, anyhow, anywhere (because anyone living outside CHRIST is just like a sitting duck - a willing and helpless prey in the hands of the enemy). 

The second danger is that of being eternally condemned to Hell fire after death (Revelations 9:27 , 20:15). Therefore, do the needful now, surrender your life to CHRIST, jettison all your sins, begin to live a holy life, and you'll be sure of both a good and fulfilling life on earth, and everlasting peace and joy with GOD after your sojourn on earth.

How to pray

TEXT: LUKE 18:1-8

INTRODUCTION:

Prayer is the responsibility of every Christian. God’s word tells us to pray. But we don’t pray just because we have to; we pray because talking to God is a privilege. Prayer is entering into relationship with God so we can determine His will in any matter and call His will into existence upon the earth. Prayers and references to prayer appear in sixty-two of sixty-six books of the Bible, all except the Song of Solomon, Obadiah, Haggai, and 2 John. Generally speaking the Old Testament contains more information about prayer, and the New Testament stresses the importance of prayer. We can divide prayers into two groups, those in which we ask God for something and those in which we tell Him something.

 A. THE KINGDOM PARTNERSHIP OF PRAYER    
Prayer makes a way for God to act sovereignly on earth. Jesus said to pray, “Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt.6:10). God has chosen to work through people, not around them. Therefore, He also says, “Truly I say to you, whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven” (Matt. 18:18). The obvious inference is that God has limited some of HIS activities on the earth and will respond only to the prayers of His children. Heaven waits for those of us on earth to pray for things to happen. (see Isa. 43:26; Jer. 1:12).

Question: What do you understand by the Sovereignty of God? Discuss Hebrew 4:14-16

B. THE MINISRY OF PRAYER

Ministry to God must come before ministry to people. First Peter 2:9 says that you are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellences of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvellous light”. The role of the priest is to minister first to God; then to the people. The way that we minister to God is by praising, worshiping and communing with Him in prayer and meditation. The way that we minister to the people is by allowing the overflow of what we have received in our time alone with Him to pour out into the lives of others (Prov.15:8; 1 pet.2:5; Eph. 1:4-5; 2Cor.5:21; Heb. 4:16)

C. THE PRIORITY OF PRAYER
Prayer was a priority in Jesus’ life. He considered it more important than physical rest, and He was commonly pictured praying all night (see Luke 6:12). Talking with the Father took priority over His social activity. Scripture often refers to Jesus going off alone to be with the Father (see Matt.14:23; Mark 1:35; Luke 5:16; 6:12). And finally, Jesus made prayer a priority over His physical appetite. He fasted for long periods of time, withdrawing from physical food to spiritual power (Luke 4:2; Matt.6:18,25-31; Heb. 7:25). Prayer was the primary communication link between Himself and the Father. Every major event and every minor decision in Jesus’ life was shrouded with prayer. If we are to be Christlike, or like Christ, we must follow His example. Jesus did not pray because He had to; Jesus prayed because He wanted to be obedient to, united with and empowered by the Father. Prayer is to be our priority for those same reasons. Prayer is the way that we, His branches, draw the nutrients we need from God the Vine to produce the fruit of His Spirit in our lives. And we do this because, as believers, prayer has to be our primary ministry.

Pray without ceasing.

                                                 PRIORITY OF PRAYER

1. Without prayer you receive nothing from God.
2. Without prayer you have no fellowship with God.
3. Without prayer sins cannot be forgiven.
4. Without prayer there will be no revelation for direction from God
5. Without prayer you easily fall in times of temptation Matt.6:13
6. Without prayer you are disobeying God
7. Without praying for others you are sinning against God
8. Pray because it is a command.
9. Pray because it leads away from sin
10. Pray because it is a lifestyle
11. Pray because prayer cancels calamity
12. Pray in all the seven areas of life
13. Pray in all steps of prayer-Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication.

MEMORY VERSE: Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you…….. (1Samuel 12:23b).

Church of Eternal Life Jos Plateau State. 

Dealing conflict situations

TEXT: JOSHUA 22:7-34

INTRODUCTION:

Conflict is serious disagreement and argument about something important. If two people or groups are in conflict, they have had a serious disagreement or argument and have not yet reached agreement. Sometimes these quarrels result from evil desires battling within us-we want more possessions, more money, higher status, more recognition. When we want badly enough to fulfil these desires, we fight in other to do so (James 4:1-3). Instead of aggressively grabbing what we want, we should submit ourselves to God, ask God to help us get rid of our selfish desires, and trust Him to give us what we really need.  According to the Bible there is nothing inherently wrong with conflict.  Disagreements happen.  But the manner in which we are to resolve our conflicts is extremely important. Conflict can become the catalyst to greater understanding, intimacy, and depth of relationship; or it can bring anger, bitterness, and broken relationships.

HOW CAN CONFLICTS BE AVOIDED?
 CONFLICTS CAN BE AVOIDED THROUGH NEGOTIATION.

When the tribes of Reuben and Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an altar at the Jordan River, the rest of Israel feared that these tribes were starting their own religion and rebelling against God. But before beginning an all-out war, Phinehas led a delegation to learn the truth, following the principle taught in Deuteronomy 13:12-19. He was prepared to negotiate rather than fight if a battle was not necessary. When he learned that the altar was for a memorial rather than for pagan sacrifice, war was averted and unity restored.  As brethren as individuals, and even as nations, we would benefit from a similar approach to resolving conflicts. Assuming the worst about the intentions of others only brings troubles. Israel averted the threat of civil war by asking before assaulting. Beware of reacting before you hear the whole story. When you face conflict, step back from the hostilities and consider whether you and your brother and/or sister have common goals that are bigger than your differences. Appeal to those interests as you work for a settlement.

-DISCUSS how mere assumptions and gossips cause and aggravate conflicts among brethren

-READ 2 Samuel 16:1-4 and compare it with 2 Samuel 19:24-30.

What do these passages teach us about hasty judgments or condemnation of our brethren?

-Read & Discuss 1 Cor. 6:1-7. Should brethren drag each other to court of law? Also read 2 Tim.2:24-25.

What offence may be so hurtful that a believer can never forgive another believer of it?

Conflict begins when good confronts evil. The two cannot peacefully coexist. One must triumph.

Proverbs 13:10 . . . Pride leads to arguments.

Proverbs 28:25 . . . Greed causes quarrels.

Proverbs 30:33 . . . Anger causes quarrels.

Pride, greed, anger-these are all aspect of our sinful human nature, and these are the things that bring us into conflict with other people.

MEMORY VERSE:

Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tight to what is good (Romans 12:9 NLT).

 Church of Eternal Life Jos, Plateau State.

The Final Great Awakening

THE GREAT WHITE THRONE — The Final Judgment of the Unsaved.

We read these interesting words in ‪Revelation 20:14, 
“And DEATH AND HELL were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.”

How can Hell be cast into the Lake of Fire? How can death be cast into the Lake of Fire? There are two different Greek words used here. The Lake of Fire is the Greek word Gahanna. The word “hell” in #Revelation 21:14 is the Greek word Hades. So we learn from the Bible that Hades will be cast into Gahanna. Hades is a temporary place, but Gahanna will be the eternal home of the damned.

Hell is a jail where the unsaved await trial and sentencing before being cast into the prison of the Lake of Fire. Please understand that if you are not a Believer—you are already condemned! ... “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is CONDEMNED ALREADY, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (‪#‎John 3:18)

Death is man’s great enemy! All the wealth, fame and worldly enjoyments a person may experience in this lifetime CANNOT go with them beyond the grave. Once you're dead, it’s over! It’ll be too late to live for God when your six-feet-under.

Death means SEPARATION. The first death is the SEPARATION of body from soul and spirit. This is true of the saved and of the unsaved because we must ALL experience the first death. Only the unsaved must experience the second death. If you’re a Believer, you will receive your resurrected incorruptible body at the Rapture (before the Tribulation Period); If you're NOT a Believer, then your body will be resurrected after the Millennium to stand before God at The Great White Throne of Judgment. “And the sea gave up THE DEAD which were in it; and death and hell delivered up THE DEAD which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works” (#Revelation 20:13)

There will be a reuniting of the body, soul and spirit at The Great White Throne of Judgment. Body, soul and spirit will all be cast into the Lake of Fire.

The Bible makes reference to the body being destroyed in Hell... “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy BOTH SOUL AND BODY in hell” (‪Matthew 10:28). Those in Hell will be cast into the Lake of Fire. The second death is a SEPARATION of your body, soul and spirit from God for ALL ETERNITY! How sad. If man will not accept the gift of eternal life from God, then he will receive the only other alternative—eternal punishment in the Lake of Fire. God never created mankind to be put in such a horrible place, but there is no other place for him. Hell was created for the Devil and his angels. I take it that this is a place where God never goes. The second death means eternal and absolute separation from God.

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Sin and its connections

What is sin? People call sin by various names. Some call it mistake , some call it failure, and some call it human weakness or error. Whatever name you may decide to give to sin, every Christian must know that the immediate or remote destination of act of sin is death.

Sin means disobeying God and anyone who disobeys the Almighty God is in great danger. Sin also means violations of the perfect holiness of God. Sin started with satan Isaiah 14:12-14. Sin entered the world through Adam and Eve. Sin results to spiritual death, Romans 6;23. Unrepentant sinners  will forever be separated from God. Not only will a sinner be separated from God, he  will be tormented forever in hell, - Matthew 25:46.

Sin is vain talk- Proverb 10:19; foolish thoughts - Proverbs 24:9; unbelief - Romans 14:23, all unrighteousness. 1st John 5:17. Sin against the Spirit of God is unpardonable, Isaiah 63: 10, Mark 3:29. Sin is bondage, Proverbs 5:22. Concealment of sin is vain. Genesis 3:8. The Bible enjoins us to confess all our sins to God. Leviticus 16:21.

Sickness is an agent of death. Sin leads to sickness because sin provides sickness with a very conducive atmosphere to operate in the life of the sinner. Demons are also agents of death. Any one who lives in sin is a slave of satan - Romans 6:16. Sin always connects the sinner with Satan. Poverty and hunger are agents of death. 2nd Kings 6:24-29.   Sin separates from God. Matthew 7:23. It is repugnant to God Genesis 6:6.

Conclusively, Sin facilitates sickness, demons, poverty, death and so on while holy living facilitates healthy living, freedom, long life e.t.c. Are you still connected with sin? Pray that the blood of Christ will cleanse all your sins and break every power of sin ruling in your life.

The RCCG Sunday School

Trials of life;God's ultimate purpose

                   

TEXT: 1 PETER 4:12-19

INTRODUCTION

One of the most difficult part of the Christian life is the fact that becoming a disciple Christ does not make us immune to life’s trials and tribulations. Why would a good and loving God allow us to go through such things as the death of a child, disease and injury to ourselves and our loved ones, financial hardship, worry and fear? Surely, if He loved us, He would take all these things away from us. After all doesn’t loving us means He wants our lives to be easy and confortable? Well, no, it doesn’t. The Bible clearly teaches that God loves those who are His children, and He “works all things together for good” for us (Romans 8:28). S0 that must mean that the trials and tribulations He allows in our lives are part of the working together of all things for good. Therefore, for the believer, all trials and tribulations must have a divine purpose.   

    

A. GOD”S ULTIMATE PURPOSE: As in all things, God’s ultimate purpose for us is to grow more and more into the image of His Son (Romans 8:29). This is the goal of a Christian, and everything in life, including the trials and tribulations, is designed to enable us reach that goal. It is part of the process of sanctification, being set apart for God’s purpose fitted to His glory. The way trials accomplish this is explained in 1 Peter 1:6-7 (please read it). The true believer’s faith will be made sure by the trials we experience so that we can rest in the knowledge that it is real and will last forever.                

                    

B. GODLY CHARACTER: Trials develop Godly character, and enables us to “rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, character, and hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us” (Romans 5:3-5). Jesus Christ set the perfect example. “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). These verses reveal aspect of His divine purpose for both Jesus Christ’s trials and tribulation and ours. Persevering proves our faith. “I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me” (Philip. 4:13).

However, we must be careful never to make excuses for our “trials and tribulations” if they are a result of our own wrongdoing. “By no means let any of you suffer as a murderer, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler” (1 Peter 4:15). God will forgive our sins because the eternal punishment for them has been paid by Christ’s sacrifice on the   cross. However, we still have to suffer the natural consequences in the life for our sins and bad choices. But God uses even those sufferings to mold and shape us for His purposes and our ultimate good (James 1:2-4, 12).    

Discuss some of the ways believers may suffer for their own wrongdoings

C. WE HAVE THE VICTORY: Through all of life’s trials and tribulations, we have the victory. “But who gives us the victory through our Lord, Jesus Christ”. Although we are in a spiritual battle, Satan has no authority over the believer in Christ. God has given us His word to guide us, His Holy Spirit to enable us and the privilege of coming to Him anywhere, at any time, to pray about anything. He had also assured us that no trial will test us beyond our ability to bear it, and “he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

MEMORY VERSE:

And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you (1 Peter 5:10 ESV).

Praises and thanksgiving

Praises and thanksgiving are pleasing to God more than any other things. You will get the best from God when you combine the two. Let praises and thanksgiving become your lifestyle. Psalm 69; 30-32; 100:1-5; 150:1-6

How to give thanks and praise God

a.   Go into His presence with thanksgiving and praises

b.   Make a joyful noise into the lord

c.   Sing unto Him

d.   Serve Him with gladness

e.   Praise Him with instrument of music and dance

f.    Praise Him for who He is and particularly who He is to you. Praise and give him thanks and in everything. Psalm 150; Ephesians 5:19-20.

What to thank and praise God for:-

We should give thanks and praises to God, for everything for this is His will in Christ for us, 1 thess. 5:18. Thank Him and praise Him;

a.   For His goodness and His mercies- redemption and deliverance from the hands of the enemy; healings and deliverance through His word. Psalm 107; 1-3, 20; keeping you from birth, watching over you and your family.

b.   When all efforts fail in hopeless situation; period of inadequacy; in lack, thank Him and praise Him for previous provision and the little you have. John 11; 41.

Conclusively, God deserves your thanks and praise. He expects both. Moreover, thanks and praises are capable of delivering miracles to you. Luke 17;11-19.

Run to obtain an incorruptible crown

 Christians are called to run to obtain an incorruptible crown. This race is not a sprint but it is a marathon one. May we run so well to obtain.

Steps in Christian race

1.   First and foremost there will be a gathering. God draws you to himself.

2.   After the gathering, then the cleansing (salvation). He washes you in the blood of Jesus Christ.

3.   He then brings together closer to himself a selected or chosen few, Matthew 22:14. These chosen few become the favourites of God. These are people who do not come to Him because of what they love God. They are the sanctified set apart for God. Philemon 1:21

4.   Holy Spirit baptism. It is now that you are sanctified that God can trust you with His power. This is because the Holy Spirit is Holy. Acts 1:8

5.   After you receive His power, you begin to speak with new tongues and begin to work for Him. He will then begin to release His gifts to you; 1 cor. 12:7-11. You are to covet the best gift.1 cor. 12:3.

6.   The fruit of the Holy Spirit. If you have the gifts and it is not properly handled, it will end up in destruction. Matt 7:22-23.

7.   Then He will bring you into perfection. Matt 5:48. The word of God is full of doctrine that will lead you to perfection. 2 Tim. 3:16-17

In conclusion, Christians must have these experiences to be able to obtain the doctrine that will lead you to perfection. 2 Tim. 3:16-17.

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