• HIS WORD IN THE WORLD!

    BETWEEN CHRISTMAS AND EASTER(THE TWO MOST IMPORTANT CHRISTIAN EVENTS!

    My intention is not to debase Christmas nor Easter. But a Bible studying, believing and practicing christian(not a theologian or religious christian) will easily see the manipulative craftiness of the ancient serpent at work...the devil has always strived to drive a hedge into God's Purpose,and in each of such cases, the OMNIPOTENT, OMNIPRESENT AND OMNISCIENT GOD has always turned every spanner thrown in His Works by the devil into His Own Advantage.

    We men are likened to sheep. And sheep have a tendency to follow the crowd without questioning. Christ Jesus however came and taught us to examine everything by God's Word. The Pharisees exalted HUMAN TRADITION, Christ Jesus EXALTED GOD'S WORD. Man was to live by every WORD that proceeded from GOD'S MOUTH (Matt. 4:4).

    The battle that Christ Jesus was constantly engaged in with the Pharisees was the age-long battle of God's Word versus the traditions of men. In the church, we are engaged in the same battle today.

    God's Word is the only light that we have on earth. And when God created light initially, He immediately separated it from the darkness. The darkness is both sin as well as human traditions. We also are called to separate both these from the pure Word of God so that there is no mixture in the church.

    CHRISTMAS
    Consider Christmas, which is celebrated by many as the birthday of Christ Jesus. Shopkeepers of all religions look forward to Christmas, for it is a time when they can make much profit. It is a commercial festival, not a spiritual one. Millions of Naira and whatever currencies are spent on Christmas cards and gifts. Sales of alcoholic drinks also go up at this time...a time when the gravest evils are physically manifested... fornications,adulteries, fighting and drunk driving etc, are symbols of the celebration.

    In my adolescent and early teenage years in my community, on every 24th and 31st December night, the tarred road from beginning to the end must be littered all over by the broken pieces of beer bottles or other alcoholic beverages, otherwise,it means the festivals never held. Alcohol sellers do really suffer losses of bottles.

    Now, the question is...Is this really then the Birthday of the Son of God, or of another 'Jesus'?
    This controversial subject has so been thrashed out,that there's nothing left or new to add. Biblical records and the geographical history of the times and place absolutely confirmed that Christ Jesus was Birthed on that day.
    Therefore, December 25 then must be the birthday of another 'Jesus' that has been foisted on an unsuspecting Christendom by unconverted men!

    Okay, even if we did know the exact date of Christ Jesus' Birth, the question would still be whether God intended His church to celebrate it. Mary, the mother of Christ Jesus, would certainly have known the exact date of birth of her SON. And she was with the apostles for many years after the day of Pentecost. Yet there is no mention anywhere of Christ Jesus' date of Birth.

    What does this show? Just this... that God deliberately hid the date OF Christ Jesus' Birth, because He did not want the church to celebrate it. Christ Jesus was not an ordinary mortal whose Birthday was to be celebrated once a year. He was the Son of God "Who had no beginning of days", unlike us (Heb.7:3). God wants us to recognize Christ Jesus' Birth, Death, Resurrection and Ascension every day, and not just once a year.

    An understanding of the difference between the Old and the New Covenants will also enable us to understand why God does not want His children to celebrate any special holy days now. Under the Old Covenant, Israel had been commanded to celebrate certain days as specially holy days. But that was only a shadow. Now that we have Christ Jesus ,the Will of God is that every day of our lives be equally holy. Even the weekly sabbath has been done away with under the new covenant. This is why no holy days are mentioned anywhere in the New Testament (Col.2:16,17).

    How then did Christmas and Easter make their entry into Christendom? The answer is: In the same way that infant baptism, compulsory tithing(some pastors teach non tithers are going to hell), priestcraft and many other human traditions and old covenant practices, have made their entry...by the subtle working of Satan.

    Thus says the Lord, "Do not learn the way of the heathen. The customs of the people are futile. One cuts a tree from the forest with the axe. They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with nails so that it will not topple!" (Jer. 10:2-4).

    EASTER
    The word 'Easter' comes from one of the titles of the queen of heaven, 'Ishtar' or `Astarte' (see 1 Kin. 11:5) - one of the idols that Solomon worshipped. There were slightly different forms of that name in different countries.

    I ain't interested in delving into history...for like I observed above, there's nothing new to add that we don't already know.

    The DEATH and RESURRECTION of CHRIST JESUS are the central MESSAGE of the GOSPEL. The only way that Christ Jesus intended us to commemorate this was through the 'breaking of bread', which we are to take part in together as a church.

    When we break bread, we testify not only of Christ Jesus' Death, but also our death with Him. The emotionalism of Good Friday and sentimentality of Easter turns the attention of men away from the necessity of following Christ Jesus, to empty ritualism.

    GOD'S WORD OR MAN'S TRADITION?
    Behind the celebration of Christmas and Easter lies the far more deadly principle of following the traditions of men even when they have no foundation in God's Word. So strong is this power of tradition that many believers who follow the Scriptures in other areas still find it difficult to give up celebrating Christmas and Easter.

    It is amazing that many believers are not willing to accept Christmas and Easter are basically pagan festivals. Changing the names do not make these festivals Christian!

    As we said at the beginning, Christ Jesus was engaged in a constant battle with the Pharisees over this very issue - man's traditions versus God's Word. He faced more opposition for opposing the empty traditions of 'the fathers' than for preaching against sin. We shall find our experience to be the same, if we are just as faithful as He was.

    God's Word alone is our guide and not the example of even godly men in those areas where they do not follow the Word of God. "Let God be found true even though every man be found a liar" (Rom. 3:4). The Bereans searched the Scriptures to check up even on Paul's teaching, and the Holy Spirit commends them for it (Acts 17:11). That is a good example for all of us to follow.

    David was a man after God's own heart. Yet, for forty years, he permitted the Israelites to worship Moses' bronze serpent without realizing that it was an abomination to God. He did not have light even on such obvious idolatry. It was a much lesser king, Hezekiah, who was given light to expose and destroy this idolatrous practice (2 Kin. 18:1-4). We can follow godly men in the saintliness of their lives, but not in their lack of light on human traditions. Our safety lies in simply following the teaching of God's Word and not in adding to or subtracting from it.

    DO NOT JUDGE OTHERS!
    Finally : What should our attitude be towards sincere believers who celebrate Christmas and Easter?

    It is important to remember that we do not become spiritual merely by not celebrating Christmas and Easter. And those who celebrate these festivals are not therefore carnal believers.

    Spiritual people are those who follow Christ Jesus along the way of daily self-denial and the daily infilling of the Holy Spirit - whether they celebrate Christmas and Easter or not.

    So when we meet believers who celebrate these festivals, we must be gracious enough to consider that they may be ignorant of the pagan origin of these festivals. So they are not sinning in any way when they celebrate them. On the other hand, we will be sinning, if we judge them.

    Since December 25th is usually a holiday for everyone and the days around it are also holidays for schools, many use this period for end-of-the-year family reunions - which is a very good thing.

    And since some people attend church-services only twice a year (on December 25th and the Easter weekend) it is good for churches to have services on those dates, so that they can preach the gospel to such people and explain to them that Christ Jesus came to earth to save us from our sins and that He conquered death and Satan for us.

    True believers are thankful every day of their lives that Christ Jesus was born and that He died for their sins and rose again - and not just at two times of the year.

    In the early days of Christianity, some Christians celebrated the Sabbath - which was a non-Christian religious festival, just like Christmas and Easter. The Holy Spirit inspired Paul therefore to write Romans 14 to warn other Christians not to sin by judging them. The same warning holds good for those who judge others who celebrate Christmas and Easter.

    "Accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions. Who are you to judge the servant of another? One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who does not, for the Lord he does not, and gives thanks to God. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind. But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God and each one of us will give an account of himself (alone) to God" (Rom.14:12)).

    And that is the best word with which to conclude this relatively short submission on Christmas and Easter.
    May God help us to realize that every day, Christ Jesus was born, crucified on the Cross,died, buried and resurrected for us that we may live... That for every sin we wilfully commit, we nail Him to the Cross afresh.
    Amen!
    HIS WORD IN THE WORLD! 🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥 BETWEEN CHRISTMAS AND EASTER(THE TWO MOST IMPORTANT CHRISTIAN EVENTS! 🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥 My intention is not to debase Christmas nor Easter. But a Bible studying, believing and practicing christian(not a theologian or religious christian) will easily see the manipulative craftiness of the ancient serpent at work...the devil has always strived to drive a hedge into God's Purpose,and in each of such cases, the OMNIPOTENT, OMNIPRESENT AND OMNISCIENT GOD has always turned every spanner thrown in His Works by the devil into His Own Advantage. We men are likened to sheep. And sheep have a tendency to follow the crowd without questioning. Christ Jesus however came and taught us to examine everything by God's Word. The Pharisees exalted HUMAN TRADITION, Christ Jesus EXALTED GOD'S WORD. Man was to live by every WORD that proceeded from GOD'S MOUTH (Matt. 4:4). The battle that Christ Jesus was constantly engaged in with the Pharisees was the age-long battle of God's Word versus the traditions of men. In the church, we are engaged in the same battle today. God's Word is the only light that we have on earth. And when God created light initially, He immediately separated it from the darkness. The darkness is both sin as well as human traditions. We also are called to separate both these from the pure Word of God so that there is no mixture in the church. 👉CHRISTMAS Consider Christmas, which is celebrated by many as the birthday of Christ Jesus. Shopkeepers of all religions look forward to Christmas, for it is a time when they can make much profit. It is a commercial festival, not a spiritual one. Millions of Naira and whatever currencies are spent on Christmas cards and gifts. Sales of alcoholic drinks also go up at this time...a time when the gravest evils are physically manifested... fornications,adulteries, fighting and drunk driving etc, are symbols of the celebration. In my adolescent and early teenage years in my community, on every 24th and 31st December night, the tarred road from beginning to the end must be littered all over by the broken pieces of beer bottles or other alcoholic beverages, otherwise,it means the festivals never held. Alcohol sellers do really suffer losses of bottles. Now, the question is...Is this really then the Birthday of the Son of God, or of another 'Jesus'? This controversial subject has so been thrashed out,that there's nothing left or new to add. Biblical records and the geographical history of the times and place absolutely confirmed that Christ Jesus was Birthed on that day. Therefore, December 25 then must be the birthday of another 'Jesus' that has been foisted on an unsuspecting Christendom by unconverted men! Okay, even if we did know the exact date of Christ Jesus' Birth, the question would still be whether God intended His church to celebrate it. Mary, the mother of Christ Jesus, would certainly have known the exact date of birth of her SON. And she was with the apostles for many years after the day of Pentecost. Yet there is no mention anywhere of Christ Jesus' date of Birth. What does this show? Just this... that God deliberately hid the date OF Christ Jesus' Birth, because He did not want the church to celebrate it. Christ Jesus was not an ordinary mortal whose Birthday was to be celebrated once a year. He was the Son of God "Who had no beginning of days", unlike us (Heb.7:3). God wants us to recognize Christ Jesus' Birth, Death, Resurrection and Ascension every day, and not just once a year. An understanding of the difference between the Old and the New Covenants will also enable us to understand why God does not want His children to celebrate any special holy days now. Under the Old Covenant, Israel had been commanded to celebrate certain days as specially holy days. But that was only a shadow. Now that we have Christ Jesus ,the Will of God is that every day of our lives be equally holy. Even the weekly sabbath has been done away with under the new covenant. This is why no holy days are mentioned anywhere in the New Testament (Col.2:16,17). How then did Christmas and Easter make their entry into Christendom? The answer is: In the same way that infant baptism, compulsory tithing(some pastors teach non tithers are going to hell), priestcraft and many other human traditions and old covenant practices, have made their entry...by the subtle working of Satan. Thus says the Lord, "Do not learn the way of the heathen. The customs of the people are futile. One cuts a tree from the forest with the axe. They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with nails so that it will not topple!" (Jer. 10:2-4). 👉 EASTER The word 'Easter' comes from one of the titles of the queen of heaven, 'Ishtar' or `Astarte' (see 1 Kin. 11:5) - one of the idols that Solomon worshipped. There were slightly different forms of that name in different countries. I ain't interested in delving into history...for like I observed above, there's nothing new to add that we don't already know. The DEATH and RESURRECTION of CHRIST JESUS are the central MESSAGE of the GOSPEL. The only way that Christ Jesus intended us to commemorate this was through the 'breaking of bread', which we are to take part in together as a church. When we break bread, we testify not only of Christ Jesus' Death, but also our death with Him. The emotionalism of Good Friday and sentimentality of Easter turns the attention of men away from the necessity of following Christ Jesus, to empty ritualism. 👉 GOD'S WORD OR MAN'S TRADITION? Behind the celebration of Christmas and Easter lies the far more deadly principle of following the traditions of men even when they have no foundation in God's Word. So strong is this power of tradition that many believers who follow the Scriptures in other areas still find it difficult to give up celebrating Christmas and Easter. It is amazing that many believers are not willing to accept Christmas and Easter are basically pagan festivals. Changing the names do not make these festivals Christian! As we said at the beginning, Christ Jesus was engaged in a constant battle with the Pharisees over this very issue - man's traditions versus God's Word. He faced more opposition for opposing the empty traditions of 'the fathers' than for preaching against sin. We shall find our experience to be the same, if we are just as faithful as He was. God's Word alone is our guide and not the example of even godly men in those areas where they do not follow the Word of God. "Let God be found true even though every man be found a liar" (Rom. 3:4). The Bereans searched the Scriptures to check up even on Paul's teaching, and the Holy Spirit commends them for it (Acts 17:11). That is a good example for all of us to follow. David was a man after God's own heart. Yet, for forty years, he permitted the Israelites to worship Moses' bronze serpent without realizing that it was an abomination to God. He did not have light even on such obvious idolatry. It was a much lesser king, Hezekiah, who was given light to expose and destroy this idolatrous practice (2 Kin. 18:1-4). We can follow godly men in the saintliness of their lives, but not in their lack of light on human traditions. Our safety lies in simply following the teaching of God's Word and not in adding to or subtracting from it. 👉 DO NOT JUDGE OTHERS! Finally : What should our attitude be towards sincere believers who celebrate Christmas and Easter? It is important to remember that we do not become spiritual merely by not celebrating Christmas and Easter. And those who celebrate these festivals are not therefore carnal believers. Spiritual people are those who follow Christ Jesus along the way of daily self-denial and the daily infilling of the Holy Spirit - whether they celebrate Christmas and Easter or not. So when we meet believers who celebrate these festivals, we must be gracious enough to consider that they may be ignorant of the pagan origin of these festivals. So they are not sinning in any way when they celebrate them. On the other hand, we will be sinning, if we judge them. Since December 25th is usually a holiday for everyone and the days around it are also holidays for schools, many use this period for end-of-the-year family reunions - which is a very good thing. And since some people attend church-services only twice a year (on December 25th and the Easter weekend) it is good for churches to have services on those dates, so that they can preach the gospel to such people and explain to them that Christ Jesus came to earth to save us from our sins and that He conquered death and Satan for us. True believers are thankful every day of their lives that Christ Jesus was born and that He died for their sins and rose again - and not just at two times of the year. In the early days of Christianity, some Christians celebrated the Sabbath - which was a non-Christian religious festival, just like Christmas and Easter. The Holy Spirit inspired Paul therefore to write Romans 14 to warn other Christians not to sin by judging them. The same warning holds good for those who judge others who celebrate Christmas and Easter. "Accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions. Who are you to judge the servant of another? One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who does not, for the Lord he does not, and gives thanks to God. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind. But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God and each one of us will give an account of himself (alone) to God" (Rom.14:12)). And that is the best word with which to conclude this relatively short submission on Christmas and Easter. May God help us to realize that every day, Christ Jesus was born, crucified on the Cross,died, buried and resurrected for us that we may live... That for every sin we wilfully commit, we nail Him to the Cross afresh. Amen🙇🙏❤️!
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  • HIS WORD IN THE WORLD!

    BETWEEN CHRISTMAS AND EASTER(THE TWO MOST IMPORTANT CHRISTIAN EVENTS!

    My intention is not to debase Christmas nor Easter. But a Bible studying, believing and practicing christian(not a theologian or religious christian) will easily see the manipulative craftiness of the ancient serpent at work...the devil has always strived to drive a hedge into God's Purpose,and in each of such cases, the OMNIPOTENT, OMNIPRESENT AND OMNISCIENT GOD has always turned every spanner thrown in His Works by the devil into His Own Advantage.

    We men are likened to sheep. And sheep have a tendency to follow the crowd without questioning. Christ Jesus however came and taught us to examine everything by God's Word. The Pharisees exalted HUMAN TRADITION, Christ Jesus EXALTED GOD'S WORD. Man was to live by every WORD that proceeded from GOD'S MOUTH (Matt. 4:4).

    The battle that Christ Jesus was constantly engaged in with the Pharisees was the age-long battle of God's Word versus the traditions of men. In the church, we are engaged in the same battle today.

    God's Word is the only light that we have on earth. And when God created light initially, He immediately separated it from the darkness. The darkness is both sin as well as human traditions. We also are called to separate both these from the pure Word of God so that there is no mixture in the church.

    CHRISTMAS
    Consider Christmas, which is celebrated by many as the birthday of Christ Jesus. Shopkeepers of all religions look forward to Christmas, for it is a time when they can make much profit. It is a commercial festival, not a spiritual one. Millions of Naira and whatever currencies are spent on Christmas cards and gifts. Sales of alcoholic drinks also go up at this time...a time when the gravest evils are physically manifested... fornications,adulteries, fighting and drunk driving etc, are symbols of the celebration.

    In my adolescent and early teenage years in my community, on every 24th and 31st December night, the tarred road from beginning to the end must be littered all over by the broken pieces of beer bottles or other alcoholic beverages, otherwise,it means the festivals never held. Alcohol sellers do really suffer losses of bottles.

    Now, the question is...Is this really then the Birthday of the Son of God, or of another 'Jesus'?
    This controversial subject has so been thrashed out,that there's nothing left or new to add. Biblical records and the geographical history of the times and place absolutely confirmed that Christ Jesus was Birthed on that day.
    Therefore, December 25 then must be the birthday of another 'Jesus' that has been foisted on an unsuspecting Christendom by unconverted men!

    Okay, even if we did know the exact date of Christ Jesus' Birth, the question would still be whether God intended His church to celebrate it. Mary, the mother of Christ Jesus, would certainly have known the exact date of birth of her SON. And she was with the apostles for many years after the day of Pentecost. Yet there is no mention anywhere of Christ Jesus' date of Birth.

    What does this show? Just this... that God deliberately hid the date OF Christ Jesus' Birth, because He did not want the church to celebrate it. Christ Jesus was not an ordinary mortal whose Birthday was to be celebrated once a year. He was the Son of God "Who had no beginning of days", unlike us (Heb.7:3). God wants us to recognize Christ Jesus' Birth, Death, Resurrection and Ascension every day, and not just once a year.

    An understanding of the difference between the Old and the New Covenants will also enable us to understand why God does not want His children to celebrate any special holy days now. Under the Old Covenant, Israel had been commanded to celebrate certain days as specially holy days. But that was only a shadow. Now that we have Christ Jesus ,the Will of God is that every day of our lives be equally holy. Even the weekly sabbath has been done away with under the new covenant. This is why no holy days are mentioned anywhere in the New Testament (Col.2:16,17).

    How then did Christmas and Easter make their entry into Christendom? The answer is: In the same way that infant baptism, compulsory tithing(some pastors teach non tithers are going to hell), priestcraft and many other human traditions and old covenant practices, have made their entry...by the subtle working of Satan.

    Thus says the Lord, "Do not learn the way of the heathen. The customs of the people are futile. One cuts a tree from the forest with the axe. They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with nails so that it will not topple!" (Jer. 10:2-4).

    EASTER
    The word 'Easter' comes from one of the titles of the queen of heaven, 'Ishtar' or `Astarte' (see 1 Kin. 11:5) - one of the idols that Solomon worshipped. There were slightly different forms of that name in different countries.

    I ain't interested in delving into history...for like I observed above, there's nothing new to add that we don't already know.

    The DEATH and RESURRECTION of CHRIST JESUS are the central MESSAGE of the GOSPEL. The only way that Christ Jesus intended us to commemorate this was through the 'breaking of bread', which we are to take part in together as a church.

    When we break bread, we testify not only of Christ Jesus' Death, but also our death with Him. The emotionalism of Good Friday and sentimentality of Easter turns the attention of men away from the necessity of following Christ Jesus, to empty ritualism.

    GOD'S WORD OR MAN'S TRADITION?
    Behind the celebration of Christmas and Easter lies the far more deadly principle of following the traditions of men even when they have no foundation in God's Word. So strong is this power of tradition that many believers who follow the Scriptures in other areas still find it difficult to give up celebrating Christmas and Easter.

    It is amazing that many believers are not willing to accept Christmas and Easter are basically pagan festivals. Changing the names do not make these festivals Christian!

    As we said at the beginning, Christ Jesus was engaged in a constant battle with the Pharisees over this very issue - man's traditions versus God's Word. He faced more opposition for opposing the empty traditions of 'the fathers' than for preaching against sin. We shall find our experience to be the same, if we are just as faithful as He was.

    God's Word alone is our guide and not the example of even godly men in those areas where they do not follow the Word of God. "Let God be found true even though every man be found a liar" (Rom. 3:4). The Bereans searched the Scriptures to check up even on Paul's teaching, and the Holy Spirit commends them for it (Acts 17:11). That is a good example for all of us to follow.

    David was a man after God's own heart. Yet, for forty years, he permitted the Israelites to worship Moses' bronze serpent without realizing that it was an abomination to God. He did not have light even on such obvious idolatry. It was a much lesser king, Hezekiah, who was given light to expose and destroy this idolatrous practice (2 Kin. 18:1-4). We can follow godly men in the saintliness of their lives, but not in their lack of light on human traditions. Our safety lies in simply following the teaching of God's Word and not in adding to or subtracting from it.

    DO NOT JUDGE OTHERS!
    Finally : What should our attitude be towards sincere believers who celebrate Christmas and Easter?

    It is important to remember that we do not become spiritual merely by not celebrating Christmas and Easter. And those who celebrate these festivals are not therefore carnal believers.

    Spiritual people are those who follow Christ Jesus along the way of daily self-denial and the daily infilling of the Holy Spirit - whether they celebrate Christmas and Easter or not.

    So when we meet believers who celebrate these festivals, we must be gracious enough to consider that they may be ignorant of the pagan origin of these festivals. So they are not sinning in any way when they celebrate them. On the other hand, we will be sinning, if we judge them.

    Since December 25th is usually a holiday for everyone and the days around it are also holidays for schools, many use this period for end-of-the-year family reunions - which is a very good thing.

    And since some people attend church-services only twice a year (on December 25th and the Easter weekend) it is good for churches to have services on those dates, so that they can preach the gospel to such people and explain to them that Christ Jesus came to earth to save us from our sins and that He conquered death and Satan for us.

    True believers are thankful every day of their lives that Christ Jesus was born and that He died for their sins and rose again - and not just at two times of the year.

    In the early days of Christianity, some Christians celebrated the Sabbath - which was a non-Christian religious festival, just like Christmas and Easter. The Holy Spirit inspired Paul therefore to write Romans 14 to warn other Christians not to sin by judging them. The same warning holds good for those who judge others who celebrate Christmas and Easter.

    "Accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions. Who are you to judge the servant of another? One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who does not, for the Lord he does not, and gives thanks to God. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind. But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God and each one of us will give an account of himself (alone) to God" (Rom.14:12)).

    And that is the best word with which to conclude this relatively short submission on Christmas and Easter.
    May God help us to realize that every day, Christ Jesus was born, crucified on the Cross,died, buried and resurrected for us that we may live... That for every sin we wilfully commit, we nail Him to the Cross afresh.
    Amen!
    HIS WORD IN THE WORLD! 🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥 BETWEEN CHRISTMAS AND EASTER(THE TWO MOST IMPORTANT CHRISTIAN EVENTS! 🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥 My intention is not to debase Christmas nor Easter. But a Bible studying, believing and practicing christian(not a theologian or religious christian) will easily see the manipulative craftiness of the ancient serpent at work...the devil has always strived to drive a hedge into God's Purpose,and in each of such cases, the OMNIPOTENT, OMNIPRESENT AND OMNISCIENT GOD has always turned every spanner thrown in His Works by the devil into His Own Advantage. We men are likened to sheep. And sheep have a tendency to follow the crowd without questioning. Christ Jesus however came and taught us to examine everything by God's Word. The Pharisees exalted HUMAN TRADITION, Christ Jesus EXALTED GOD'S WORD. Man was to live by every WORD that proceeded from GOD'S MOUTH (Matt. 4:4). The battle that Christ Jesus was constantly engaged in with the Pharisees was the age-long battle of God's Word versus the traditions of men. In the church, we are engaged in the same battle today. God's Word is the only light that we have on earth. And when God created light initially, He immediately separated it from the darkness. The darkness is both sin as well as human traditions. We also are called to separate both these from the pure Word of God so that there is no mixture in the church. 👉CHRISTMAS Consider Christmas, which is celebrated by many as the birthday of Christ Jesus. Shopkeepers of all religions look forward to Christmas, for it is a time when they can make much profit. It is a commercial festival, not a spiritual one. Millions of Naira and whatever currencies are spent on Christmas cards and gifts. Sales of alcoholic drinks also go up at this time...a time when the gravest evils are physically manifested... fornications,adulteries, fighting and drunk driving etc, are symbols of the celebration. In my adolescent and early teenage years in my community, on every 24th and 31st December night, the tarred road from beginning to the end must be littered all over by the broken pieces of beer bottles or other alcoholic beverages, otherwise,it means the festivals never held. Alcohol sellers do really suffer losses of bottles. Now, the question is...Is this really then the Birthday of the Son of God, or of another 'Jesus'? This controversial subject has so been thrashed out,that there's nothing left or new to add. Biblical records and the geographical history of the times and place absolutely confirmed that Christ Jesus was Birthed on that day. Therefore, December 25 then must be the birthday of another 'Jesus' that has been foisted on an unsuspecting Christendom by unconverted men! Okay, even if we did know the exact date of Christ Jesus' Birth, the question would still be whether God intended His church to celebrate it. Mary, the mother of Christ Jesus, would certainly have known the exact date of birth of her SON. And she was with the apostles for many years after the day of Pentecost. Yet there is no mention anywhere of Christ Jesus' date of Birth. What does this show? Just this... that God deliberately hid the date OF Christ Jesus' Birth, because He did not want the church to celebrate it. Christ Jesus was not an ordinary mortal whose Birthday was to be celebrated once a year. He was the Son of God "Who had no beginning of days", unlike us (Heb.7:3). God wants us to recognize Christ Jesus' Birth, Death, Resurrection and Ascension every day, and not just once a year. An understanding of the difference between the Old and the New Covenants will also enable us to understand why God does not want His children to celebrate any special holy days now. Under the Old Covenant, Israel had been commanded to celebrate certain days as specially holy days. But that was only a shadow. Now that we have Christ Jesus ,the Will of God is that every day of our lives be equally holy. Even the weekly sabbath has been done away with under the new covenant. This is why no holy days are mentioned anywhere in the New Testament (Col.2:16,17). How then did Christmas and Easter make their entry into Christendom? The answer is: In the same way that infant baptism, compulsory tithing(some pastors teach non tithers are going to hell), priestcraft and many other human traditions and old covenant practices, have made their entry...by the subtle working of Satan. Thus says the Lord, "Do not learn the way of the heathen. The customs of the people are futile. One cuts a tree from the forest with the axe. They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with nails so that it will not topple!" (Jer. 10:2-4). 👉 EASTER The word 'Easter' comes from one of the titles of the queen of heaven, 'Ishtar' or `Astarte' (see 1 Kin. 11:5) - one of the idols that Solomon worshipped. There were slightly different forms of that name in different countries. I ain't interested in delving into history...for like I observed above, there's nothing new to add that we don't already know. The DEATH and RESURRECTION of CHRIST JESUS are the central MESSAGE of the GOSPEL. The only way that Christ Jesus intended us to commemorate this was through the 'breaking of bread', which we are to take part in together as a church. When we break bread, we testify not only of Christ Jesus' Death, but also our death with Him. The emotionalism of Good Friday and sentimentality of Easter turns the attention of men away from the necessity of following Christ Jesus, to empty ritualism. 👉 GOD'S WORD OR MAN'S TRADITION? Behind the celebration of Christmas and Easter lies the far more deadly principle of following the traditions of men even when they have no foundation in God's Word. So strong is this power of tradition that many believers who follow the Scriptures in other areas still find it difficult to give up celebrating Christmas and Easter. It is amazing that many believers are not willing to accept Christmas and Easter are basically pagan festivals. Changing the names do not make these festivals Christian! As we said at the beginning, Christ Jesus was engaged in a constant battle with the Pharisees over this very issue - man's traditions versus God's Word. He faced more opposition for opposing the empty traditions of 'the fathers' than for preaching against sin. We shall find our experience to be the same, if we are just as faithful as He was. God's Word alone is our guide and not the example of even godly men in those areas where they do not follow the Word of God. "Let God be found true even though every man be found a liar" (Rom. 3:4). The Bereans searched the Scriptures to check up even on Paul's teaching, and the Holy Spirit commends them for it (Acts 17:11). That is a good example for all of us to follow. David was a man after God's own heart. Yet, for forty years, he permitted the Israelites to worship Moses' bronze serpent without realizing that it was an abomination to God. He did not have light even on such obvious idolatry. It was a much lesser king, Hezekiah, who was given light to expose and destroy this idolatrous practice (2 Kin. 18:1-4). We can follow godly men in the saintliness of their lives, but not in their lack of light on human traditions. Our safety lies in simply following the teaching of God's Word and not in adding to or subtracting from it. 👉 DO NOT JUDGE OTHERS! Finally : What should our attitude be towards sincere believers who celebrate Christmas and Easter? It is important to remember that we do not become spiritual merely by not celebrating Christmas and Easter. And those who celebrate these festivals are not therefore carnal believers. Spiritual people are those who follow Christ Jesus along the way of daily self-denial and the daily infilling of the Holy Spirit - whether they celebrate Christmas and Easter or not. So when we meet believers who celebrate these festivals, we must be gracious enough to consider that they may be ignorant of the pagan origin of these festivals. So they are not sinning in any way when they celebrate them. On the other hand, we will be sinning, if we judge them. Since December 25th is usually a holiday for everyone and the days around it are also holidays for schools, many use this period for end-of-the-year family reunions - which is a very good thing. And since some people attend church-services only twice a year (on December 25th and the Easter weekend) it is good for churches to have services on those dates, so that they can preach the gospel to such people and explain to them that Christ Jesus came to earth to save us from our sins and that He conquered death and Satan for us. True believers are thankful every day of their lives that Christ Jesus was born and that He died for their sins and rose again - and not just at two times of the year. In the early days of Christianity, some Christians celebrated the Sabbath - which was a non-Christian religious festival, just like Christmas and Easter. The Holy Spirit inspired Paul therefore to write Romans 14 to warn other Christians not to sin by judging them. The same warning holds good for those who judge others who celebrate Christmas and Easter. "Accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions. Who are you to judge the servant of another? One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who does not, for the Lord he does not, and gives thanks to God. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind. But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God and each one of us will give an account of himself (alone) to God" (Rom.14:12)). And that is the best word with which to conclude this relatively short submission on Christmas and Easter. May God help us to realize that every day, Christ Jesus was born, crucified on the Cross,died, buried and resurrected for us that we may live... That for every sin we wilfully commit, we nail Him to the Cross afresh. Amen🙇🙏❤️!
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  • COPING IN A SIN BROKEN WORLD!

    AGAIN, THE MONEY ISSUE IN THE CHURCH! [PART TWO]

    I told us there's some more on this subject... Welcome back !

    Okay,we were talking about celebrating materialism and the love of money.

    Yes,we celebrate money,money men and women,even hyping then(and I am talking about even inside the church)without considering the sources of those money on display. Much of those wealth comes from deceit, covetousness, strange altars,etc.

    There's a video trending in my country now of a very rich young man confessing that he won't live up to forty(40) years.(True or false,I can't tell) But he said because he wanted to belong they introduced him to a place,and the people were honest enough unlike some who will hide the consequences. He said,he didn't want to use anyone,his mother, girlfriend,sister or anybody for that matter,that he doesn't want another person's blood on his hands,so he used his lifespan... that's how satan blesses...with regrets, unlike God;
    The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it. (Pro 10: 22)

    Continuing, he said he won't wait until the 40yrs, because there may be a lot of humiliating suffer before death, and that, he celebrate his last birthday just before the mandatory suffering before death and then take his own life. LIKE I SAID, I CAN'T VERIFY ITS GENUITY, BUT ASSUMING IT'S TRUE, WHEN SUCH A HANDSOME COMES TO CHURCH SPONSORING OUR PROJECTS FOR US, WE PUSH THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN SWEATING IT OUT WITH US INTO THE BACKGROUND... INTO OBLIVION. WE (MATERIALISTIC PASTORS) BEGIN TO CELEBRATE AND ECONOMIZE THE TRUTH SO AS NOT TO OFFEND.

    I repeat it, yes! It's very common these days in our churches, where faithful old hands are disdained and relegated to the backseats of church decisions. I know of a church (its GO) that has a spoken mantra of *money make iron float!*

    It's very unfortunate that, some Pastors and Christians who were raised very well, I mean, well brought up, have become Balaam who loved the wages of unrighteousness;
    15. Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;
    16. But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbad the madness of the prophet.
    17. These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever. (2Pe 2: 15-17)

    NOW, LET'S CORRECT SOME VERY COMMON WRONG SLOGANS MANY PASTORS USE

    Money makes ministry... It's not true, God(Jehovah) makes ministry.

    Anointing without money is annoyance... It's not true at all.
    We have seen people (many pastors included) with money but without anointing...they have charisma, but no oil on their heads.
    We have equally seen those with both money and anointing, yet terrible annoyance remains the devil's entry point into their lives.

    More money is not more rewards in heaven. More rewards come by more faithfulness and sacrifice for God's Kingdom;
    When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what good is there to the owners thereof, saving the beholding of them with their eyes? (Ecc 5: 11)

    But those riches perish by evil travail: and he begetteth a son, and there is nothing in his hand. (Ecc 5: 14)

    My brethren, if we can get this done balance, the race for money will significantly reduce or slow down.
    Whatever property you have that serves no purpose in your life or ministry is a waste. You have no justification or reason to own cars in your garage that you don't use or really need. Give them out or sell them and put the money into evangelism or church planting. IT'S A LOSS OF SANITY TO ACQUIRE PROPERTIES THAT YOU DON'T REALLY NEED!
    11. Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
    12. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. (Php 4: 11-12)
    This is the same Apostle Paul that we always quote that, Christ Jesus became poor that we may be rich.(2Cor.8:9)

    Please, I beg us, fellow believers and co-labourers, if you know any pastor that has SOILED HIS HANDS because of money, don't go close to him. Don't be a friend to him or the wife, because there's no way the wife wouldn't know. If you do, you will share in their judgement. Your duty is to scripturally and humbly warn and leave;
    And they shall bear the punishment of their iniquity: the punishment of the prophet shall be even as the punishment of him that seeketh unto him; (Eze 14: 10)

    Remember our last study, King Jehoshaphat's confederacy with wicked king Ahab nearly cost him his life(1Kgs 22:29-35)

    We shouldn't allow the devil to use the love of money to spoil the wonderful future we shall have with our CREATOR!
    Amen!
    COPING IN A SIN BROKEN WORLD! ✍️✍️✍️✍️✍️✍️✍️✍️✍️✍️✍️✍️✍️✍️ AGAIN, THE MONEY ISSUE IN THE CHURCH! [PART TWO] 🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥 I told us there's some more on this subject... Welcome back 🙏! Okay,we were talking about celebrating materialism and the love of money. Yes,we celebrate money,money men and women,even hyping then(and I am talking about even inside the church)without considering the sources of those money on display. Much of those wealth comes from deceit, covetousness, strange altars,etc. There's a video trending in my country now of a very rich young man confessing that he won't live up to forty(40) years.(True or false,I can't tell) But he said because he wanted to belong they introduced him to a place,and the people were honest enough unlike some who will hide the consequences. He said,he didn't want to use anyone,his mother, girlfriend,sister or anybody for that matter,that he doesn't want another person's blood on his hands,so he used his lifespan... that's how satan blesses...with regrets, unlike God; The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it. (Pro 10: 22) Continuing, he said he won't wait until the 40yrs, because there may be a lot of humiliating suffer before death, and that, he celebrate his last birthday just before the mandatory suffering before death and then take his own life. LIKE I SAID, I CAN'T VERIFY ITS GENUITY, BUT ASSUMING IT'S TRUE, WHEN SUCH A HANDSOME COMES TO CHURCH SPONSORING OUR PROJECTS FOR US, WE PUSH THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN SWEATING IT OUT WITH US INTO THE BACKGROUND... INTO OBLIVION. WE (MATERIALISTIC PASTORS) BEGIN TO CELEBRATE AND ECONOMIZE THE TRUTH SO AS NOT TO OFFEND. I repeat it, yes! It's very common these days in our churches, where faithful old hands are disdained and relegated to the backseats of church decisions. I know of a church (its GO) that has a spoken mantra of *money make iron float!* It's very unfortunate that, some Pastors and Christians who were raised very well, I mean, well brought up, have become Balaam who loved the wages of unrighteousness; 15. Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; 16. But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbad the madness of the prophet. 17. These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever. (2Pe 2: 15-17) NOW, LET'S CORRECT SOME VERY COMMON WRONG SLOGANS MANY PASTORS USE👇 👉 Money makes ministry... It's not true, God(Jehovah) makes ministry. 👉 Anointing without money is annoyance... It's not true at all. We have seen people (many pastors included) with money but without anointing...they have charisma, but no oil on their heads. We have equally seen those with both money and anointing, yet terrible annoyance remains the devil's entry point into their lives. 👉More money is not more rewards in heaven. More rewards come by more faithfulness and sacrifice for God's Kingdom; When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what good is there to the owners thereof, saving the beholding of them with their eyes? (Ecc 5: 11) But those riches perish by evil travail: and he begetteth a son, and there is nothing in his hand. (Ecc 5: 14) My brethren, if we can get this done balance, the race for money will significantly reduce or slow down. Whatever property you have that serves no purpose in your life or ministry is a waste. You have no justification or reason to own cars in your garage that you don't use or really need. Give them out or sell them and put the money into evangelism or church planting. IT'S A LOSS OF SANITY TO ACQUIRE PROPERTIES THAT YOU DON'T REALLY NEED! 11. Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. 12. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. (Php 4: 11-12) This is the same Apostle Paul that we always quote that, Christ Jesus became poor that we may be rich.(2Cor.8:9) 👉 Please, I beg us, fellow believers and co-labourers, if you know any pastor that has SOILED HIS HANDS because of money, don't go close to him. Don't be a friend to him or the wife, because there's no way the wife wouldn't know. If you do, you will share in their judgement. Your duty is to scripturally and humbly warn and leave; And they shall bear the punishment of their iniquity: the punishment of the prophet shall be even as the punishment of him that seeketh unto him; (Eze 14: 10) Remember our last study, King Jehoshaphat's confederacy with wicked king Ahab nearly cost him his life(1Kgs 22:29-35) We shouldn't allow the devil to use the love of money to spoil the wonderful future we shall have with our CREATOR! Amen🙇🙏!
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  • COPING IN A SIN BROKEN WORLD!

    AGAIN, THE MONEY ISSUE IN THE CHURCH! [PART TWO]

    I told us there's some more on this subject... Welcome back !

    Okay,we were talking about celebrating materialism and the love of money.

    Yes,we celebrate money,money men and women,even hyping then(and I am talking about even inside the church)without considering the sources of those money on display. Much of those wealth comes from deceit, covetousness, strange altars,etc.

    There's a video trending in my country now of a very rich young man confessing that he won't live up to forty(40) years.(True or false,I can't tell) But he said because he wanted to belong they introduced him to a place,and the people were honest enough unlike some who will hide the consequences. He said,he didn't want to use anyone,his mother, girlfriend,sister or anybody for that matter,that he doesn't want another person's blood on his hands,so he used his lifespan... that's how satan blesses...with regrets, unlike God;
    The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it. (Pro 10: 22)

    Continuing, he said he won't wait until the 40yrs, because there may be a lot of humiliating suffer before death, and that, he celebrate his last birthday just before the mandatory suffering before death and then take his own life. LIKE I SAID, I CAN'T VERIFY ITS GENUITY, BUT ASSUMING IT'S TRUE, WHEN SUCH A HANDSOME COMES TO CHURCH SPONSORING OUR PROJECTS FOR US, WE PUSH THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN SWEATING IT OUT WITH US INTO THE BACKGROUND... INTO OBLIVION. WE (MATERIALISTIC PASTORS) BEGIN TO CELEBRATE AND ECONOMIZE THE TRUTH SO AS NOT TO OFFEND.

    I repeat it, yes! It's very common these days in our churches, where faithful old hands are disdained and relegated to the backseats of church decisions. I know of a church (its GO) that has a spoken mantra of *money make iron float!*

    It's very unfortunate that, some Pastors and Christians who were raised very well, I mean, well brought up, have become Balaam who loved the wages of unrighteousness;
    15. Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;
    16. But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbad the madness of the prophet.
    17. These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever. (2Pe 2: 15-17)

    NOW, LET'S CORRECT SOME VERY COMMON WRONG SLOGANS MANY PASTORS USE

    Money makes ministry... It's not true, God(Jehovah) makes ministry.

    Anointing without money is annoyance... It's not true at all.
    We have seen people (many pastors included) with money but without anointing...they have charisma, but no oil on their heads.
    We have equally seen those with both money and anointing, yet terrible annoyance remains the devil's entry point into their lives.

    More money is not more rewards in heaven. More rewards come by more faithfulness and sacrifice for God's Kingdom;
    When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what good is there to the owners thereof, saving the beholding of them with their eyes? (Ecc 5: 11)

    But those riches perish by evil travail: and he begetteth a son, and there is nothing in his hand. (Ecc 5: 14)

    My brethren, if we can get this done balance, the race for money will significantly reduce or slow down.
    Whatever property you have that serves no purpose in your life or ministry is a waste. You have no justification or reason to own cars in your garage that you don't use or really need. Give them out or sell them and put the money into evangelism or church planting. IT'S A LOSS OF SANITY TO ACQUIRE PROPERTIES THAT YOU DON'T REALLY NEED!
    11. Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
    12. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. (Php 4: 11-12)
    This is the same Apostle Paul that we always quote that, Christ Jesus became poor that we may be rich.(2Cor.8:9)

    Please, I beg us, fellow believers and co-labourers, if you know any pastor that has SOILED HIS HANDS because of money, don't go close to him. Don't be a friend to him or the wife, because there's no way the wife wouldn't know. If you do, you will share in their judgement. Your duty is to scripturally and humbly warn and leave;
    And they shall bear the punishment of their iniquity: the punishment of the prophet shall be even as the punishment of him that seeketh unto him; (Eze 14: 10)

    Remember our last study, King Jehoshaphat's confederacy with wicked king Ahab nearly cost him his life(1Kgs 22:29-35)

    We shouldn't allow the devil to use the love of money to spoil the wonderful future we shall have with our CREATOR!
    Amen!
    COPING IN A SIN BROKEN WORLD! ✍️✍️✍️✍️✍️✍️✍️✍️✍️✍️✍️✍️✍️✍️ AGAIN, THE MONEY ISSUE IN THE CHURCH! [PART TWO] 🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥 I told us there's some more on this subject... Welcome back 🙏! Okay,we were talking about celebrating materialism and the love of money. Yes,we celebrate money,money men and women,even hyping then(and I am talking about even inside the church)without considering the sources of those money on display. Much of those wealth comes from deceit, covetousness, strange altars,etc. There's a video trending in my country now of a very rich young man confessing that he won't live up to forty(40) years.(True or false,I can't tell) But he said because he wanted to belong they introduced him to a place,and the people were honest enough unlike some who will hide the consequences. He said,he didn't want to use anyone,his mother, girlfriend,sister or anybody for that matter,that he doesn't want another person's blood on his hands,so he used his lifespan... that's how satan blesses...with regrets, unlike God; The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it. (Pro 10: 22) Continuing, he said he won't wait until the 40yrs, because there may be a lot of humiliating suffer before death, and that, he celebrate his last birthday just before the mandatory suffering before death and then take his own life. LIKE I SAID, I CAN'T VERIFY ITS GENUITY, BUT ASSUMING IT'S TRUE, WHEN SUCH A HANDSOME COMES TO CHURCH SPONSORING OUR PROJECTS FOR US, WE PUSH THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN SWEATING IT OUT WITH US INTO THE BACKGROUND... INTO OBLIVION. WE (MATERIALISTIC PASTORS) BEGIN TO CELEBRATE AND ECONOMIZE THE TRUTH SO AS NOT TO OFFEND. I repeat it, yes! It's very common these days in our churches, where faithful old hands are disdained and relegated to the backseats of church decisions. I know of a church (its GO) that has a spoken mantra of *money make iron float!* It's very unfortunate that, some Pastors and Christians who were raised very well, I mean, well brought up, have become Balaam who loved the wages of unrighteousness; 15. Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; 16. But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbad the madness of the prophet. 17. These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever. (2Pe 2: 15-17) NOW, LET'S CORRECT SOME VERY COMMON WRONG SLOGANS MANY PASTORS USE👇 👉 Money makes ministry... It's not true, God(Jehovah) makes ministry. 👉 Anointing without money is annoyance... It's not true at all. We have seen people (many pastors included) with money but without anointing...they have charisma, but no oil on their heads. We have equally seen those with both money and anointing, yet terrible annoyance remains the devil's entry point into their lives. 👉More money is not more rewards in heaven. More rewards come by more faithfulness and sacrifice for God's Kingdom; When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what good is there to the owners thereof, saving the beholding of them with their eyes? (Ecc 5: 11) But those riches perish by evil travail: and he begetteth a son, and there is nothing in his hand. (Ecc 5: 14) My brethren, if we can get this done balance, the race for money will significantly reduce or slow down. Whatever property you have that serves no purpose in your life or ministry is a waste. You have no justification or reason to own cars in your garage that you don't use or really need. Give them out or sell them and put the money into evangelism or church planting. IT'S A LOSS OF SANITY TO ACQUIRE PROPERTIES THAT YOU DON'T REALLY NEED! 11. Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. 12. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. (Php 4: 11-12) This is the same Apostle Paul that we always quote that, Christ Jesus became poor that we may be rich.(2Cor.8:9) 👉 Please, I beg us, fellow believers and co-labourers, if you know any pastor that has SOILED HIS HANDS because of money, don't go close to him. Don't be a friend to him or the wife, because there's no way the wife wouldn't know. If you do, you will share in their judgement. Your duty is to scripturally and humbly warn and leave; And they shall bear the punishment of their iniquity: the punishment of the prophet shall be even as the punishment of him that seeketh unto him; (Eze 14: 10) Remember our last study, King Jehoshaphat's confederacy with wicked king Ahab nearly cost him his life(1Kgs 22:29-35) We shouldn't allow the devil to use the love of money to spoil the wonderful future we shall have with our CREATOR! Amen🙇🙏!
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  • COPING IN A SIN BROKEN WORLD!

    AGAIN, THE MONEY ISSUE IN THE CHURCH!

    The devil continues to use money as a very lethal and strategic weapon against the Church today. Many know this, but don't talk, in the hope that things will take their natural course... GOD DOESN'T WORK THAT WAY!

    Before, I start , a man had four kids in the university, and by the time they left for school after their semester break, the man's account was in the red, and he complained bitterly. And a few days later, he heard a woman almost crying that her salary hasn't been paid for some months now, and for her children to go back to school,she has to borrow money from a money lender with heavy interest.

    When the man heard this, he silently thanked God and asked for His forgiveness, because he didn't have to borrow with interest.

    I told this story because, this is where most of our problems begin... dissatisfaction with what we have been given by God;
    But godliness with contentment is great gain. (1Ti 6: 6)
    A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked. (Psa 37: 16)

    Ministers of the Gospel should realize that Church Work is God's Work... Kingdom of God's Work. And church people are God's people, but not every church person is God's child;
    A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked. (Psa 37: 16)

    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: (Joh 1: 12)

    I do hope we fall under the category of God's children,for only then can we not be enslaved by Money.
    We are told;
    For wisdom is a defence, and money is a defence: but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom giveth life to them that have it. (Ecc 7: 12)

    Many of us have twisted the *Money is a defence*part of it to suit our cravings, forgetting that WISDOM (God given wisdom) ,is the power that put money in your hands and makes you its master... Wisdom giveth life to them both.

    Money is what we use in exchange for goods purchased or services rendered... that's Money.
    But Man felt God's too slow,or not coming forth at all (thoughts generated by mammon,god of money in our minds),and suggest for us(the undiscerning) a quicker way to make the money (human wisdom), which eventually makes us slaves to money(the fulfillment of devil's desire).

    Remember,he(devil) suggested to Eve in the Garden of Eden not to wait for God's timing, before they become gods themselves;
    4. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
    5. For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. (Gen 3: 4-5)

    It's the same card he(devil) is still playing today...we(men) wants to be like gods and worshipped. Devil thrives in our ignorance of God's Word. We don't need the devil to be gods. For God has already made us gods,in the Old Testament;
    And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet. (Exo 7: 1)

    And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God. (Exo 4: 16)
    (Paraphrase...Moses will take God's Place before Aaron...Moses will be God's Mouth to Aaron and others)

    And in the New Testament;
    God gave us Christ Jesus' Name,to rule over the kingdom of darkness (this world and its ruler,satan);
    10. That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
    11. And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Php 2: 10-11)
    These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. (Rev 11: 6)

    So,you see,we don't need the devil for anything. We rule over him(it's our inheritance in Christ Jesus),but pitiably, just as the first Adam ignorantly surrendered his authority to satan,the willy and crafty devil used and is using money to collect back from very many of us, THE LOST AUTHORITY FOR WHICH CHRIST JESUS PAID SUCH A HUGE SACRIFICE TO RESTORE TO US...THE AUTHORITY TO TRAMPLE UPON THE DEVIL...ALL BECAUSE OF MONEY,FAME AND POWERLESS POWERS... VERY SADDENING!

    In Psalms, God's Word says;
    What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? (Psa 8: 4)

    You see God is MINDFUL OF MAN AND NOT MONEY. But the devil subtly with his serpentine spirit,change the narrative by deceiving very many undiscerning a man(us) to be MINDFUL OF MONEY AND NOT GOD.

    Herein lies our doom;
    He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity. (Ecc 5: 10)

    You see that , the moment we become MINDFUL OF MONEY, discontentment or better still malcontentment becomes our shadow. All we think about is how to make more money...we no longer never have enough. And at this point,EVEN AS PASTORS,WE DEVISE PROGRAMS UPON PROGRAMS, INTRODUCE DIFFERENT DOGMAS AND DOCTRINES THAT CAN AID US IN GENERATING MORE AND MORE MONEY, ALL BECAUSE...THE DEVIL HAS STAMPED IT IN OUR MIND THAT WE SERVE A RICH GOD...HE BECAME POOR THAT WE MAY BE RICH!

    Dear brethren,the *rich* in that scriptural verse is not the riches of this world. Okay. Paul said,we should follow him as he followed Christ Jesus. Paul was by the standards then, STINKINGLY RICH,but he forfeited his worldly fortune to carry Christ Jesus' Cross, the same way we should ourselves.Not tomorrow,but today...right now!

    We should stop celebrating materialism and the love of money.
    Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, NOT ONLY DO THE SAME, BUT HAVE PLEASURE IN THEM THAT DO THEM. (Rom 1: 32)

    7. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
    8. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
    9. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
    10. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. (1Ti 6: 7-10)

    We are going to come back on this. Be expecting us!!
    COPING IN A SIN BROKEN WORLD! 🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥 AGAIN, THE MONEY ISSUE IN THE CHURCH! 🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥 The devil continues to use money as a very lethal and strategic weapon against the Church today. Many know this, but don't talk, in the hope that things will take their natural course... GOD DOESN'T WORK THAT WAY! Before, I start , a man had four kids in the university, and by the time they left for school after their semester break, the man's account was in the red, and he complained bitterly. And a few days later, he heard a woman almost crying that her salary hasn't been paid for some months now, and for her children to go back to school,she has to borrow money from a money lender with heavy interest. When the man heard this, he silently thanked God and asked for His forgiveness, because he didn't have to borrow with interest. I told this story because, this is where most of our problems begin... dissatisfaction with what we have been given by God; But godliness with contentment is great gain. (1Ti 6: 6) A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked. (Psa 37: 16) Ministers of the Gospel should realize that Church Work is God's Work... Kingdom of God's Work. And church people are God's people, but not every church person is God's child; A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked. (Psa 37: 16) 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: (Joh 1: 12) I do hope we fall under the category of God's children,for only then can we not be enslaved by Money. We are told; For wisdom is a defence, and money is a defence: but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom giveth life to them that have it. (Ecc 7: 12) Many of us have twisted the *Money is a defence*part of it to suit our cravings, forgetting that WISDOM (God given wisdom) ,is the power that put money in your hands and makes you its master... Wisdom giveth life to them both. Money is what we use in exchange for goods purchased or services rendered... that's Money. But Man felt God's too slow,or not coming forth at all (thoughts generated by mammon,god of money in our minds),and suggest for us(the undiscerning) a quicker way to make the money (human wisdom), which eventually makes us slaves to money(the fulfillment of devil's desire). Remember,he(devil) suggested to Eve in the Garden of Eden not to wait for God's timing, before they become gods themselves; 4. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5. For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. (Gen 3: 4-5) It's the same card he(devil) is still playing today...we(men) wants to be like gods and worshipped. Devil thrives in our ignorance of God's Word. We don't need the devil to be gods. For God has already made us gods,in the Old Testament; And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet. (Exo 7: 1) And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God. (Exo 4: 16) (Paraphrase...Moses will take God's Place before Aaron...Moses will be God's Mouth to Aaron and others) And in the New Testament; God gave us Christ Jesus' Name,to rule over the kingdom of darkness (this world and its ruler,satan); 10. That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11. And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Php 2: 10-11) These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. (Rev 11: 6) So,you see,we don't need the devil for anything. We rule over him(it's our inheritance in Christ Jesus),but pitiably, just as the first Adam ignorantly surrendered his authority to satan,the willy and crafty devil used and is using money to collect back from very many of us, THE LOST AUTHORITY FOR WHICH CHRIST JESUS PAID SUCH A HUGE SACRIFICE TO RESTORE TO US...THE AUTHORITY TO TRAMPLE UPON THE DEVIL...ALL BECAUSE OF MONEY,FAME AND POWERLESS POWERS... VERY SADDENING! In Psalms, God's Word says; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? (Psa 8: 4) You see God is MINDFUL OF MAN AND NOT MONEY. But the devil subtly with his serpentine spirit,change the narrative by deceiving very many undiscerning a man(us) to be MINDFUL OF MONEY AND NOT GOD. Herein lies our doom; He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity. (Ecc 5: 10) You see that 👆, the moment we become MINDFUL OF MONEY, discontentment or better still malcontentment becomes our shadow. All we think about is how to make more money...we no longer never have enough. And at this point,EVEN AS PASTORS,WE DEVISE PROGRAMS UPON PROGRAMS, INTRODUCE DIFFERENT DOGMAS AND DOCTRINES THAT CAN AID US IN GENERATING MORE AND MORE MONEY, ALL BECAUSE...THE DEVIL HAS STAMPED IT IN OUR MIND THAT WE SERVE A RICH GOD...HE BECAME POOR THAT WE MAY BE RICH! Dear brethren,the *rich* in that scriptural verse is not the riches of this world. Okay. Paul said,we should follow him as he followed Christ Jesus. Paul was by the standards then, STINKINGLY RICH,but he forfeited his worldly fortune to carry Christ Jesus' Cross, the same way we should ourselves.Not tomorrow,but today...right now! We should stop celebrating materialism and the love of money. Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, NOT ONLY DO THE SAME, BUT HAVE PLEASURE IN THEM THAT DO THEM. (Rom 1: 32) 7. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. 9. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. (1Ti 6: 7-10) We are going to come back on this. Be expecting us!🙇🙏!
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