@All,

Please let us not desecrate this topic with vituperation or name-calling.I believe its important we maintain decorum as children of God who really wants to learn the truth. More so, I am sure we might not fully agree on some doctrinal truth perhaps due to traditions or upholding to what we know(or feel) that is right.

@Ihedinobi,this is another verse to consider the word 'eternal fire'
Jude 1:7 “Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire”

More so,these two verses would be of help to us all.
Malachi 4:3 “And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts”.

Ezekiel 28:18-19 “Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more”.

My final take for today,I do not wish to toe to the trappings of traditions that are not in tandem with the truth.
God forbid!The Gospel speaks for itself and it must be harmonized for any man to make out a doctrine out of it.The God I serve is not a wicked God that would derive pleasure for tormenting people and other spirit beings in an unquenchable unending fire.Romans 6:23 says it all about my loving Father-The Almighty God,King of kings,Lord of lords,Master of all masters,God of all gods.....name it...Our God is more than amazing and lovely and not a supposedly 'eternal' tormentor!

No one can claim to know it all from the Bible but I believe if we are humble enough to learn,we can always learn the truth.

Anyway what even counts is the application of the truth but definitely the truth must come first before application.

More so, the Holy Spirit is readily available to help us to understand scriptures!

The truth is the scarcest commodity on earth. Sincerely, I do not believe any present church on earth has the complete truth/knowledge of the word of God.I might be wrong about this my assertion due to my own limitations!

God bless us all!

@Ihedinobi,

Please meditate on this scripture and state what you simply understood from it. Thanks

“And death and hell were cast into the Lake of Fire. This is the second death” (Revelation 20:14 MKJV).

@Frosbel,

You got this message spot on. I have posted this same message on facebook and virtually all friends of mine who commented,kicked against it.

I am even flabbergasted that some Christian folks would point to the Parable between Lazarus and the rich man, to illustrate their points!

The truth remains that everlasting hell fire does not mean forever as it is depicted in english. Church traditions have not helped us either not to forget some (mis)translations in the Bible.One of my favorite sites is www.bible.cc,this site gives you varieties of translations with commentaries as well.

If anyone doubts the meaning of everlasting,please check out the meaing of 'AIONS' in greek.

I fully support this doctrine,though its hard to accept but I see this as the truth.

God bless us!

@Omo Alata,

I have 2 questions for you. Can an evil power die? Agreed we can render the powers of darkness impotent.

The other question I have for you is to show me where its written in the Bible that we can bind demons?

I do want to prempt your answer, but I am sure you do quote Matthew. 16:18-19.

I am awaiting your response.

The bible is not made for people not to think. Its a compilation of scriptures to guide us right and we should always be careful not to quote scriptures out of context, otherwise we err!

One thing that has actually not helped us much is the (mis)translation of certain verses in the bible. Its pertinent for us to really study the scriptures rather than believe all what tradition has passed onto us.

Our Lord Jesus Christ has given us a prayer guide-OUR LORD's PRAYER.

[b]Please anyone,who cares enough to know the truth should fee free to go through this website on the true meanings of binding and loosing.
More so, we can do a detailed search on this via any search engine of our choice. [/b]http://www.intercession.addr.com/teaching/001_prayer_intercession.htm

Methinks, such a post like this should be made within the politics forum if we are interested in weeping sentiments for/against any political leader/party.

Let us endeavour to always separate politics from Christianity. We do not need to fuse(marry) politics with Christianity.

If it were so, the great apostles of old would have told us.


This was exactly what the Roman Catholic Church did and its a pointer to us to make amends of this error.


Whatever informs our decisions to vote for either Obama or Romney should be based on our own ideologies.

My take, is for Americans to vote wisely irrespective of religious affiliations!

Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar!

Though I do not live in America, I do not see much difference between the two main contenders.

Come to really think of it, do you think a Christian(by this I do not mean anyone professes to be a Christian but indeed a true believer)can really be a president anywhere in this world? Without sounding pessimistic,I doubt but if I were to be real, I would right say 'IMPOSSIBLE'.You cannot serve two masters at the same time no matter your loyalty to both.

Permit me to say that this topic would be much more impactful on the politics forum rather than here!

Thank you!

Stay blessed in Jesus name...The Almighty God is our own leader of all leaders.Amen!

I believe what the Nigerian Police needs most for now is a mental shift from being 'tax-collectors' to their main duty-protection of life and properties. Good remuneration and proper training would equally be of help.Likewise,proper dieting for not just the police force but also the military and other para-military organisations.

I am always detested to see an obese police officer, most of the high-ranking police officers nay the top military brass have pot-belly.

I hope the Nigerian Police can improve on their tainted image.More work need to be done at home by the Nigerian Police.

@Paulcr7,

I have just read Hebrews 4:6-9.

I do not have a private interpretation of this scripture neither am I permitted to add or take away from it or other scriptures.God forbid I do this!

Please kindly exercise patience and read below. I posted this for both clarification and learning purpose for you and I,including others as well to know that in this context,Jesus meant Joshua,the Son of Nun. Albeit, both names mean Saviour.

New International Version (©1984)
For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day.

New Living Translation (©2007)
Now if Joshua had succeeded in giving them this rest, God would not have spoken about another day of rest still to come.

English Standard Version (©2001)
For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on.

New American Standard Bible (©1995)
For if Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that.

King James Bible (Cambridge Ed.)
For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.

International Standard Version (©2008)
For if Joshua had given them rest, he would not have spoken later about another day.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English (©2010)
For if Yeshua, son of Nun, had given them rest, he would not afterward have spoken of another day.

GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995)
If Joshua had given the people rest, God would not have spoken about another day.

King James 2000 Bible (©2003)
For if Joshua had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.

American King James Version
For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.

American Standard Version
For if Joshua had given them rest, he would not have spoken afterward of another day.

Douay-Rheims Bible
For if Jesus had given them rest, he would never have afterwards spoken of another day.

Darby Bible Translation
For if Jesus had brought them into rest, he would not have spoken afterwards about another day.

English Revised Version
For if Joshua had given them rest, he would not have spoken afterward of another day.

Webster's Bible Translation
For if Jesus had given them rest, then he would not afterward have spoken of another day.

Weymouth New Testament
For if Joshua had given them the true rest, we should not afterwards hear God speaking of another still future day.

World English Bible
For if Joshua had given them rest, he would not have spoken afterward of another day.

Young's Literal Translation
for if Joshua had given them rest, He would not concerning another day have spoken after these things;

[b]Barnes' Notes on the Bible

For if Jesus - Margin, "That is, Joshua." The Syriac renders it, "Joshua the son of Nun." "Jesus" is the Greek mode of writing "Joshua," and there can be no doubt that Joshua is here intended. The object is to prove that Joshua did" not" give the people of God such a rest as to make it improper to speak of a "rest" after that time. "If Joshua had given them a complete and final rest; if by his conducting them to the promised land all had been done which had been contemplated by the promise, then it would not have been alluded to again, as it was in the time of David." Joshua "did" give them a rest in the promised land; but it was not all which was intended, and it did not exclude the promise of another and more important rest.

Then would he not - Then "God" would not have spoken of another time when that rest could be obtained. The "other day" here referred to is that which is mentioned before by the phrase "today," and refers to the time in which it is spoken of long after Joshua, to wit, in the time of David.
Clarke's Commentary on the Bible

For if Jesus had given them rest - It is truly surprising that our translators should have rendered the Ιησους of the text Jesus, and not Joshua, who is most clearly intended. They must have known that the יהושע Yehoshua of the Hebrew, which we write Joshua, is everywhere rendered Ιησους, Jesus, by the Septuagint; and it is their reading which the apostle follows. It is true the Septuagint generally write Ιησους Ναυη, or Υἱος Ναυη, Jesus Nave, or Jesus, son of Nave, for it is thus they translate יהושע בן נון Yehoshua ben Nun, Joshua the son of Nun; and this is sufficient to distinguish it from Jesus, son of David. But as Joshua, the captain general of Israel, is above intended, the word should have been written Joshua, and not Jesus. One MS., merely to prevent the wrong application of the name, has Ιησους ὁ του Ναυη, Jesus the son of Nave. Theodoret has the same in his comment, and one Syriac version has it in the text. It is Joshua in Coverdale's Testament, 1535; in Tindal's 1548; in that edited by Edmund Becke, 1549; in Richard Cardmarden's, Rouen, 1565; several modern translators, Wesley, Macknight, Wakefield, etc., read Joshua, as does our own in the margin. What a pity it had not been in the text, as all the smaller Bibles have no marginal readings, and many simple people are bewildered with the expression.

The apostle shows that, although Joshua did bring the children of Israel into the promised land, yet this could not be the intended rest, because long after this time the Holy Spirit, by David, speaks of this rest; the apostle, therefore, concludes,
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

For if Jesus had given them rest,.... That is, Joshua; for Hosheah, Joshua, and Jesus, are one and the same name; or Jesus himself, as two of Stephens's copies read; and so Joshua is called Jesus by the Septuagint interpreters on Exodus 17:10 and other places where he is mentioned; and also, by Josephus (h), and Philo (i) the Jew. The Syriac version, lest any should mistake this for Jesus Christ, adds, "the son of Nun": who is certainly the person designed, as the apostle's reasoning shows; who was an eminent type of Jesus Christ: there is an agreement in their names, both signify a saviour, Joshua was a temporal saviour, Christ a spiritual one; and in their office they were both servants; and in their qualifications for their office, such as wisdom, courage, faithfulness, and integrity. Joshua was a type of Christ in many actions of his life; in the miracles he wrought, or were wrought for him; in the battles he fought, and the victories he obtained; in saving Rahab and her family; in receiving the Gibeonites, who came submissively to him; and in leading the children of Israel into Canaan's land, which he divided to them by lot: but though he brought them into a land of rest, into the typical rest, where they had rest for a while from their temporal enemies, yet he did not give them the true spiritual rest: had he,

then would he not afterward have spoken of another day; that is, God, in David's time, and by him, would not have so long after appointed another day of rest; meaning, not any particular day of the week, but the whole Gospel dispensation, in the times of the Messiah; wherefore the apostle concludes as follows.

(h) Antiqu. Jud. l. 4. c. 7. sect. 2. c. 8. sect. 46, 47, 48. & l. 5. c. 1. sect. 1. & passim. (i) De Charitate, p. 698, 699, 700.
Vincent's Word Studies

But it might be said that under Joshua the people did enter into the promised rest. He therefore shows that Israel's rest in Canaan did not fulfill the divine ideal of the rest.

Jesus (Ἰησοῦς)

Rend. Joshua, and see on Matthew 1:21.

After this (μετὰ ταῦτα)

After the entrance into Canaan under Joshua.
Geneva Study Bible

For if {b} Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.

(b) He speaks of Joshua the son of Nun: and as the land of Canaan was a figure of our true rest, so was Joshua a figure of Christ.
People's New Testament

4:8 For if Jesus. Joshua in the Revised Version. Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew word Joshua.

Had given them rest. Joshua led Israel over the Jordan into Canaan, but that did not give them complete rest.

Then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. If that had been true, David would not have exhorted them to seek to enter into rest. Five hundred years after they entered Canaan this exhortation is given in Ps 95:7-11.
Wesley's Notes

4:8 The rest - All the rest which God had promised.
King James Translators' Notes

Jesus: that is, Joshua
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

8. Answer to the objection which might be made to his reasoning, namely, that those brought into Canaan by Joshua (so "Jesus" here means, as in Ac 7:45) did enter the rest of God. If the rest of God meant Canaan, God would not after their entrance into that land, have spoken (or speak [Alford]) of another (future) day of entering the rest.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

4:1-10 The privileges we have under the gospel, are greater than any had under the law of Moses, though the same gospel for substance was preached under both Testaments. There have been in all ages many unprofitable hearers; and unbelief is at the root of all unfruitfulness under the word. Faith in the hearer is the life of the word. But it is a painful consequence of partial neglect, and of a loose and wavering profession, that they often cause men to seem to come short. Let us then give diligence, that we may have a clear entrance into the kingdom of God. As God finished his work, and then rested from it, so he will cause those who believe, to finish their work, and then to enjoy their rest. It is evident, that there is a more spiritual and excellent sabbath remaining for the people of God, than that of the seventh day, or that into which Joshua led the Jews. This rest is, a rest of grace, and comfort, and holiness, in the gospel state. And a rest in glory, where the people of God shall enjoy the end of their faith, and the object of all their desires. The rest, or sabbatism, which is the subject of the apostle's reasoning, and as to which he concludes that it remains to be enjoyed, is undoubtedly the heavenly rest, which remains to the people of God, and is opposed to a state of labour and trouble in this world. It is the rest they shall obtain when the Lord Jesus shall appear from heaven. But those who do not believe, shall never enter into this spiritual rest, either of grace here or glory hereafter. God has always declared man's rest to be in him, and his love to be the only real happiness of the soul; and faith in his promises, through his Son, to be the only way of entering that rest.
[/b]
culled from http://bible.cc/hebrews/4-8.htm

I hope it helps as well.

@Goshen360,

Spot on.


I believe as Christians and considering the pains and sufferings of Christ,we should likewise bless our supposedly 'human enemies'. This is why the disciples in the days of old were called Christians-Christ like.

Our main enemy is Satan with his demons.


Our battle is not flesh and blood but spirits in diverse dimensions and powers.

I used to think in that direction that human beings are our enemies and would bind,scatter and use a lot of military jargons all in the name of destroying my enemies.

Poor me! would even carry a knife and start stabbing an invisible enemy.

Ignorance and delusion of the highest degree!

It sounds funny and idiotic of me but the fact of life remains that I really did all these nasty things all in the name of praying against my enemies. Worse of all,I still was very rooted in sins and I did not see any enemy that died as a result of my supposedly intense 'over-comers' prayers.

Alas!I never knew what I was even practising in a way was well-refined and religious WITCHCRAFT-Paganism.

As Christians, we have the authority in the name of Jesus Christ to cast out demons BUT NOT to BIND as most folks believe.

No man has the power to bind any demon except Jesus Christ.

I have never stated that we do not have enemies but our prayers must be properly channeled against wicked and invisible forces.

Yes, as Christians we have the right in Christ to destroy the works of the enemies just be decreeing it,it shall be established by faith.

Let us pray wisely and most importantly see fellow human beings as our brothers and sisters despite their wickedness.

Methinks, the greatest prayer is OUR LORD's PRAYER.

Mind you, one can equally be an enemy to him(her)self based on one's unbridled appetite for food, fame,money,women,and other material possessions. Personally, I have been an enemy to myself on food(junks,fries,chicken meat,etc) and babes(women)-crazy about beautiful slim chics.

God in His infinite mercies has just started to make me a work-in-progress for His dear kingdom. God's mercy is beyond human thinking.Please no one get should get me wrong. I do not have a holier than thou mentality because I believe its only God that can justify anyone. I still have my private battles and succumb to certain pressures of life but I do count on the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ for HIS finished works on the cross.

PLS: This does not give room for me to take God's grace for granted. A true son must know what HIS Father likes![/b]Thank you!


[b]May the Lord bless us and grant us wisdom not to pray amiss.

@OP,

I thought you said you needed insights to the post.So, I had to cull it up from the website. So sorry if the the content does not tally with your beliefs!On the contrary, I benefited from it immensely.Different strokes for different folks I would say(...on a lighter note....)

My understanding of Sabbath is REST and this entails beyond physical rest. More so, God rested on the sixth day but this is not same as physical rest. It is evident from the bible that our God does not faint nor slumber. Spirits do not suffer from physical exhaustion.More so, the Sabbath was made for man and NOT man for the Sabbath. This does not violate the fourth commandment in anyway.

As Christians,the Sabbath entails more than just a particular day.Perhaps, meditate on Hebrews 4:1-11.

Its a well documented fact that the Roman Catholic Church did change the day of worship from Saturday to Sunday but it is equally evident from the new testament that Apostle Paul commented on it as well.

All the same, even in the new testament, Christians did gather in the first day of worship. More so, Jesus being our Joshua(Saviour) resurrected on the first day of the week-Sunday. Jesus Christ is the Lord of the Sabbath and the Sabbath as well. Mind you, I never said Jesus Christ and the apostles did not observe the Saturday Sabbath.Definitely, he did.

I believe Jesus Christ is the REST(SABBATH) we need as Christians(Matt. 11:26-26, 28-29).

As good as the Seventh Day Adventist, I am sure the idea of the seal of God being the keeping of the Sabbath day does not tally with Ephesians1:9, 12-14. The seal of God is the HOLY SPIRIT. Mind you, I do not mean speaking in tongue as widely believed but the conscientiousness of the works of Lord Jesus Christ mixed with faith.

Please kindly note that I am not adherent of Saturday or Sunday worship.Of utmost import in this matter is be a believer in the finished works of our Lord and Joshua(Saviour) Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the REST we need to enter into.

I am open to learning from anyone and to equally change my worship to SATURDAY if I have understood this subject matter wrongly.

If I have erred with my understanding of this delicate matter, may the Lord grant me mercy.

Definitely, I am limited as much as I understood have I given out.

I do not stand to judge any man based on a holy day worship. God is our judge!

God bless!

@OP,

Frankly speaking, I had a troubled sleep on this topic in the wee hours of this beautiful day.There are two leading schools of thoughts on the Sabbath day but kindly go through this independent view from the website as given below .Honestly, I see the truth in this article.

http://www.williambranhamhomepage.org/truesabb.htm


I hope it blesses someone.

@Joabaje

Many thanks for this. You killed this argument about God hating Esau or not with scriptures.Kudos man!

Certain usage of words in the Bible were poorly and sometimes mistranslated. I believe these errors were not deliberate.

God is impartial and He does whatsoever pleases HIM out of love and grace.

I have really benefited from this invaluable biblical contribution.

God bless!

I honestly feel and think that paying of tithe should be an individual choice.

If the Holy Spirit convicts one to pay tithe,then one should hearken to it.

More so, I do not believe that if you do not pay tithe,the JUST GOD would not bless you.

Obedience to the word is much more than sacrificial giving or compulsory giving in the name of tithing.

I used to pay 'awesome' tithe but then lived a very hypocritical lifestyle. I used to have this whacked and 'corrupt' idea that God could be bribed with tithe.Reality of God's word has dawned on me the essence of the true God. There is no short-cut with God.This is the simple truth about God's nature!

The idea of bribing God with tithing or offering is a fallacious concept.

I believe the most important aspect of tithing or offering is tied to free-will and not coercion.

I have attended some few churches, where pastors would call out for special offerings in the name of various naira denominations or foreign currencies with special blessings. This is pure madness,financial terrorism and rip off!

Without much ado,this is a Mormon Doctrine since it is not scriptural. Poor me! has been a victim of these fraudsters that parade themselves as servants of 'god'.

It is even insulting to the most High God to bring to HIS house ill-gotten money as a tithe or offering.Most pastors do not harp on this for the fear of financial poverty without knowing fully well that God is capable of sustaining them when they are on spot with the truth.

Lest I forget, as a Christian we owe it to be benevolent to genuine men of God,members of your church/fellowship and to all and sundry in the society including your supposedly 'enemy'.

Anyway, as a child of God we do not have any physical enemy except Satan-Lucifer.

This benevolence must not necessarily be money.We could guide people right in so many ways. Perhaps,altruism might be key here but I would want to stick with the golden rule in the bible- LOVE YOUR NEIGBHOUR AS YOURSELF!

May the Almighty God help us and grant us wisdom to apply our resources wisely, we are definitely in the last days!

@CrazyMan

I am a Jehovah Witness if it means standing up for the truth but I am not affiliated to the Watch Tower Organisation.

More so, I am a truth seeker. I am not the type that would try to sell my church.

FYI, I attend RCCG as at date but I am still exploring the truth be it from Jehovah Witness,Seven Days Adventist,Deeper Life,Anglican,Baptist,etc. As much as the truth is served there I do take the truth.

There is only one church- the Body of Christ.This is the only church I want to identify myself with.

I detest man-made dogmas in Christianity.The basis of doctrines should originate from the bible and not based on traditions of men.

@ Frosbel,

I must personally commend you. I see that you are well-groomed in most bible studies.

I hope to learn from you and others as well.

Back to the post,this issue of hell fire being eternal is NOT scriptural.

We need not scare people with everlasting hell fire sermon! The second death represents full separation from the Almighty God.

Our God is a loving God and fully interested in (wo)men coming in to repentance having paid the ultimate price in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Hence, the reward of eternal life for the wise and 'eternal' destruction(full separation from the Almighty God) for those who would not accept Christ as their Lord and Saviour.

It pays to put all bible quotations into context rather than quoting a verse to suit one's ego.

I have equally discovered that translation of the bible in a way has equally had its effect on most of our divergent beliefs.

I believe there is a need to study the bible as well with concordance to help out,and ultimately praying to God to guide our hearts in knowing and doing the truth.

If there is one tool, that has aided me in trying to dig in deep to most teachings ,its the efficacy of google search engine.
Frankly speaking, I am a lazy student of the bible.I try to compensate by asking questions,reading and culling 'relevant' info online.

I believe as a Christian, we must painstakingly ask relevant questions from relevant bible sources and knowledgeable children of God(your 'pastor(s)',Frosbel, Goshen360,Buzugee, Olaadegbu,Ijawkid,Anony,Ihedinobi,Barrister,et al.).

We do not know it all but we can always learn from one another in as much as we seek the truth with a pure motive.


Permit me, if I did not make mention of other wonderful guys and ladies on this religion forum;even some of the contributions of the atheists,pantheists or agnostics in this forum have been quite invaluable.


May the loving Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ guide us right and give us grace of understanding the WORD as babes.

Above all,count us worthy of HIS unending kingdom to come!

According to the books of John 3:16; For God so loved the world, that He gave us His ONLY begotten Son,that whosoever believeth in HIM should not perish but have everlasting life(KJV).

The idea of eternal hellfire has been misquoted by most Christians,I used to believe in this as well not until I got liberated from this falsehood that is presently peddled in most of our churches.

The word hell has been proven to be a mis(translation) from the Greek word 'Gehena'.

This same word(Gehena) means grave,sheol,hades,etc. Just like everlasting coined from another Greek word 'aion' does not mean in the true sense that its an unending event.

The Everlasting Father does not take glory in men burning perpetually in 'eternal fire' but rewards men accordingly based on their deeds and beliefs on earth.

May the spirit of the most High God teach us more as we decipher the truth from seemingly traditional beliefs.

The good Lord Jesus Christ loves us all! Our God is definitely LOVING and JUST!

You can watch this video at your convenience:http://www.helltruth.com/free-resources/free-video-library/articletype/articleview/articleid/1582/hellfire-conspiracy-exposed.aspx

I believe the "fight" against the false church is not that a "fight" per say. But it is a call to ALL true church to "fight" or "contend" for the faith that was handed down to us (Jude 3-4). This is what I really meant by that statement.

Well said Goshen360.

I believe strongly that the true church would have to emerge from the present day falsehood that is peddled in most of our churches. Truth is the only light that can enlighten a man's understanding just as falsehood darkens the senses of men.

@OP, I partly agree with you but we should be mindful as well,that following Christ is a demanding task that most times would not augur well with the trappings and nuances of the present day society.

I believe as Christians,we can changes lives by what we ultimately do both in private and in public without necessarily being loud about ourselves.

Christianity should be a lifestyle of any believer. This idea of being a Christian only when one is in the church is not only hypocritical but also sending wrong signals to others in the society.

The long and short of the matter is that Christianity must reflect in our daily lives.

It takes the grace of God to live right but we should always try our human best to put in a lot of shift to living right as well.

Christianity is a lifestyle and this must be lived in continuum as much as we are privileged to have the breadth of life by the most High God.

Christianity comes with a big responsibility - displeasing oneself most times to pleasing God always.

Its indeed a tough battle both mentally and physically to always please God! Alas! This is when we need God's mercy the most!

I think it does no good as well to engage an atheist in any 'heated' argument since its most likely (s)he is already fixated in sciences or supposedly 'superior' knowledge.

This does not rule out sharing the gospel with atheists since we are friends,brothers,and sisters in a way. More so, as Christians we are duty bound to always LOVE our fellow(wo)men irrespective of our faith.

Perhaps, with LOVE in action we can win souls to Christ through the help of the Holy Spirit and in tandem strengthening our faith in Christ the more.

May the good Lord Jesus Christ guide us right and count us worthy as children of the most High in this corrupt world!

Pax Vobiscum!

@Joagbaje,

Please kindly know the story of Lazarus and the rich man was a parable.

We should avoid interpreting parables literally just like other books in the bible most especially Revelation and Daniel.

The concept of hell being a temporary or permanent abode for the wicked is something I am yet to fully come to grasp with.

I think Frosbel might be right on this one but I have decided to be open-minded as well.

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All applicants will be interviewed by CIIM over the telephone and short listed candidates will be required to attend a second interview at the Cyprus Consulate in Nigeria.

www.ciim.ac.cy (gaurav@ciim.ac.cy)

NB: Please do contact the school website as well as the email, DO NOT contact an agent.

This sounds ludicrous but it paints a truer picture of how most B2Gs or G2Bs transactions are conducted.

Private organisations are not equally exempted from this socioeconomic malady-corruption.

Parents,traditional rulers and religious organisations have equally not fared well in this regard.

Aside the fact that inadequate power supply cripples businesses,the cost of bribery is another business-killer.

Nigeria cannot move on in this corrupt state,no amount of prayers,prophecies or fasting can get us out of the wood.

The onus is on Nigerians to not only say 'NO' to corruption but also to live a less materialistic lifestyle.

A nation that is birthed in materialism and hypocrisy would in tandem breed corruption.

We need to shift our focus from 'having all mentality' so as to show off and oppress our fellow Nigerians to 'living a simple life mentality'.

@OP,

I am sure you meant the Nigerian 'god' and not the Almighty God(Jehovah), Who is the King of Kings,Lord of Lords,God of Gods,Creator of all creatures,and the Giver and Maker of Life.

Please learn to separate the Nigerian system from the Almighty.

More so, its obvious many a Nigerian are not serving the Almighty.We are religious just by name and not by act.

Its evident that a society like ours that is birthed in hypocrisy would in tandem yield corrupt fruits which manifest itself in all nooks and crannies of the Nigerian society.

I have refrained from attacking the political elite from all the woes of Nigeria, I would rather advise we all try doing our own bit of goodwill.Let us learn to not only talk good but we owe it to posterity to act good as much as possible.

I believe if we practice and live by the christian tenets,the popularized,religious,farce,and hypocritical Nigerian 'god' could be easily whisked away from the Nigerian society or borrowing the words of the OP, we could have succeeded in deporting this 'god' from Nigeria.

So, the onus is on us not only as Christians but other religious groups as well, to not only talk the talk but to also walk the talk of their various religious beliefs except perhaps corruption,killings,hypocrisy,and other vices are permitted in other religious faiths,but I am fully convinced this is not case.

God bless Nigeria! Jesus Christ is Lord.

After so much efforts and hype, our promising athlete- Blessing Okagbare finally disappoints in her core competence-long jump.Let us not forget quickly that the 100m women dash was indeed a debacle for the nation albeit we expected at least a'golden'bronze medal from her based on her 'blistering' form prior to the 100m finals.

Its most likely Naija would come back home with no medal to show for her participation.The Olympics so far has been quite heart-breaking for Nigerians all over the world considering the power of sports as the greatest unifying factor in Nigeria. This is the period the nation needs sporting men and women who can help inspire the country given the present discord and brouhaha all over the country but here we are all but completely despondent.

For our abysmal performance so far, all the tirade should go to our sports administrators. They have all but killed sports in the country all in the name of short-circuited vision and corruption. A country of about 167m people and that claims to be Africa Super Power though on paper, what a massive shame!

I am so sure after this Olympics,our sports administrators would tell us all, back to the drawing board,a common cliche that has held the country captive.

Its indeed a pity!We cannot get things right with our present attitude of 'God dey' where as we are not godly in deeds.
Naija, as a country cannot evolve in the right direction until there is a paradigm shift from short-cut to hardwork.No hard feelings about this statement because its simply the truth.

As religious as we claim to be, the country isn't getting better,we should ask ourselves the fundamental truth about the basis of being religious without it reflecting in our every day life.

A nation of hypocrisy thrives in hypocrisy and breeds mediocrity.

God does not require financial down-payments in order to prosper his people.

Several years ago, I drew up a project to donate fully-furnished Christian video-shops to churches. A pilot of the project was established at Pentecostal Assembly in Yaba, Lagos. But I also entered into discussions with other churches. My discussions with one of them in Ajah, Lekki-Peninsula, Lagos were held with the wife of the pastor; a Cameroonian by birth. At one point during our discussions, she decided to introduce me to her husband (now of blessed memory), who was inspecting some renovations being made to their church-buildings.

Casino Royale

It was quickly apparent that the pastor had been kept abreast of our discussions by his wife. She simply introduced me as the gentleman she was trying to convince to plant a Christian video-shop in their bookshop and her husband immediately took up the gauntlet. The pastor expressed confidence that I would soon “come on board.” Then for some strange reason, he decided to let me in on a secret.

He confided in me about a stratagem that came to him some years back while he was still in the United States. “You tell people if they give ten naira, God will multiply it to one thousand.” He assured me that it works on people like magic. Since he started using that technique, they just keep bringing money to his church.

I was flabbergasted. I could not believe that a man I was meeting for the very first time would be telling me this. On reflection, I concluded that he revealed this trade-secret to me as incentive for me to plant the video-shop in his church by recognising that he had a time-tested money-making formula which would somehow also be to my benefit.

The pastor pointed out to me that that was how he was able to finance the major renovations then being made to his church-buildings. The renovations were nothing short of impressive. But while I could not contest the efficacy of this “technique” for extracting money from his church-members, he failed to tell me whether his members succeeded on their part in using this “technique” to extract money from God.



Sowing and Reaping

Yetunde Runsewe filled in the gap for me concerning the pastor’s wonderful money-doubling techniques. She was in his church when, at the beginning of a service, a woman came forward to testify that she had given an offering of 1,000 naira the previous Sunday. She then announced to the appreciation of all that within seven days, God had multiplied it by giving her 100,000 naira in return. Not a bad investment for such a short period.

However, it turned out that her benefactor was a boyfriend who was a civil-servant in Abuja. Yetunde said she was just beginning to wonder how a civil-servant could afford that kind of gift, when it turned out from the woman’s effusive thanksgiving that this famous “boyfriend” also happened to be a married man.

This is where the story took a turn for the ludicrous. According to Yetunde, the pastor did not miss a beat as a result of this indelicate disclosure. He simply went on to ask her: “Do you want to marry him?” Instead of answering the question, the woman reportedly giggled bashfully. But the pastor would not be denied: “Do you want to marry him?” he insisted. “Yes,” replied the woman, finally coming clean with her intention to try and break up the man’s marriage. “What else do you want?” asked the “Man of God.” Now fully emboldened, the woman replied: “I want him to buy me a BMW seven series.”

Then Yetunde came up with the clincher. The pastor asked everybody in the church to get up, stretch forth their hands towards “this precious woman of God” and pray that the good Lord would give her the desires of her heart. Yetunde ended the story by saying that incident marked her last visit to that church.



Voice of Strangers

The next time you hear this kind of prophecy in church; remember you have been warned: “There is somebody here who has a great need in his life. The Lord says if you would just sow a seed of ten thousand naira, he will give you double the amount in return.” “There are some people here who are heavily in debt. The Lord says if you would just give this church five thousand naira of what you have left, he will cancel all your debts.”

God does not require financial down-payments in order to prosper his people. When Simon the sorcerer offered Peter money in order to receive from God, Peter was quick to reprimand him: “Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money!” (Acts 8:20).

*****culled form http://www.femiaribisala.com/articles-of-faith/13-articles-of-faith/pastors/109-money-doblers*******
This post is right on spot and it behooves on us(Christians)to do a rethink on most prosperity messages that are akin to casino business.The Almighty God does not require anyone's finances to bless him/her,what the Most High God requires is our genuine service to HIM and pure love for mankind.

Our only medal hopeful flopped at the right occasion. She burnt her energy prior to this final.I have always stated that her start from the block would impede her performance in the finals.

She just flopped

Okagare looks good for a medal shot but she has got to get off quickly from the block if she would win any medal. Congrats to her,10.92 is a PB and she is really improving by the day.The final would be tough but she has got a shot amongst the potential medalist.

As a matter of fact just got a mail from this same person,phinakimudu@yahoo.com. Love scam. Please others should take caution of this email. I think this is one of the evils of social sites.
More so,its always advisable to use a pseudo email for all social media sites.
Finally, try doing a Google search on emails like that, for instance, you can type "phinakimudu@yahoo.com+scam", with or without the inverted comma. It helps a great deal!

Unfortunately, I do not have an idea about PhD study in Biochemistry. My take on this is rather simple-Please use the power of search engines.I hope this helps.

How to worship the Nigerian god, a blog written by Elnathan John

The Nigerian god is one. It may have many different manifestations, but it is essentially different sides of the same coin. Sometimes, adherents of the different sides may fight and kill each other. But Nigerians essentially follow the Nigerian god.

This article is for all those who want to become better worshippers. If you are a new or prospective convert, God will bless you for choosing the Nigerian god. This is just how you must worship him.

First, you must understand that being a worshipper has nothing to do with character, good works or righteousness. So the fact that you choose to open every meeting with multiple prayers does not mean that you intend to do what is right. The opening prayer is important. Nothing can work without it. If you are gathered to discuss how to inflate contracts, begin with an opening prayer or two. If you are gathered to discuss how to rig elections, begin with a prayer. The Nigerian god appreciates communication.

When you sneak away from your wife to call your girlfriend in the bathroom, and she asks if you will come this weekend, you must say—in addition to “Yes”—“By God’s grace” or “God willing”. It doesn’t matter the language you use. Just add it. The Nigerian god likes to be consulted before you do anything, including a trip to Obudu to see your lover.

When worshipping the Nigerian god, be loud. No, the Nigerian god is not hard of hearing. It is just that he appreciates your loud fervour, like he appreciates loud raucous music. The Nigerian god doesn’t care if you have neighbours and neither should you. When you are worshipping in your house, make sure the neighbours can’t sleep. Use loud speakers even if you are only two in the building. Anyone who complains must be evil. God will judge such a person.

Attribute everything to the Nigerian god. So, if you diverted funds from public projects and are able to afford that Phantom, when people say you have a nice car, say, “Na God”. If someone asks what the secret of all your wealth is, say, “God has been good to me”. By this you mean the Nigerian god who gave you the uncommon wisdom to re-appropriate public funds.

Consult the Nigerian god when you don’t feel like working. The Nigerian god understands that we live in a harsh climate where it is hard to do any real work. So, if you have no clue how to be in charge and things start collapsing, ask people to pray to God and ask for his intervention.

The Nigerian god loves elections and politics. When you have bribed people to get the Party nomination, used thugs to steal and stuff ballot boxes, intimidated people into either sitting at home or voting for you, lied about everything from your assets to your age, and you eventually, (through God’s grace), win the elections, you must begin by declaring that your success is the wish of God and that the other candidate should accept this will of God. It is not your fault whom the Nigerian god chooses to reward with political success. How can mere mortals complain?

The Nigerian god does not tolerate disrespect. If someone insults your religion, you must look for anyone like them and kill them. Doesn’t matter what you use—sticks, machetes, grenade launchers, IED’s, AK47’s.

The Nigerian god performs signs and wonders. He does everything from cure HIV to High BP. And the Nigerian god is creative: he can teach a person who was born blind the difference between blue and green when the man of god asks, and he can teach a person born deaf instant English. As a worshipper you must let him deliver you because every case of sickness is caused by evil demons and not infections. Every case of barrenness is caused by witches and has no scientific explanation. So instead of hospital, visit agents of the Nigerian god. But the Nigerian god does not cure corruption. Do not attempt to mock him.

If you worship the Nigerian god, you are under no obligation to be nice or kind to people who are not worshippers. They deserve no courtesy.

The Nigerian god is also online. As a worshipper, you are not obliged to be good or decent on Facebook or twitter all week except on Friday and Sunday, both of which the Nigerian god marks as holy. So you may forward obscene photos, insult people, forward lewd jokes on all days except the holy days. On those holy days, whichever applies to you, put up statuses saying how much you are crazy about God.

These days, the Nigerian god also permits tweets and Facebook updates like: "Now in Church" or "This guy in front of me needs to stop dozing" when performing acts of worship.

In all, the Nigerian god is very kind and accommodating. He gives glory and riches and private jets. And if you worship him well, he will immensely bless your hustle.

***********************************End of Article**********************************************************

four(4) comments to surmise the article above:

1. Anonymous Poster: The Nigerian god:the one a prostitute and a yahoo yahoo boy/girl prays to to bless their hustle; the one a drunken driver who wil bore you with poorly recorded religious tunes pray to while exceeding the speed limits and endangering piles lives; the one responsible for road constructions that has its allocated funds spent on the latest cars and houses purchased by the politician. Pple need to wake up. Love the article

2. Post by Yinka Olugbile
'Thou shall not judge.' Hahahaha! Gradually, we are inching towards the truth (or the truth is coming to us.)

3. Post by Amaechi Ekufu
This article absolutely confirms my thoughts all along. We Nigerians go to church the most, we have more Churches than the sands of the sea, we know the bible back and forth, yet, one of the most corrupt countries in the 21st century. I think its time we actually allow Christianity to pass through us and not us through Christianity. Good article thanks for sharing.

4.Post by Lawal Jenkins O.(My supposedly best contribution so far from the blog)

It is a great article. Many great comments have been posted. Permit me, however, to ask how many of us (particularly everyone who has read this piece) will enlist among those who will make a commitment to ending the nigerian culture of hypocrisy.



Culled from http://dailytimes.com.ng/opinion/how-worship-nigerian-god#.UAsNtUx6Ja3.facebook

Please let us desist from introducing baseless religious sentiments into issues. I advise anyone to always study the bible and totally avoid corrupting the word of God with hearsay. Please treat God's word with all due respect. There is no scripture to prove that mobile banking is in tandem with the mark of the beast. If you have scriptures,kindly prove me wrong.

This post has nothing to do with religion.

I do want anyone who is in doubt of M-PESA, to do a google search on it and find out the contributions of mobile money/banking to an average Kenyan rather than fumbling and wobbling in the ignorance of what you cannot prove in the bible.

We should learn to contribute wisely to issues rather than feeding people with fictions and not facts.

Though, I am happy for her and the timing of 10.96secs but my fears is that she is running so fast now and most likely burning herself out ahead of the main event at the Olympics. I hope she learns from the experience of the Ezinwa brothers, Olapade Adenikan,Mary Onyali,et al.

She is definitely in the contention for a medal in the Olympics 100m but she has to be quite strategic.I hope her coach does some extras to her winning a medal. The Olympics is a different ball game because so many factors would play out.

I am optimistic that she would be in the 100m finals baring injury. She remains our medal hopeful and I am tipping her for either the silver medal or bronze. The gold would be won by the best athlete which could be Okagbare as well or an athlete from America or Jamaica.

I believe this a quantum leap by CBN and NDIC and its the right step in the right direction because consumer protection holds the ace to the success of any mobile banking(money) ecosystem.

I am sure mobile money has come to stay in Nigeria. I am convinced that Nigerians would benefit from mobile money platforms if the regulators,policy makers, MMOs,banks,MNOs, and other stakeholders collaborate more in the area of risk management,interoperability,public enlightenment,financial/IT literacy, and incentivisation of agent networks.

Nigeria is a huge market for mobile banking considering the fact that about 46.3% if not more Nigerians are financially excluded. M-PESA, the foremost mobile money platform ,is purely an African innovation,if Kenya can get it right in mobile banking;nothing stops Nigeria from getting it right given that our country has the biggest mobile market in Africa.

Mobile banking is the way forward for financial inclusion,digital,and social inclusion for the critical mass of the Nigerian populace who are mainly in the rural areas.

Mobile money(banking) adoption rate might be slow now but it would definitely succeed with time. It presents a huge commercial profits for not only the mobile money ecosystem players but also a veritable tool for economic growth in the country considering the network effect of mobile money.

I just saw this on youtube and decided to post it. I am sure this sermon is unmasking the truth.

Most times, it pays to verify what we have always grown up with in Christendom either by studying the bible or making use of the indispensable power of search engines via the Internet.

If there is anything that can hold one bound in the Christian walk, its basically false teachings with man-made traditions.



Find below the link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exHCNDq4sEk

@OP,

My take on this is simply simple.

The pursuit of riches is good but not all riches are godly. I believe what a man needs most is to discover who he is spiritually while he is on earth. Man's sojourn on earth is ephemeral!

Of a truth,serving God is not by force but what shall it profit a man to serve mammon and lose his precious soul to hell!

More so, what works for Bill Gates would most likely not work for another individual. Different strategies are required for different battles of life.

I hate to say this, motivational books are no success recipe,its just there to psyche one up- emotional gain built on idealism but no realism. Prayers and meditations with action serve more than all these motivational books.

I would rather source for an information online or elsewhere rather than reading motivational books. What one need is a pull-factor and not a push-factor(motivational books).

You as a person is the key success or failure determinant, you must kill these two potential killers-indolence and misplaced priorities.These two are endogenous factors that come to play in the pursuit of success while the major exogenous determinant is lack of opportunity(ies).

I do advise you to realign your thoughts and priorities with the word of God.Not all that seem good from the surface is inherently good. There is a caveat to most of these mega riches being a child of God.

Lastly, life is but a heap of vanity without an assurance of salvation through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!

Jesus Christ loves you all and the Holy Spirit continually knocks at the doors of our hearts for entrance despite our fallibilities.

The Almighty God is not oblivious of our imperfections,all God wants is for us to continually admit our errors and try as much as we could to live a pious lifestyle.More so, the Living God habitually grants people good success.

May the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you and others!