How To Shun Worldly Traps – Part 2
By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi
15 September 2019 | 4:06 am

The fact attested to by scriptures is that the Lord can make a sinner a saint while he is still here on earth, contrary to the erroneous belief of false teachers. This He does by cleansing the sinner with the Blood of Jesus Christ and giving him the power to live above sin. Freed from sin, his new life in Christ affects his disposition, lifestyle, language, dressing, interaction with others, etc. The Lord demands purity and non-conformity with the world.

As a representative of Christ, Apostle Paul, who wrote the Epistle to the Romans, appeals to believers to "present [their] bodies a living sacrifice… unto God." Presenting our bodies to the Lord means to consecrate and surrender our lives to Him. Satan is never happy each time a believer decides to offer his time, talent, treasure, life, skill, ability, etc. to the Lord. When Mary anointed the feet of our Lord with a very costly ointment of spikenard, Judas Iscariot was not happy.

As we lay our lives on the altar of service, we should not be distracted by Satan and his human agents but be firm in our decision to serve God. A songwriter succinctly put it thus:

I have decided to follow Jesus…
No turning back, No turning back!
Though no one joins me, still I will follow…
No turning back, No turning back!
The world behind me, the Cross before me…
No turning back, No turning back!

The world will try to entice us to conform to its system and standard; it will strenuously attempt to distract us from preaching the gospel by engaging us with such pleasurable pastime as sports, games, politics, traditions, etc. But we must be watchful and diligent in our commitment to please the Lord Who owns our body, soul and spirit. If we accept Christ as our Saviour, we must obey all His commands and surrender to Him without reservation.

Believers need to appreciate Christ's love and sacrifice in dying to save them from sin and assure them of a blissful eternity. Their commensurate response is to willingly render acceptable service to God. And such service can only be acceptable if we are not conformed to the world in fashion, politics, duplicity, deception and diplomacy.

For our service to be fruitful and rewarded in time and eternity, it must be selfless. Seeking pleasure and men's praise will render our labour and service to the Lord worthless. But when we seek His glory and exaltation in everything we do, the Lord will surely reward us. We must be as selfless and faithful in our commitment to serving God as Christ, our Lord did. "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus." And like Apostle Paul, we should always "count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord." If we remain unwavering in loyalty and consecration in serving the Lord till the end, He will surely reward us.

Further Reading (King James Version): Romans 12:1,2; 2 Samuel 15:15; 1 Kings 20:4; 2 Corinthians 5:14,15; John 12:24-26; Philippians 2:5-8; 3:7-10; Matthew 6:24; John 13:13,15.

https://guardian.ng/sunday-magazine/ibru-ecumenical-centre/how-to-shun-worldly-traps-part-2/

God's Passion For His Church – Part 1
By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi
22 September 2019 | 3:20 am

Christ is our Redeemer, Saviour, Lord, and Head of the church of God. He purchased the church with His blood and gave the believer and Christian servants the responsibility to care, nurse, feed, grow and develop the church. We belong to Christ who paid so great a price for our redemption.

"Remember thy congregation, which thou hast PURCHASED of old; the rod of thine inheritance, which thou hast redeemed; this mount Zion, wherein thou hast dwelt."

The price Christ paid is for the church of the living God. The people who are saved, and have been brought out of bondage of sin by the blood of the Lamb in the fellowship of believers and church of God, are the purchased. All the people who belong to God are purchased by the Lord Jesus Christ, and He lives and reigns in them. The Lord has great passion for His purchased church.

"Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to ALL THE FLOCK, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood." "All the flock" in the local assembly constitute the children, youths, men, women, workers and leaders saved by the Lord. They all belong to Him and are under the leadership of His Holy Ghost-appointed overseer. He charges the overseers to look up to Him and not be negligent of their responsibility of caring for the church. Members of the church must allow their leaders to perform their responsibility. To frustrate the leaders that God has appointed over His church is to sow evil seeds that could be reaped later. The law of sowing and reaping still holds.

The Lord has bought us with the greatest of all prices; therefore, we and all that we have belong to Him forever. He has divine ownership of and authority over our lives because He cleansed, purged and made us who we are in Christ today. Having accomplished our redemption on the Cross and effected it in every believer, He declares, "thou becamest mine."

Over every one who is saved, purchased by Christ's blood, God has divine ownership. "Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him. This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise." He made the greatest sacrifice to buy us from slavery to sin and Satan. The Lord wants every believer to understand that he does not belong to himself anymore. "What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."

As the owner of our lives, He has the right to use us for His own purpose and glory. The Lord can use us anywhere and at any time He chooses to. Acknowledging His divine ownership, the believer must always promptly and implicitly obey the Lord. His response to God's claim of divine ownership ought to be, "My Lord, O king, according to thy saying, I am thine, and all that I have." He has double ownership of the believer by creation and redemption. Thus, He has the final, overruling say over the believer's life. God pays special attention to the people who belong to Him. He is building His church and calls every believer to contribute His quota to the success of the great work of soul-winning.

Further Reading (King James Version): Acts 20:28; Psalm 74:2; Exodus 15:16-18; Acts 20:28; Exodus 21:2-6; Ezekiel 16:8-10; Isaiah 43:7,21; Matthew 13:45,46; 1 Corinthians 6:19,20; 1 Kings 20:3,4; John 17:6,9,10.

https://guardian.ng/sunday-magazine/gods-passion-for-his-church-part-1/

OH, FOR A HEART WHITER THAN SNOW
Bible Study September 16, 2019 Adult Choir Ministration


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeE3hLgPZY8

God's Passion For His Church – Part 2
By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi
29 September 2019 | 3:36 am

The Lord wants the church He has purchased from the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of His dear Son to be united. Believers have the same Lord and Master. They do not fight or contradict one another since they have been purchased by the blood of the Lamb. There will be no confusion, contention or conflict among them as the Lord directs them to serve Him. They complement one another in His service. The Lord wants that kind of unity, togetherness, and understanding among His people. The Lord will not be happy if there is no unity in the church. Disunity will hinder the building of a strong and virile church that the Lord desires.

“For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me."

Christ gave the same words the Father gave Him to each and every one of His disciples. When all believers accept the same words of Christ, there will be doctrinal oneness. Jesus prays for believers to be united as He is with the Father.

"Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are."

Jesus Christ never contradicted the Father; neither did the Father contradict Him. Though the devil may bring suggestions to be self-willed so as to cause disunity, the believer must obey the Lord by remaining united with the body of Christ. It is only through unity that believers can overcome the enemy. If there is no crack in our wall, if there is no dissenting voice among us, we will be strong, accomplish the great commission, conquer more lands and win nations for the Lord.

“Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.”

For the sake of the Lord and in answer to Christ’s prayer, we must be united. Dominion, victory, and success come through unity. When believers are truly united, the world will believe in Christ.

Doctrine comes before fellowship; without doctrinal unity, prayer cannot have any effect. Our unity should not be in name but in reality. The doctrines of Christ, which we believe should be the same that every member preaches everywhere.

“Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment."

If we are united, the devil will find it difficult to penetrate or cause division in the church.

Believers need to constantly be “striving together for the faith of the gospel,” not striving against it. If there is a contradiction and divisive attitudes in the use of ministry gifts in the church, the saints will not be edified and perfected. The church will grow and move forward if every minister in the church concentrates on edifying the body of Christ. Leaders must faithfully commit the same word of God, which they received to faithful men who are committed to building a perfect church.

The Lord expects obedience from the purchased church. When He sees those qualities of faithfulness, loyalty, dedication, consecration, and obedience, He releases His blessing upon them. The extent of the believer’s obedience to the revealed will and word of God determines the number of blessings he gets from God in return. The believer who acknowledges the divine ownership of his life and possession and unreservedly obeys the Lord by remaining united with other believers in doctrine and service will be rewarded by Him.

Further Reading (King James Version): Acts 20:28; Psalm 74:2; Exodus 15:16-18; John 17:8,11,14,17-21; Acts 2:42; 1 Corinthians 1:10; Philippians 1:27; Ephesians 4:11-13; 2 Timothy 2:2; Acts 20:28; Psalm 74:2; Exodus 15:16-18

https://guardian.ng/sunday-magazine/gods-passion-for-his-church-part-2/

Watch Over Your Priorities – Part 1
By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi
06 October 2019 | 4:08 am

People have different experiences in life that make them lose what they already have. They fail to watch when it matters most. It happens in times of weakness or wealth, affliction and abundance, temptation and triumph, conflict and conquest, hardship and happiness. Esau failed to watch over his birthright when he was weak and hungry. David did not watch when temptation came to him and he fell. Gideon could not manage his triumph and he yielded to idolatry. But the Lord wants His children to watch, whatever is happening to them or around them. Believers in Christ are to be on guard against the enemy at all times in spite of their prevailing situation.

In the human body, every part is important, but some parts are more important than others. The head is more important than the fingers; the heart that circulates blood is more important than the arms. We must, therefore, give priority to certain aspects of life to remain alive. Difficulties and challenges come and go but life must be protected and preserved in order to sustain it.

There are many parts in the Christian ministry, but some aspects are more important than others, and Christian believers must watch so that the enemy does not take advantage of their carelessness. Before Jesus went to the Cross, He told His disciples to watch. After His resurrection and ascension to heaven He repeated the same warning. Now, from His exalted position at the right hand of the Father’s Throne the message remains the same. “Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.

The foundation of a building or family is very important to the survival of the building or family. If the foundation of an individual’s Christian life is destroyed for lack of watching, there is little he or she can do. The Lord enjoins believers whose foundations are firmly rooted in Christ to ensure that they flee or depart from iniquity.

They are to guard and watch over their Christian foundations with all carefulness. The desire in their hearts to follow Christ to the end must be sustained by all means. God’s call to every true follower of Christ is to watch. Moses, a great man of God who brought the children of Israel out of Egypt was caught unawares when the people provoked him to anger because they had no water to drink. God had told him to speak to the Rock, not the people but he called the people, "rebels" and struck the Rock two times. He lost the opportunity he had been waiting for forty years – to lead the children of Israel to the land of Canaan.

Christians should be careful not to lose their labour of many years for a few minutes of speaking angry words. Therefore, we should watch our words, "For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned;" constantly evaluate our actions; control our thoughts; keep our conscience tender and sensitive, and our hearts with all diligence.

Further Reading (King James Version): Matthew 24:42; Mark 13:37; Luke 21:36; Revelation 3:3; Psalm 11:3; 2 Timothy 2:19; Matthew 12:37; 1 Samuel 2:3; Proverbs 24:9; Isaiah 55:7; 1 Timothy 4:2; Proverbs 4:20,21,23.

https://guardian.ng/sunday-magazine/watch-over-your-priorities-part-1/

Watch Over Your Priorities – Part 2
By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi
13 October 2019 | 3:13 am

The fundamental thing in the ministry of all true servants of God is to prepare for the second coming of Jesus Christ. Getting to heaven is more important than any other thing in this world, and every Christian believer should make this a guiding principle in the service of the Lord. Our preparation to be with God in eternity should dictate our actions. It amounts to a waste of life, if believers are busy with church activities but they are not ready for eternity.

If people are not ready for the rapture despite their labour for the Lord, they have wasted their time. God is not interested in the size of our cathedral, bank account, or the quality of our music. The fundamental thing is to get people saved, sanctified, pure and rapturable.

If leaders are going to present a perfect church to Christ, they must watch over the people under them. To uphold the fundamental things effectively, Christian servants must watch over the watchmen or workers under them to ensure that they maintain their Christian experiences; watch against the adversaries that want to destroy the church or oppose the true gospel. They must preserve the truth, so that believers do not turn to fables because we live in days of apostasy; they should watch over the congregation to ensure it conforms to standard; and watch over God’s habitation where people worship Him to make sure it is conducive for fellowship, else the church will not grow.

Christians should be motivated and mobilised to evangelise sinners outside the church. Every member should help others to come to the church. “The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it.” Everyone who knows the Lord must join the great company of the publishers of the gospel. If believers, as soldiers of the Lord are going to succeed in the business of soul-winning, they must carry the weapons of our warfare needed in dealing with demons of religion, ideologies of men, principalities and powers and demon-possessed sinners. The spiritual armour of God is capable of cancelling, conquering and crushing the strongholds of the enemy.

The believer should watch over the anointing in his life that breaks the yoke and penetrates the heart of sinners. He should watch his time, unlike the children of Israel who missed the blessings of God because they did not know the time of their visitation. Then he should watch his calling, which is high, holy and heavenly, so that he can take the ship of the people of God safely to harbour. Finally, he should watch over the harvest, so that the enemy does not sow tares among the wheat. There are priorities in life and ministry and believers must be diligent enough to watch over them.

Further Reading (King James Version): Matthew 24:42; Mark 13:37; Luke 21:36; Revelation 3:3. Luke 1:17; Colossians 1:28; Isaiah 56:10; 1 Corinthians 16:9,13; 2 Timothy 4:3-5; Acts 20:28; Psalm 26:8. Acts 8:4; Psalm 68:11; 2 Corinthians 10:4; 1 John 2:27; 1 Corinthians 7:29; Philippians 3:13,14; Matthew 13:24,25,28.

https://guardian.ng/sunday-magazine/watch-over-your-priorities-part-2/

CREATE IN ME A CLEAN HEART
Sunday Sep.22 Campus Choir Ministration


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTJ4g5tAz-I

Privileges Of Christ’s Servants – Part 1
By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi
20 October 2019 | 3:05 am

Many people do not know how glorious and wonderful it is to be a servant of God. They do not appreciate the profit, privilege and promise that Christian servants enjoy. Such people are not like David who said:

“O LORD, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds.”

Though a king, warrior, and singer, David downplayed these titles and, instead, emphasised his servant-hood and the privileges of freedom, blessing and victory over the enemy, which are available to God’s servants.

He recognised these unique benefits and prayed that God would give him wisdom and understanding to do His will. Servants of the Lord need to know His word, desire, plan, programme, and project so that they would be able to enjoy His blessings and do His will. Our privileges as God’s servants transcend life here on earth to eternity, where there shall be no more curse, sickness or challenge.

Christian believers, who engage in any other business aside Christ’s may succeed, but He will not reward them in eternity. It is not enough to work or labour: what matters is that one gets involved in Christ's commission. With all power at His beck and call, He commands His servants to:

“go… therefore, and teach all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”

Many ministers and servants of Christ fail in the commission to teach men to observe Christ’s teachings. They neglect the basic, foundational doctrines of repentance, righteousness, restitution, Christ’s resurrection, purity, humility, and evangelism. Instead, they emphasise healing, deliverance, and prosperity. But the Lord wants us to preach the totality of His teachings to all men in all nations.

After Peter and other apostles of Christ were released from prison through divine intervention, the angel of the Lord emphasised the same commission to:

“go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life.”

There must not be any specialty in ministry by any servant of Christ. Everyone must preach the whole counsel of God as Moses, Joshua, Elisha, and Paul did in their ministries to the people.

Further Reading (King James Version): Hebrews 3:3-6; Psalms 116:16; 119:125; 143:12; Revelation 22:3-5; Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 5:20; 2 Samuel 15:15; 2 Timothy 2:10; Acts 26:19; Psalm 15:4; Acts 20:24; Hebrews 11:24; Luke 9:23-26.

https://guardian.ng/sunday-magazine/privileges-of-christs-servants-part-1/

Privileges Of Christ’s Servants – Part 2
By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi
27 October 2019 | 4:16 am

A true servant of Christ submits to the Master’s will; endures all things in the Master’s service; renders full obedience to the Master’s word; vows to remain forever in the Master's service; abandons himself in the Master’s harvest-field; neglects golden opportunities which are not important to the Master’s mission; and takes up his cross daily for the Master’s sake.

There are non-negotiable conditions that must be fulfilled in order to enter the kingdom of God. These conditions should be the concern and conviction of believers and servants of Christ. Those who lack these qualities allow the standard of God’s Word to fall in the church. They are not bold enough to rebuke sin and unrighteousness.

The word of God insists that, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Whatever people have or do not have, they cannot get to heaven except they possess this spiritual qualification. We should not labour over people in vain. Therefore, Christians should preach the word without compromise and emphasise the most important things in Scripture without fear of anyone.

A real servant of God is devoted and submissive to the Lord only and cannot serve two masters – God and money. Those who make money or prosperity their prime reason for coming into the ministry of preaching cannot serve God successfully. True servants of Christ resist the temptation to amass wealth, holding the things of this world with loose hands, while gripping spiritual things with a firm resolve.

They are servants of righteousness and they serve in righteousness with all their heart, spirit and soul. Whatever they do, they do to the Lord, not with eye-service to please men but God. They ensure there is orderliness in the church. They would not allow the standard of the word of God to fall because they have the courage to correct others. God does not work where there is confusion, disobedience and rebellion. And if we want the Spirit of God to move in our midst, we must get ready to uphold the Word.

Further Reading (King James Version): Hebrews 3:3-6; Psalms 116:16; 119:125; 143:12; Revelation 22:3-5; John 3:3; Matthew 18:3; Luke 13:3; Matthew 5:20; Revelation 2:4,5; Matthew 6:24; Romans 6:18; Ephesians 6:6; Titus 1:5-9.

https://guardian.ng/sunday-magazine/privileges-of-christs-servants-part-2/

Success Through Freedom From Sin – Part 1
By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi
03 November 2019 | 1:23 am

Freedom is a desirable experience for everyone. Possibilities abound for those who are truly free from any form of bondage. This is especially true of believers, Christian ministers, pastors, preachers and leaders. When believers and Christian servants are free, they are able to minister the same freedom to others. But if they were bound up, tied down and oppressed, it would be difficult to make positive impacts on others. The church and their ministry would suffer the attendant consequences.

The Scripture reveals that some people had important positions in the economy of God, but they were not free. Achan was in God’s great army that was poised to take the land of Canaan, but he was not free from covetousness. Balaam was a reputable prophet and a confidant of Balaak, king of Moab, but he was not free from covetousness and greed. Cain, first son to be born into this world, was bound by the spirit of envy, jealousy and hatred. Demas, a companion of Paul, the apostle, who had the privilege of working directly with this great apostle, was not free.

Felix, noble and excellent governor so-called, heard the gospel directly from apostle Paul, but could not break free from pride. Esau and Jacob were twin-brothers from Isaac. While Jacob was free, Esau was not. Gideon, though a great military man that brought victory and success to Israel, was not free from idolatry. Herod, a king in the Roman Empire and Ishmael, a descendant of Abraham were not left out from the evil bondage of self and Satan. Judas Iscariot walked and worked with Christ for three and a half years, partook of His miracles and maintained the bag, but he was not free.

Although Korah, Dathan and Abiram were leaders at the time of Moses, they were deep in rebellion that eventually ruined their lives. Lot and his wife were not free from worldliness. Miriam was guilty of slander and talkativeness. Thomas was plagued by unbelief, after he disputed with other disciples that Christ had appeared to them, following His resurrection. Uzziah was full of pride and challenged the man of God. He became a leper till the day of his death. Zechariah was a priest under the old covenant, but his unbelief in God’s ability to give him a child at old age got him into trouble, and he became dumb until the child was born.

Greatness does not confer freedom on any individual. It is compulsory that the Christian minister or believer be free, if he is going to be a true agent of salvation and deliverance to other people. It is when the pastor is free that the people under his care can be free. If the head is not free, the followers are going to have the same problem. But when we are free, the Lord will be able to release us to do His will. Because Moses was free, he was able to execute God’s programme for the children of Israel. He led the nation out of Egyptian bondage through miracles, signs and wonders. Without total freedom, whatever successes we have will be short-lived. Therefore, everyone must strive to be truly free to be able to excel for the Lord.

Christ came to set mankind free from the burden and bondage of sin. His whole life and ministry were devoted to setting men free from the captivity to sin, self, sickness and Satan. If there is any form of freedom that men ought to pursue and possess, it is freedom from sin. “Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee” (John 5:14).

Further Reading (King James Version): John 5:14; 8:11; 1 John 3:8,9; 5:18. 1 Chronicles 21:1; Zechariah 3:3,4; 3:1; Luke 22:31. Acts 8:21-23; Ezekiel 25:15.

https://guardian.ng/sunday-magazine/ibru-ecumenical-centre/success-through-freedom-from-sin-part-1/

Success Through Freedom From Sin – Part 2
By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi
10 November 2019 | 3:06 am

Healing and other miracles are good, but salvation or freedom from sin towers above them all. It is the greatest miracle ever. It is the first miracle God wants to accomplish in the life of every individual, minister or preacher, because, if members of the congregation are going to be born again and made free from the power of sin, their ministers or leaders must first be born again. Those still living in sin are not children of God. Jesus Christ was manifested so that He might deliver us from sin and destroy all the works of the devil from our lives.

If it were possible for the devil to have anyone and squeeze out the virtues in them, church leaders and pastors would be his top choice. Adam and Eve were the crowns of God’s creation and the devil caused them to fall. David, the best of the kings of Israel could not escape his maleficence, as he provoked him to number Israel and brought God’s anger and judgment upon the nation, which led to the death of more than seventy thousand Israelites. Job, also a man of integrity, described by God as perfect and upright in his generation was a target of the devil. He was attacked and afflicted.

Even our Lord Jesus Christ was tempted by the devil after He had fasted for forty days and forty nights. He was about starting His public ministry, the enemy came out with a scheme aimed at derailing Him. Satan would always desire the man at the top. If he were going to have anybody, he would go for the best. Christ forewarned Peter of Satan’s intent to possess and manipulate him. “And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat” (Luke 22:31).

The reason Satan always wants to hold the gospel minister or Christian in bondage is to hinder him from the great ministry ahead of him. Every minister, leader or Christian that would be successful in life and ministry and be a mighty instrument in God’s hand must be free from the bondage of Satan.

Bitterness hurts the spirit. As long as it lurks in the heart, it brings hatred and disturbs the flow of God’s grace in our lives. Sometimes, it manifests in the form of Jonah’s attitude towards Nineveh. Jonah harboured bitterness against that city because they had done evil against Israel and, if they repented, they would not suffer the consequences of their wickedness. He waited for forty days to see what would become of Nineveh, but the people repented and averted God’s wrath. He was angry. The spirit of bitterness would not allow him to rejoice in the repentance of the people of Nineveh.

God knows the thoughts and intents of our hearts. Therefore, He wants us to jettison the old hatred and bitterness against our neighbours, friends, and acquaintances. Every Christian believer must pray to be purged of bitterness in the heart and seek God’s ultimate freedom. It is only then we would be totally free to serve God and impact other lives positively.

Further Reading (King James Version): John 5:14; 8:11; 1 John 3:8,9; 5:18. 1 Chronicles 21:1; Zechariah 3:3,4; 3:1; Luke 22:31. Acts 8:21-23; Ezekiel 25:15.

https://guardian.ng/sunday-magazine/ibru-ecumenical-centre/success-through-freedom-from-sin-part-2/

The Making Of An Effective Minister – Part 1
By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi
17 November 2019 | 4:11 am

The Lord Jesus Christ wants to make every believer a minister, conqueror and champion. He has set up a five-fold ministry to make the church function adequately and grow. Born to reproduce and saved to serve, every believer must work towards becoming effective in his ministrations. If the service of the believer will produce something significant in the kingdom, he must grow.

Just as a seemingly useless piece of metal undergoes a process of development before it becomes a coin that is useful to the public, the believer needs the same process to be productive in ministry. God needs to (i) Melt the believer from the raw material shape that he had been; (ii) put him into a Mould of His choice; (iii) Mend rough edges in him that need to align with the will of God; (iv) Mature him and make him ready to circulate.

When Jesus called His disciples, they were like mere raw metals. Peter, for one, only emerged different after he underwent the process of becoming an effective minister. When God is through with His work in a believer, heavenly confidence springs up in him. He no longer thinks of problems or mountains but of the all-powerful and Almighty God. Transformed, the believer receives answers to prayers concerning personal problems and national challenges.

Christ brings about true change in a person’s life. Christ specialises in transforming ordinary people into extra-ordinary individuals. He specialises in changing people from being failures to being champions and successful people. All that the Lord is waiting for is total surrender to Him. The believer has two roles to play: (i) “Follow me” (ii) “I will make you fishers of men.” Highlighted are human and divine responsibilities. If any man will fulfil his part of the responsibility, God will surely fulfil His own side too. Those who fail to fulfil their parts cannot become fishers of men.

There is a great difference between faithful and the false followers of Jesus Christ. Only those who faithfully follow Christ become fishers of men. False and insincere disciples follow Christ, not for the interest of the kingdom, but because of personal comfort. People with no selfless and sacrificial pursuit of Christ are false followers and cannot become champions in the kingdom.

False followers do not follow because of what they can give, but because of what they want to get. When the conditions of service are not convenient for them, they turn back. Thus, they are selfish. Their comfort and that of their families come first before that of the kingdom of God. Any kingdom project that does not favour their agenda is rejected. If they are not consulted first and given a prominent and pre-eminent place, then the kingdom project is not allowed to proceed. They follow Christ only when it is convenient for them and cannot experience the power that accompanies followers of Christ.

Further Reading (King James Version): Matthew 4:19. Luke 9:57-61. Mark 10:28. Matthew 4:19.

https://guardian.ng/sunday-magazine/the-making-of-an-effective-minister-part-1/

The Making Of An Effective Minister – Part 2
By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi
24 November 2019 | 4:08 am

False followers of Jesus Christ do not exalt the kingdom principles and projects higher than self, and do not give priority to spiritual service and gospel preaching, as the Lord commands. While false followers engage in things that do not have eternal value, true followers of Christ are to distinguish themselves by doing God’s bidding, despite all odds. False followers are not able to withstand the heat of persecution, as they lack the will to stand in days of trials.

Faithful and fearless followers of Christ are those who are yielded to Him. They are people who do not dread His melting fire. They are people who appreciate the moulding hand of God; they are people who love the mending, correcting hand of the Lord and even go further to pray for the removal of the rough edges that do not allow them to fit into the divine mould.

Faithful disciples are those who are following in Christ’s footsteps. They are people who are ready to pay any price to follow Christ. They are people who close their ears to the noise of the world to get the attention of the voice of Christ. They are people who are not easily distracted by persecutors. They are people who have broken the chain that tied them to the world.

The only thing that catches their attention is Christ. What Christ will make of them will be their waking thought, daily plan, sleeping imagination and motivation. They always remember Christ’s command, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” Whatever conflicts with that command is given up. They may be few or many, but He uses them to change the whole world.

God is always interested in people who follow wholeheartedly. They are those who make the Kingdom of God, its projects and principles their first consideration in spite of distractions. The Lord demands that we leave all to follow Him. Like Peter, faithful, fearless followers “have left all, and have followed thee.”

True followers of Christ are fruitful. Through a single message of theirs, thousands of people are converted and added to the body of Christ. For them, there is power to evangelise, heal, pray and bring heaven’s treasure down. There is power of deliverance and release, power of converting religious people.

Made a fisher of men, anywhere Peter went, sinners got saved, the oppressed got delivered, and the power of death disappeared. While Peter was still speaking in Cornelius’ house, the Holy Spirit came upon the people. This is applicable to all who are faithful, fearless followers of Christ today. You are the next candidate for fruitfulness as you obey the Lord’s command to “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

Further Reading (King James Version): Matthew 4:19. Luke 9:57-61. Mark 10:28. Matthew 4:19.

https://guardian.ng/sunday-magazine/the-making-of-an-effective-minister-part-2/

The Great Promise of Prayer – Part 1
By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi
01 December 2019 | 4:12 am

The Lord Jesus Christ was without doubt, the greatest communicator ever. His words were usually simple but sublime. As with the passage, we are reading today, Christ’s statements are not words to hurriedly read and forget. They are words that open our eyes to heaven’s provision and they disclose the great storehouse from which all our needs for spirit, soul and body are supplied.

Learning from the Lord on prayer as declared in these verses, living as He has taught and practising the precepts without wavering, will bring the supernatural into our natural lives and open both the windows and gate of heaven to us. These verses will make the present and the future much brighter than the past, however, bright the past has been.

Praying to God has been a common practice since the creation of man. Both saints and sinners have always prayed. However, prayer had become a ritual among the heathen and a religious duty among the Israelites (Matthew 6:5-8.) Jesus Christ, the Sun of Righteousness, the Light of the world, now throws light on the great privilege of praying.

Christ clears the way to the Father and removes all misconceptions concerning prayer. He lifts us up from the dark lane of beggars pleading for crumbs to the blessed presence of the Father, confidently asking for promised blessings. He has taken away the seat and place of an intermediary and He beckons us to come directly to the Father. He gives each of us a special place in the family and clears the way for us so we can now all ask and receive, seek and find, and knock and gain access to the treasure store of heaven. God has made all-embracing promises to all those who seek God through prayer.

“Seek, and ye shall find. He that seeketh findeth.” Seeking is used in the sense of praying, as the scriptures quoted above show. Praying in ignorance is like seeking for a precious object hidden in the dark. We must turn on the light so we can see clearly while we seek diligently (Luke 15:8,9). Ignorance of the promises of God, the Fatherhood of the merciful and loving God, the faithfulness of God as Father, the relationship of sonship to the heavenly Father, keep us from seeking with faith that cannot be denied (Romans 9:31,32).

God’s promises for all true children of God who pray to Him and seek His face, are all-encompassing. The promises are many and varied; they provide for both our natural and spiritual needs. Our common needs as well as special or peculiar needs are all provided for. Early in life or late in life, when we are young or when we are growing old, even at death when changing our earthly address to an eternal residence, appropriate promises abound. In company of people or in solitude, in the family or in widowhood, while sick or healthy, weak or strong, in adversity or prosperity, in all situations or circumstances, God’s promises are ours to experience.

Circumstances should not embitter our lives when God is our Father as He has thought of all things we would ever need in our pilgrimage until we see Him face to face in heaven. Read the Bible and see the promises. Note the conditions attached to the promises. Keep those conditions as patients keep to the doctor’s prescription. Believe God as much as you believe a loving and faithful earthly father. In fact, you ought to believe God more than any human friend or father. Trust God implicitly without any shadow of doubt. Seek and you will find; pray and God will answer.

Further Reading (King James Version): Matthew 7:7-11; Matthew 7:7,8; 2 Chronicles 7:14; Jeremiah 29:11-13; Ezra 8:21-23; 2 Chronicles 20:1-4, 14-24; Daniel 9:3,4,20-22; Psalms 34:10-19; 69:32-36; 77:1-12; Zechariah 8:21-23.

https://guardian.ng/sunday-magazine/the-great-promise-of-prayer-part-1/

The Great Promise of Prayer – Part 2
By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi
08 December 2019 | 3:21 am

All men feel their insufficiency and see the need to ask for help at different times in their lives. Being ignorant of who the true God is and the adequate provisions He has made for them, unbelievers seek and pray to gods who “have mouths but speak not: eyes have they, but they see not: they have hands, but they handle not: feet have them, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat” (Psalm 115:4-8).

Others sell themselves, spirit, soul, and body to Satan through a covenant. They “seek unto them that have familiar spirits and unto wizards,” they seek a “hiding place” in a “refuge of lies” (Isaiah 28:15-20; 8:19,20; 47:11-15). Even sinners and unbelievers who seek help, healing, power, protection, prosperity and any other thing from evil spirits and Satan are severely judged and punished for doing so (Deuteronomy 18:9-12).

Seeking for any blessing must be only from the true God, the God of Heaven, the Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ, and our Father. It dishonours God when any child of His forsakes Him and looks up to Satan or Satan’s messengers for help. It exalts Satan’s power above that of God. Such a person that belittles God in his heart and, by his action, magnifies Satan is worse than an atheist. The danger and damnation of such a person are a million times greater than the pain or the problem he is trying to overcome. How different such people are from true seekers of God, for whom He has provided all-inclusive prosperity.

Prosperity is a desirable thing if it is all-inclusive. Those who are rich in gold but are not rich in grace, godliness, and goodness cannot have complete happiness and fulfillment. “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth” (3 John 2). That is true prosperity and that is what the Lord has promised and provided. This is what we can seek with the great, unshakeable assurance that we shall find.

A life that is rich in faith and faithfulness will be fruitful, fulfilled, full and flourishing. His soul will not know the plight of spiritual famine and his body will not experience the pain of economic drought. As he abounds in the fruit of the Spirit, so will he have abundant fruit in the work of his hand. Those who pray and seek God with the whole heart will not seek Him in vain. “I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain” (Isaiah 45:19).

All who truly seek the Lord “shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of his house, and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures” (Psalm 36:8). The provision of God is so abundant and inexhaustible that none of us ought to lack spiritually and in any area of our lives. We can be holy, healthy and happy now and throughout our lives. Hence the injunction: “Seek, and ye shall find”.

Further Reading (King James Version): Matthew 7:7-11; 2 Chronicles 16:7-13; 1 Samuel 28:3-8; 1 Chronicles 10:13,14; 2 Kings 1:2-4; Isaiah 8:19,20; 31:1-3; Jeremiah 10:21; 2 Chronicles 25:14-16,20; 33:9-13; 1 Chronicles 15:12-14; Matthew 7:7,8; 1 Chronicles 16:11-29; Job 5:8,9; 8:5-7; Psalm 63:1-5; Lamentations 3:22-25; Isaiah 55:6-13; Hosea 5:15-6:3; 10:12; Luke 11:9-13.

https://guardian.ng/sunday-magazine/the-great-promise-of-prayer-part-2/

Non-Conformity To This World – Part 1
By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi
15 December 2019 | 4:23 am

As we approach the end of the year, there is no greater desire for anyone than to seek to be more like the Lord. Whatever else we may have achieved in the course of the year, if anyone’s life is antithetical to all that is true and righteous, all that Jesus Christ prescribes, it has been a hollow accomplishment. No wonder the Lord issued this appeal to all believers: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”

God requires holiness in the believer’s life, service and worship. The message on consecration and non-conformity to the world is only for believers who are justified. Generally, the epistle to the Romans talks about the believer’s justification by faith. It reveals our salvation and reconciliation with God through His grace.

In the build up to the message on consecration and non-conformity to the world, the first three chapters of the Epistle of Paul the Apostles to the Romans discuss the guilt and condemnation of both the Jews and Gentiles. The next two chapters reveal the redemption of both Jews and Gentiles only by faith in Jesus Christ, while the sixth Chapter talks about our sanctification: the crucifixion and removal of the adamic nature of sin from the believer’s heart. The seventh chapter highlights the wretched and helpless state of sinners, followed by chapter 8, which shows the provision of forgiveness through Christ’s death and the possibility of a new life in the Spirit.

The next three chapters reveal how the Jews, who are children of the covenant, are at present under dispensational blindness. While the Jews are blind to the light of the gospel now, the Gentiles, those of us who are not Jews by birth, receive the light of the gospel and enjoy all the privileges of redemption through Christ. This redemption puts on us, as beneficiaries, the responsibility to consecrate our lives to the Lord and reject any temptation or tendency to conform to the world.

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a LIVING SACRIFICE, HOLY, ACCEPTABLE UNTO GOD…” Apostle Paul by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, addresses "brethren," people who are already saved from their sins. Called out of the world, they are now reconciled to God. Thus, their ambition and desire are in contrast with the world; their primary goal in life is to obey and please the Lord. The “mercies” that brings salvation, sanctification, healing, deliverance and makes us sons and daughters in the Kingdom should make us to be consecrated to the Lord.

Some professing Christians in our society erroneously believe that God has nothing to do with their bodies. They claim that He is only concerned about their soul and spirit. Thus, they do all sorts of abominable things with their bodies, contrary to the admonition for us to present our bodies a blameless and acceptable sacrifice to the Lord. But the Lord will not accept any sacrifice that is contaminated with disobedience. Why do we need to present our bodies as a living sacrifice to the Lord? “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

Further Reading (King James Version): Romans 12:1, 2; 1 Corinthians 6:19,20; 3:16,17; Psalm 50:5; 1 Timothy 5:1,2,22;

https://guardian.ng/sunday-magazine/non-conformity-to-this-world-part-1/

Non-Conformity To This World – Part 2
By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi
22 December 2019 | 4:15 am

Christ, having paid the ultimate price for our redemption, the believer no more has power over his body. Bought and brought into the Kingdom by the high price of Christ’s Blood, the Christian must “glorify God,” not self, man or the world, in his body. The body he offers to the Lord to reside in, as His temple must be pure.

The Lord can make a sinner a saint, while he is still here on earth, contrary to the erroneous belief of false teachers. This He does by cleansing the sinner with the Blood of Jesus Christ and giving him the power to live above sin. Freed from sin, the believer’s new life in Christ affects his disposition, lifestyle, language, dressing, interaction with others, etc. All old habits, lifestyle, indulgences, sinful practices are cast off, and he becomes a new creature, living by God’s holy standards, and consumed by the desire to please the Lord at all times and in all things. Which is just as well, because the Lord demands purity and non-conformity with the world from every true believer.

As a representative of Christ, Apostle Paul appeals to believers to “present [their] bodies a living sacrifice… unto God." Presenting our bodies to the Lord means to consecrate and surrender our lives to Him. Satan will not be happy whenever we want to offer our time, talent, treasure, life, skill, ability, etc. to the Lord. When Mary anointed the feet of our Lord with a very costly ointment of spikenard, Judas Iscariot was not happy. As we lay our lives on the altar of service, we should not be distracted by Satan and his human agents, but be firm in our decision to serve Him.

A songwriter succinctly put it thus: I have decided to follow Jesus… No turning back, No turning back! Though no one joins me, still I will follow… No turning back, No turning back! The world behind me, the Cross before me… No turning back, No turning back! The world will try to entice us to conform to its system and standard; it will try to distract us from preaching the gospel by engaging us with sports, games, politics, traditions, etc., but we must be watchful and diligent in our commitment to please the Lord, Who owns our body, soul and spirit. If we accept Christ as our Saviour, we must obey all His commands and surrender to Him without reservation.

Believers need to appreciate Christ’s love and sacrifice by willingly rendering acceptable service to Him. Our service will be acceptable, if we are not conformed to the world in fashion, politics, duplicity, deception and diplomacy. For our service to be fruitful and rewarded in time and eternity, it must be selfless.

Seeking pleasure and men’s praise will render our labour and service to the Lord worthless. But when we seek His glory and exaltation in everything we do, the Lord will surely reward us. We must be as selfless and faithful in our commitment to serving God as Christ, our Lord did. “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.”

And like Apostle Paul, we should always “count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.” If we remain unwavering in loyalty and consecration in serving the Lord till the end, He will surely reward us.

Further Reading (King James Version): Romans 12:1, 2; Romans 12:1; 1 Corinthians 6:19,20; 3:16,17; Psalm 50:5; 1 Timothy 5:1,2,22; Romans 12:1,2; 2 Samuel 15:15; 1 Kings 20:4; Romans 12:1,2; 2 Corinthians 5:14,15; John 12:24-26; Philippians 2:5-8; 3:7-10; Matthew 6:24; John 13:13,15.

https://guardian.ng/sunday-magazine/non-conformity-to-this-world-part-2/

Right Passion For The New Year – Part 1
By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi
29 December 2019 | 3:19 am

As we stand on the threshold of a new year, it behooves us to contemplate what really matters to God and to plug into it. Jesus Christ, the all-knowing Lord, and Master recognised that the greatest desire in the hearts of His listeners was to be happy. Surveys have been conducted over and again to ascertain what people need most out of life. And each time, the finding of such surveys has confirmed that the bottom-line of man’s need is happiness. This is true all over the world.

People commit suicide because they are unhappy. Nobody gets into psychiatry case because he is so happy. People are in depression because happiness is missing. Jesus, knowing what they lacked told them, “Blessed [happy] are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”

Man was created in God’s image, with the nature of holiness and righteousness (Psalm 17:15). Any departure from the original creation will make him incomplete, unfulfilled and unhappy. It is like removing fish or other creatures from their natural habitat; they cannot survive there. Jesus knew that His audience was not happy because they had been removed from the original habitat of righteousness, where they had been created. For you to be happy, you have to thirst and hunger after the righteousness of God, and then the blessedness of being filled with God’s righteousness will be yours.

People work from dawn to dusk because they want to draw a salary to satisfy hunger and thirst. The life of a human being, in whatever occupation, profession or place, is to be able to satisfy hunger and thirst. Our relationship and fellowship with God are to satisfy spiritual hunger and thirst. Once we lose this focus, there is no point in wasting time. We attend retreats, church activities, study the Bible, pray and do other things, so that we may learn spiritual things to satisfy the spiritual hunger in our lives and that of other people.

Just as people sell what they have to satisfy their hunger, so Paul, wanting to satisfy his spiritual hunger, disposed of things that were gainful to him in order to gain “the righteousness which is of God by faith.” There was hunger and thirst in his inner man. However, unlike Paul, many people do not dispose of the things that compete with the essential things in their lives. They did not dispose of their self-righteousness, so as to get the righteousness of God. This was why Paul pitied them.

Like the Jews, there are many people today who, though are hungry for God, have been feeding on the wrong kind of food, which do not give the righteousness of God. These people think that righteousness must be worked out by their human power. But they forget the admonition of Prophet Isaiah when he declared many years earlier that in the presence of God, that such “righteousnesses are as filthy rags” because they are not based on the blood of Jesus nor did they trust on the atonement of the blood. Such filthy rags or mere outward righteousness that does not have inward cleansing usually attracts the displeasure of God. What attracts God’s blessing is the righteousness of the heart that happens when an individual believes in the Lord Jesus Christ and passionately desires to be like Him.

This hunger and thirst in the soul after God’s image is the strongest of all spiritual appetites. It swallows up all the other desires in men’s lives. Such hunger and thirst become more craving, more importunate until they are satisfied. There cannot be any substitute that will satisfy the soul that truly seeks after righteousness. It will find no comfort or satisfaction in anything else, only in the righteousness that comes from the heart of God to the heart of man.

Further Reading (King James Version): Matthew 5:6; Matthew 5:6; Philippians 3:7-10; Romans 10:3,8-10; Isaiah 64:6; Matthew 5:20; Luke 16:15; 18:9; Matthew 23:25,28; Romans 3:24; 5:17-21.

https://guardian.ng/sunday-magazine/right-passion-for-the-new-year-part-1/

Right Passion For The New Year – Part 2
By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi
05 January 2020 | 4:14 am

“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness…” Hunger and thirst implies asking and praying for righteousness. Hunger makes us to ask for food in the natural. So also, spiritual hunger makes a believer to pray, so as to be filled and satisfied with righteousness. Spiritual hunger will always make you to ask and seek the Lord.

Spiritual thirst and hunger drive a true believer to make necessary preparations, so as to be filled and satisfied. He goes into his closet to purge himself of stains as a requirement for receiving the righteousness of God. He first flees and separates himself from things that defile. Then, he follows after righteousness. “If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work. Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart,” 2 Timothy 2:21, 22.

Seeking righteousness is by importunate prayer of faith. Following after righteousness also requires commitment and consecration from the believer. These virtues will make the Christian obey God's instruction to “…flee these things (destructive and defiling things); and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness” (1 Timothy 6:11). Believers must pray for righteousness with focus, fervency and faith because it is the most indispensable virtue in the life of a child of God.

The scripture and even contemporary history are replete with testimonies of people who possessed righteousness. If you meet an expert and he tells with facts that you cannot find anybody that has got what you are seeking, you are likely to get discouraged and stop seeking. But if on the other hand, you find those that have lesser privileges and exposure than you who have got it, you will keep seeking. That is why it is important to know about those that have received the righteousness of God.

Some saints who have gone before us have had the experience. This knowledge will stir up faith in us to seek God for it. Besides, Jesus never told any man to seek what he will never get. He knows you will get it. He says, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled ” (Matthew 5:6).

Many years after their death, Noah, Daniel and Job were confirmed possessors of true righteousness of God. Like these people, you too can have and live it out everywhere you are. And once you possess it, your friends, relations, spouse or members of your church will recognise your righteousness; even your enemies, will also be able to confirm it. You can be filled with righteousness now, if you pray to God for it. And it will be the best New Year gift you can possibly receive.

Further Reading (King James Version): Matthew 5:6; Philippians 3:7-10; Romans 10:3,8-10; Isaiah 64:6; Matthew 5:20; Luke 16:15; 18:9; Matthew 23:25,28; Romans 3:24; 5:17-21; Matthew 5:6; Ezekiel 14:14,20; Daniel 6:1-6,10-23; Psalm 106:28-31; Luke 1:5,6,67-75; Mark 6:20; 1 Thessalonians 2:7-10; Romans 6:17,18; 1 John 3:5-10.

https://guardian.ng/sunday-magazine/right-passion-for-the-new-year-part-2/

Glorious Opportunities In The New Year – Part 1
By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi
12 January 2020 | 4:14 am

Many people tiptoe into the New Year with great fear and uncertainties. Not so for children of God, who know the manifold promises and provisions of God awaiting them. They are aware that quite routinely, the Lord Jesus Christ delivers His people out of the obstacles that lie strewn on their paths. He also leads them into multiplied blessings, most of which they never contemplated. This gives believers hope and confidence that their times are secure in the Hand of the Lord.

The best illustration of this fact is the life of Joseph in the Bible. His was a life and testimony that reveal that obstacles cannot stop the Christian’s journey to greater glory. God has the power to turn such obstacles to glorious opportunities for His faithful children. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

God works mightily in the lives of those who are called to bring them “out of” obstacles “into” His blessings. This is an unchanging divine principle that summarises His dealing with His people in the past. And He still delivers those who exercise faith in Him today. He first saves the earnest seeker from sin and delivers him out of all other problems. Thus, believers are called “out of darkness into His marvellous light.”

With faith anchored in God’s word, obstacles become opportunities, barriers become blessings, stumbling blocks serve as stepping stones, persecution paves way for promotion, weakness results in wealth, rejection leads to royalty, problems translate to prosperity, hatred of men turns to happiness in God. God gives us grace, power, purpose and promises, so that great mountains will not be able to stop our progress. He can convert every negative thing into something good and positive.

Everyone has obstacles, but they do not spell the end of the road for God’s people. Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Joshua, Moses, David, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the Old Testament and Christ our Saviour, Peter, John, James and Paul in the New Testament, all had obstacles.

Further Reading (King James Version): Zechariah 4:7; Genesis 50:20; Romans 8:28; Genesis 41:14; 1 Samuel 2:8; Deuteronomy 6:23; Psalm 40:2; Ezekiel 36:24-27; 37:12; 1 Peter 2:9; 1 Corinthians 16:9; Philippians 1:12-14; 2 Kings 5:1,8-14; 2 Samuel 3:39; 5:1-3,10,17-19; Micah 3:5-7; Mark 10:17,19-25; Ecclesiastes 2:1-11; 1 Kings 11:1-4,9; John 12:42,43; Deuteronomy 30:6-8; Genesis 45:4,5,7; 39:7-9; Numbers 14:24, Joshua 14:6-12; Ruth 1:5,9-19; Exodus 23:22; 1 Samuel 15:22; Job 36:8-11; Isaiah 1:16-19; Romans 6:17; 1 Peter 1:14,22; Genesis 50:20; 49:22-24; Ruth 2:11,12; 3:10; 4:9-17; 1 Corinthians 2:9,10; 2 Corinthians 2:12; Revelation 3:8,9.

https://guardian.ng/sunday-magazine/glorious-opportunities-in-the-new-year-part-1/

Glorious Opportunities In The New Year – Part 2
By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi
19 January 2020 | 3:34 am

There is usually some peculiar obstacles that God’s people peculiarly face. What are these obstacles before God’s favoured people?

• Persecutions: Adversaries of the faith oppose the spread of the gospel. But persecution did not remove a moment of success from the ministry of Paul. Persecution will arise, but cannot hinder God’s purpose for our lives.

• Pride: This obstacle comes from within, and makes you an obstacle to yourself. Pride can hinder the believer from receiving God’s blessings.

• People: Close associates who are hard and wicked can pose great obstacles to the purpose and will of God and thus weaken the believer.

• Principalities: When the Lord fulfills His promise of elevating the believer, principal men in the enemy’s camp will seek to fight him.

• Prophets: False prophets, who do not exalt Christ and emphasise repentance and salvation will seek to derail the believer from the path of truth.

• Prosperity: Trusting in prosperity can hinder the materially rich from receiving eternal life. Preachers who shy away from preaching the soul-saving truth, as well as the world who deifies the rich make it difficult for the rich to get saved.

• Pleasure: Lack of self-control can turn one’s heart from the Lord.

• Position: The positions that the Jewish rabbis held in the synagogue became a great obstacle that hindered them from salvation. But these obstacles cannot hinder the progress of a true believer who obeys the Lord.

Believers who are ready to pay the price of discipleship are those who will overcome obstacles. The Lord wants us to love and obey Him. “And thou shalt return and obey the voice of the LORD, and do all his commandments which I command thee this day.” As we obey the Lord, He turns our obstacles into glorious opportunities.

Joseph wholeheartedly obeyed the Lord by living righteously and resisting the enticement to commit sin and was afterward greatly blessed by God. The believer avoids sin not for fear of men or church discipline, but because he seeks to obey the Lord. Caleb’s wholehearted obedience to the Lord brought divine approval and blessings. Though Ruth lost her husband, she followed and obeyed the Lord. Singles should learn to obey the Lord and be blessed like Ruth from whose lineage Christ came.

God delights in and looks for obedience in all His children. He requires obedience that is not superficial but from the heart. Our obedience must be, (1) unconditional, (2) uncommon and unconventional, (3) unconcealed and uncovered, (4) uncompromising, (5) uncontaminated, (6) uncomfortable and, (7) unchanging. As we obey the Lord, His blessings will not stop flowing in our lives.

Glorious opportunities always come the way of obedient believers who face obstacles in life. “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save many people alive”. Joseph’s obedience turned his obstacles into glorious opportunities; the Lord blessed him tremendously. Ruth was also greatly blessed because of her sacrifice and faithfulness to the Lord. To those who would obey the Lord this New Year, He will surely grant open doors that no enemy or obstacle can shut.

Further Reading (King James Version): Zechariah 4:7; Genesis 50:20; Romans 8:28; Genesis 41:14; 1 Samuel 2:8; Deuteronomy 6:23; Psalm 40:2; Ezekiel 36:24-27; 37:12; 1 Peter 2:9; 1 Corinthians 16:9; Philippians 1:12-14; 2 Kings 5:1,8-14; 2 Samuel 3:39; 5:1-3,10,17-19; Micah 3:5-7; Mark 10:17,19-25; Ecclesiastes 2:1-11; 1 Kings 11:1-4,9; John 12:42,43; Deuteronomy 30:6-8; Genesis 45:4,5,7; 39:7-9; Numbers 14:24, Joshua 14:6-12; Ruth 1:5,9-19; Exodus 23:22; 1 Samuel 15:22; Job 36:8-11; Isaiah 1:16-19; Romans 6:17; 1 Peter 1:14,22; Genesis 50:20; 49:22-24; Ruth 2:11,12; 3:10; 4:9-17; 1 Corinthians 2:9,10; 2 Corinthians 2:12; Revelation 3:8,9.

https://guardian.ng/sunday-magazine/glorious-opportunities-in-the-new-year-part-2/

Shun Moral Impurity
By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi
26 January 2020 | 4:08 am

Jesus Christ is the Light of the world, as well as the Light of the Word. Without His insight and interpretation, most people will think they are free from the condemnation of sin. Hearing the word, “Thou shalt not kill,” the majority of people in the world will claim to have kept this word of God. However, hearing the true explanation: “Whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment,” every mouth is stopped and all the world become guilty before God (Romans 3:19). Christ’s true interpretation makes everyone see the need for forgiveness and salvation.

Our Lord now explains and applies the next commandment, “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” Limited understanding, again, will lead most people to conclude that they are morally upright and righteous. That superficial righteousness is lost, as we listen to Christ’s revelation on the commandment. “Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” Christ effectively takes the veil of deception away to make everyone in the world see the need for salvation in Him. Christ makes the world see the need for divine mercy and He makes the church see the need for heart-cleansing.

“Ye have heard …” We have heard, indeed, from the voice of our conscience, from the voice of society, from the voice of self-interest, from the voice of judgment and from the voice of priests and preachers. “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery.” This moral code had been in effect before the dispensation of the law (Genesis 20:1-7; 38:24), and it is still in effect today after the dispensation of the law; in this dispensation of grace (Matthew 19:16-18; Romans 13:9,10). Christ has not come to excuse and conceal the sin of mankind. No! He came to expose and cleanse the sin of the world. He has not come to condemn and leave man under condemnation. No! He has come to reveal the guilt and condemnation of all men in order to make men seek God’s forgiveness, mercy and salvation through Christ. His light searches us. so that His love may save us.

The Pharisees and scribes of His time had reduced the commandment, which prohibits adultery to the mere physical act of adultery. They imagined that as long as they were not actually guilty of the act, they were perfectly innocent and free from guilt or condemnation. The great mistake of the Pharisees was that they never read the Ten Commandments properly. If they had truly considered and thoroughly studied them, they would have seen the error of isolating each of the commandments. While the seventh commandment says, “Thou shalt not commit adultery,” the tenth commandment says, “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife.” This law forbids lust in the heart or improper desire of “inordinate affection” for any woman in the heart. Here again, we have Christ faithfully showing us the insufficiency of external righteousness. His inspired interpretation and faithful revelation of what is in man’s heart helps us to see our need of Christ as Saviour and Sanctifier. “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith” (Galatians 3:24).

Christ is not only the Teacher come from God, He is also the great Physician (Doctor) sent from God. He is the Saviour with the divine Word. He is also the Surgeon with divine Wisdom. For a man with a cancerous eye or hand, there are times when ‘plucking out the eye’ or ‘cutting off the hand’ becomes necessary to save the whole body. It is the last resort, when all other treatments fail.

“And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.” If a man or a woman, as dear and precious to you as your right eye, be an occasion of offending God; a means of exciting unholy desires in your heart, delay not to separate from him or her. “And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.” If anyone who is as necessary, useful and profitable to you as your right hand be a constant means of impure desires or immoral deeds, cut her or him off and let there be a total and final separation.

Further Reading (King James Version): Matthew 5:27-30; Matthew 5:27; Exodus 20:14; Deuteronomy 22:22-24; Proverbs 6:32-35; Romans 1:29-32; 13:9,10;1 Corinthians 6:9,10; Galatians 5:19-21; Revelation 2:19-23; Luke 16:18; Romans 7:2,3; Hebrews 13:4; Matthew 5:28; Exodus 20:14,17; Mark 7:20-23; Romans 7:7; 2 Samuel 13:1-4; Colossians 3:5,6; James 1:14,15;1 John 2:16; Genesis 6:5; Proverbs 15:26; 24:9; Isaiah 55:7; Matthew 5:29,30; Psalm 119:37; Job 31:1; Proverbs 5:8-13; Proverbs 6:25-29; 7:25-27; Romans 6:13; 8:13; Galatians 5:24; 2 Corinthians 10:4,5; 1 Corinthians 9:27; Mark 9:43-48.

https://guardian.ng/sunday-magazine/we-need-revival-part-1/

https://guardian.ng/sunday-magazine/shun-moral-impurity/

2019 National December Retreat - Day 1: The Uniqueness Of Jesus


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmvntvLYGm0

We Need Revival – Part 1
By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi
02 February 2020 | 4:04 am

Every sincere seeker and worshipper of God has an expectation of revival. The psalmist’s passionate request or question, “Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?” reveals that the revival they once enjoyed had been lost. He could recall that there were revivals in the days of Moses, Joshua, Elijah, Elisha and David for the people of God. But it did not last. Absence of revival, power, authority, miracle, signs and wonders informed his heart-cry for revival as of old. Since God did it before, he believed that the unchanging God could do it again.

The psalmist’s expectation and passion for revival represent the expressions of our desire for revival. Our passion is also like that of prophet Habakkuk. Having heard the declaration of divine judgment against sin, Habakkuk became afraid and pleaded for mercy and revival in the face of impending devastating dryness, poverty and weakness. “O LORD, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy.”

What is revival? It is:
Renewal in righteousness;
Empowerment for exploits;
Vision for victorious, virtuous vessels;
Impartation of God’s image;
Victory over vanity and vice;
Agreement with Almighty God; and
Love for the Lord.

Revival is our expectation from the Lord; and as we agree together and pray, God will grant our heart’s desire. Then the Lord will revive, build, re-unite us, and His mighty power will be felt in the whole land and in every family.

Preparation precedes revival. If God’s promised revival will be fulfilled, there is a preparation and prayer that the Lord is calling the individual Christian as well as the Christian assemblies/associations to make. “Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart… rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God…” He requires repentance from evils committed against others. It is when we completely repent, turn away, forsake all sins and live righteously and consecrate to serve God, that the promised revival will come.

We also need to deny ourselves, fast and seek His face in a united prayer to be able to enjoy an abiding revival. The children of Israel never enjoyed a lasting revival; they were always in a cycle of being delivered and afterward conquered. The Egyptians, Midianties, Assyrians, Philistines, Babylonians, Medo-Persians and Romans all took their turn in ruling over them.

This vicious cycle today, characterizes the lives of some people who do not retain the blessings of God. The will of God is a permanent enjoyment of freedom from sin and living a consistently pure lifestyle. If the church will cry to God, He promises to “remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate…” When we give up our sins and pray, God will grant us and our country success and prosperity.

• Further Reading (King James Version): Psalm 85:6; Habakkuk 3:2; Hosea 6:1-3; Joel 2: 12-20.

https://guardian.ng/sunday-magazine/we-need-revival-part-1/

We Need Revival – Part 2
By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi
09 February 2020 | 3:28 am

God has promised to bring revival to His people. With the revival come salvation, peace, success, and prosperity in all areas of personal and national lives.

Our present spiritual, political and economic conditions are as critical as those of the dry bones that prophet Ezekiel saw and ministered to. Poor facilities and living standards are discouraging. There is no excitement and motivation to pursue life’s aspiration or render quality service. Discouraged, many are seeking greener pastures in other lands. But like Ezekiel, believers must not quit because of the dryness and drought in the land but overcome these challenges and rebuild dry lives, families and our nation.

To effectively revive dry bones require addressing them with the revealed Word of God for specific conditions. Every situation needs a different approach if the believer must be fruitful. Our Lord Jesus Christ used different approaches to convert Peter, Matthew, Zacchaeus, and Saul. The secret of a fruitful ministry among dry bones and elsewhere is declaring the revealed Word for the specific audience.

It is faithfulness to prophesy as commanded that makes the Lord honour His Word by bringing a mighty revival. “So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone.” God knows the ugly condition of dry bones and the message that will bring revival. A mighty revival will come when ministers of the gospel preached, not the message dictated by men, but that given by God.

During the Pentecostal revival in the early church, there was progress and penetration of the gospel. “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.” When true revival comes, thousands of souls, not few, will be converted to the Lord. When we accept all the precepts of the Lord and prophesy as He has commanded, He will add converts to the Church daily as He did in the early church. The progress in the early church was real; there was a subsequent record of five thousand people who became converted believers in Christ.

But there was penetration too. The Sanhedrin alleged that “behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine…” Believers were everywhere. Every street, community, office, school, hospital, section, and family had genuine believers. God brings this kind of true revival through the ministers who are fully revived and dedicated to Him. When there were progress and penetration of an ascending revival, “the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests was obedient to the faith.”

Philip was able to bring joy to the Samaritans through salvation, miracles, signs, and wonders that God wrought through him. The church also multiplied numerically. The promised revival we seek today is such that we will draw in committed, consecrated and obedient believers, and usher in the activities of planting strong and vibrant Churches that cannot be conquered by the devil.

Further Reading (King James Version): Psalm 85:6; Habakkuk 3:2; Hosea 6:1-3; Joel 2: 12-20; Ezekiel 37: 1-14; Acts 2:41,47; 4:4; 5:28; 6:7; 8:5-8; 9:31; 2:39.

https://guardian.ng/sunday-magazine/ibru-ecumenical-centre/gods-favour-for-his-people-in-the-fire-part-1/

https://guardian.ng/sunday-magazine/we-need-revival-part-2/

God’s Favour For His People In The Fire – Part 1
By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi
16 February 2020 | 4:12 am

One of the most remarkable events in the Bible occurred when Moses came face to face with the incident of the burning bush. It was particularly very significant to the children of Israel at that time, now and till the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. The sight was so significant for Moses that he recorded it. If that great sight was powerful enough to attract the attention of Moses, it ought to engage ours too. It was a mystery to Moses, but to Israel, it was a miracle; to Egypt, a marvel; and to the church, a message.

The burning bush in the desert was a figure or symbol of the children of Israel in Egypt and also a figure and symbol of the church in the world today. The fiery flames of the Egyptian oppression and the centuries of affliction have not been able to consume or destroy Israel. Similarly, today, the fiery flames of persecution or trials against the church have not consumed it either. If anything, suffering and pain have acted to purge away all the inadequacies and weaknesses of the people of God. And the real strength, substance and gold in the believer are brought out in the fire. Believers shine when they are tested by fire.

The miraculous preservation of Israel in the fire of oppression is a continuous message to every Christian and to the church at large, that no matter how fiery the furnace of affliction, we shall overcome at the end. The devil does tell some lies in troublous times: that God is not with you and that you are finished. But God says He is with you even in the fire. And no fire of the devil’s making can consume or destroy a child of God. You will overcome and testify of the victory.

The children of Israel enjoyed divine favour and promises because they were the chosen people of God. Even before the birth of Moses, Pharaoh had initiated a programme of genocide, a policy of destruction against the nation of Israel. He promulgated an edict that every male child born to the Israelites be drowned in river Nile. But it failed.

True believers are now the chosen generation. To be part of the chosen people of God, the sinner must turn away from all sins and make Jesus his Lord and Saviour. Thereafter, he enjoys God’s favour, mercy, love, grace and promise. His promises are for those who have turned away from sin, Satan, the pollution and corruption of the society and have surrendered their hearts to the Lord. As a consequence, “the Lord hath avouched thee this day to be his peculiar people, as he hath promised thee, and that thou shouldest keep all his commandments.”

The choice of the Lord on a life is not a one-way traffic. The sinner’s part is to repent and God’s part is to receive him. Those who are thus saved are the burning bush that the fire of the enemy or his affliction will not be able to consume. The Lord has a covenant with the chosen. His plan and purpose for them must always be fulfilled.

Though the Egyptians hated the children of Israel, the mighty and unconquerable power of God kept the nation of Israel from being wiped out by them. His mercy and favour was upon them. He saved them from the hand of their enemies. The Lord also delivers the believer from sin and Satan to serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness all the days of his life. Freed from sin, we are victorious because we belong to God. As we remember God’s holiness, faithfulness, goodness, mercy and promises, we should rejoice in the Lord.

Further Reading (King James Version): Exodus 3:2; Acts 7:30-32; Deuteronomy 4:20; Exodus 3:3,4; Psalm 33:10-12; 1 Peter 2:9; Deuteronomy 26:17-19; Isaiah 43:2; Luke 1:70-75; 2 Peter 1:3,4; Psalm 97:10-12.

https://guardian.ng/sunday-magazine/ibru-ecumenical-centre/gods-favour-for-his-people-in-the-fire-part-1/

God’s Favour For His People In The Fire – Part 2
By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi
23 February 2020 | 4:07 am

The burning bush that Moses saw, and which was used by God to attract his attention, was not consumed because God was in the bush. It was a symbolism of God’s presence in the midst of the Israeli population in Egypt. And because of the presence of the divine personality among the Israelites, the fire of persecution, affliction, oppression and satanic difficulty could not consume them.

The testimonies of others are encouragement that the fire burning around you or your family will soon give way, as it happened to those who have gone before us. Though there are persecutions, afflictions and difficulties in the world, the Almighty God will bring you “out into a wealthy place.” The time of trouble is the time to get nearer to the Lord and renew our commitment, consecration and vow to Him, as did Paul, who had the spirit of the conqueror.

The fire of persecution, affliction, perplexity and difficulties may burn, but God’s people are neither consumed nor weakened, because of the daily renewal of their inner man. The fire of the world cannot destroy genuine faith, nor can it fight against God and win. But the believer must be watchful not to offend, so that the ministry will not be blamed. Discouragement often sets in, when people focus on the fire and not on the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

It is difficult to understand the suffering of the righteous, but the apostle Peter encourages continuity in righteous living. Look away from the fire and look up to God. “And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” Our responsibilities during persecution and difficulties include: (i) prayer and pledge to continue to serve the Lord, (ii) peace and purity, (iii) patience and perseverance, (iv) purging and pruning, (v) purpose and passion, (vi) praise and power, (vii) progress and preservation.

The Lord is faithful in protecting His people. In spite of sore afflictions, persecutions and troubles, God’s people always prevail. The Israelites and the early Church prevailed. Our testimony as a church and as individuals that have been through persecution and fiery trials is, “it is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.”

The Lord’s faithfulness will continue to be real in the believer’s life, as it was in the lives of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. They refused to worship Nebuchadnezzar’s idol in Babylon. As they stood for God, they overcame. Their persecutor’s fire could not consume them in the fiery furnace. Rather, only the men that threw them into it were consumed by the fire. The fire of affliction will not consume you. Like Nebuchadnezzar saw the three Hebrew children in the fire unhurt, your persecutors and adversaries will see that God is with you and you are unconquerable.

Further Reading (King James Version): Exodus 3:2; Acts 7:30-32; Deuteronomy 4:20; Exodus 3:3,4; Psalm 33:10-12; 1 Peter 2:9; Deuteronomy 26:17-19; Isaiah 43:2; Luke 1:70-75; 2 Peter 1:3,4; Psalm 97:10-12; Exodus 3:2-4; Psalm 66:12-14; 2 Corinthians 4:7-11,16-18; 6:1-10; 1 Peter 4:12-16,19; 5:7-10; 2 Timothy 4:18; Exodus 3:2; Psalm 129:1,2; Lamentations 3:19-23; Daniel 3:19-25.

https://guardian.ng/sunday-magazine/gods-favour-for-his-people-on-the-fire-part-2/

Living By Faith In Trying Times – Part 1
By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi
01 March 2020 | 4:53 am

Moses and his parents possessed one notable attribute that set them apart: they had deep faith in the God of Israel. This was so significant that it was recalled and explained in the New Testament. It was recommended as a standard for true Christian conduct. Moses’ parents lived under oppression in Egypt, but they were full of faith in God. People who live in trying times often develop either a crushed, conquered spirit or a conquering spirit.

Oppression either bows, bends, crushes, destroys the human spirit or stirs up and activates the innate qualities in man. But the faith in Moses’ parents produced a conquering spirit in them. They gave birth to Moses in trying times and raised him in the same faith and courage they had in God. Character traits of parents often rob off on their children. If parents are full of faith or fear, courage or cowardice, hospitality or hostility, love or hatred, gentleness or aggressiveness, humility or pride, trust or mistrust, truthfulness or lying, sincerity or hypocrisy, the same attributes are found in their children. “When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.”

A general attitude of faith learnt from parents can develop in their children, active and living faith with which to obtain specific Christian experiences of salvation, sanctification, healing, deliverance, divine provision and Holy Ghost baptism. When times are tough, when things are difficult, when storms are raging, when the fire is burning, we need to live by faith like this family – Amram and Jochebed and their son, Moses. Parental training does not automatically produce salvation experience in children without personal realisation of their sinful state. Though Moses had a general faith, he had no moral strength to resist sin. He committed murder and thereby proved the utter sinfulness of all men. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”

A time comes, when a man realises his state of sinfulness and need of salvation, because nobody is born a child of God. Being born of Christian parents does not make one a Christian either. General knowledge and faith in the existence of God and His divine attributes cannot save from sin. Forgiveness of sin comes through the exercise of definite and specific faith in the redemptive sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Though not explicitly recorded, the events that followed in his life, and some scripture accounts show that he had a genuine spiritual experience with the Lord.

God revealed Himself to Moses as “merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin…” Moses did not know that God “will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, by horses, nor by horsemen.” He was as ignorant as the militant Saul of Tarsus, who was saved by God’s mercy and grace. When he realised that God was merciful and trusted in His love, grace, mercy and power, and not in aggression, He had a personal relationship with the Lord.

Thus, having experienced not only physical but spiritual redemption, Moses sang to the Lord whom he referred to as “my salvation,” “my God” and the same as “my father’s God.” With grace and divine presence in his life, God knew him by name and spoke to him face to face. Response to the call to salvation comes before the call to service. He was a sinner but became a saint, a “servant” and one of the “saviours” God sent to save Israel from their enemies. True conversion always leads to total transformation.

https://guardian.ng/sunday-magazine/living-by-faith-in-trying-times-part-1/

Living By Faith In Trying Times – Part 2
By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi
08 March 2020 | 3:12 am

How do we recognise faith in trying times? When someone is living by faith in God, there are clear proofs you will observe in his or her life. There will be evidence of (1) Repentance from sin and refusal to identify with Egypt or the world. Faith in Christ will make every adherent to separate from the world, which Egypt symbolises.

The world is corrupt, evil and under the dominion and authority of Satan. (2) Identification with the people of God. It was more convenient for Moses to identify with the Egyptians, to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, so he could enjoy all the privileges and pleasures of the palace. But he rejected all those, “choosing rather suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.”

Ruth also had this kind of faith in trying times that God wants all His children to have. (3) Forsaking sin in all its forms, standing on the Word of God, even when other people get by with lies and deception. It also includes running the Christian race with patience. (4) Joyfully accepting the reproaches of Christ. A true Christian does not change his attitude, stance, dressing, and conviction because of persecution. (5) Fixing the mind on the eternal reward. Moses’ mind was fixed on the reward that he was going to receive from God.

Every believer needs to put aside whatever will hinder him or her from getting to heaven. (6) Disallowing fear from controlling our decisions in times of crisis. It is difficult to get saved or take a stand and live by personal conviction and be rewarded if there is the fear of man in the heart. (7) Seeing the invisible God in trying times. These characteristics of faith in Moses are required of every Christian today.

Faith in God and faithfulness to God go hand-in-hand. If we have faith in God, we will not be unfaithful to Him. And it is impossible to be faithful to God without having faith in Him. Faith and faithfulness are revealed by (1) obedience to God, (2) fearlessness in tough times, (3) courage, (4) love for God and His people, (5) humility and meekness, (6) seeking God’s glory in all things, and (7) walking with God at all times.

God’s testimony about Moses is, “My servant Moses …is faithful in all mine house.” Moses literally lived in the consciousness of God and “according to all that the LORD commanded him, so did he.” If we are going to be Christians in nature and not in name only, we must obey God’s commands. Obedience to the word of God is the essence and substance of Christianity.

When the Lord called Moses, Daniel, David, Paul, etc., He expected them to “fulfil all my will..” And the call of the Lord upon our lives today is so as to fulfill all His will, to love God and His people even in trying times. God also testified that meekness had replaced aggressiveness in Moses. He was humble and made room for other people to be what they ought to be. Filled with love for His people, Moses rejected the privilege and offer from God of being made a great nation at the expense of the nation of Israel, even though the people had sinned and risked being wiped off. He was willing to lose his spiritual privileges if God would not forgive the children of Israel. God wants this kind of faithfulness in His children.

Further Reading (King James Version): Exodus 2:10-15; Hebrews 11:23,24; 2 Timothy 1:5; 3:15; Romans 15:4; Hebrews 11:24-27; 1 John 5:4,5; 2:15-17; Hebrews 11:25; Ruth 1:16; Hebrews 11:25; 12:1; 11:26; 13:12,13; 11:26; Philippians 3:13,14; Hebrews 11:27; Proverbs 29:25; Hebrews 11:27; Isaiah 33:15-17; Numbers 12:7; Hebrews 3:2,5; Exodus 40:16; Acts 13:22; Numbers 12:3; Matthew 5:5; 11:28-30; Numbers 11:27-29; Romans 12:10; Exodus 32:9-14,30-33.

https://guardian.ng/sunday-magazine/living-by-faith-in-trying-times-part-2/

From Obstacles To Opportunities – Part 1
By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi
15 March 2020 | 4:04 am

The Lord Jesus Christ delivers and leads His people out of obstacles into great and multiplied blessings. Joseph’s life and testimony in the Bible reveal that obstacles cannot stop the Christian’s journey to greater glory, as God has the power to turn them to glorious opportunities for His faithful children.

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” God works mightily in the lives of those who are called to bring them “out of” obstacles “into” His blessings. This is an unchanging divine principle that summarises His dealing with His people in the past. And He still delivers those who exercise faith in Him today. He first saves the earnest seeker from sin and delivers him out of all other problems. Thus, believers are called “out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

With faith anchored in God’s word, obstacles become opportunities, barriers become blessings, stumbling blocks serve as stepping stones, persecution paves way for promotion, weakness results in wealth, rejection leads to royalty, problems translate to prosperity, hatred of men turns to happiness in God. God gives us grace, power, purpose and promises, so that great mountains will not be able to stop our progress. God can convert every negative thing in your life into something good and positive.

Everyone has obstacles, but they do not spell the end of the road for God’s people. Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Joshua, Moses, David, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the Old Testament, and Jesus Christ our Saviour, Peter, John, James and Paul in the New, all had obstacles.

What are obstacles before God’s favoured people? (1) Persecutions – adversaries of the faith oppose the spread of the gospel. But persecution did not remove a moment of success from the ministry of Paul. Persecution will arise but cannot hinder God’s purpose for our lives. (2) Pride – this obstacle comes from within and makes you an obstacle to yourself.

Pride can hinder the believer from receiving God’s blessings. (3) People – close associates who are hard and wicked can pose great obstacles to the purpose and will of God and thus weaken the believer. (4) Principalities – when the Lord fulfils His promise of elevating the believer, principal men in the enemy’s camp will seek to fight him. (5) Prophets – false prophets who do not exalt Christ and emphasise repentance from sin and salvation through Christ, will seek to derail the believer from the path of truth. (6) Prosperity – trusting in prosperity can hinder the materially rich from receiving eternal life.

Preachers who shy away from preaching the soul-saving truth, as well as the world who deify the rich make it difficult for the rich to get saved. (7) Pleasure – lack of self-control can turn one’s heart from the Lord. (8.) Position – the positions that the Jewish rabbis held in the synagogue became a great obstacle that hindered them from salvation. But these obstacles cannot hinder the progress of a true believer who obeys the Lord.

Further Reading (King James Version): Zechariah 4:7; Genesis 50:20; Romans 8:28; Genesis 41:14; 1 Samuel 2:8; Deuteronomy 6:23; Psalm 40:2; Ezekiel 36:24-27; 37:12; 1 Peter 2:9; 1 Corinthians 16:9; Philippians 1:12-14; 2 Kings 5:1,8-14; 2 Samuel 3:39; 5:1-3,10,17-19; Micah 3:5-7; Mark 10:17,19-25; Ecclesiastes 2:1-11; 1 Kings 11:1-4,9; John 12:42,43.

https://guardian.ng/sunday-magazine/ibru-ecumenical-centre/from-obstacles-to-opportunities-part-1/

From Obstacles To Opportunities – Part 2
By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi
22 March 2020 | 3:18 am

Nothing good in life comes easy. There is always a task to accomplish, a precept to abide by, and an example to follow. There is always something to drop or leave behind.

Many times, there is the need to change your focus, to aspire to things that others may not readily appreciate, and to brave the odds, and dare to be different. This is why believers who are ready to pay the price of discipleship are those who will overcome obstacles.

The Almighty God wants us to love and obey Him. “And thou shalt return and obey the voice of the LORD, and do all his commandments which I command thee this day.” As we obey the Lord, He turns our obstacles to glorious opportunities. This was the story of Joseph in the Bible. That young man wholeheartedly obeyed the Lord by living righteously and resisting the enticement to commit sin. This is the reason he was afterwards greatly blessed by God.

The believer avoids sin not for fear of men or church discipline, but because he seeks to obey and please the Lord. Caleb’s wholehearted obedience to the Lord in the Bible also brought divine approval and blessings. Although the young lady, Ruth, lost her husband early in their marriage, she resolutely followed and obeyed the Lord. Singles should learn to obey the Lord and be blessed like Ruth from whose lineage Jesus Christ was born.

God delights in and looks for obedience in all His children. He requires obedience that is not superficial but from the heart. Our obedience must be (1) unconditional, (2) uncommon and unconventional, (3) unconcealed and uncovered, (4) uncompromising, (5) uncontaminated, (6) uncomfortable, and, (7) unchanging. As you obey the Lord, His blessings will not stop flowing in your life.

Glorious opportunities always come the way of obedient believers who face obstacles in life. “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.” Joseph’s obedience turned his obstacles to glorious opportunities; the Lord blessed him tremendously. Ruth also was greatly blessed because of her sacrifice and faithfulness to the Lord. To those who obey the Lord, He grants open doors that no enemy or obstacle can shut.

Further Reading (King James Version): Zechariah 4:7; Genesis 50:20; Romans 8:28; Genesis 41:14; 1 Samuel 2:8; Deuteronomy 6:23; Psalm 40:2; Ezekiel 36:24-27; 37:12; 1 Peter 2:9; Deuteronomy 30:6-8; Genesis 45:4,5,7; 39:7-9; Numbers 14:24, Joshua 14:6-12; Ruth 1:5,9-19; Exodus 23:22; 1 Samuel 15:22; Job 36:8-11; Isaiah 1:16-19; Romans 6:17; 1 Peter 1:14,22; Genesis 50:20; 49:22-24; Ruth 2:11,12; 3:10; 4:9-17; 1 Corinthians 2:9,10; 2 Corinthians 2:12; Revelation 3:8,9.

https://guardian.ng/sunday-magazine/ibru-ecumenical-centre/from-obstacles-to-opportunities-part-2/

The Secret Of A Triumphant Life – Part 1
By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi
29 March 2020 | 4:16 am

Daniel lived a triumphant life in Babylon. He lived a clean life in an unclean society, a holy life in an unholy society, a pure life in an impure nation, a righteous life in an idolatrous environment, an undefiled life in the midst of moral decadence and defilement. He was like a white lily growing in a dirty surrounding without any stain on it.

The source of his triumphant life was divine and the strength of that life was prayer and faith. The root of his principled life was God’s grace and the sustaining power was his firm decision, importunate prayer life and unwavering faith in God. With his spirit focused on God’s glory and his heart given to God from which He could rule and reign without a rival, his firm purpose to remain faithful to God was absolute. Believers in the world, as in Babylon, must take heed, watch and pray, lest they partake in the sins, and lifestyle of Babylon. The culture of Babylon must not be allowed to defile the conscience of believers.

Daniel had no choice whether to live in Babylon or not; he had been taken captive along with other Jews from Jerusalem in Judah. But he had a choice as to what kind of life he lived. He chose to live a life free from every form of defilement. Defilement was not limited to eating and drinking either in the Old Testament or in the New Testament, but he “purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself.” Unclean meat, food or meat sacrificed to idols, idolatry, witchcraft and sorcery, immorality, transgression and sin, evil of every kind, all defile the man (Leviticus 11:44,45; 18:24,30; 19:31; Ezekiel 20:7,18,19,43; 37:23; 1 Chronicles 5:1; Hebrews 13:4; Psalm 106:39-42; Matthew 15:18-20).

Daniel knew that defilement would bring God’s judgment and wrath on him, so he purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself. Like Daniel, we too can have God’s grace and spiritual strength to be free from all the defilement of idolatry, immorality and iniquity.

“But Daniel purposed in his heart.” Out of the heart are the issues of life. His heart had been enlightened by God’s Word. A strong conviction had been established in his heart and to him, truth was not relative but absolute. He judged the proposal and provision of the king by the demand of God, the great King of heaven and earth. He meditated much on the Word of God and considered the danger and eternal consequence of defiling himself.

Regardless of the consequences of rejecting Babylon’s lifestyle, he purposed in his heart to fear God, rather than men – even men of authority and might. His purpose was to please God and leave the consequences in His Hands. Fear of man destroys faith in God, faithfulness to God and the very foundation of a righteous life. Fear of man weakens the heart, enfeebles convictions and shakes the very foundation of a firm purpose.

“Daniel purposed in his heart,” not in his head. The heart, not the head, is the seat of our spiritual life, the spring of life’s principles, the source of strong affection and man’s actions, the fountain from which all spiritual and vital actions flow. As the heart is, so our lives will be. Our lives can never rise above the state of our hearts. A conviction that originates from a sanctified heart, a principle that is rooted in a purified heart, a purpose that is implanted in a renewed heart, will lead to a righteous and holy life.

Convictions floating like unsettled notions in the mind, borrowed principles stored in the head, shared by friends but not fixed and rooted in the heart do not produce sanctified, triumphant lives. When the heart is quickened and sanctified by God’s grace, the life of faith and holiness will be a constant reality wherever we find ourselves – in Jerusalem or in Babylon. A firm, settled purpose of heart is indispensable for a consistently righteous life in Jesus Christ.

Further Reading (King James Version): Daniel 1:8; Psalm 17:3; Deuteronomy 32:46,47; Joshua 22:5; Psalm 119:105,106; 119:1-3; 141:4; Proverbs 4:23-27; Luke 9:51; Colossians 3:1,2; 2 Timothy 3:10-14; Acts 11:23.

https://guardian.ng/sunday-magazine/the-secret-of-a-triumphant-life-part-1/