₦airaland Forum

Goshen360: @ Candour brother,

Bible Teacher Les Feldick is very sound. I do listen to him whenever I'm chances. A blessing to those of us that listens to him though.

i had always wanted to ask you if you heard of him before but i was wary of promoting man like other mega MOG.Actually it was his site God used to strengthen my Christian walk in my hour of despair.I can't thank God enough for the old man.

He was and is still a blessing to my life.

shdemidemi: You ignored my question ..pls answer it.

I will answer your question though it wasn't directed to me.
If you take the Pauline epistles from the Bible then the church (Gentiles) would not be saved,cos only apostle Paul tells us how to be saved.
The gospel of grace isn't new cos it has always been in the Bible but Christians missed it just as the disciples did. Like I said earlier it is dangerous for your faith to base your argument on genealogy and history cos there will be no end to such. Stay within the Bible and you will never go wrong.

bro shdemidemi, you made my day with the bolded.I told my dad when we were discussing the bible that we gentile Christians owe our salvation to what God did through Apostle Paul.In fact the mandate God gave Paul through Ananias says it all
Acts 9:15
'But the Lord said unto him,Go thy way:for he is a chosen vessel unto me,to bear my name before the Gentiles,and kings,and the children of isreal:

We can see that the Gentiles(all of us on this thread) came first in God's agenda for Paul.

most of our church age doctrines came from the epistles of Paul.If you tear the 13 of them out,you and i couldn't be saved.

N/B: have you ever studied with Les Feldick? i see a lot of his teachings in your commentaries

Bidam: Devotees of the heresy of "grace unlimited", find abundant support for their distorted teachings in the epistles of Paul. There are millions of present-day professing Christians who actually believe that this 'apostle was the founder of a “New Gospel of Grace”. It is this teaching that has opened the door of the church to the world: unrestricted license, freedom and liberty from all law to any who will accept and believe the new Gospel. It is this interpretation which has heralded these present times of lawlessness and crime without proper judgment in the world.

Bro Bidam is right when he says the bolded.indeed some perverted people hide under their own interpretation of grace to practice lasciviousness.We can't however because of these elements decide on our own to belittle the grace of God.The grace of God is that which is able to take a murderer like Saul the pharisee and in an instant save him simply because he believed on the lord Jesus.

i dont believe you can be saved by grace and still want to continue in sin.A truly repentant child forgiven by his father will not want to grieve that father again and again through misdeeds.If he slips,he'll cry to his father again for help and God readily will forgive because of our advocate:Jesus Christ the righteous 1 John 2:1

Gal 6:1-2
''What shall we say then?Shall we continue in sin,that grace may abound? God forbid.How shall we,that are dead to sin,live any longer therein?

If after your salvation,sin still comes naturally to you,it is obvious you're not saved because you do not even realise what your so-called salvation cost God:His son Jesus

For me who knows i qualify for death according to God's righteous judgement,the Spirit of God in me always reminds me of

1 Cor 10:31
'Whether therefore ye eat,or drink,or whatsoever ye do,do all to the glory of God''

Your salvation by grace will surely make you hate sin and inevitably produce good works but good works will NEVER produce salvation else Christ died in vain
Eph 2:10
'For we are his workmanship,created in Christ Jesus unto good works,which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them'

Grace is surely NOT license to sin.

Goshen360: Sup bro? I will continue, one after the other. Many church people only attend church but no evidence of the grace of God, immorality and unrighteousness abound. I trust God, they will find Grace by this teaching. Thanks bro.

quite okay my bro.Decided to activate learning mode for now so just going through all the relevant new threads i saw.More grace to you and other brethren involved in the discussions.I only plead more gentility in the exchanges in line with Eph 4:3.

God bless you bro

Loving this lesson.seat taken

@Goshen, pls continue sharp sharp

God bless

SLIDE waxie: Those are staunch igbo!
No tribalism intended.

Pls my bro....this is the religion section...not the politics section.

there's enough hate here going on between different belief systems to last 10 lifetimes.Dont add to the bile pls

God bless you

DrummaBoy: ^This id not an opportunity for the godless to condemn God
But one cannot but quiver at the sheer audacity of folk to revel in evil while using religion as talisman

So true brother.

My younger brother's colleague @ their Aba branch was kidnapped late last year.when the guy was released a week or 2 later,he recounted how the kidnappers always prayed before they went out for more victims and even openly asserted that some of their partners in crime who were caught around that period met their Waterloo because they didn't pay tithe on their last loot.

Its sad to say but crooks can actually use our bible to justify any and every nefarious activity.they only need to cherry pick and quote enough verses out of context.

Narrow is the way indeed that leads to life and few there be that find it.

Ihedinobi: Exceptional post in all, my brother, but this bit up here is the crown jewel.

Grace be multiplied to you, my brother.

Amen my brother.
been away for awhile
cheers

I think we as Africans need to correct some wrong notions.Africa was called the dark continent by Europeans simply because they knew precious little about us then.Just like the dark ages in Europe were so called because learning and enlightenment was suppressed.

I thought it was only Africans that performed human sacrifices until i read up on history of some ancient European and American cultures.BBC knowledge on DSTV regularly runs documentaries on various cultures.Just watch it once and you'll know that atrocities of our forbears was child's play compared to the Caucasians we so much glorify today.The only difference is they came out of it early.

I was in the deliverance movement for 10 years plus and i didn't see the effect.Not until i changed my thinking and dealt with my fears did i start walking in the freedom i have as a new creature.Eph 6:10-18 tells us how to stand and be confident.Infact now i dont believe i was under any bondage then.i was just held bound by years of being told how powerful 'juju' is and also by my own poor decision making.It's this same poor decision making by our leaders that is plaguing the nation today and making Africans look like a bunch of schizophrenics.

Let you and i make a decision to become honest contented people who work for the good of the larger society like the Scandinavians and you'll see 'powers' and 'principalities' run out the window.At least the ones that plague our personal and national economy.

My bro, beautiful pics you have up there and i love the history too.

There are no so-called holy sites in Christianity.Every thing about the christian is important to God and holy(holy meanwhile simply means being separated to God).Remember we Christians are temples of the living God in which he dwells.What could be more 'holy' than that?

That site is no more special to God than your kitchen because Christ said 'where 2 or 3 are gathered in my name,there am i in the midst of them' even if it's in the toilet.

Please let us stop our veneration of people, places and relics.they are all shadows.Christ is the main thing

God bless you

@Ihedinobi

Your commentaries on the post are very deep.Finding a balance actually can be difficult if we are looking through the lens of the world.The bible says whatever we do,we should do to the glory of God and this should be our guiding thought.

I now believe too just like you said that the church 'cleverly' masks covetousness in her more popular sermons.When you keep hearing about how 'Christians' should pray and work towards taking over financial empires from 'gentiles', you have to ask the question: to what end? the ready answer will be to propagate the gospel and you'll wonder if we actually need all that money and more to actually spread the same gospel Paul lived and died for.

A true Christian must work since our God too worked and even an irresponsible man is compared to an infidel 1 Tim 5:8.We should however differentiate between honest God approved work and a desperate mindless pursuit of wealth.

I have indeed been blessed by all the contributions

frosbel: Then stop preaching the tithe and prosperity doctrine of MAMMON.

@frosbel

hmmm.....my bro,leave Bidam alone o

Bidam: yeah..the only thing we should actually covet is spiritual gifts.

@Bidam

True talk bro.We really need a change of perspective

you're right brother.Evangelism is telling people about Christ and the finished work on calvary.It is not inviting people to a 'church' building or getting a celebrity speaker to entertain.

We must tell them about the hope of salvation that keeps us going and trust the Lord to open their hearts like he did Lydia in Acts 16:14.

A good write up.God bless you

JeSoul: Word! but thing is we hardly take anyone's word for anything until we taste it ourselves lol. One preacher joked once that he has never seen a christian volunteer to be broke . So while many of us may preach it in theory, it is very difficult to walk out. But by the Grace of The Almighty, we shall! amen.

LOL @ the bolded.

That will be false humilty.We've however seen Christians willing to drop all they have to meet needs of needy people and also support the gospel.

We just need the right perspective to the wealth we are privileged to have.

Reyginus: A similar event happened few years ago in the catholic charismatic renewal movement .... The young man in question slipped a note reading, 'God said you are my wife' to a pretty young lady. The lady replied with the normal slang:'I will think about it'. On the next fellowship meeting she was to respond to the lie. This time it was the lady who did the 'slipping'. And what was written on the sheet of paper she passed him as we later found out was:'Before I agree, first of all, I'll have to ask my husband'.

That serves the wayo 'brother' right

JeSoul: I must have been around 10yrs old or so and a guy (in his 20s) who worked for my dad made this comment: "I will give up the rest of my life if I can be promised just 5 years of extreme wealth to live it up. I wouldn't mind at all"

Even in my small head, I knew there was something seriously wrong with someone who would choose wealth for a very short time in exchange for his life such is the love of money & material wealth, it is the root of all evil.

By God's grace, Proverbs 30 is the gold standard...

7"I ask two things from you, Lord. Don't refuse me before I die. 8 Keep me from lying and being dishonest. And don't make me either rich or poor; just give me enough food for each day. 9 If I have too much, I might reject you and say, 'I don't know the Lord.' If I am poor, I might steal and disgrace the name of my God.

@Jesoul

You know i believe there is a deeper reason why God made Solomon the richest and wisest man that ever lived.Maybe to make him use his wisdom to discover how empty wealth and a lifestyle of opulence really is and then sound the warning to the sons of men.He wrote the thesis of his research and experiments in Ecclesiastes.

If only Christendom will take time to study that book.

May God help us

[quote author=tpia@]good one.[/quote]God bless you plenty

Alwaystrue: Candour,
Another great message.
Indeed covetuousness (greed) leads to idolatry as you pursue after things rather than God. And the bible says it,

'What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul' Mark 8:36

Meanwhile we should rather seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and God will give us all we need.
Thanks OP, Keep them coming; we all need messages such as these.

Our Lord never lacked anything he needed.His needs(note NEEDS not WANTS) were met whenever they arose and we should trust him for same provision.He has asked us not to fear for we are of more value than many sparrows.

Phil 4:19
''But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus''

He has promised and surely he'll fulfill it

God bless you plenty

expertman: But Sir Guru Maraji Said the pastor use to visit him now?

Not holding brief for Kumuyi but seriously.....do you actually believe guru maharaji is sane enough for his assertions on this issue to matter?

BEWARE COVETOUSNESS

Col 3:5
“Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”

Covetousness is defined as ''generally, an unreasonable desire for what we do not possess'' it covers all things which are sought after inordinately.It can also mean ''extreme greed for material wealth''

Covetousness is without doubt a major vice which should not be named among Christians.It is evil and destructive.It ruins lives,families and even whole societies.The Christian is called to a life of simplicity but covetousness complicates it by diverting attention to things.The things money can buy become the sole reason why a professing Christian exists and this blights our relationship with our God.Col 3:5 calls it IDOLATORY and that is what it is.We begin to believe our lives are hopeless without the toys we think we deserve and we strive to get them and end up pushing God out of our lives.

1 John 2:15 says ''Love not the world,neither the things that are in the world.If any man love the world,the love of the Father is not in him'' This admonition has long left the radar of many a Christian as we now believe our proof of acceptance before God is hinged on how much of the world's goods we can boast of.We have forgotten the charge of our Christ in Luke 12:15''And he said unto them,Take heed,and beware of covetousness:for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth'' .The sad part is we even invoke the name of God to justify our mindless and selfish pursuit of possessions which ultimately does not satisfy ignoring the counsel of the Lord in Matt 6:19 ‘’Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth,where moth and rust doth corrupt,and where thieves break through and steal’’

Covetousness begins with craving,and then evolves into conniving to get what you want.Achan coveted 'glamorous' babylonian garments so much he stole.Ahab coveted Naboth's vineyard so much he became a murderer.Ananias and Saphira coveted praise of men so much and lied about the volume of their offering.We see another classic case of the dangers of covetousness in the case of Gehazi,the servant of Elisha.He got himself and his generations a curse of leprosy simply because he refused to tame his desires and lust for material goods.he told a lie to get it and got more than what he bargained for(2 Kings 5:20-27).A prophet is also not immune as we see in the story of Balaam the son of Beor(2 Pet 2:14-15).He was forbidding from cursing the isrealites by God but because of what Balak the king had promised him,he still found a way to get isreal into trouble by ensnaring them with immorality.He lost his life when isreal took vengeance on the midianites(Num 31:

In our contemporary world,covetousness leads us into various dangerous acts that bring ridicule and shame to the body of Christ then misery and pain to the larger society.We are witnesses to the harm corruption has done to our national psyche and it stems from covetousness.It robs us of our ability to empathize with the poor as we become conceited.It can lead to debt as we struggle to acquire things we cannot afford but believe we deserve and cant do without.we should remember Heb 13:5 ''Let your conversation(manner of living) be without covetousness:and be content with such things as ye have:for he hath said,i will never leave thee,nor forsake thee''

As Christians,our lives should advertise Christ in all his Holiness,purity,humility,beauty etc. We shouldn't be seen to be in competition with the world.Let the world look at us and see the gospel boldly proclaimed even before we open our mouths to speak.That is the gospel that is delivered with power and truly causes tremendous impact.We shouldn’t allow covetousness taint our testimony.It’s just not worth our souls.

A cliche goes thus: the greatest things in life are not things.If we think deeply, we'll find this is true.

God bless you

[quote author=i.chuka]John 20:20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
John 20:27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."
When we embrace His finished works on Calvary totally,Modesty becomes our daliy endeavours.
great write-up bro.[/quote]God bless you for your contribution my brother

[quote author=Akim_Omigie]Lies.


People are saved by grace, through faith, which is dead, without works.[/quote]so which works exactly are we talking about?

The country is tottering @ the edge of a precipice and our politicians are gallivanting from one reconciliation meeting to another merger committee all for the sake of extending their influence.Not once thinking about the well-being of the nation they so shamelessly loot and molest.

Boko boys in the North,MEND in the South-south.I dont pray for MASSOB to start o because they'll have good reason to.

A group of leaders that can't look terrorism in the face and call it by it's proper name have no business in Govt.

Atimes i wonder if Democracy is meant to be practiced by every country particularly black africans.We all know next to nothing about the rights of a citizen in a true democracy.

Its sad...so so sad

What??!!!!!

sad sad sad

This thing called depression is on the increase.It's terrible.

condolences to the pastor and his family

1 Cor 10:23
''All things are lawful for me,but all things are not expedient:all things are lawful for me,but all things edify not''

1 Cor 10:32
''Give none offense,neither to the Jews,nor to the gentiles,nor to the church of God''

1 Cor 8:9
''But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to them that are weak''

Gal 5:13
''For,brethren,ye have been called unto liberty:only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh,but by love serve one another''

Gal 5:22-23
''But the fruit of the Spirit is love,joy,peace,long-suffering,gentleness,goodness,faith,meekness,temperance(self control): against such there is no law''

Bro Goshen360,
lets assume that definition has always been the problem as you said,dont you think indulging yourself runs contrary to the spirit of the above scriptures? Name me one culture in Africa that doesn't frown at intimacy before formalisation of marriage even before Christianity came into Africa.

I keep asking,what should prevent a Spirit filled brother who knows he's meant to be an example of good character to gentiles around from formalising the union @a church,registry or traditional setting before he starts enjoying with his spouse? No scripture condemns smoking,does it mean i can go ahead and smoke?

What is needed is simply self control.will doing it before marriage increase my righteousness or make me more effective in the service of God? It has no single benefit to me or to the household of faith so why should i try to find a reason to indulge in it?

Our society,our law,our senses tell us we are not married until formalized,lets wait and fulfill all righteousness to avoid scorn and ridicule on the body of Christ.

waiting wont kill anyone.It qualifies as self denial which our Christ advocates

frosbel: Jesus tasted death for all MEN, he wills that all MEN will repent and that none should perish.

The doctrine that suggests that GOD has predestined some to perish even before they are born is contrary to the spirit of scripture and totally false.

i agree with this bro frosbel.i dont believe in predestination, but God being OMNISCIENT, i believe he knows those who would eventually be saved.He gave us freewill to choose but he knows those who will reject salvation and those who'll accept it.

Alwaystrue: @Image,
And where did you enter all this while? Don't you know you should even be modest in disappearance?

Now there was an article I wanted us to discuss. I posted it on the thread below, in continuation of the Spirit of the Law:

https://www.nairaland.com/1248423/shocking-revelation-sunday-worshrp


How can we discuss this as I am not really a fan of opening new threads on issues? Can we just look for an old thread that is not active again and revive it to discuss it?

@Candour, thanks for the 'too much' prayers. When is the next message coming now.

@the bolded
dont worry sister,you'll see it soonest

Image123: Already did the bolded oh, though it was taken in the wrong light for its purpose. frosb was even quick(as is his custom) to make accusations. Apologies to those irritated. If you want 'preaching', well let me say one line.
Philippians 4:5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.
Moderation should not be mistaken for austerity, there is a thin line.

like you said,there is actually a thin line between moderation and austerity which means you can easily mistake one for the other.i think that that relationship is conveyed in

Titus 2:2
''That the aged men be sober,grave,temperate,sound in faith,in charity,in patience''

the bolded are almost conveying an austere lifestyle but i guess we have to find balance through the spirit of contentment and being able to differentiate between needs and wants.

@frosbel and @Ihedinobi....i'm learning bible from you guys today o....so please dont abandon the thread please.Also i know you guys come a long way and are quite used to the banter so i wont interfere.i have questions for both of you.here goes

@frosbel,see this verse again

Eph 1:13
''In whom ye also trusted,after that ye heard the word of truth,the gospel of your salvation:in whom also after that ye believed,ye were SEALED with that Holy Spirit of promise''

Can i get an explanation of what being sealed there means?

@Ihedinobi,

If truly we're SAVED once and for all,What should stop me from indulging myself willingly in ungodliness? remember we are still in this body of flesh that is still subject to corruption according to Romans 8:20-22 while waiting for it's redemption according to Romans 8:23 and Eph 1:14

Thanks in anticipation

frosbel: A Christian can draw back to perdition, its in the bible

you know my brother,that is why i quoted Eph 1:13 and highlighted the Sealing part.i guess i still need to do more study

frosbel: But grace is not a license to SIN

Exactly my brother

Romans 6:1-2
''What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin,that grace may abound? God forbid..........''

We can't continue in sin because by the help of the Holy Spirit,we are dead to sin.If sin still comes naturally to a professed Christian,he/she needs to check himself.