₦airaland Forum

Jesus talked about people who are poor towards God. Sometimes,the greed that rage in the hearts of men tend to make some think that they do God a favour by giving to the cause of the kingdom. Sometimes,it may be an unwitting expression of lack of love for anything God and Godly and innate opposition to divine counsel.

There is an interesting parallel between paul's writings and that of other great christians throughout the church age. Try reading the writings of great followers of Christ such as Watchman Nee,Charles Spurgeon and even our contemporaries Miles Munroe and Gbile Akanni. You can't help the feeling that such writing are not from men but from God. The similarity is in the concord with the words of Christ and expounding it as authority. There messages were all the same theme; the crucified Christ and its meaning and benefit to man.

Paraphrased,Gal 2:20 goes this way, I am crucified with Christ yet I live,yet not I,the life I live in the flesh is lived in the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. The fact of christianity is that when a man gives up his self life of flesh to God through Christ in sacrifice,such individual doesn't need to quote the letter(bible) continually even though it is the authority because Christ will be the one speaking through the person. Remember that the Word of God is God,His name is Jesus. He is the one that gave the letter (the bible) but He is the Spirit that dwells and speaks through the believer,even NEW things. But the 'new' thing MUST be in concord with the letter(bible). That is why Jesus said that the flesh count for nothing,this word I speak unto you are spirit and life. So it was the indwelling Christ that spoke through paul because his flesh(self life) had been crucified with Christ. It has been the trend through the church age. Even now,any believer that heeds this words in Rom 12:1-2,will experience the same Christ formed in their lives,that scripture says,brethren,in view of God's mercies offer yourselves as a living sacrifice,holy and acceptable to God. This is your eternal act of worship. The essence of christianity is that God (Christ) be formed in man . It means that God became a Man (Christ) for man to become like God (Christ). This is the new creation and why the Lord,through Christ said in Rom 6 that just as Christ was raised from the dead by that glorious demonstration of the Father's glory,so we also ought to walk in the newness of life. This new life is what made paul an oracle,not speaking his own words most of the time,but the words of the living Christ.
Peace!

Jesus said we should lay up treasures for ourselves in heaven where thieves do not break in to steal and moth do not destroy. The mistake of today's christianity is the feeling and belief that once you are saved that your works do not matter forgetting that judgement is based on works. Note that the judgement of unbelievers is based on belief for whosoever does not believe in the Son is condemned already. But for the believer,it is based on works which is why the scripture says that everyman's work shall be tested by fire and if such works were destroyed,the fellow will be saved but just like one from the fire. Jesus advised us to tithe when he said that you bring your thithe and offerings but overlook the more important aspects of the law such as justice and mercy,when He added,you should have done the latter without neglecting the former. In other words tithing should not be neglected by the believer. Jesus delivers from the curse of the law NOT from the curse of disobedience of the law for the bible says that God condemned sin in sinful man that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit. Note that the christian life is a higher one that meets and surpasses the righteous requirement of the law. That is why Jesus said 'be ye perfect as your heavenly father is perfect'. People discouraging believers from tithing just because there are coveteous pastors are not helping the cause of God's kingdom because whether you like it or not,it is an injunction from God in both testaments. You do not realize that Gods Word rings true physically and spiritually because you are looking at the temporal because one greedy pastor is after your money forgetting that what counts is God's records of your works with which He will reward you for all eternity. That's why the scripture admonishes us to fix our eyes above where Jesus is seated in heavenly places and to invest our treasures in heaven. Your givings;tithe,offerings,services to God-in and outside the church are your investment for eternity not just for the temporal material 'blessings' because the true rewards are in the life to come. God is a rewarder of every service,gift,work and love of the believer. That is why in the parable of the talent,He rewarded a servant with ten cities,another with five and yet another with none,each according to his work (in the kingdom)-emphasis mine. On that day,that is how it will be,some believers will get nothing because they invested nothing in the kingdom because another human being discouraged them. Because they were looking at one coveteous pastor. God is just and will not reward you with another man's work,investment,service or in this case,tithe. If you are heading towards heaven,invest there and never allow any take your crown. It is more blessed to give than to receive.
PEACE!

Jesus said we should lay up treasures for ourselves in heaven where thieves do not break in to steal and moth do not destroy. The mistake of today's christianity is the feeling and belief that once you are saved that your works do not matter forgetting that judgement is based on works. Note that the judgement of unbelievers is based on belief for whosoever does not believe in the Son is condemned already. But for the believer,it is based on works which is why the scripture says that everyman's work shall be tested by fire and if such works were destroyed,the fellow will be saved but just like one from the fire. Jesus advised us to tithe when he said that you bring your thithe and offerings but overlook the more important aspects of the law such as justice and mercy,when He added,you should have done the latter without neglecting the former. In other words tithing should not be neglected by the believer. Jesus delivers from the curse of the law NOT from the curse of disobedience of the law for the bible says that God condemned sin in sinful man that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit. Note that the christian life is a higher one that meets and surpasses the righteous requirement of the law. That is why Jesus said 'be ye perfect as your heavenly father is perfect'. People discouraging believers from tithing just because there are coveteous pastors are not helping the cause of God's kingdom because whether you like it or not,it is an injunction from God in both testaments. You do not realize that Gods Word rings true physically and spiritually because you are looking at the temporal because one greedy pastor is after your money forgetting that what counts is God's records of your works with which He will reward you for all eternity. That's why the scripture admonishes us to fix our eyes above where Jesus is seated in heavenly places and to invest our treasures in heaven. Your givings;tithe,offerings,services to God-in and outside the church are your investment for eternity not just for the temporal material 'blessings' because the true rewards are in the life to come. God is a rewarder of every service,gift,work and love of the believer. That is why in the parable of the talent,He rewarded a servant with ten cities,another with five and yet another with none. On that day,that is how it will be,some believers will get nothing because they invested nothing in the kingdom because another human being discouraged them. Because they were looking at one coveteous pastor. God is just and will not reward you with another man's work,investment,service or in this case,tithe. If you are heading towards heaven,invest there and never allow any take your crown. It is more blessed to give than to receive.
PEACE!

I adored my last two sisters' appearance simply because they never used weaveons which I have odium for,unfortunately,in the last couple of years,when they became undergraduates they also joined the bandwagon. One of them even told me that her fiance doesn't like it as well and it gets me wondering why our girls are in love with this rather unfortunate alien culture. For me, I won't touch a lady with a weaveon with a mile long pole apparently because it looks odd on the African,extremely odd perhaps. I confess I have nothing against a permed hair and braids because they look instinctively neater,and create an aura of meticlousness on the lady. Moreso,the fact that weaveons are more loosely bound,there's a higher tendency of fall offs making them more messy and unhygienic.I remember seeing it in a plate of rice years ago while eating in an uncle's house,not a strand but a bunch. A case of avoidable embarassment for the family. I think our young women should really review this hair extensions culture. It is neither aesthetically nor hygienically acceptable to me. At least in my own little world.

I went from feeling aghast to amazement and now amusement at this thread,and a portion of the scripture came to my mind,it says that in a great house,there are vessels unto honour and vessels unto dishonour;vessels of gold,silver,iron,wood and clay,some for noble uses while some for ignoble,that if a man cleanses himself from the latter,ie ignoble,he is made a vessel,fit for the Master's use. It is really pathetic that a thread on a public figure's misdemeanor could degenerate to a vehicle for ethnic aspersion. It is not debatable that there could be no Nigeria without the Igbos,neither will there be one without the yorubas. That these great nationalities could sire small minded bigots is not surprising,what is curious is what fans the embers of hatred between these peripheral members of these ethnic groups that are undoubtably Nigeria's finest. Could you imagine Nigeria's greats like Nnamdi Azikiwe,an Igbo,and Wole Soyinka,a Yoruba,exhibiting the rascality of small mindedness I've just seen on this thread. A case of two great houses having a few ignoble vessels. My case is rested.

Yeah,hair extentions in ladies are repugnant to me too. I feel the more natural a lady is the better.

Ok wise guys. God does not exist,Jesus a fiction right? What happens if you die and find out that the bible is true? Beg the same God you despised with your life for a second chance? It'd be late,too late then.

If you are a CHRISTian,then who are you supposed to seek HIS opinion?

Hmm,the way some of you guys sound,it's a if promiscuity is a virtue. Well, I'd prefer to marry as a virgin not to impress anyone but because someone is in charge of the universe and He makes the rules. Looks like you guys are more powerful than He and will stop Him casting all fornicators into the fires of hell.

My dear friends,if you do not believe in Jesus,you will be burning in hell in the next few decades,and hell never gets cooler but hotter. You burn there for a hundred,thousand million yrs and unimaginable forever

The scriptures made it clear that heaven has records of every deed or action of every man and every thought of the heart,be it good or evil from birth to death.Rev 20:12-"I saw the dead,great and small,standing before God,and the books were opened,including the Book of Life,and the dead were judged according to the things written in the books,each according to what he had done.V15 And if anyone's name was not found written in the Book of Life,such was thrown into the Lake of fire."
From the above scriptures,it is clear that the most important book in which a person ought to ensure that his name is found in, is that Book of Life. But the question is,can a person's name,once written, be removed from the Book of Life?
As we have established,a person's name is written in heaven when He encounters and receives Christ Jesus as Master and Saviour. In other words,every follower of Christ MUST be Born Again before they are empowered with the ability to become christ-like or christian. Jesus said to His disciples "do not rejoice that the devils are subject to you but rejoice that your name is written in heaven". Such was Judas Iscariot,I mean, he was actually born again and his name,written in heaven before sin was found in him,leading him to betray Jesus .So What do you think happened to his name when sin overtook him? Of course,God removed it from the Book of Life.God's dealings with Moses explains further. "So Moses returned to the Lord and said,'oh,these people have sinned a great sin,and have made for themselves god of gold.Yet now if you will only forgive their sin-and if not,then blot me out of the book you have written'.And the Lord replied Moses 'whoever has sinned against me will be blotted out of my book"-Ex 32:31-33.God sure is both a WRITER and an 'ERASER'. You can see from this text that as early as the old testament,Moses and possibly others who knew God truly already knew that God was keeping records of the lives of men,that nothing was hidden in the sight of Him who dwells in unapproachable light, and that sin and disobedience causes a blotting out or erasure of a person's name from the all important Book of Life. Born Again has become a mantra with which many in the church give themselves false hope of assurance of redemption even when they continue in their sins. Many pastors fail to tell their congregation that unless they overcome sin,that they have no part in the kingdom of heaven simply because the pastor himself is still struggling with sin;anger,hatred,evil thought,etc and therefore does not believe in the overcoming life that Christ alone gives. One fact that you cannot wish away is that sin,no matter how small,will prevent a man,even a man born again,from entering into the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is meant for the believer who overcomes the flesh with its sinful desires and nature,the world and the way they do their things and the devil. Another scripture that implies that a believer's name could be removed from the book of Life because of sin is Rev 2:5 -"Think about those times of your first love(how different now!) And turn back to me again and work as you did before,or else I will come and remove your candlestick from its place among the churches."In Rev 3:5 it says "Everyone who conquers will be clothed in white,and I will not erase his name from the book of Life,but I will announce before my Father and His angels that he is mine". That is clear enough. As I earlier stated the church recognised by God is not the one your eyes see, but the church within the church,those in the church within the church are those whose names are in the Book of Life.But sin takes a man out of that church,even though he may remain in the outer 'church' who are going nowhere, for Christ said that "whosoever commits sin is a slave to sin,now the slave has no permanent place in the house,but the son abides in it forever". In other words,the church within the church is comprised of sons who are free from the entanglements of sin and have their names written in heaven while those outside this church is made up of slaves,slaves who are not free to live in the liberty that Christ gives,slaves in the chains and bondage of sin,slaves under the command of another master; sin and consequently,satan. Dear Christian,dear believer,pastor,choirmaster, only one thing can root you out of the kingdom of heaven and make you lose your place among those who are sanctified by faith in Christ Jesus,only one thing; S-I-N. My prayer for you and me is that the Lord give us understanding to live continually and till the end,the Overcoming Life. And that our candlesticks continually remain in the prescence of the King. That is my prayer,in Jesus mighty name. Amen.
Peace!

Thanks Natasha. But I didn't see Celine Dion in your list. She's supposed to be one of them. You know them by their music. The spirit of lust and violence.

There is a song that goes along this line;
O my Lord is writing all the time, my Lord is writing all the time, for He sees all you do and He hears all you say, my Lord is writing all the time.
The scriptures made it clear that heaven has records of every deed or action of every man and every thought of the heart,be it good or evil from birth to death.Rev 20:12-"I saw the dead,great and small,standing before God,and the books were opened,including the Book of Life,and the dead were judged according to the things written in the books,each according to what he had done.V15 And if anyone's name was not found written in the Book of Life,such was thrown into the Lake of fire."
From the above scriptures,it is clear that the most important book in which a person ought to ensure that his name is found in, is that Book of Life. But the question is,can a person's name,once written, be removed from the Book of Life?
As we have established,a person's name is written in heaven when He encounters and receives Christ Jesus as Master and Saviour. In other words,every follower of Christ MUST be Born Again before they are empowered with the ability to become christ-like or christian. Jesus said to His disciples "do not rejoice that the devils are subject to you but rejoice that your name is written in heaven". Such was Judas Iscariot,I mean, he was actually born again and his name,written in heaven before sin was found in him,leading him to betray Jesus .So What do you think happened to his name when sin overtook him? Of course,God removed it from the Book of Life.God's dealings with Moses explains further. "So Moses returned to the Lord and said,'oh,these people have sinned a great sin,and have made for themselves god of gold.Yet now if you will only forgive their sin-and if not,then blot me out of the book you have written'.And the Lord replied Moses 'whoever has sinned against me will be blotted out of my book"-Ex 32:31-33.You can see from this text that as early as the old testament,Moses and possibly others who knew God truly already knew that God was keeping records of the lives of men,that nothing was hidden in the sight of Him who dwells in unapproachable light, and that sin and disobedience causes a blotting out or erasure of a person's name from the all important Book of Life. Born Again has become a mantra with which many in the church give themselves false hope of assurance of redemption even when they continue in their sins. Many pastors fail to tell their congregation that unless they overcome sin,that they have no part in the kingdom of heaven simply because the pastor himself is still struggling with sin;anger,hatred,evil thought,etc and therefore does not believe in the overcoming life that Christ alone gives. One fact that you cannot wish away is that sin,no matter how small,will prevent a man,even a man born again,from entering into the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is meant for the believer who overcomes the flesh with its sinful desires and nature,the world and the way they do their things and the devil. Another scripture that implies that a believer's name could be removed from the book of Life because of sin is Rev 2:5 -"Think about those times of your first love(how different now!) And turn back to me again and work as you did before,or else I will come and remove your candlestick from its place among the churches."In Rev 3:5 it says "Everyone who conquers will be clothed in white,and I will not erase his name from the book of Life,but I will announce before my Father and His angels that he is mine". That is clear enough. As I earlier stated the church recognised by God is not the one your eyes see, but the church within the church,those in the church within the church are those whose names are in the Book of Life.But sin takes a man out of that church,even though he may remain in the outer 'church' who are going nowhere, for Christ said that "whosoever commits sin is a slave to sin,now the slave has no permanent place in the house,but the son abides in it forever". In other words,the church within the church is comprised of sons who are free from the entanglements of sin and have their names written in heaven while those outside this church is made up of slaves,slaves who are not free to live in the liberty that Christ gives,slaves in the chains and bondage of sin,slaves under the command of another master; sin and consequently,satan. Dear Christian,dear believer,pastor,choirmaster, only one thing can root you out of the kingdom of heaven and make you lose your place among those who are sanctified by faith in Christ Jesus,only one thing; S-I-N. My prayer for you and me is that the Lord give us understanding to live continually and till the end,the Overcoming Life. And that our candlesticks continually remain in the prescence of the King. That is my prayer,in Jesus mighty name. Amen.
Peace!

There is a song that goes along this line;
O my Lord is writing all the time, my Lord is writing all the time, for He sees all you do and He hears all you say, my Lord is writing all the time.
The scriptures made it clear that heaven has records of every deed or action of every man and every thought of the heart,be it good or evil from birth to death.Rev 20:12-"I saw the dead,great and small,standing before God,and the books were opened,including the Book of Life,and the dead were judged according to the things written in the books,each according to what he had done.V15 And if anyone's name was not found written in the Book of Life,such was thrown into the Lake of fire."
From the above scriptures,it is clear that the most important book in which a person ought to ensure that his name is found in, is that Book of Life. But the question is,can a person's name,once written, be removed from the Book of Life?
As we have established,a person's name is written in heaven when He encounters and receives Christ Jesus as Master and Saviour. In other words,every follower of Christ MUST be Born Again before they are empowered with the ability to become christ-like or christian. Jesus said to His disciples "do not rejoice that the devils are subject to you but rejoice that your name is written in heaven". Such was Judas Iscariot,I mean, he was actually born again and his name,written in heaven before sin was found in him,leading him to betray Jesus .So What do you think happened to his name when sin overtook him? Of course,God removed it from the Book of Life.God's dealings with Moses explains further. "So Moses returned to the Lord and said,'oh,these people have sinned a great sin,and have made for themselves god of gold.Yet now if you will only forgive their sin-and if not,then blot me out of the book you have written'.And the Lord replied Moses 'whoever has sinned against me will be blotted out of my book"-Ex 32:31-33.You can see from this text that as early as the old testament,Moses and possibly others who knew God truly already knew that God was keeping records of the lives of men,that nothing was hidden in the sight of Him who dwells in unapproachable light, and that sin and disobedience causes a blotting out or erasure of a person's name from the all important Book of Life. Born Again has become a mantra with which many in the church give themselves false hope of assurance of redemption even when they continue in their sins. Many pastors fail to tell their congregation that unless they overcome sin,that they have no part in the kingdom of heaven simply because the pastor himself is still struggling with sin;anger,hatred,evil thought,etc and therefore does not believe in the overcoming life that Christ alone gives. One fact that you cannot wish away is that sin,no matter how small,will prevent a man,even a man born again,from entering into the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is meant for the believer who overcomes the flesh with its sinful desires and nature,the world and the way they do their things and the devil. Another scripture that implies that a believer's name could be removed from the book of Life because of sin is Rev 2:5 -"Think about those times of your first love(how different now!) And turn back to me again and work as you did before,or else I will come and remove your candlestick from its place among the churches."In Rev 3:5 it says "Everyone who conquers will be clothed in white,and I will not erase his name from the book of Life,but I will announce before my Father and His angels that he is mine". That is clear enough. As I earlier stated the church recognised by God is not the one your eyes see, but the church within the church,those in the church within the church are those whose names are in the Book of Life.But sin takes a man out of that church,even though he may remain in the outer 'church' who are going nowhere, for Christ said that "whosoever commits sin is a slave to sin,now the slave has no permanent place in the house,but the son abides in it forever". In other words,the church within the church is comprised of sons who are free from the entanglements of sin and have their names written in heaven while those outside this church is made up of slaves,slaves who are not free to live in the liberty that Christ gives,slaves in the chains and bondage of sin,slaves under the command of another master; sin and consequently,satan. Dear Christian,dear believer,pastor,choirmaster, only one thing can root you out of the kingdom of heaven and make you lose your place among those who are sanctified by faith in Christ Jesus,only one thing; S-I-N. My prayer for you and me is that the Lord give us understanding to live continually and till the end,the Overcoming Life. And that our candlesticks continually remain in the prescence of the King. That is my prayer,in Jesus mighty name. Amen.
Peace!

Sometimes,I hear believers and unbelievers alike argue about the churches doing the will of God and those who have derailed. The truth is,only one church is right before God and that church in itself is neither denominational nor congregational. It is the church,within the church and its membership spans every tribe,tongue,people and land.
"For you have come to mount zion,the city of the living God,and thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly and to the church of the first born,whose names are written in heaven,to God,the judge of all and to the spirit of righteous men made perfect,and to Jesus Christ,the mediator of the new convenant and the sprinkled blood that speaks better things than the blood of Abel"-Heb 12:22-24.
From the scriptures,we can see that the church as known and recognised by God comprises of men and women on earth whose names are written in heaven. It also comprises of the elders who have gone to be with the Lord,now waiting for us to overcome and come into heaven. From the foregoing,it is obvious that whichever congregation you belong to or doctrine,you defend,the most important question you should ask yourself is "is my name written in heaven?" Are you sure your name is written in heaven? If it is then you are blessed indeed for that is true blessing. One falsehood
Preached by so-called men of God in churches today is the equation of material and financial acquisition to blessing and giving men impression that God is happy with them because of physical endowment. There are many going about playing church,bearing pastor,bearing anglican,redeemer,winner etc. But the truth is,your physical church is not what God recognizes, but the church within your church comprising people whose names are written in heaven. They may be two,ten or a hundred in number even if nominally,you have fifty thousand as membership. The sad thing about the church is that there are many whose names have been removed from the records of heaven and on the broad road to hell and yet,they do not know it. It is the tragedy of creation that today,the world,all the world is condemned before God,yet many that think they are part of the church stand condemned with the world because of sin."Don't you know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God, " Do not be decieved my friend,ask Jesus to open your eyes,the eye of your spirit to know the truth,if you gain this understanding by knowing the word of God for yourself and not because someone is telling you about Him,then are you blessed. You must know Jesus for yourself. For a man to be part of the church within the church,such must be born again and, hold it! being born again is just the beginning not an end in itself,for without holiness,no eye shall see the Lord.
Peace!

Sometimes,I hear believers and unbelievers alike argue about the churches doing the will of God and those who have derailed. The truth is,only one church is right before God and that church in itself is neither denominational nor congregational. It is the church,within the church and its membership spans every tribe,tongue,people and land.
"For you have come to mount zion,the city of the living God,and thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly and to the church of the first born,whose names are written in heaven,to God,the judge of all and to the spirit of righteous men made perfect,and to Jesus Christ,the mediator of the new convenant and the sprinkled blood that speaks better things than the blood of Abel"-Heb 12:22-24.
From the scriptures,we can see that the church as known and recognised by God comprises of men and women on earth whose names are written in heaven. It also comprises of the elders who have gone to be with the Lord,now waiting for us to overcome and come into heaven. From the foregoing,it is obvious that whichever congregation you belong to or doctrine,you defend,the most important question you should ask yourself is "is my name written in heaven?" Are you sure your name is written in heaven? If it is then you are blessed indeed for that is true blessing. One falsehood
Preached by so-called men of God in churches today is the equation of material and financial acquisition to blessing and giving men impression that God is happy with them because of physical endowment. There are many going about playing church,bearing pastor,bearing anglican,redeemer,winner etc. But the truth is,your physical church is not what God recognizes, but the church within your church comprising people whose names are written in heaven. They may be two,ten or a hundred in number even if nominally,you have fifty thousand as membership. The sad thing about the church is that there are many whose names have been removed from the records of heaven and on the broad road to hell and yet,they do not know it. It is the tragedy of creation that today,the world,all the world is condemned before God,yet many that think they are part of the church stand condemned with the world because of sin."Don't you know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God, " Do not be decieved my friend,ask Jesus to open your eyes,the eye of your spirit to know the truth,if you gain this understanding by knowing the word of God for yourself and not because someone is telling you about Him,then are you blessed. You must know Jesus for yourself. For a man to be part of the church within the church,such must be born again and, hold it! being born again is just the beginning not an end in itself,for without holiness,no eye shall see the Lord.
Peace!

A widow said something that got me thinking some days ago. She called herself "just a priviledged dust". How true. Have you considered the fact that God had the discretion to make us human beings or leave us as the dust of the earth from which we were taken. I can't help wondering why the Lord God decided to make me a man,and in His image instead of mere dust. As if that is not enough,from the womb,He brought me safely into this world while many of like passion were stillborn. On earth,He nurtured me with food and water which I take for granted.
Food- the same food I eat everyday. It has dawned on me even cost God something to prepare for me. If He didn't send rain in due season,how would the farmer's crop yield. Without His sun shinning,what would make the seed grow into a plant. Without the strength He gave the sons of men,who would have prepared the yields of the farm for me to eat.
And water,
As if He hasn't done enough,He added "and I will bless your food and water,and remove sicknesses from you".
Yet I have eaten and drank and have been satisfied and sometimes taken His provision for granted and without thanksgiving to Jehovah Jireh.
I can't help but think about the poor of the earth who do not get in a week,what I feed on in a day. Yet,many are more thankful than I.

Lord,make me realize that my life is a book that will be read all eternity,make me realize that I can make amends this side of eternity,make me conscious that my days are numbered and while I yet can to always,always lift up my eyes in thanksgiving to the King who has given me so,so much.
Peace!

By Audrey Barrick

In admittedly his most difficult sermon in 15 years of ministry, Seattle pastor Mark Driscoll made it abundantly clear that hell is real and is the destination for those who don't trust in Jesus.

"Let me say it clearly, , plainly, , loudly: You are in danger. Without Jesus, you go to hell," the Reformed pastor told thousands at Mars Hill Church this past weekend.

Driscoll was preaching from the sixteenth chapter of the Gospel of Luke – a New Testament book that he has been going over for the past year and a half with his church. But what made the sermon even more timely and that much more urgent was the recent debate on hell in light of the release of Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived, by Grandville, Mich., pastor Rob Bell.

Bell, who has been accused of heresy and preaching universalism, has made media rounds during his book tour this month. In a visit to MSNBC, the popular author was pushed four times by host Martin Bashir on the question of eternal destiny after receiving unsatisfying answers – or rather, unclear ones.

"Is it irrelevant about how one responds to Christ in this life in terms of determining one's eternal destiny?" asked Bashir, who also accused the author of amending the Gospel so that it's palatable.

"It is terribly relevant and terribly important. Now, how exactly that works out and how exactly that works out in the future, we are now when you die firmly in the realm of speculation," Bell replied.

"You have to be very careful that we don't build whole doctrines and dogma about what is speculation."

Without naming names, Driscoll, author of Doctrine: What Christians Should Believe, expressed profound concern over false teachings and messages that proclaim anything other than salvation through Jesus Christ.

"It greatly disturbs me when well-known pastors and preachers and authors get invited onto television , when the world is listening to them, the interviewer inquires of them 'if you don't believe in Jesus are you going to hell?' and they squirm or they change the subject or they appeal to the emotions or they tell a story, they do anything but say 'yes, if you don't know Jesus you go to hell,'" the 40-year-old pastor said.

"Friends, this is the most serious of matters," he told the congregation. "I'm not the judge but there are pastors that are going to hell. So be careful who you trust."

For Driscoll, there is no ambiguity in Jesus' teachings about heaven and hell.

Stressing throughout his sermon that his job is to tell the truth, Driscoll pointed to Jesus' teachings on the hard-to-stomach issue of hell.

Jesus, he said, speaks of hell more than anyone in the entire Bible. Roughly 13 percent of his teachings and half of his parables are in reference to hell, judgment, or punishment, Driscoll noted.

"Some say Jesus is so loving, certainly Jesus doesn't believe in hell. I would say the most loving person who has ever lived not only believes in hell but clearly, emphatically, repeatedly teaches on it, which must mean that our sin is more damnable than we can fathom if it requires the most loving person to speak in the most stark of terms," he pointed out.

"The existence of hell, the instruction by Jesus of hell should reveal to us how sinful sin truly is and how rebellious we really are."

From the get-go, Driscoll, who was raised a Catholic before converting at age 19, rejected as false several popular positions people hold about death and the afterlife, including naturalism (no soul), universalism (all or almost all go to heaven), belief in reincarnation (multiple, successive lives), annihilationism (suffer in hell a while but eventually cease to exist), and belief in purgatory (temporary punishment and ultimately going to heaven).

Making clear what Jesus made clear, the Seattle pastor known for his no-holds-barred attitude said everyone who doesn't know Jesus will go to hell.

"Have you received Jesus? Have you trusted in Jesus? If not, you are in the path of the wrath of God. You are headed to the conscious eternal torments of hell," he asserted.

Quoting Jesus, Driscoll underscored, "'No one comes to the Father but by me.' No one. No one. Buddhism, no. Hinduism, no. New Ageism, no. Mormonism, no. Jehovah's Witnessism, no. Nice people, no. Good people, no. Generous people, no. Religious people, no."

"There is no salvation apart from him (Jesus)!" he exclaimed.

Regarding a second chance after death, Driscoll stated plainly that there is no second chance.

"Your eternal destiny is sealed upon your death. This life is your only opportunity," he preached.

"I'm going to bury a lot of people. So for me, this is not just heartless academic speculation," he stressed. "It's heartfelt pastoral affection."

"I'm really worried about some of you," he said as he became teary-eyed. “I love you. I can't have your blood on my hands.”

While some try to elevate one attribute of God over another (such as love), Driscoll noted that while God is love the Bible speaks more of His holiness than anything else.

"God is love, and whatever God does is loving. God is also just. God is also holy," he said. "Our God is also simultaneously, perfectly a God of wrath. Not just our God but the only God.

"God is holy. If we do not repent, we are in the path of His wrath."

It is in love, however, that God sent Jesus "as our substitute, to go to the cross and give us eternal life," Driscoll added.

Responding to questions about why God would create people if their future is hell, Driscoll stated, "People go to hell because they reject Jesus. We are in no way innocent."

"This is not the world as God made it. This is the world as we have corrupted it," he explained.

He continued, "What is astonishing is God would become a man to live in the world as we have destroyed it."

The wrath of God was poured out on Jesus, he added, so that it may be diverted from us.

"That is the gift of salvation. That is the love of God."

In one illustration, Driscoll stated, "It makes perfect sense to me that a convicted criminal goes to prison. Similarly, it makes perfect sense that a condemned sinner goes to hell."

Hell, he noted, was made for the devil and his angels who rebelled against God. And just as prison was made to protect the rest of the public, hell was made to "protect us."

"You need not go there. Trust in Jesus."

Regarding what hell is like, the illustration in Luke reveals a place of torment with flames. It's like being trapped in a burning building forever, Driscoll said.

Jesus also uses as illustration a place outside Jerusalem called Gehenna. There, children were murdered and sacrificed by fire to false demon gods.

It was a cursed place that became a garbage dump of the city where worms were always feasting and flames were always burning.

Near the end of his sermon, Driscoll pleaded with the congregation not to judge God.

"We have three-pound fallen brains. We have sinful dispositions. We have only been around for a few short years. We are not all knowing," he pointed out.

"For us to sit on a throne even if it is an academic throne propped up by footnotes, asking the Creator of heaven and earth to pass before us that we might render a verdict regarding His holiness and justice is how all the trouble began in the first place."

Driscoll urged the congregation and other listeners online to make a decision – eternal life or eternal death.

"You're still alive so I'm pleading with you. Make your decision while you're still alive."

In this age of compromise by many churches and abundant iniquity. The words of Jesus still rings true, "be careful,lest thine heart be weighed down by drunkeness,dissipation and cares of this life and the day comes upon you like a thief". With so many ungodly pastors whose belly is their God in Nigeria,it is even harder for the belivers to grasp the truth which is now rare to come by. This is clearly a fulfilment of the Lord's word which says that a time shall come when He will bring a famine on the land,not a famine of food and water but of the Word of God. Dear pastor,are you more interested in the tithe and offering or the souls of men. Interested in the latest trends,doctrines,toys of this world-cars,approval of men at the expense of the souls of men. Your own soul may be be irretrievably lost,but,what of the hundreds whose souls are hungry for the Lords bread whom you have denied a place in God's kingdom because you have been deluded by the devil. Arise now and cry unto the master before it is late. Then quickly stop your white washed sermons of God's blessings unto a hell bound congregation because the Spirit of God calls it a lie. That your members are getting material and financial benefits does not in any way mean that the Lord is happy with them,or you either. For "He has opened His arms and filled every living creature with good things" and "causes the sun to shine on the righteous and the unrighteous". Repent Pastor and feed your Lord's flock with heavenly manna which is able to save their souls,stop being a white- washed tomb,not entering the kingdom and preventing hungry souls who come to feed from your altar week after week from entering. Go back to the Lord in your closet,sit at his feet and receive before giving.Souls are tired of your "blessing" and "success" messages.For the money-currency of heaven is Christ.

I am aghast at our ignorance,I mean many of us christians don't seem to understand that the 21st century believer in Jesus Christ have no business not making it to glory. I mean,with the array of resources which the Lord has made available in this age,there is no reason why the church should slumber,especially,the church in Nigeria. Have you thought of the potential of the internet,the MP3,ipod,ipad 1 and 2,your downloadable bible,the cassette player in your car,the mobile phone,your television,to be used by the Lord to make you "lay hold of the life that is truly life". Can you ponder for a minute,how you have put these to use in building the spirit man,your spirit man and that of your brethren. Have you considered that father Abraham had none of these,yet he walked with the Lord,and was called righteous. Do you know that we as believers can utilize all that the Lord has placed in our hands to become what the Lord has called us to be in His kingdom instead of using them to gratify the flesh. What sort of music do we listen to? The Lord's or the devils? How could we still have time for Nollywood and their ungodliness. Lord help your people! Brethren,we have to understand that the land we are headed is far,very far,therefore the need for us to be well armed and untainted by the flesh,that every load must be cast off before we can climb the mountain of God. The Lord Jesus says we should "strive to enter" and I think unless we strive to become like Him,the kingdom of heaven will remain an illusion and probability to many in the church. Instead of receiving unnecessary emails,subscribe for faith building christian sites. I have no qualms whatsoever recommending livingseed.org,the Lord has commended it to my heart. We are advised to follow paul as paul follow Christ. My prayer is that I die in every sense of the word to the flesh,that I consequently "die the death of the righteous,that my end may be like his". But before death comes life,and life worth living,must be lived for Jesus Christ,The New Creation Man.