₦airaland Forum

Social media has come to stay, making it impact felt in all segments of the society, even the church, the body of Christ, can not resist it usage and advantage it provides. However, there pot holes , danger points to watch out for. The church can not be found in the place of social media banter, castigation or dragging. Truth be said, with social media, a pastor’s message , or your favorite teacher can not be missed even if you flew from Cape to Cairo, or Mexico to Manila. Ministries establish their presence in the media space.

There is, however, nothing inherently wrong with strategic communication or the use of technology. The concern is that branding can sometimes begin to overshadow biblical teachings and standard values, making it appear to know more about a pastor’s designer wardrobe, luxury vehicles, vacations or personal life than the sermon being preached.A scenario, where all that comes from the pupilt to the pew is all about the personal life of the pastor and his experience with the faithfulness of God and the personal miracles he received and how he went up to heaven a few days ago, and how God told him to build a worthy place of worship; no Christ preached, no mystery of the word revealed . It was all about the vision and and how to raise the fund to build either the university, or hospital. Compare Acts 8:5 (KJV) Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them.

Celebrity culture in the church
Perhaps the greatest concern is the emergence of celebrity culture within modern Christianity. Most of their followers counter their pastors more than emphasizing their values. Their lifestyle trend setting. Their wardrobes become fashion inspiration. Their family vacations, standard locations, and their opinions on politics, sports and entertainment quickly become national talking points.

The challenge, therefore, is not social media itself but how it is used. For many church leaders, the digital space presents an opportunity to preach the gospel, mentor believers and manage connection with the body of Christ. Yet, others, it also presents the temptation of self-aggrandizement through likes, views, shares and follower count, seeking validation from men who know little or nothing to spiritual things. Those who are still in egypt, can not tell those already in the promised land how to leave or move, rather, it should be the other way round. A sound message may not attract many likes or shares, than a controversial one laced with falsehood and heresy. As good ambassadors of christ, we must strive to always look up to do what pleases our caller. Ephesians 6:19-20 (KJV) And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

MARANATHA,

Pastor Godwin Guobadia writes from The Netherlands.

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It is the question that needs rephrasing; why do bad things happen? Bad things can happen to anybody, but the righteous will survive it and tell the story as testimonies. In my years on this journey called life I have seen and have heard some things that happened to good people. And I have equally seen and heard of bad things happening to the bad people. I know a pastor of one of the largest congregation in Africa who lost one of his sons,;i have heard of a famous pastor, who died in a private plane crash. Trying to say these things can never happen to the christians only make it diffiucult to win those outside over. thruth aand fact are truth and do not need any embelisment from any body. The rain that beats against the house of the righteous is also the rain that beats against the house of the evil one, but the righteous always survive to tell the story. If the person dies in the perceived bad situation, then God knows why; it is not everything that God reveals to his children, therefore, we must learn to submit to him always. Christianity is allowing hin to have his ways and resting those we can not answer at his feet. Like Abraham, who never could understand why God is demanding for the death of the very son he gave him, but had faith enough to know that God is good and all will always be well. we cannot explain it all, but we have faith in God our father.

 Few years ago, one of Nigria foremost banker, billionaire in hard currency, philanthropist and educationalist died along his wife, and his elderst son, in the united state of America.He was a pillar and support his local church in a bigway. These sad stories are real and happened to real people, maybe, you heard about one or two; for sad stories travel faster, and tends to endure, while good news is fragile and it takes a lot to keep it afloat. Therefore, no one can deny the fact confronting us all, that bad things sometimes happen to good people;  Men, in their attempt to blame these unfortunate victims, will scroll through history, foraging, looking for one perceived bad thing----- this one terrible deed, the dead have done and, when they find it attribute it to their ill faith. That reminds me of a certain situation in the church at Corinth. They indulged in boasting and contentment, Apostle Paul had to warn them of one evil in their mist that could ruin all the good amongst them. See 1 Corinthians 5:2-6, and ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Yes, one evil can ruin a bunch of good deeds and stay on top of that deeds for a very long time.  [KJV] What I am saying here, is that our world works in this way, the power of evil seems to have a power over good.' a little leaven that leaventh the whole lump".

It is in the light of such events that the naïve question the existence of God and others who have seen a lot of God’  in healing, miracles, and others to deny His existence, forms the idea that we have many gods; some good and some evil. Then we have those who in their simplicity, sum it up as Gods will for the evil , suffering to occur yet, the bible says James 1:13, Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:

 Evil, suffering happened to people in the Bible.  Good people, in the bible have suffered evil too. Nobody bears testimony to this than the son of God,jesus our lord and saviour who incarnated as human. see Hebrews 4:15, For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. The mighty God, incarnated, went through deprivations . See Mark 8:31, and he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. That our savior encountered suffering, rejection and humiliation only shows that it would be naïve for preachers, pastors to teach that as Christians we are immune or free from pain and suffering. Now, it must be made plain that the sufferings that Jesus went through while on earth is different from the suffering, pain and death on the cross; see Luke 9:58 And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. While on earth doing good and healing the sick he had not even a house of his own! He was even born in a manger. The death on the cross is to bring us back to God, bought our salvation and die in our place that was why he said in the book of Mark 10:4, for even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. It was not to save us from the evil, pain sufferings that are in this world, which was introduced when Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden, after being warned by God, of the consequence of disobedience. But jesus suffered, his disciples suffered, afterwards and almost all the apostles met death at the hands of evil men. But we should pray like he commanded us to do against evil in the book of Matthew 6:13, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. Let us not forget or overlook this; bad things strikes in the house of the good and the evil see Luke 8:23, but as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy. Matthew 7:24-25, therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.” The rain came, the wind blew….even upon the house of the righteous just like it rained and blew upon the house of the evil man.”. Mark 4:38-39, and he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. The wind came not caring that the lord and Christ the messiah was in that ship, it came with intent to perish the occupants and shipwreck the boat: Where the occupant of the boat sinners?  On the contrary the personification of righteousness was in that boat, the mighty God was in that boat, the savior of the world . Evil can come anytime to anybody, but the righteous can take authority and ask God to deliver from this evil.  Jesus prayed for us to be delivered from evil. He did not pray God “to protect us from it.” Evil can come knocking, but you can emulate our lord and savior by taking authority. soon our pain and suffering in this fallen wolrd will come to an end and pain suffering and death shall be swallowed up in victory. This is the eternal hope of Christians.

MARANATHA!

Dis nah bias report; where is VDM mentioned? at least we should give him his flowers for exposing this.

One of the foremost and greatest televangelist and founder of Christian broadcasting network, [CBN] Pat Robinson, once told the American government to : take out Hugo Chavez in his show in 2005". There is nothing new here when country goes through upheavals because of a lone figures people come out to male this kind of suggestion, openly or secretly

The gospel, without any form of verbosity means the message of how jesus died to save mankind from damnation. john 3:3 is a good example of the gospel. But alas! men in their nature have tainted, this message of salvation. This error began in the 21st century. It was a way to appeal to some segment of the believers who were considered very poor and it was embarrassing to the some section of the church to see that. A passage was quickly sort in the bible to appease this ones and to urge then to develop the faith that will bring to then wealth which God desires for them to have. Another reason for this is for this churches with the message to improve their tithe base in order to meet their project for the year . How so? they say if this one do not give the little they have there is no way they can get increase and it shows they do not have faith in Gods ability to meet them at the point of their need. To buttress and drive their point home a passage was required and a most suitable one is found in 3 John 1:2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. Indeed, the 4ps – progress, prosperity profit and promotion can find a place in the scriptures, but one can also zero all in material wealth like is akin in today’s teachings in many churches. What father would not want his children to have these 4ps? but, to make all a matter of material acquisition is wrong. Let us , therefore throw more light in to the above passage taken from 3 john 1:2. According to William Burkitt’s expository note, This holy man, Gaius who was so hospitable an host to the ministers and members of Christ, had but a weak and sickly body, and wanted health; strength of grace and dearness of respect, even from God himself, cannot prevail against diseases; such as are most holy are sometimes most weak and sickly. Observe, 2. That though Gaius had but a weak and consumptive body, yet had he a very thriving and vigorous soul; it is a very common, yet a very sad and true, observation, that men of strong, healthy, and active bodies, have weak, lame, sickly, and sinful souls. Ah, wretched sinner! when under obligations to serve thy God best, thou forgettest him most, and prostitutes thy health to the service of thy lusts: how does the health and ease of one day deserve the service and thankfulness of thy whole life! But, alas! instead of that, thou makest him to serve with thy sins, and lay the first fruits of thy time and strength upon the devil’s altar. Our apostle’s wish on the behalf of Gaius, namely, that his body were as healthful as his soul was holy, that he had as much health in the one, as he had grace in the other; I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. [ William Burkitt expository notes]

We are going somewhere.

To be continued

2 Corinthians 11:4 For if he that cometh preach another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

The Gospel, in a simple terms means ‘ the good news’. But what good news does it tell us? what is the benefit of that good news and how does it concerns those who live in a universal community that numbers in Billions? What make you think that your good news is also a good news to me? We live in a relative world; your pain may not be my pain and indeed, my personality may be benefiting from your pain because i am a sadist who revel in other people’s pain, and wallow in my mire, which is to derive satisfaction from watching others suffer from the pain i have inflicted? The good news as told us in the bible——– Blessed, Information, Bringing, Life Eternal,B.I.B.L.E ] has nothing to do with Deliverance from such oppressions in this world, it has nothing to do with you winning a jackpot running into billions either. It will shock you to know that most people that have received this good news and carried out the mandate and commandment to tell others about this goode news have suffered one form of oppression or the other. some have been put in colosseum and watched by royals and the others as they fight off lions, roaring with laughter as blood gush from wounded bodies, others make mirth while they watched the deadly game, with drinks in their hands and, sited in high dias. There are also others who carried this good news to nations, but were thrown into prisons. Lamentations 5:5, Our necks are under persecution: we labour, and have no rest. Acts 8:1, And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles. Acts 11:19, Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen travelled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only.

To be continued

MARANATHA!

Isaiah 55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.

Knowledge shall increase the bible admits, no one can deny the exploits in the filed of science and technology in our time. They have gone in leaps and bounds venturing and doing exploits in areas never imagined. Man has advanced in the information technology and cyber warfare. In quest for immortality man has also made some significant leaps, but these areas are is in longevity and not in immortality. Medical breakthroughs abound everywhere though the price tag is out of the reach of the common man, for the moment. Take for example, ‘the Brain-computer interfaces [BCI] neural implants allow paralyzed patients to speak or control prosthetic limbs using only their thoughts by decoding brain signals in real-time’

In other areas, AI has outperformed humans in detecting some ailment via scans. But all these breakthroughs tend to double human life expectancy and cannot guarantee immortality. According to report, surgical enhancement for the wealthy has already become a very big business and some advertise their ability in human upgrade. But despite these wonders in medicine and technology, despite these astronomical leaps these sphere belongs to this world; God told “Adam dress the garden” no doubt the ability to imagine to invite was also given to man. Mans knowledge shall increase but this knowledge is limited and only meant for this world. It is not heavenly or spiritual. Our lord and savior said, in the book of John 3:12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? Living a life of immortality on this earth is not possible that is a heavenly experience and cannot be here for sin has upended that through what transpired in the first garden called Eden. Jesus displayed some of heavenly realities while on earth like raising the death like Lazarus who was already dead three days before Jesus showed up. A dead man for three days is already transitioning from ‘fresh’ stage into the bloat stage –‘rigor mortis” [stiffening] has already occurred. But Jesus said to a three day corpse in John 11:43, with a loud voice,” Lazarus, come forth”. How? The medical world would ask. The answer is applying a heavenly law in this world just to allow us have a glimpse of what those who die as Christians shall experience. Psalms 139:6 ,Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.

Godwin Guobadia is a christian apologist, he writes from the netherlands.

Science and technology work with formulas in solving their equations. It is what you see, smell, touch, and feel. Science and technology believe in experiment and research to get an answer. Believers in miracles get answers through faith in a higher power, [through supernatural means]. The antagonism between science and the miracle could not have been more obvious; science and technology assert that having belief in something you can neither see nor touch is the height of absurdity. Yet before our eyes, many have seen the belief in miracles/ magic influence people’s roles in this era. To baffle the science and technology community, the religious side says indeed that belief in miracles starts with having what they call faith. And the most explicit explanation is found in the most popular, bestselling, and most translated book, the Bible. See Hebrews 11:1, Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Jesus Christ told his followers in the book of Mark 9:23, Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. Believers counter the tech guys that they are hypocrites because they too, belief many things daily on evidence that it will deliver. For example, “the Higgs boson particle” which is a subatomic particle, was predicted in the 1960s but only observed in 2012. Let us take a simpler example: when you save for months or years to go on a cruise, do you say you must see the qualifications of the captain or the workability of the ship before you embark on the high seas? Are those who have faith in uncertain things distinct from those who believe in the unseen through religion? We live in a world we all believe there exists great power beyond our comprehension, and few believe it is only through faith we can access this power. That belief in this power does not make them foolish; because religious practice is a belief in spiritual realities which the naked eye cannot see. If you say that those who believe in such supernatural things have often been disappointed, then you make yourself laughable, because the so -called technology and science have failed uncountable times and, in worst- case scenarios, leading to death. Clairvoyant is defined as a person who claims or has indeed exhibited the ability to see or foretell future events. Many have encountered some of these people and have been firsthand witnesses to this ability. Is this also foolishness? Many of those in the tech world cannot deny that there is a power beyond explanation from a scientific point of view, how many Doctors in our hospitals have diagnosed a case only to be proved wrong on second visitation by patient; what happened is beyond their medical ability and the patient has called it a miracle, an intervention of God in nature, science and medicine. I know some medical doctors who also double as pastors; mine is one of them; he is actually an assistant pastor. These personalities in the medical profession have been able to reconcile science and technology with the miraculous without difficulty. They have seen many cases that go beyond medical explanations and laboratory experiments to know that there is something that is real even though science do not teach that and have no explanation about it. But as for us the bible have this to say Romans 1:17, For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
See you in church!

adamkkk:
These are irrelevant to a hungry man

Casting aspersions on things worth demystifying is not how to fight hunger; be determined and take any job that comes your way, as first step, find how to feed your empty stomach.

The Christian and everyday issues.

1 Corinthians 5:6 Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?

Matthew 5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.

Matthew 5:15 Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

With these biblical injunctions, the head of the church, Jesus Christ, laid it to rest that our character can not be separated from our Christian profession. A Christian, like every other person, meets everyday issues, but must be careful not to indulge in self-delusion that there is a thin line between our Christian calling and interactions with others like our neighbours, coworkers, or acquaintances. Most are tempted to think that practising Christian ethics is only possible- easy when you are in the midst of Christians, but impossible outside that fold, because antagonists will always try to take advantage of you, while some of them think you lack the nitty-gritty to operate in a complex and modern society. Others write you off as being simply naïve. Sadly, many beleivers have mournful stories about how they have been short -changed in business, and others talk about having been defrauded because they played by the rules of honesty and Christian ethics. These kinds of experiences should never cause us to abandon our way of living. Indeed, we can not be practicing Christian virtues and not expect pain and persecution in a broken world where the enemy holds sway in many things. Our Lord told us in the book of Matthew 10:16, Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. When we are born again of the spirit, we are given a different mindset see 1 Corinthians 2:16, For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. It is this mind of christ that leads us in our dealings in love and compassion to those who are not in the fold, but if we deal with them in deceit, in hatred, and acrimony like they do us, then we are not shinning the ‘light’ like Jesus told us. We must be careful because these we so want saved will resist and call us different names, referencing popular people who they say failed to live up to what they preached. Many will be outright hostile to us. Our arguments and diatribes can never convert them, but our stable and caring character, helpfulness when we can, as neighbours and coworkers, will make them willing to hear our message of salvation. It is possible that we engage in arguments about why Christ is Lord? That does not mean we have carried out good apologetics concerning our faith, nor does it mean they are converted. Therefore, let us focus on winning souls with the message of God’s love in Christ and the reason Christ had to go to the cross, firstly by acceptable behaviour and compassion. The apostle Paul has this to say in 2 Timothy 2:23, But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strife. It is also important to know that many of us fail to be ‘good fishers of men’, as these men will rather look at our character and the way we conduct ourselves in matters, before giving attention to our gospel. Our character is emphasized by Jesus in the above passages , we must be guided. With everyday issues, many of us miss it without thinking that it could have a negative effect on our preaching. Like dropping your trash in the wrong place, your neighbour notices it and frowns at it. [a little leaven] next time he notices your preaching he makes reference to it! Your task running smoothly because the supervisor is there, but you are the first to stop immediately he turns his back; it is called eye service! [a little leaven] You left the toilet in a bad state nobody sees you, but the next coworker may suspect you! you are in the lift with your niebour with her two kids; one inadvertently, spilled his drink on your shoes mother apologise, but you are having none of that till you let the kid have a bit of your scolding.[tommorow you invite them to the childrens rally in your church? you bet they will not honour it. A little leaven leavens the whole lump means a little bad character could spoil all the good you think you have done. See John 15:8, Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

Christianity produces fruits in Ourlives and people do not fail to see these fruits, and these traits the world sees in us and desires, irrespective of their religious affiliations. See Matthew 5:16, Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Perhaps it will comfort to know that the Bible knows the battle you will face out there to live your belief and encourages you and I with this: 2 Timothy 3:12, Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

John 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever. We are not alone, praise God!

see you in church!

1 Peter 2:9, But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

Where are these people who are members of this holy nation found? How are they admitted into this so- called nation?. simply and made easy; anyone who receives the preaching of the gospel and accepts the Lord Jesus as his personal savior automatically becomes a member! Jesus assured such a one in the book of Revelation 3:20, Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. Again, in the book of John 6:37, all that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. Again, see John 3:16, For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Here is where the local church comes in. These are denominations you must attend so they can teach you the ways of God. Here you are taught from the elementary doctrine to stronger ones. 1 Peter 2:2 says, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: But you are not to remain as baby; it is God’s will that you grow like every natural child grows, from drinking milk to eating stronger food. The bible tells us in the book of Hebrews 5:12-13, For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For everyone that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. The gospel of how Christ died for you has brought you into the local church, where you shall know more about him and how to live the new life in Christ These local churches have different names, but they are not by that name in heaven because before christ all who are Christians are members of his body which is the real church. Acts 2:47, praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. Evangelism brought you into the church, through a friend or acquaintance [local church] but the sound teachings in the church will establish you, and grow your faith life, which is essential in your Christian race. Read Hebrews 11:6, But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. You shall know God’s ways and become established as a believer.

Meditate on this: John 1:12,But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

Start a living church today!

The church is best understood when viewed for what it is. The church is a spiritual body, and Christ as the head of that body. It is noteworthy that this ‘body’ of Christ did not come into place until after his death, burial, and triumphant resurrection. For the church wherein he is the head and we the body was birthed after his resurrection and not before. See Matthew 26:26, and as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. See Ephesians 5:23, For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the savior of the body. All those who have accepted the free gift of salvation through what Christ achieved on the cross of Calvary are automatically members of this body. Just as no living body [human cannot function without a head, so too, the church cannot function without Christ who is the head. Paul as a teacher, tried to illustrate this by using the matrimonial relationship where the man is the head of the family.1 Corinthians 12:12, For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. Apostle Peter also wrote about this mystical relationship in the book of 1 Peter 2:5, Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Therefore, it is clear, and conspicuous to all those who want to know that the real church is not built with sands and woods in a particular place, different names and headquarters, but it is a spiritual body and Christ as the head; tells, and guides us in all things we have to do. As a wife would obey the head of the house, just as we are a spiritual bride of Christ, must also obey the groom. Revelation 22:17, And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. Who is the bride this passage is referring to? Christ, of course, who paid like a groom pays for his bride. Acts 20:28, Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over which the Holy Ghost has made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. This ‘church of God’ is a spiritual community without a geographical location or a physical structure; it cuts across borders and nations, and it is called the chosen generation and the people as royal priesthood and a holy nation. See 1 Peter 2:9, But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:

MARANATHA!

1 Corinthians 1:20 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

The wisdom of the world can not in any way come near, let alone surpass the wisdom of the most- high God. Scientist have been perplexed by the wisdom of God in many ways. And to say the least, the incarnation of God as a mere man; who walked the face of this earth, whose birth is celebrated all over the world on december25th. Indeed, like the song goes, ‘Joy to the world thy king is born let the earth receive her king!! Heralding the future birth, the prophet, has this to say;Isaiah 9:6, for unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, and The Prince of Peace.Matthew 1:21, And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. The result of sin and man’s sinful tendencies has brought untold and unimaginable hardship to man and nations. Sin alienates man from his creator, hardens the heart of man towards his neighbor, makes man selfish and self-centered, sin has manifested in avarice, covetousness and greed which permeate our world today.

In a world where war is becoming the norm rather than the exception, there are conflicts zones in many part of the world ranging from civil wars, ethnic or religious wars, insurgency, interstate wars and terrorism. The conspicuous one is the interstate war between Ukraine and Russia. Indeed, “let the earth receive her king! Man’s wisdom is not a perfect answer to most problems, but temporal and we have seen this in many conflict resolutions that has failed. 1 Corinthians 1:19, for it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Man has no permanent solution because man on his own lacks the capacity to ensure peace in this world. The book of Jeremiah makes this very explicitly clear. see Jeremiah 10:23, O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps. And this, sadly, today’s man has failed to realize. In his shortsighted desire for ‘Autonomy’, which means literally being ones’ own [auto] norm [nomos], creating his own value and going his own way, has wandered far from his creator and thus cannot see the one who alone, can bring peace within man and indeed, between nations. He is called ‘the prince of peace’. Read again;Isaiah 9:6, for unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, and The Prince of Peace. When he the prince of peace came he gave us this assurance again, in the book of John 14:27, Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Let him give you this peace this yuletide season because God is not man that can lie. Read Titus 1:2, In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;

MARANATHA!

Isaiah 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

What do you understand by this word “ righteousness”,? It means a right standing with God, without sin or blemish,spotless in all ramifications.Proverbs 14:34 Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people. There is a lifting and exaltation to any people who attains righteouness. There is a lifting and exaltation to any people who attains this standard.

Alas! no man has been able to attain to God standard of righteousness, hence the lamentation in the book of Isaiah is undertandable. See Isaiah64:6, but we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness’s are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.Difference between righteousness and holiness. We are encourage to be holy in the book of1 Peter 1:16, Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. Any object or thing set apart for the use of God can also be holy like exodus3:5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place where on thou standest is holy ground. This is important

Man, thing or object can be holy because anything set apart for the use of God is declared holy.1 Peter 1:15, But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;

Man can attain holiness but not righteousnesRighteousness is without sin and standing blameless before the most high God. This is not obtainable so what happens?

Matthew 22:8-13 Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests. And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Righteousness is a gift Romans 5:17 For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) If it takes one man for death to pass unto all men it is only fair that it will also take one man for life to pass unto all men; the choice lies with us. The first Adam introduced death into man and the last Adam introduced life eternal into man.1 Corinthians 15:45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. There is no place in the bible that echoes this choice that is before usl like the book of Deuteronomy 30:19, I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

Romans 13:14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof. The parable of the wedding feast shows a place of eternal glory, but you need a “pass”, and that “pass”, is a wedding garment, and that wedding garment is the lord Jesus, a spiritual garment that clothes us and all God sees thereafter, is his son. Therefore, the bible encourages us in the book of Romans13:14, to put on Jesus christ. No man who comes to God through Jesus has something [humilty] to boast about, for all boastings is in christ jesus and all victories is in him. For in him we move and have our very existence. it behoolves the believer to know this as we await his coming.

MARANATHA!

All quotation, from [KJV,]

Without qualification, without ifs, ands, or buts, God's word tells us, straight as a left jab, that love is the greatest thing there is (1 Cor 13: 13). Scripture never says God is justice or beauty or righteousness, though he is just and beautiful and righteous. But "God is love" (1 Jn 4:. Love is God's essence, his whole being.
You do not know the God you are talking about, you have a very negative impression of Him. so sad. God tells you this in the book of Jeremiah 31:3 The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.John 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. But "God is love" (1 Jn 4:. Love is God's essence, his whole being. Everything in him is love. Even his justice is love. Paul identifies "the justice of God" in Romans 1:17 with the most unjust event in all history, deicide, the crucifixion, for that was God's great act of love.
Free your mind and seek his face, i reply to you because i feel compelled to do this and i hope you find peace

John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

Matthew 3:16-17, And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. These were the only times that God’s voice was heard by all without an intermediary like Moses did during the giving of the Ten Commandments. God directly announced his son and his mission to the world by Himself, Jehovah. And John the Baptist was chosen as a forerunner too. SeeMatthew 3:2-3 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Today individuals also lay hear the voice of God, but that should be subject to biblical lenses; one thing is for sure, and that is God, these days speaks to us through the word in the bible. Whatever God speaks to those who hear directly there must make sure that what instruction or direction that they must have be given should never contradict his word otherwise that is not the voice of God. The apostle John speaking in this regard, enjoins Christians to test the spirit:1 John 4:1, Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. You try these spirits by comparing their instructions to what is laid out in the bible. In another similar warning and Apostle Paul use this as a way of commendation said in Acts 17:11, These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. Just like these brethren in that city, we ought to search the scriptures like they did to see if the voices we hear and the spirit to spoke to us and if what they say or prompts us to do agrees with what God says to us in the bible. Jesus said in the book of John 17:17, Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

MARANATHA!

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The voice of God and Us Adam and eve were the first humans to hear and recognize God’s voice. Genesis 1:28And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. This first time was a quickening voice to activate them, jug them out of motionlessness and inertia to action and activities. Man was endued with impartation, [ability to achieve] and His intention for the man he has created known and what he expects of man? Then and there, he made that known by imparting him with the ability to carry out his intentions. The word “blessed”, was the action of God empowering man with ability to carry out his intention on earth. These apply to us all. No one is unknown by God his creator, Jesus said even the hairs on our head are numbered; before your birth God grants grace and power to fulfill your destiny, but you need to find it because man has wandered from God as a result of sin. And other men can also interfere with your destiny hence, the need for prayers. And for whatever be Gods plan for you there is need to first seek from God the power to accomplish it. Like God did to Adam [ability called [BLESSING]] then he now expresses his intention for Adam. This first time God gave his desire with his voice, and the last time was to judge man after he fell and to make provision after that fall, but subsequent voices we hear was either to command, give direction, rebuke or exalt his own name like when he said beside me there is no other God. After the callous reply of Cain we saw God mostly speaking to man who he had chosen for specific reason: like Moses in the burning bush who later became one of the greatest leaders and law giver, Samuel also heard his voice who later became the first prophet and seer, though there exist two excerption to which are King Solomon and Gods reply to job and his friends without using a prophet, but we should remember too that God called Job, his “servant” during the conversation with Satan. The last time man was to hear the voice of God directly, was on the mountain of where Jesus was transfigured. Peter, James and john were privileged to witness this event. There they saw Moses the lawgiver, Elijah the prophet one representing the law of God

and the other the voice of God to his people, but all fulfilled with the final appearing of Jesus, called the mighty God, on earth therefore, God has to say to the world of whom Jesus is. Matthew 17:4-5 ,Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. Before Jesus began ministering God also approved him with a voice from Heaven for all to hear.

To be concluded,

Maranatha!

kingbee90:
Instead of Adeboye to outrightly condemn this administration for their failure to tackle the insecurity and genocide going on in this country like he did in 2012, he is busy foaming from both sides of his mouth which is very typical of him.

He and his cohorts are part of the problem of this country.

Enough of your insults of conspicuous pastors.
The monumental failures and the starvation of Nigerians drive the average person to the church to search for miracles; he is not there for salvation, doing good and becoming heavenly conscious. In the western world, what drives them into the church is salvation and doing good. Your politician is responsible for this because they impoverish the average man by looting the treasury that would have benefited all Nigerians, like the Western countries and old Libya.
Any pastor who wants to talk about sin, forgiveness, sparcity,hardwork and honesty can never have a large congregation in Nigeria because of the singular problem that runs through the man on the street; lack, preventable death and SUFFERY. you will become rich and you will live long and the heavens will open doors of wealth for you; this will get a resounding AMEN!!! not a message on "how to be born again". So, who do you blame for this mental psyche? church or government?

Genesis 1:2-3 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

God spoke his desire into the world he created. There was something missing, so God spoke what was missing into reality. The presence of another thing was depriving God’s desire of coming into reality- Light was absent because darkness was there. Thereofre, God spoke his words. Psalms 90:2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. God formed the world with His spoken word. God never doubted His words because He is omniscient and omnipotent. Today, 2026 lies before us, void and empty, waiting for you to speak the words of faith into it. 2026, awaits us to speak our desire into it like a farmer plants his desired seed into the ground knowing, without doubt, it will spring forth and eventually bring forth fruits, and there shall come a time to harvest that which is planted. Proverbs 25:13 As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, so is a faithful messenger to them that send him: for he refresheth the soul of his masters. Child of God, we have the right, by what Jesus did for us, to speak our desire into 2026, there may be things we do not desire in it, but like God spoke and darkness was gone, so too, we can speak. Reject with our spoken word sickness, poverty, curses, deprivations, oppressive spirits, limitation. Paternal and maternal curses may be there waiting to devour us, but now is the time to uproot them with our spoken words in faith. 1 Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: living in darkness was the order of the day for many of us, but now that we are rescued by his calling us out of that darkness we must rebuke, reject it when it want to crop into our world again. God not only put out darkness but replaced it with his desired light. Therefore, speak in prophetic words your desire for health, goodness, peace, promotion, expansion, global reach of the gospel, church-planting, conversion of souls, repentance of nations, ministers of the word, good leaders for the nation.1 Timothy 2:1-2 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. Rebuke

, untimely death and time-release curses, from happening. Learn to form your world with your mouth before struggling with your hands. When we first form our world with our mouth, then we do not have to struggle much to achieve it with our hands. We are like the farmer who removes the weeds before planting; he does not have to struggle with the weeds.By the eye of faith, see prosperity, victories over sickness and diseases. Many prophets of doom will arise to put fear into you, make you lose focus , remember this verse;1 John 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

Maranatha!

Lagos to me is like a man showing off his fleets of cars and getting accolades, but his children face the pangs of hunger every day, eating from hand to mouth. Just speaking my mind, the luxury cars you see in Lagos are not seen in most advanced economies , but there, all is well taken care of. That is what makes a nation. Slums are absent, waterways work, electric works, ambulances work, and the doctors are well paid,penshioners are paid, take home pay for all can meet basic needs I beg i no fit talk.

Matthew 16:15-18. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not

Revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.The church is the body of christ, and HE is the head of that body. Every creature has eyes near its head. Iesus Christ is the head and the eyes, and therefore, HE it is that gives the church wherein Jesus is the author and finisher shall base its continuity on revelations from the Holy spirit which He promised and indeed, happened on the day of Pentecost. We can deduce, therefore, from this statement that the church shall experience firstly opposition and secondly there is a continuity of the church despite the persecutions it will face. This church, which represents the body of Christ, and wherein he is the head and all Christians are the members, shall function in the physical, but with a spiritual mandate. Read Colossians 1:18 “And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. Our supreme task is to preach the good -news. See Mark 16:15-16, And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. To meet this goal, therefore, the church is not a stationary organisation like others but a dynamic one. Jesus, after performing a miracle in Matthew 8:16-18, When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses. Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto the other side. There is no time to rest on their laurels because a miracle has taken place. There is no time to survey the scene with a satisfied smirk. This is the format of the church. A church that would be on the move to reach the entire universe with the message of salvation. For such a church to exist and meet such an obligation, it may have to do with some discomfort at each station. It is not a typical Tower of Babel, to attract men to see the wonder of the structure.Or a race to outdo the other denomination in majestic and superstructural edifice. A situation that has rendered the church to become like the people of the world. And let the outside world determine what a successful church should be, namely the trimmings and accolades associated with the world. See Matthew 13:38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one. The world represents those who are yet to be saved, the target for the church.Luke 20:34 And Jesus answering said unto them, The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage:, The world is flashy, loud opinionated and consented; it is full of ungodliness and a life alienated from the ways of God. How can the church allow the wolrd to determine what is a success to the church of Christ? the wolrd will rate any insufficiency in a church as a failure yet that may in reality be the glory and the hallmark of a true church. mega structures, rollsroyces in the parking lots, urshere and traffic controllers in the vast compound, worshippers dressdto the nines, moving to and fro. All these does not determine what a living church is, but the wolrd has persuaded others like themselves to see it as a succuess. and the church is keying in into it. That church has a university ours will have too.The general overseer has a bomberdier jet ours must have too. We are now confronted with a trend whereby all mega churches have the similar programs, ministries,helps and government. Is this the leading of the Holyspirit? the same Spirit that was poured out in the day of pentecost and led the early churches to start in peoples homes and when it got tough they met in secret places. Our Lord also met with insuffuciebcy, but it only served to bring out the power and full provision of God. Matthew 14:17, And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes.What a stark insuffuency, yet, God made use of that obvious shortfall to display His abundance grace and ability. [jehovah jireh] Mark 11:12-13 And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry: And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet. Mark 11:21-23 And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. In the two cases above, there was a lack, a shortfall, or insufficiency as it were, but God met these needs. If there was a steward or a chef amongst the crew Jesus would not have gone to that figtree when he suffered the pangs of hunger on that faithday and no lesson on faith in God, would have been taugh! The insufficiency brought about a situation to glorify God . For a ministry to always task members, level mens gruops, and compel cell leaders in order to become all sufficient has no place in Gods plan for the body of Chris; the church is not a fortune 500 club. There has always exist needs in the bodyof christ. see Romans8:35, Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or unclothedness, or peril, or sword? These difificulties Paul listed in the verse are inbedded in the body of Christ, but apostle Paul added in Romans 8:37, Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. Yet, today many watch in alarm, as the world tells us that the church that goes through such times is not a mega church [whatever that means]and therefore not to be reckon with and termed as unpopular or wannabe church.

Just finished my research. Here it is.
By 2031, we should have AI driving machines in retails
, by 2049, AI would be writing bestsellers
Presenly, AI is already better at better translations of languages,
As early as 2026, AI would be writing high level essays
In 45 years' time, AI should be better than humans at pretty much everything.

But the thing about it is that artificial intelligence is not actual intelligence because it only knows the scope of the task it has been programmed to do. For example, if it is programmed to interview potential workers, it can not you offer sympathy if you say you just lost your mother. A human might say Accept my sympathy. It does not understand what you are saying at that point in the interview. Goldman Sachs is using automated trading programs that have taken over the jobs of about 600 human workers supported by some computer engineers.

runningriot:
And Israel was fast becoming like Gaza and you call it victory?

Becoming like Gaza is not the same as dead top generals. Those buildings shall be replaced by better ones , but those generals? It has left Iran Vulnerable and that will be for years, No wonder they quickly agreed to the ceasefire [unlike Iran] Besides, were are their proxies? The Hezbollah and Hamas? why did they abandon Iran at this critical time? Not a single shot at Israel? Israel is satisfied with cutting the arms and legs off the giant, but what can the head do without the arms and legs?
Please i am not supporting Israel, just thought facts should be brought out for once.

None of the religion in this world that believes in the divine, powerful and the spiritual do not believe in another life after death, but these beliefs are as different as they come. There are those who believe in the dead becoming an ancestral spirit that watches over them, others believes in reincarnation till the 14th rebirth till perfection. There are those who say if you die before your appointed time, either through an accident or in the hands of man you move to another country or even state and just continue living like every other man: here is an excerpt: I have heard stories of people who died and were buried.

but who was later seen in what lacked a concrete scientific explanation?

(1) My father told us that there was a lecturer who died and was buried.

One day,he saw her on the road walking.

He was very surprised and the thought that came to his mind was: “So this woman did not die.So the news of her death and burial was not true”

So my father went and greeted her.

She replied, “Don’t you hear that I have died?”

My father did not understand her question.

He went back to the school where the woman lectured and told people about the incident.

Everybody was shocked because actually the woman was dead and buried.

This was one story that my father loved telling my mother and us till his death.

(2) Also in my village, there was a man who died and was buried.

Every time his wife cooked soup and did pounded yam,

she would discover after sometime that the pounded yam (inside the mortar) was reduced.

She did not know why the pounded yam (inside a mortar and covered with pot’s cover) was always less than when she left it.

And so it came to pass that one day as she was bathing,

that she heard the sound of the pot’s cover banging gently against the mortar.

She immediately opened the bathroom door and went to check.

Lo and behold,she saw her husband standing with the pounded yam in his hands.

The husband ran and entered the back of the door.

She shouted and ran outside the house. Her neighbors came.

But when the back of the door was looked into,

The husband was nowhere to be found. As told by beauty7 on 19th April2020]

Personally, i come from a family who believes in reincarnation till conversion to Christianity in the late 90s though I was already a christian as a youth, I remember the screams and excitement of members of the family when they sight something in a newborn baby that identify with their dead father, mother or brother- a mark on the shoulder a cut in the shin or a sport on the left biceps. Well, if it is true people actually reincarnate does not mean they would live forever life, or those who died and move to another place are experiencing an eternal life. Jesus, rose Lazarus from the dead does not mean Lazarus never died again. These two beleives[reincarnationand living in another place after what they call untimely death] does not represent eternal life.

There are three religions whose stand on eternal life is very explicit. The most explicit is the Christian faith. No other religion throws more light on eternal life, like the message of the founder. He highlights the fact that his coming into the world was indeed, to give this eternal life, no other religion has made such an explicit message. Here are some of his quotations: John 3:16, For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 14:2, In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. Matthew 27:53-54, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God. John 11:25, Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: The core of christian message is living eternally after death; they do not accept the process of reincarnation; Paul debunks this in the book of Hebrews 9:27, And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: Jesus shared a glimpse of what life in heaven would be like answering the sadducees, in the book of Matthew 22:25, they said, Now there were with us seven brethren: and the first, when he had married a wife, deceased, and, having no issue, left his wife unto his brother:Matthew 22:26-30, Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh. And last of all the woman died as well. Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her. Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. To buttress his claim and authenticate his ability he died[not clinically] and rose[not in the spirit] again Let us know that in all these the view of science totally defers: When the heart stops, circulation ceases and other shift takes place till the final skeletonized body. That is where it ends according to science, but there is something in man that makes him believes that there is life after the heart stops, that this life is not all that there is. That brings us to the question of ‘faith’ , a belief about the future , but can not be 100 percent certain. Even science is faith , but like the biblical Paul pointed out in the book of 1 Corinthians 2:5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. 1 Corinthians 15:19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. Now, seeing that Jesus is the only founder that has demonstrated power, done the miraculous than any other founder and shows beleive in him is an assurance of eternal life through the experience of one of the men who was hung with him what do you think?

” And fear not them which kill the body, but cannot kill the soul”,: — Jesus Christ

‘Death smiles at all of us and all we can do is smile back”–Marcus Aurelius.

Jesus, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace, said to us that this “body” we carry around is not immortal; it is a body with death attached to it. A temporal body, given us to go through our journey while accomplishing our purpose on this earth. This our body, so cherish by men, will succumb to death one day. A body, so vulnerable to attack and death, by the hands of men, and sickness with other eventualities that takes its toll on it. This human body, submits like the three prong attack, see John 10:10, The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.] But there is something we can carry around which cannot be touched by another human being and that is the soul. Yet, in ignorance, man has ignored to take for this soul,but will do anything tried to prevent death on the physical body . A Greek philosopher Marcus Aurelius knows this when he said ‘you are a little soul carrying around a corpse”. It is vanity for man to pursue what is futile, like trying to catch up a wild goose or overtake a mirage. Eternity of the physical body cannot be done. The event that happened in the Garden of Eden upended that chance. The eventual death of our physical body, which we call the ‘first death”, is what all born through the coition of man and woman cannot escape. We have exception like the Biblical Enoch. Enoch’s translation in the old Testament was a foretaste of how those who died in Christ as Christians will experience. Psalms 13:3 says, Consider and hear me, O LORD my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death; 1 Corinthians 15:52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. We shall be changed from this body.

This body became corrupted when Adam disobeyed God, and that corruption cannot be reversed. The way out is to pursue how to escape the second death, which is death of the soul. Matthew 10:28 says, And fear not them which kill the body, but cannot kill the soul: but fear him which can destroy both soul and body in hell.[words of Chris] Revelation 2:11 says, He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

Living forever is not a myth: like spirits who do not age, the bodies we put on after resurrection will never get old. We have not heard of spirits dying, we also would not die. Then death itself shall be dealt with finally. 1 Corinthians 15:26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. It is so called an enemy because it was not part of God’s plan for his creature, man brought it to being because of sin.

To be concluded.

“Luke 18:18 And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

Man, from a time immemorial, has always nursed a desire to live without experiencing death, expiration or stoppage of the heartbeat; if there is any price to pay in-order to live for eternity,to have a life without end, most men would certainly go for it . On the frontline would be the billionaires and the last roll would be the poorest, who would like ti get it by hook or crook means. What comes with aging is looked at with trepidation, we try trying to stop it from coming; If we can not then it is best to hide it from sight. Is it gray hair or balding , is it growing weaker by the year? man has found the solution in transplants and wigs, workout and cardio activities. The Bible talks about the advent of old age in the book of Ecclesiastes 12:1-6, Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them; While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain: In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened, And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low; Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets: Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern. A deeper understanding will reveal what these verses are talking about are the signs associated with dotage. For example, ” when the grinders shall cease”, means fewer teeth. The keepers refer to the arms, the strong men refer to the legs, and the grinders refer to the teeth and the ‘those that look out the windows be not darkened refers to the weak sight associated with dotage. Yet, these obvious signs of dotage have been met with man’s fight to stop it from happening. Sadly, with no victory as of now. A careful look at the word of God shows that after the fall of man in the Garden, death in the flesh sets in. Men immediately started a part of growing old and death as the final end in this physical body. It’s futile to try and avoid getting old and dying. The writer in ecclesiastes forewarns the youth that a time is coming which brings about weakness and change in the body without a solution to revert to the time of youtfulness we once experienced. old age is moving closer to the grave. This death has defy man’s attepempt to stop it; it reminds us of what God said to the first man in the garden of Eden, before death was introduced: Genesis 2:17, But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. Therefore, no matter the exploits that man has done or will do in the future, he will never find a solution to death. Death was introduced into this world through sin and consequently,our body became corrupted, became mortal [nolonger immortal] and started to die slowly the day Adam sinned just like God said he would experience. It was not instantainous, but slowly and surely. Therefore, man should not look for life everlasting, life without end everlasting life in this body we call mortal. Man, a tripartite being, of body, soul and spirit can never live forever in the body which is the outer layer of man. This body has bow to many elements on this planet, which would takes it tolls and finally result in the stoppage of the heartbeat. The only way to live without death is to be translated like some experiened in the bible; thier bodies were changed.Genesis 5:24, And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.Hebrews 11:5, By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

See you in church, marantha!

Media with their sensationalism; we just have to wait and hear her side before I will give my humble take.

Episcopal Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde, during a prayer service on Tuesday, urged Presiden Trump to show mercy toward immigrants and members of the LGBT+ community. But the newly sworn 47th president of the united state of America, USA, was quick to offer his criticism of the bishop’s pleas with heavily laced harsh words:

“The so-called Bishop who spoke at the National Prayer Service on Tuesday morning was a Radical Left hard line Trump hater.

“She brought her church into the World of politics in a very ungracious way. She was nasty in tone, and not compelling or smart.

“She failed to mention the large number of illegal migrants that came into our country and killed people.

“Many were deposited from jails and mental institutions. It is a giant crime wave that is taking place in the USA.

“Apart from her inappropriate statements, the service was a very boring and uninspiring one.

“She is not very good at her job! She and her church owe the public an apology!” Trump posted on Truth Social.

For more clarity, below are the bishop’s words:Addressing the President, Budde said, “There are gay, lesbian, and transgender children in Democratic, Republican, and independent families—some who fear for their lives. I ask you to have mercy, Mr. President, on those in our communities whose children fear their parents will be taken away, and that you help those who are fleeing war zones and persecution in their own lands to find compassion and welcome here where we think she missed it. Our bishop may have meant well, but the outcome only shows that there are issues as clergy men /women we ought not to dabble in. words like lesbian, gay and transgender
Where we think she missed it.Our bishop may have meant well, but the outcome only shows that there are issues as clergy men /women, we ought not to dabble in. Mention words like gay, lesbian and transgender in most pulpits will still curse quite a stir and murmurs. Many denominations of the church are yet to come to terms with these groups and there are those who thinks it will amount to compromise if they are accepted into the mainstream, into the church save if their mission is to come and renounce and seek prayers. Therefore, the bishop was not entirely representing the body of christ. Furthermore, Paul’s advice concerning those in Authority was to pray for them1 Timothy 2:1-4, I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. [KJV] I doubt if Paul would have preferred to ask for the freedom of slaves rather than an opportunity to preach to the king; because that is the mission, preaching the gospel while staying clear of politics. Furthermore, dealing with sensitive requests from those in authority calls for prayers and we first ask God for direction. Queen Esther was facing a daunting task on the face of a threat of genocide of her people, yet her husband had the right to quell the plan, but it was that easy to do here is the bible excerpt: Esther 4:16 Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish. Queen Esther knew the implication of what she was about to embark on, but she handled it with prayers and fasting , soliciting prayers from others. Changing our mind about what we believe or foregoing our stance about some convictions is difficult, let alone a politician foregoing his promises to the electorates. What would happen in the midterm election? It takes God to change our ways. See Proverbs 21:1, The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will. It is becoming quite alarming the way ecclesiastics are dabbling into politics, forgetting the biblical standard; this ought not to be we can correct, reprove these politicians by first taking them to God for help to lead right and wisdom to govern. Being quick to condemn their ways or policies does not cut it. And it was a non brainer tasking a new elected president to withdraw policies that got him elected in the first place.

Pastor Godwin writes from Amsterdam

Luke 18:13, And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

Luke 18:11-12, The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God; I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortionist, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week; I give tithes of all that I possess.

Isaiah 64:6, But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

Those who have acquired the mind of Christ through desires and seeking [for those who seek shall find) may have discovered that one thing that puts God off from us like other iniquities, is PRIDE. God hates pride and those who have appeared before him with a handbook of qualifications often go home empty. Cross check the opening Bible verses. What we all must recollect is that Jesus Christ, the mighty God, would not have come if only one person was found qualified to stand before GOD as a saint; righteous and holy enough. Humility, before God, is one thing that God himself cannot resist. All those who humble themselves are always lifted. It is a spiritual principle that has endured till date. The bible in Proverbs 6:16-17 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, It is possible in our nature as humans not to be proud of our achievements and laurels? Where many have ventured and failed woefully, surrounded by monumental failures, being a success story appears just too much for us not to stand tall and swim in pride. What? When most successes are the first in three generations. We have seen successes turns to pride in our neighborhood. The other day, news about an Uber driver went viral in Nigeria, The driver has gone to do a pickup delivery; on getting to the house, he calls the receiver by phone, to come get his order only for the recipient to unleash blows, slaps and name calling on him. His Crime was because he dared to ask the man to come get his delivery instead of taking it to the man inside his house. Only to say if the man makes any noise he can make him disappear. He later calls himself an senator of the federal republic of Nigeria. He threatened to lock him up in his generator room! Many were incensed for watching this recording play out before them, but is this not what obtains every day from those who thinks they have arrived and have to their credit a measure of achievement. Needless to say, it is a shame for any professed Christian to exhibit pride for whatever reason. Deuteronomy 8:2 And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or not. Read also 2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. Man, God created in his image was a proud creature, full of vanity and a tendency to oppress his fellowman. Proverbs 29:23 A man’s pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit. Matthew 23:12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.James 4:6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. 1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: The way up is to go down then God will lift you up that no man can bring you down Perhaps, after all, there could be a reason for a man to be fill with pride; only one reason if he is able to beat this. Man who has conquered the world , did well in business still has no reason to be proud till he is able to achieve this particularly exceptional fit; man have literally conquered the world through his inventions and daring achievements, in various field and endeavors. Should critics and antagonists take the pride from him? Is it fair not to allow him see himself as better than others? When he demands to be treated exceptional above others, does he deserve it? Should he not be allowed the space to wallow in his laurels and boast of them? I am persuaded that the society we live ascends to this demands, hence, we have VIPs in most public places, hotels, Airports, Airplanes , stadium etc. Do ushers, in our churches, not give special places and vantage positions to some people? With these kinds of treament, accolades not fuel pride in man? With so much for man to show pride and look down on others, there is one pride deflator for man. After all you will still answer the call of DEATH. Death is our pride deflator; man ought to know that despite his stride and progress in science arts and medicine he still have to comw to terms that one day he will succumb to the pangs and cold clutches of death. therefore, any one who must maintain pride must be able to conquer this monstrous taker of our life; mister DEATH.

But there is one person who qualifies to take this pride and boast and that is Jesus CHRIST. The only one among the religious leader who says he was God, the son of God, and boasted he will put down his life and take it back again in three days. Did he do it Did he succeed in conquering death? History is there to tell us about the empty tomb. Whereas, the tomb of other founders are there with thier bones intact, but not Jesus who claims to be the son of God. Acts 2:24, Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. Dead Jesus take your place of pride and be boastful, for you deserve it, but yet, he is the humblest man that ever struts the face of the earth. You are indeed worthy of our praise .And you are Lord of all.

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He had better hope Trump guy wins, [which I doubt] otherwise he is toast!. Almost all the super rich are supporting Trump because he offers them tax cuts. But like in almost all countries, the middle class outnumbers the super rich.

Yet the major does not even know his name. So how come he is giving him an award? Yet it is not in today's news in Brampton, Canada. I think it is a normal tradition to give this card to artists; it is not an official honor. We are Nigerians too smart for this fake! Did you notice the nigerian man handing the card to the major and explaining why portable is in Canada! So if the award is from the major's office, how come he is not even brief beforehand to know his name and for what purpose he is being honored? They never even give Nigerian bankers such honor. Abeg come Nigeria come answer your query, dis laundering no go save you.

Yet the major does not even know his name. So how come he is giving him an award? Yet it is not in today's news in Brampton, Canada. I think it is a normal tradition to give this card to artists; it is not an official honor. We be nigeriaooo too smart !!