₦airaland Forum

the_seeker, this (https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-344883.256.html#msg5149221) and that (https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-344883.256.html#msg5149932) are your proposition and my response.

Hi Chipmunkey I wish you the very same!

Psalm 119:162 “I rejoice at thy Word, as one that findeth great spoil”.

Great spoil means great treasure. It is important to rejoice as God's Word is unraveled in your spirit, because there's no treasure like it! Someone may wonder, “What if I don't fully understand it yet?” and I reply, “Rejoice all the same, you're quickening your own understanding!”

I recall when I was a child, I'd rejoice at birthday presents even before unwrapping them, and that's how to rejoice at God's Word, because “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the hearts of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him (1 Corinthians 2:9)” See also Isaiah 64:4.

That's why getting a tight hold of God's Word is like finding treasure hidden in a field (Matt 13:44). Such marvelous treasure can only be found by asking God and seeking the revelation of His Word.
Luke 11:10 says "For everyone that asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth, and to him that knocketh it shall be opened”.

The word translated “receiveth” is the Greek word Lambanõ, which means “to SEIZE or remove something, rather than just have it offered to you”. This same word can be used to describe a lion that has seized a young goat and wants to eat it. You just go ahead and try to collect it from the lion! Okay, maybe you haven't seen a lion before, but I can bet you've seen dogs. When a dog is served a big chunk of meat and it sees other dogs coming to take out of it, have you seen how it grabs the meat and flees? That’s Lambanõ. Try to remove the meat from its mouth!

Lambanõ (as used 261 times in the Bible) is not passive, it's active, it's a personal application to oneself. It's the word used in Mark 11:24, “Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them” and John 16:24, “Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full”.

In fact, to receive the Word you need to Lambanõ because John 1:12 uses that word when it says “But as many as received Him, to them gave He the power to become the sons of God, to them that believe on His name”. Even more interesting, every single time (6 places) the New Testament directly tells of someone receiving the Holy Spirit, the word Lambanõ is used! To receive the Word and the Spirit, you must receive in a Lambanõ way.

The parable of the sower (Matt. 13) tells of six (Four? No, Six) different ways in which people hear God's Word and what happens after (i.e. the wayside, stony places, thorny ground, and the good soil in 30, 60, and 100-fold measures). Please note that the Bible says they all HEARD the Word, but not all RECEIVED it. Hearing the Word and Receiving it are not the same thing!

(1) THE WAYSIDE (v4, v9)
These heard it and didn't understand it. They took no heed of it, took no hold of it, didn't bother and didn't really care so the devil came and STOLE what they heard. These guys see church like a fashion or routine, but hey! Even the devil knows how precious God's Word is, he had to steal it!! Don't let him steal the Word you hear. Remember the example of the Lion, Lambanõ the Word and watch the devil flee from you!

(2) STONY PLACES (v5-6, v20-21)
These heard the Word & received it, but because they had no root in themselves, they sprang up quickly. Without chewing the Word, they swallowed it. There can never be good digestion in their systems!

1 Thessalonians 5:21 says “prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” These guys are happy to go to church, pleased with the Sermon, they don't argue with the Pastor but deep down inside, they're not changing! It's hypocrisy, in essence. They endure for a while, for as long as they feel the impact of the Word they got.
Yes, that’s it, they go by their feelings, until persecution comes and finishes them off. Every time you hear God’s Word, persecution will arise for its sake, to try those who received the Word sincerely. e.g. after a splendid teaching on healing, the devil will come and suggest malaria to you. Expect him, and slap him back HARD with God’s Word.
After receiving the Word, you must let the Word of Christ dwell richly in you (Colossians 3:16). This means that the next step is meditation. You need to chew on God’s Word over and over again, repeating it to yourself until the Word becomes flesh to you, until it becomes the very reality of your own experience!

(3) THORNY GROUND (v7, v22)
These heard the Word and received it, but the little thorns that they had initially ignored sprang up and choked the Word in them!
These thorns did not appear overnight, but the soil thought they could be ignored. Worldly cares greatly hinder our profiting by the Word of God, taking the time devoted to fellowship with God, and distracting men from their duty and call in God. They eat up the vigour of the soul meant for divine things, and just like the thorns in this parable, they start like little foxes (see Songs 2:15) that spoil the vines if you don’t catch them young.

Same also for the deceitfulness of riches! Riches are not evil, but it’s the deception that often hangs around it, tempting people to put their confidence and expectation in the riches. Consider a young woman who is steadily growing in her church, she gets a job with a telecommunications company as a customer service agent and she’s told that she must be coming to work on sundays. She thinks to herself, “It’s a nice job! Since I will be earning a lot of money, I can just be buying the church Message CDs every week. God won’t mind since I will pay my tithes and offerings to the church”. That’s the deceitfulness of riches! But when true riches come from God, it prospers you and there is no sorrow added (see Proverbs 10:22).

(4) 30-FOLD INCREASE, (5) 60-FOLD INCREASE, and (6) 100-FOLD INCREASE (v8, v23).
It is wonderful that God’s Word shall not return empty (see Isaiah 55:10-11), so there will be people to receive the Word and benefit fruitfully by it, although to varying measures (30-fold, 60-fold, 100-fold). These varying measures will depend on the measures of grace, and also the tenacity with which you receive (Lambanõ) the Word, meditate (chew and digest) on it in understanding, and RUN with it (see Habakkuk 2:2). Really, it depends on how ready you are to show the World what God can accomplish in a man!

Just like Isaac’s ground (Genesis 26:12), our target is the highest degree of profiting by God’s Word (i.e. 100-fold), although the other two are also measures of success. For those who love excuses, Jesus never said there were no stones or thorns on the good soil ; but the truth is that these external influences and circumstances never stopped it from profiting!

These guys not only received the Word, but by meditation understood the Word (not only the sense and meaning of the Word, but their own concern in it, how it applies to them in particular). They got a hold of the Word like how a business tycoon knows his business, and they ran with it; and their fruitfulness was evident to all.


    1 Tim 4:15
    Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.(KJV)
    Practice and cultivate and meditate upon these duties; throw yourself wholly into them [as your ministry], so that your progress may be evident to everybody. (AMP)

    James 1:21 [AMP]
    “So, get rid of all uncleanness and the rampant outgrowth of wickedness, and in a HUMBLE (gentle, modest) spirit, RECEIVE and WELCOME the Word which IMPLANTED and ROOTED [in your hearts] contains the power to save your souls”

These are issues

And now I wonder why "the_seeker" did not acknowledge my view when I answered his question.

Thanks Nuclearboy! Thanks Viaro!!

Still no ideas yet, Ancel

mito, take it from me, no guy is worth all this trouble. And im not saying it cos it happened to me, Im saying it cos I have counselled many girls in church and at work over matters like this. Close your heart and move on. Even talking about sex to a guy like this was a wrong call. Cheers.

Olaadegbu, Keep this up. God bless you, and have a wonderful 2010!

Have a splendid and Happy New year everyone!

Thanks tiatma, I never saw it that way. Today should have been my exit day. *sniff, sniff* love you guys

Jesoul my darling sister from another mother! I must confess I can't promise to do 10 posts a day, but I ain't going nowhere. My posts may not be so many anymore, either way. I will try to improve message content over message volume. I have started reading up some stuff on effective communication, following Tudor's advice. I love you, JeSoul.

P.S> I found out that it indeed seems to be Abuzola, by his other posts. Hehehehehehe

@ancel and jesoul: banana skins? You just made my day!

Awww you guys make me wanna cry! Thank you all for making me become a much better person each time. . .

And who is this Abuzola wannabe? Lol The real Abuzola was never this polite, bless his heart. but keep up your game, sir/madman, cos the sporadic interjections are (often) a comic relief.

Good job, guys

I got tired of making long posts that no one understands, so I do most of my own discussions in reality nowadays, I may quit Nairaland in another one or two days. But I'm glad the Word is accurately divided with more grace.

Shalom

No ideas, ancel, cos my mind is really slow nowadays.

Thumbs up, BaronDavil!

Thanks, Ancel.

ancel:
Ad libitum, mavenb0x. Just include the scripture references.

Hmm okay let's see how it goes but LOL um, yeah, I am not sure I know where to start from or how to go about it like you have done here!

Violence will never solve the matter. Please don't do that, you may regret it with most of your life.

Cool. Really cool. . .

Can we add some?

Oh boy. See as katakata dey burst for this thread. LOL. Make I siddon look,   

@RecentPost: Walk on by, boy!  Compliments of the season, by the way!

@Flybulous: LOL superb comment right there! I was wondering when I would get such a comment.  You know I wrote the note, so I have to be immune. Besides, I don settle down already, I don't need nobody else. The "irresistible" label was just to gain readers' attention. *thumbs up*

@adolfe: You dey wori o. I was just trying to politely reply ur allegation that I would exit to resurface with another ID. Free me abeg, I no get time.
@Chris: Ok. But always remember what the wise ones say about books &their covers!
@cuteromntc: I wouldnt like to ignore you but I dont equivocate. Hope u had a great day.

@adolfe: No one talks like me. You will know immediately if you see me posting any other thing.

@waleski: No comment.

@Chris /H2O2 : The art of seduction? My elder brother's friend used to treat that book like a Bible, but I never read it. Does it have similar ideas? That guy kinda lived by it. Um, yeah.

@Chris: You think I'm hooked on NL? The truth is that I got tired after just 2 weeks. I chose to hang on 'cos I had unfinished business on many threads. I think I'm done with them all now. Well, time will tell if I am hooked or not, right?

@cuteromntc: You can believe anything you want sha, but I have been changing those pictures like every week or two since I joined NL, and if
you noticed you would have seen it was still me. Thanks, and have a great 2010 as well as a splendid Xmas.

@cuteromntc: I already told you my perspective. And in fact, I am leaving Nairaland for good in a couple of days, so you have nothing to bother about. Have a great 2010.

@Tudor & DeepSight: Hey!!! Let's bury the hatchet. After all, I and seeklove do not have any problems, why should you (both) forge ahead with such unbridled rage? In view of the below Nairaland rule and respect for Seun Osewa, if I cannot appeal by anything else, let's stop this abeg.

NO PERSONAL ATTACKS OR PUBLIC FIGHTS
Nairaland is a discussion forum, and it is inevitable that disagreements with crop up from time to time. Please be nice and respectful to other members at all times and do not resort to personal attacks, false accusations, name-calling, and other unproductive forms of communication. If you are upset with another member of the forum you must settle the fight outside the forum. You must not carry out any 'fights' on the open forum. 'Fights' are not allowed.

@Yisraylite: Whatever floats your boat, captain

P.S. I know that you and Morpheus go way back. I saw an old thread where you were Neo and he was Morpheus or something like that. I was just quite pissed last night, I guess I was talking without thinking. Apologies.

@Pastor AIO: Maybe superstititions are generally easier to understand, and to believe. They require little or no intelligence to process. And then, most of them are also driven by fear.

Apologies, everyone

[Original post has been removed]