₦airaland Forum

The reasons for people’s frustration in a church vary. Maybe they are upset because of a style change in the church. Maybe a certain program they love and believe in has ended. Maybe they feel like the decisions being made about finances are not the decisions they would make if they were in charge. Maybe they see a change in leadership that they don’t agree with or don’t understand. Maybe the methods are different than what they would choose. Maybe the church is putting a stronger emphasis on outreach, and in their opinion ignoring discipleship. This list isn’t exhaustive. Not always seeing eye to eye is normal. Having different opinions is normal. But what is sad and breaks the heart of God is that many individuals who get frustrated or leave the church respond in an unloving and ungodly manner, and it creates a chain of negative results.
Where does all of this frustration come from? I believe James 4:1–2 gives us insight about where this problem stems from: “What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? You want what you don’t have.” Isn’t that really the problem? We want our way, and when we don’t get it, we get upset. Whether it’s the man at the hotel or you in the church you attend, if we don’t get our way, we get upset. Many of us create a lot of pain, heartache, and damage to the kingdom of God.
A good friend who is pastor of a large church in Asia once told me, “I would never want to pastor in America. The people of your country have no idea what loyalty is.” He went on to say, “The people in my country don’t leave a church simply because they get upset or because they don’t like something. They work it out and talk it out, but they don’t abandon their spiritual family. We are loyal to Jesus and loyal to our church family.”
Loyalty in America runs paper-thin. One of the reasons for this problem is the wide variety of choices we have. This get-what-you-want-when-you-want-it system has bled into other areas of our lives, including our church life. If we aren’t happy with something in the church, or if something doesn’t go our way, we simply wander down the street to the next church or isolate ourselves from relationships and watch our favorite church online. The only problem with this solution is that as soon as the new pastor or church doesn’t live up to our expectations or do things the way we think they should be done, we head off to the next church.
Continue reading here:http://www.talking-christianity.com/2018/07/why-do-people-get-frustrated-with-their.html

Apostle Paul while writing to the Galatians called the law our schoolmaster and he went ahead to say that the schoolmaster has to be done away with in order for faith to come. The situation is actually no one has the ability to demise the law from the scene. That is, to be able to fulfill the demands of the law, by rightly interpreting it and establishes its purpose. Remember, the law couldn’t make anyone righteous because righteousness cannot come by the means of the law (Gal 2:16). When Jesus came He said something concerning the law and his relationship with it and on the cross He said something about it and again after His resurrection He also said something about it.
The statement He made at the beginning of His ministry about the law rightly showcase what His mission is as thus stipulates “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt 5:17-19).
The statement above speaks volume about the regard Jesus has for the law, and in a way it exposes the fact that He has come to bring the law to logical conclusion that will definitely liberate humanity from its entanglement. It is obvious that the work of the law was to expose the weakness of man and not to bring him to perfection. As a result, inasmuch as the law is concerned, every man stands guilty because no man was able to fulfill its demands.
Interestingly the statement of Jesus signifies that it was for this purpose He has come and for this reason he was born under the law in order to free them that are under the law as stated in Galatians 4:4-5 and I quote “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.”
The situation stands that the continuous existence of the law implies that no man will ever be qualified to be called a son to God, because the law is a barrier to that effect. Apostle Paul writing to the Romans in chapter 7 of that epistle verse one he stated and I quote “Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth?
Source:http://www.talking-christianity.com/2018/07/jesus-law-and-believer-part-one.html

As the 79th General Convention of the Episcopal Church kicks off in Austin, Texas, on Wednesday, church officials are set to consider competing resolutions on whether their Book of Common Prayer, last revised in 1979, needs to be revised to send a strong message that God does not have a gender.
Officials are also expected to consider updates to reflect same-sex marriage and the adoption of new gender identities.
The Rev. Wil Gafney, a professor of the Hebrew Bible at Brite Divinity School in Texas who is on a committee recommending updates to the 1979 text used in every Episcopal congregation, told The Washington Post that changing the text to reflect God as genderless would support women's equality.
"As long as 'men' and 'God' are in the same category, our work toward equity will not just be incomplete. I honestly think it won't matter in some ways," Gafney said.
Although the Episcopal Church doesn't allow preachers to fiddle with the text of the book outside the formal process, Gafney admits that sometimes she replaces masculine words like "King" to more gender-neutral terms like "Ruler."
A wholesale revision of the book would take several years and would not be reflected in the book until

To continue reading follow this link below

http://www.talking-christianity.com/2018/07/episcopal-church-debates-whether-to.html

The MonitHer device allows women to scan their breasts once a month in about 10 minutes. Software that combines artificial intelligence with the power of the cloud detects any potential problems.

it's always inspiring when the good guys win. That was certainly the feeling that swept the 5,000-person strong audience at the WeWork Creator Awards last week when Jerusalem-based MonitHer won the $360,000 grand prize.


The company was founded by American immigrant to Israel, Yehudit Abrams, who honed her ultrasound expertise while doing a post-doc at NASA before moving to Israel.
MonitHer makes a handheld ultrasound system that women can use at home to regularly monitor for abnormalities in breast tissue.

To continue reading follow the link below:
http://www.talking-christianity.com/2018/07/hallelujah-israel-invents-new-home-use.html

Most of us have heard about the prophecy that went viral by a Pastor revealing dates that certain bad incidents will happen within and outside Lagos, and some transportation companies that will be involved. Now do you think it was revealed so people can avoid going out or traveling on these days or to pray against it and stop it.. As so many of us have decided to totally avoid the road, it has caused an arousal of fear and unrest in the city of Lagos...
Deuteronomy 29:29, Moses said the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children but the things that are not revealed belong to God.

God reveals things so that it can be changed. Prophecy is not to scare you but to get you to action. If God doesn't want you to change it, He won't reveal it. He will bring it to pass without the knowledge of any man.

To continue reading follow the link below:
http://www.talking-christianity.com/2018/06/the-lagos-state-fire-incident-and.html

This kind of situation can be seen as a difficult one to encounter but then we are in the world where one cannot exonerate oneself from the occurrences of this life. But as Christians we have stipulated ways of handling issues, notwithstanding some situations can be overwhelming like this one.

Watch the reactions of many Christians here:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxU3DIgmSv4

Speaking at Prestonwood Baptist Church's Sunday service this weekend, Pastor Jack Graham thanked Ivanka Trump for her generosity and kindness in donating $50,000 for the Texas church's efforts to care for immigrants.
The first daughter learned about Prestonwood's efforts via a Tweet Graham posted Tuesday, June 19. She reached out to Graham, who has pastored the church nearly three decades, and made a personal $50,000 donation to help the church's work aiding migrant children.
"I've had the opportunity to meet with Ivanka Trump a number of times over the last year, and I've been struck by her kindness and concern for those in need," Graham said. "So it wasn't that surprising to know she would want to help these families. But I certainly never expected to hear from her after a simple tweet."
"What if more Americans, whatever their politics, decided to take to heart the needs of others and do what they can to help? Countless lives would be transformed. Hopefully, Ivanka's generosity will inspire many other Americans to get off the sidelines and actually provide tangible help to those in need."
The whole episode—from Graham's social media announcement to Ivanka's donation—occurred days before President Trump signed an executive order directing border security agents to keep families together during immigration processing, as reported by CBN.

On Sunday, Graham explained the first step in their response to the immigration crisis will be an assessment trip to determine the need and how churches can respond to it. Graham, alongside several of the informal evangelical advisers to the administration, will travel to Brownsville, Texas, this week to visit detention centers near the border. According to Graham, they will then plan an event the first week of July for children in the detention centers.
To continue reading follow this link below

http://www.talking-christianity.com/2018/06/ivanka-trump-donates-50000-to-texas.html

After Leading the Way's follow-up team distributed one of their solar-powered Navigator audio Bibles to a blind Iraqi refugee, they were astonished to later discover that he used it to memorize 87 chapters from the Bible.
Everyday in his modest home in Amman, Jordan, Fadhil* holds this device in his hand and soaks up the Scriptures.
Several Leading the Way partners found it extremely humbling to visit Fadhil in his home while he quoted Scripture after Scripture:
"It was convicting, because for us we memorize a couple of verses. But he memorized chapters. He just meditates on scriptures day in and day out," said partner David Bottoms.
"When someone from the Leading the Way follow-up team provided him with a Navigator with the Bible and Dr Youssef's messages, he was so overjoyed to receive it and every day he listens to the Word of God."
Partner Ron Hughes added: "Fadhil is someone who would seem unremarkable by the ways of the world. But God doesn't choose to reveal Himself through the mighty and the powerful and the rich. He reveals Himself through the poor and the humble. Being in this small, modest home and being in the presence of greatness as God's word filled the room ... was an amazing experience.

To continue reading follow this link below
http://www.talking-christianity.com/2018/06/awesome-blind-iraqi-refugee-memorizes.html

"Look, a woman driver!" appeared to be a common refrain among male onlookers in Riyadh as women embraced a freedom long denied to them.
Long relegated to the backseat, Saudi women celebrated taking the wheel for the first time this week in a much-awaited rite of passage, but one crucial hurdle remains — the attitude of men.
Social media is awash with videos of women behind the wheel and men in the passenger seat, a role reversal that was unimaginable in the conservative state until a royal decree last September ended a decades-long women driving ban.


A woman driver is such a novelty across the gender-segregated Muslim kingdom that when the decree took effect on Sunday, it prompted jubilation, disbelief –- and reactions akin perhaps to those evoked by the first woman doctor in the 19th century.
The driving reform has been widely hailed by young Saudis and no overt incidents of harassment were publicly reported in the first two days since the ban was lifted, but many are wary of pervasive sexism and aggression from male drivers despite warnings from authorities.
“I advise men to stay home to avoid being killed by women drivers!” said one Saudi Twitter user, echoing a torrent of similar comments predicting a surge of accidents because of female motorists.
Often accompanying such comments are images of fiery car crashes and traffic pileups.
And then there are the condescending mansplainers.
For more follow this link below
http://www.talking-christianity.com/2018/06/saudi-women-begins-to-drive-this-week.html

“Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.”

Jeremiah 32:17 NKJV

The question that has been on the lips of every human being at one time or the other is who created the earth and how? No one should be blamed for asking this question. It is all because of the overt mysteries behind the things that exist on the face of the earth. More mysterious is not just their existence but their modus operandi which is very intricate for the human mind to quickly grasp. We have had so many people proffering ideas and trying to put comprehensible arguments on the table in other to demonstrate how the earth came into being. And many of these ideas have made many who are adherent to them to concede wrong information and thereby building unsanctified wisdom from these ideas. These kind of argumentative motifs have been going spiral like a ripple capturing the heart of the tender ones, mostly in the institution of learning; and landing them on the wrong pedestal of knowledge.
Obviously, as this kind of knowledge continues to spread among people, no doubt they will come out with wrong ideas about the earth and such misconception is the reason for the spiritual bankruptcy we are having among people. The effect of this is that it has compelled people to live their lives without a spiritual relationship with the Creator of the earth. This, of course is the reason for the absurd stances they have in handling the issue of the earth.

“God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did,”

Romans 4:17b NKJV

To continue reading follow this link :http://www.talking-christianity.com/2018/06/how-earth-was-created-bible-stance.html

Well, I believe that with God all things are possible but somehow I don't know whether to accept this story that I read. One thing you cannot take away from the white people is that when they are determined they are no two ways about.
You can read the story here and judge it yourself.
www.talking-christianity.com/2018/06/church-reads-entire-bible-in-one-day.htm

What a great initiative – Happening live in Edo state “Stars Award international” Talking Christianity was there to cover the event. Our reporter spoke with some of the nominees for the award. Stars Award is designed to honour gospel artistes that have contributed immensely with their God given talents in the promotion of gospel in Nigeria.

For more click the source: http://www.talking-christianity.com/2018/06/what-great-initiative-gospel-artiste.html

lalasticlala:
your blog link can't open

You dont mean it..... you are funny ooooooo

You will like this video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxeBqxtH8uM&feature=youtu.be

Tell us how you read your bible....

The life of influential young rapper XXXTentacion was cut short on Tuesday and although a controversial up-and-coming emcee, many in the Christian Hip-Hop community took to social media to share their thoughts about his death.
Deemed a "controversial" figure in the Hip-Hop community, XXXTentacion still maintained a high level of respect for his music which first garnered a massive following on the music platform Soundcloud. His latest album, ?, would go on to reach No. 1 on the Billboard charts in March.
The 20-year-old had a number of domestic abuse and assault allegations against him and he put all of his real-life pain into his artistic persona. XXXTentacion seemed to be turning his life around recently and was in Florida for a charity event. However, everything came to an end on June 19 when the rapper, whose real name is Jahseh Onfroy, was gunned down by two men who approached him as he was leaving a Deerfield Beach, Florida, motorcycle dealership in his BMW sports car.


Regardless of what people believed about his life, many in Christian Hip-Hop were strongly impacted by the news of his death.
Grammy winner and Reach Records founder Lecrae took to Instagram stories writing that he was "sad" and is praying for the young man's family.
Christian rapper Derek Minor tweeted his disgust that people reportedly took out their phones and filmed XXXTentacion after he was shot.
"We used to joke about a society that would see a traumatic event and the first thing they would think is to pull out their phone. It's sad its no longer a joke but a reality. We have become so clout centered that we will film a person die to say we where there rather than help," Minor Tweeted.
Others wished he had a chance to give his heart and life to Jesus before leaving earth in such a tragic way.
Read some of their comments: http://www.talking-christianity.com/2018/06/christian-artists-react-to-tragic.html

Most people that I have been privileged to meet have reiterated rhetorically this question of the where about of God. The statement has been, “if there is God where is Him?” To them inasmuch as God is not visible to unclad eyes, there is no point saying that He exists. This factor of invisibility has become a hard nut for many to crack, for this reason many who would have like to believe in God decided to think otherwise. The attention has been place on a kind of God that is visible, and can be located and reached to ask some questions. People wanted a kind of God that they can pay visit anytime they desire and probably have some cups of tea with Him, thereafter lay their needs and frustration on Him. And perhaps, they wanted a kind of God that they will reach out to and ask Him to teach them how He made this world, so that they will start creating their own world. It is unbelievable that someone made this magnificent world and He’s nowhere to be found, at least He should appear once in a while so that people can count on Him and be very careful in most things they get themselves involved.


At least if God is visible many will not like to go contrary to His will, they will fear Him because they have seen how big He is, even a little of his finger can cut their life off. For this reason they want a God they will see physically and fright about because He is seen with unclad eyes. Yet many wanted a God that they can reach out to and demand His assistance in destroying their enemies with all alacrity. And so it is that if this kind of God that people have created according to their thoughts doesn’t exist, it means that there is no God. Many have argued that it is stupid to believe in somebody that you cannot see; to them it is an awkward situation to be.

It is so much a stroppy situation for man mainly who is always miserable and vulnerable to so many harsh conditions and needed a God that is always handy but couldn’t find Him. They want to see Him so that they can question Him why he created them and put them in such a situation that is terrible, I mean a world that is horrific. For this reason they are appalled by the mention of the name God because He cannot be exonerated from the situation they find themselves in this world. Yet we see many who are working assiduously campaigning and making it known to people that God exists though they have not seen Him with their unclad eyes.

The issue is this, why would these people believe that there is God and He does exist without seeing Him with their unclad eyes? And again, why would people take up the option of dying because of their belief in God and His existence if there is no inner conviction? For these reasons, I think that it is important to verify their stance in this matter. To this category of people, the invisibility of God doesn’t matter, because to them it is an impious proof that God does not exist. The invisibility of God cannot be the yardstick to ascertain the existence of God, because there are lots of things that the unclad eyes cannot perceive but their existence have been confirmed by their activities. Even as human beings there are times we existed but do not know that we did. Existence began to have impact in the life of human beings when they come off age of recognizing things and remembering events that happens around them. Children that are in between the ages of 1 – 3yrs cannot emphatically say what happens around them, though they existed but because their sense faculties have not developed. It takes another person who is matured to narrate to them what happened during their infancy days.

To read more click this link: http://www.talking-christianity.com/2018/06/the-invisibility-of-god-is-issue.html

paxonel:
how are the church using their pocket money to entertain people like world cup is doing now with their money?

Well, I think you have a point there but consider this the pocket of the church needs more to help grow the spiritual standard of its members, to evangelize and gather more souls and also to do greater charity works. The world cup entertainment ends at gratifying the physical man and while many are going to get rich, many are going to get broke because of betting. However, the article didnt say Christians should not watch the world cup.

Once in every four years, the atmospheric condition of many football loving nations has a kind of shift that metamorphoses into either a tense or easy situation depending on the performance of their team. This is commonly known as the “Spirit of World Cup”. Many are caught in the web of this spirit; for instance there are many whose TV sets were not in order, just because of world cup, they are forced to put them in order. Satellite dish and decoder shops are experiencing better turnovers this period of time and many TV stations are making good money from the sales of adverts on their stations. Also, many artistes are getting mouth watery endorsements from different companies. In fact, the world cup talks money and brings money in the pocket of all the stakeholders whether on pitch or off-pitch money is exchanging hands.

However, the wave of world cup blows and affects the mental state of greater number of individuals in the respective countries participating in the event. This is as a result of the charisma and the euphoria it produces in the life of individuals especially if their team is on the winning side. It is not surprising to see people laughing and discussing the events that took place in a particular match their team won. The story is relived lively and it creates a joyful state to their entire being.

However, the reverse is the case if their team is defeated. This football winning ecstasy permeates every endeavors and activities within the vicinity; to the extent that people are found doing chores and some hard jobs with joyful expression on their faces. If the matches are played in the day, people are willing to leave their shops and businesses to go clue their eyes on their TV sets.

http://www.talking-christianity.com/2018/06/the-side-effect-of-world-cup-to-church.html

For the first time in decades, Saudi Arabia has begun issuing driver’s licenses to women as it prepares to lift its ban on female drivers on June 24.

The government released a statement saying that 10 women were issued the licenses on Monday. A flood of more applications is now expected.

“Expectations are that next week an additional 2,000 women will join the ranks of licensed drivers in the kingdom,” the statement said.

However, this move is overshadowed by the arrest of a number of women who campaigned for the right to drive.

“It’s absolutely welcomed that the authorities have begun issuing driving licenses to women,” Samah Hadid, from Amnesty International, told the Los Angeles Times. “But unfortunately, this comes at a price where the very women who campaigned for the right to drive are behind bars instead of behind the wheel.”

Saudi prosecutors have not publicly identified the women. However, state-backed media accused them of betraying the country.

The lift on the driving ban comes at a time when the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has pushed for efforts to modernize the country.

For more click this link:https://talkingchristianity.org/2018/06/07/285/

So, there are these basic understandings and assurances that should be built in the mind of every believer and these are firstly, the believer should understand that while fighting any battle he is not at the weak end or standing. As a believer, he has a placement rooted on the strength of the victory of Jesus Christ; therefore he fights from strength and as a result should not ask for strength. He's already operating from strength. On this note, the believer is not the weak but the strong.
Having this kind of mindset while in any battle against any situation will grant the believer the temerity to stand strong and claim his position in God. Secondly, the believer should understand the nature and the strength of the kingdom where he is a citizen. Now, let’s take for instance, if one understands the greatness of one’s family in a society, he shouldn’t lose sight of the integrity the family standard accrues to him while he moves around town. The same goes to a believer; he should move around not minding what the situation around says because his family is the strongest family in all ramification.
Therefore, there is no cause for alarm when situations come up. Notice that each and every family or kingdom per se has its own rules and conducts guiding it and sometimes if not all the times, these rules and conducts vary from one kingdom or family to another. This suggests that the believer is in a kingdom that has its own rules and conducts that differs from what is obtainable in another kingdom. As a result, rules and conducts from another kingdom cannot have any effect on him and shouldn’t be a thing to perturb him.
Another thing a believer should have at the back of his mind, which is the third thing, is that, he should grasp the fact that by faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ he has been brought into the Kingdom of God. And as result of that he has become a member of God’s family. Therefore, it shouldn’t be wrong for him to call God his father. And actually God has become a father to him, it means that he emanated from God, in other words, God is his source. This statement implies that the believer carries the DNA of God, that all of God’s nature and character can be identified in the believer. Let’s see the way Apostle Peter puts it: “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” (2 Peter 1:4).
To continue reading:
http://salvationinthelordevangelicalministry..com.ng/2018/05/welcome-to-arena-of-indubitable-truth_18.html

Trustme2:
To each his own

This is the major problem misinterpretation of scripture has created, we cannot be on our own expect that we shall all come to the unity of the faith.

Continued from last episode-


Preamble: There is obvious gross interpretation of the Scripture as a result of the way and manner the Scripture has been studied and read. The inappropriate studying and reading of the Scripture has led to wrong interpretation of the Scripture and that has resulted into wrong application of what the Scripture says.
Anchor Text:

“And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?”

Acts 8:30
Text of Interest:

“But ye have not so learned Christ;”

Ephesians 4:20

So, when one has been inundated with the word of truth, he should get his eyes fixated on what he has been taught by so doing, he will not found himself fumbling in profane and vain babblings. It is because of this Apostle Paul advised Pastor Timothy his progeny in the Lord thus “But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;” (2 Timothy 3:14). This statement above calls for reasoning in the direction of where one learns the truth from. Therefore, truly it matters who you learn from, and of course if you weigh the capability of the man you eat from his table you can’t help but boast of him. Like Apostle Paul boasted that He was taught by Gamaliel who happens to be a doctor of the law in his days. The emphasis here is trust, so one should have an atom of trust on the person who is teaching him in order to build and establish the truth emanating from him.
However, let's look at the benefit in holding fast what one has learned. Apostle Paul indicated in his epistle to the church in Ephesus. “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;” (Ephesians 4:14). The quotation above says “henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine.” So a believer who is taught cannot be tossed about and be carried away with every wind of doctrine, a believer who is not carried away by every wind of doctrine will definitely be able to decipher between the wrong doctrine and the true doctrine. And the true doctrine is the doctrine of Christ.
The adverse effect of being tossed to and fro and being carried by every wind of doctrine is that a believer in that state will become a garbage ground where anything can be dumped by anybody. Whatever he hears is acceptable and he follows because he has built a surface understanding of the Scripture. As a result of shallow understanding of the Scripture in many occasions heated arguments arose between Apostle Paul and certain groups especially the group called circumcision group. These were the advocate of circumcision among the brethren; they believed that everyone should be circumcised for salvation to be completed. Apostle Paul and Barnabas have to confront them and eventually brought the matter before the council of Elders and Apostles. And if not for the intervention of the Elders and Apostles such a cruel and faithless doctrine would have been induced and established among believers today.


To continue click the link below
http://salvationinthelordevangelicalministry..com.ng/2018/05/welcome-to-arena-of-indubitable-truth_12.html

Hello, let's ruminate on this article, I found it interesting as I went through it.......God bless your soul!

“But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” (1 Corinthians 9:27).

The presentation I have heard over the years while growing up in the church world is that a believer can ‘be a castaway ‘ from heaven or from entering heaven and the verse above is the riveting verse to seal their assertion. Well, thank God for knowledge and thank God that I have the willpower to open my heart to knowledge. Firstly, let’s try to analyze this verse and draw out the right doctrine it depicts. The Greek word translated castaway is the word adokimos, it means unapproved, rejected, worthless or disqualified. So we can interpolate these words in the verse this way “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be unapproved, rejected, worthless or disqualified.” The word castaway is the appropriate word to use based on content and context of the write-up.
This is very factual because verse 24-26 of the same chapter establishes the reason why the writer used this word castaway in verse 27. “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air” (1 Corinthians 9:24-26). It is emphatic to say that verse 27 of this chapter is not a standalone but a buildup established from the flow of thought of the writer as regards to the subject matter. And the subject matter here is a race or better still a competition and in this race or competition there’s going to be a reward.
Before I go forward, I want us to differentiate these words reward and gift. Now, a reward is given to someone who has done something noble, so he or she receives something tangible because of what he or she has done. But a gift is what someone receives not necessarily because he or she has done something. It is important to also state that for someone to enter into any competition or race; he must have gotten the preliminary qualification from the organizers of the race or competition and this involves his agreement to run or compete according to the rule(s) of the game. The preliminary qualification to be in this kind of race the writer is talking about is that one must firstly be a believer in order to participate in the race. So the race therefore, is the believer’s race and an unbeliever cannot be part of it, which implies the race is not for unbelievers but for believers. And is interesting to point out that the race cannot disqualify one from been a believer because becoming a believer is not predicated on the race but one can be disqualified from receiving the reward from the race because he didn’t run according to the rule(s) of the race.

Continue reading:http://salvationinthelordevangelicalministry..com.ng/2018/05/welcome-to-arena-of-indubitable-truth_5.html

Six Destructive Trends Happening in Your Church
Brothers and sisters, we ought to recover the roots of real Christianity before those who care are too few to do anything useful about it. Part of that recovery will involve identifying some of the factors that contribute to the problem. Some of these will be difficult to consider, but we ought to consider them anyway. Some of the problems we might explore are these:

1. Pastors are increasingly hired for their management skills or rhetorical ability over and above their biblical wisdom or their meeting of the biblical qualifications for eldership.

Our shepherds are increasingly hired for their dynamic speaking or catalytic leadership rather than their commitment to and exposition of the Scriptures, and for their laboring in the increase in attendance rather than the increase of gospel proclamation.
Now, of course, none of those contrasted qualities are mutually exclusive. Pastors can be both skillful managers and biblically wise; they can be both great speakers and great students of Scripture; and they can both attract crowds and proclaim the gospel. The problem is that, while they are not mutually exclusive, the latter qualities in each contrast have lost priority and consequently have lost favor. We have not prospered theologically or spiritually when we emphasize the professionalization of the pastorate.

2. The equating of “worship” with just one creative portion of the weekly worship service.

The dilution of the understanding of worship is a direct result of the dilution of theology in the church. The applicational, topical approach to Bible understanding has the consequence of making us think (and live) in segmented ways. The music leader takes the stage to say, “We’re gonna start with a time of worship.” Is the whole service not a time of worship? Isn’t the sermon an act of worship?
Isn’t all of life meant to be an act of worship?
One reason we have struggled to develop fully devoted followers of Jesus is that we incorrectly assign our terminology (equating worship with music only) and thereby train our people to think in truncated, reductionistic ways.

Continue Reading:http://salvationinthelordevangelicalministry..com.ng/2018/04/six-destructive-trends-happening-in.html

There is nothing as thrilling as understanding the stipulations of the scripture rightly. It gives one joy because in its totality it is an assurance that one is not walking in error. It is very painful to discover that one has been walking in error especially when one has passed such error to others and they have believed it and as well spread it across the board. Therefore, it is very important as students and believers of the scripture that we dig doggedly in the content of the scripture in order to find out what the lines of the scripture says and have right interpretation of them. The benefits of having right interpretation of the lines of the scripture are enormous in the sense that it helps the believer and the student of the scripture to have right application. The right application of the lines of the scripture would mean that the relationship of the student or believer between other believers and unbelievers and even situations will definitely be affected positively. The reverse is the case in a situation where the absence of right interpretation is available.
The text of interest says “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.” Matthew 16:18. I want us to elucidate on this quotation and extract some facts from it and establish the right doctrine from it. Firstly we should understand that this quotation is a response to a statement made by Peter. Therefore, it is not a standalone statement, it means a better understanding of it must be in connection with what Peter said if not anything said about it is said out of context. So let’s see what Peter said “And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16).
To continue reading click the link below:
http://salvationinthelordevangelicalministry..com.ng/2018/04/welcome-to-arena-of-indubitable-truth_15.html

The celebration of Easter has come and gone yet many who celebrated it didn't know why they did and many who knew cannot elucidate properly why. Below are some of the highlights of the things that have transpired in the life of people who believed whether they know or not.

Notice that the Second Adam is the Lord from heaven, but the Last Adam is a quickening (Life giving) Spirit. This is the difference, anyone who receives Jesus Christ in his or her spirit receives a life that he or she didn't have before. Such transformation resonates in the spirit of the receiver and no one except him or her understands what has transpired on the inside. This life giving Spirit that comes into man and dwells is the reason for the exceptional and extraordinary disposition of the believer even in the face of death he or she looks unperturbed.
So there is a paradigm shift in the act of worshipping God, things have gone from the physical act of worship to the spiritual act of worship. The veil of the temple has been torn and the Holy of the Holies has been exposed everyone can come in. The wall of partition between the Jews and the Gentile has been broken; the people that were not a people have been made heirs of God alleluia! The gentiles and the poor are hearing the gospel and are being saved, they are receiving the seal of the Holy Ghost as well, and there is now no difference between the Jews and the Gentiles. This has been the purpose of God even before the foundation of the earth that by the death of the incarnate Jesus there shall emanate the Last Adam and forgiveness of sin shall be obtained and people will become sons of God. So both the Jews and the Gentiles that believe are called the sons of God, and peradventure anyone refused to believe whether Jew or Gentile he or she is not a son of God! To be a son of God is to come into a place and the place is called in Christ!

And I welcome you as you come into this place called Christ!
Culled from:http://salvationinthelordevangelicalministry..com.ng/2018/04/welcome-to-arena-of-indubitable-truth_7.html

The verity nature of the Word of God is unquestionable just that we have over the years in the time past misinterpreted the content of the Scripture and because of that we have wrong result or outcome. However, if we have the right perception, the veracity of the Scripture can easily be ascertained. The link below throws better light -

http://salvationinthelordevangelicalministry..com.ng/2018/03/welcome-to-arena-of-indubitable-truth_21.html

There are many who have had encounter with terrible situations in life and yet they came out of them victoriously because they have the right sense of judgment within and while the situation lingers.
Culled from :http://salvationinthelordevangelicalministry..com.ng/2018/03/welcome-to-arena-of-indubitable-truth_10.html
I believe our sense of judgment while facing situations matters.....

enilove:
Let the Holy Spirit do the corrections and directives .

Night prayers are very effective.

In the write-up the op didn't say that night prayers are not effective but praying with the idea that it's when demons are in operation is wrong.

There is this myth surrounding the act of prayer in the church world especially in this part of the world. Christians have been made to believe that for their prayers to be answered one has to pray at a certain hour of the night. Reasons being that these certain hours of the night are the times the demons, witches and wizards gather to have their meeting. I was in a certain church service one day the pastor was issuing order to his members to start praying at 2.00am every night, that it is the most powerful time to pray because that is the time the demons gather. Well, I wonder if he is one of them, that on the side, this statement is not according to knowledge.
Prayer must be a faithful spiritual activity in which the one praying issue orders through his or her mouth in order to turn things around in the spiritual realm. Prayer affects the course of things in the realm of the spirit, and in the realm of the spirit the principalities and powers there acts on what the one praying has commanded. These principalities and powers are spiritual beings and as spiritual being they are not under the control of time and space, which means that they do not exist within time and space. This implies that demons do not know what 2.00am is and are not regulated by any time frame. They are on the loose to do their havoc at any time of the day whether night or daylight. So we see evil occurrences induced, inspired, controlled by demons taking place at any time of the day. The misnomer here is that 2.00am in Nigeria could be afternoon somewhere in any part of the world and in that part of the world some tragic situation could be taking place whereas the people in Nigeria are having a nice time in their sleep.
Recently we heard of a flight that flow from a country that is in 2018 and landed in a country that is still in 2017. This shows that time is not a factor in the realm of the spirit because the beings in the realm of the spirit doesn’t exist within the parameters of time and space. That is why when you pray sickness that is supposed to take five months to heal under medical supervision heals instantly because when the realm of the spirit invades into a matter, time doesn’t matter at all. So is fallacious to wake up or to wake someone up to pray midnight prayer because that is the time the demons are at work. This reason is not according to knowledge! Now don’t get me wrong, I am not against praying midnight prayer or praying at 2.00am. I do pray at any time of the night but not because it is the time the demons are at work but because is comfortable for me, at that times there are no distractions and my spirit can focus and I declare what I want done and happen.
Culled from - http://salvationinthelordevangelicalministry..com/2018/01/welcome-to-arena-of-indubitable-truth_4.html

The Celebration of New Years!

The New Year celebration is an eventful celebration that is pivoted within a zealous and energetic mentality. The demonstration of zeal and energy involved in the celebration is emanating from whatever the previous year in focus must have offered the celebrant either positive or negative. The New Year celebration becomes such an exuberant celebration because many of the celebrants who felt that the previous year in focus did not bring in anything better in their lives would never want to have the same experience(s) in the present year in focus. Hence, the celebration of the present year in focus with positive and revelation knowledge mindset that is rooted in a painted imagination of better and positive things happening in it.
Nobody would want those appalling impediment, frustration and dissuaded situations that took place in the previous year to repeat itself in the New Year. Therefore, it is not out place seeing people celebrating the New Year with tears rolling down their faces, which is a form of expression of how joyous they are escaping all the ills that took place in the previous year. In a way to prove how hopeful they are in the fulfillment of their expectations, the New Year must be celebrated in a powerful, colourful and ostentatious manner and of course the bills in making all the needed things available runs higher notwithstanding the pecuniary hardship of the previous year! In order to usher in the New Year, the fireworks must be there, the streets and houses must be painted, and parties must be organized. And in some countries the executive arm of the government issues what is called the New Year messages and of course the messages are just a mouth action that has no psychological or spiritual impact in the life of the citizenry down the line.
On the other hand, the New Year celebration has lots of myths and unfounded beliefs surrounding it. Many believe that in the first day of the New Year one should not have any misfortune, the occurrence of such would depict ‘bad luck’ and it is assumed that such sorrowful occurrences will continue in the life of the individual through the year in focus. Others believe that they must put on a new cloth or material they have not putting on before; such is an indication that their life will continue to be freshly throughout the year in focus. And among the male folks, many of them visit the hairdresser to barber their hair, which of course means that they have mourned the previous year and have come into the New Year with fresh hair growing. Yet, some will make sure they have good food cooked in their houses that first day of the New Year, which implies that they will have enough good food to eat throughout the year running. And among many, it is a taboo to say tacky words out of their mouth because such words will accompany them throughout the year. Of course there is this avowal called the ‘New Year Resolution’ among people, which is a form of decoration of new agendas and characters that is very different from the agendas and characters they had in the previous year that never paid anything better in their lives. This is born out of some kind of ecstasy generated from the feeling of better things to come therefore nothing should be allowed to dent their chances of getting those things in the New Year.But as the ecstasy of the New Year continues to wane off, the old man in them gradually resurfaces.
However, there are several people that the previous year in focus favoured, they had their expectations met, and they had blissful business outcomes, smooth marriages, warm friendships, mouth watery co-operate association deals and great political achievement. Ending on a note like this means that these category of people are not in any way against the previous year in focus, in fact they remain grateful and would like that it doesn’t come to an end. Therefore, they are taking active part in the celebration of the New Year in a way to show that they can be able to shape the past achievement and such sureness will thrust them into a greater level of achievement in the present year in focus. So, many massively celebrate the passing year in the New Year to thank the passing year of its benevolence to them and at the same time they celebrate the New Year with the believe that it will bring in more and better fortunes to them. The same way many heavily mourn the passing year in the celebration of the New Year with the believe that whatever negative thing that happened to them in the passing year will not surface again in the New Year, hence the celebration of the New Year with great expectation of good tidings on their way.
However, the question is, is there actually anything like Old Year or New Year? Technically, the answer is no! This is because on the surface there is no difference between first of January 2018 and thirty first of December 2017, both are days and as usual both wanes up as every other day that comes into existence does. Therefore, the creation of the calendar years is just manmade and they exist in the sensory realm of man and as a result the existence of years is fictional. To a Christian or better still a believer in Christ, he or she doesn’t exist in any year rather in Christ. In Christ is a place the believer dwells and he or she receives a New Nature that is irreversible (2 Corinthians 5:16-18). He or she lives and operate his or her life in Christ because there he or she has his or her being established (Acts 17:28). The verse quoted does not say in December, January or any other month we live move and have our being but in God we live move and have our being. In verse 18 of 2 Corinthians chapter 5 it states that everything about the believer is found in God, so the existence of the believer is rooted in God, therefore no external forces should play any role in the welfare or well-being of the believer.
And no wonder Jesus declared in the gospel of John chapter 17 verses 16 “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” The word world here means the system or the organizational structure of the world put in place to run man’s activities here. Do Christians work with the system? Yes, but are they of the system? No. Reasons see 2 Corinthians 3:5, Psalm 68:19, Philippians 4:19 and Psalm 112:1-3. You may ask question like, is it proper then for Christians to celebrate the New Year Day? Well, the answer is an emphatic yes! Reason the New Year Day is just like every other day that the Lord has made and given to man, therefore when we wake up each day we echo the words of the psalmist “This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” The Christians should be the most rejoicing set of people on this planet earth that very day because it is the day the Lord has made and we should rejoice and be glad in Him, according to the original manuscript. The Christians are not rejoicing because of the New Year Day but because of their placement in Christ, Christ is the day for each believer, the book of Hebrews puts it better this way “Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. For if Jesus (Joshua) had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.” There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. (Hebrews 4:7-9). Christ is that day every believer has entered and has rest.

Therefore, on the New Year Days we celebrate Christ because in Him we live, and move and have our being! That is why actually the believers do not have anything called the ‘New Year Resolution’ because the place of the believer is a perfected place and he or she has been perfected in Christ (1 Corinthians 1:30, Colossians 2:10, 3:3, Hebrews 10:14). For this reason anyone that has come into Christ will not fathom how the desire of doing negative things dies in him or her. He or she just sees himself or herself living above such characters because he or she has come into a perfected environment. The steps of the believer are ordered by the Lord. Praise God!

Source: http://salvationinthelordevangelicalministry..com/2018/01/welcome-to-arena-of-indubitable-truth.html