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Esther Agbi

The Coming Of Jesus Approved

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The Coming Of Jesus Approved

1 Thess. 3:10-13 {NASB}

10 For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either. 11 For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. 12 Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread. 13 But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good.

I recently came back from a mission field to Nigeria. I went with my son who is 15 years of age and has never been to Africa even though he has an African descent. This was quite an exciting trip because he was caught up with various fascinating things that he could not help taking pictures. None of those varied scenes was strange to me because I had spent 38 years of my life in Africa before I came to North America. I also called his attention to some of the beautiful but funny scenes that I supposed he did not see because there were so many things to take pictures of and he had only two hands. It was a time like this one would desire to have ten hands due to the abundance of strange but funny activities going on.

Back to my topic, when you talk about the second coming of Jesus, some people turn their faces away and say that people in the Bible days also heard about this and even thought that Jesus would be coming very shortly. Bible scholars believed that some of the Apostles thought the coming of Jesus was going to be in their days. Some of the converts in Apostle Paul’s days thought that it was not necessary to continue to work probably due to laziness or because of the coming of Jesus, because after all, if Christ was coming, there was no need to gather money for different projects, including money for sustenance. I also believed that Jesus is coming back, but probably in a long time from now. My belief did not stop me from continuing in my Christian Faith and working as well.

In about 2001 when I came to North America, I had a dream or night vision. In this dream, I saw that there was jubilation in heaven and the sky was filled with balloons for celebration. I was very happy because I thought the revelation was all about rapture, the second coming of Jesus {1Thes.4:13-15, 22}. I told a few of my friends who were Christians and we were all expectant, waiting for His coming. This is now 2016, we are still waiting. My family and I were watching a program on T.V last night and the minister of God was saying that the coming is imminent. I told my children that I completely agree with the minister but that no one knows the time. In fact, I said that I believe we are already in the season, but God only knows when Jesus will be coming back on earth. This was what Jesus said Himself. The times and seasons we will know but only God Himself knows the exact time {Mark 13:32}.

This is well known to those who are Christians. This is the foundation of our Christianity, that Christ lived, died and He is coming back again. If there was no resurrection, then there would be no hope for eternal life for Christians {1Corinth.15:12-19}.

Why His coming back is important to me is that I had another dream tonight, September 5th, 2016. I saw the write up and I read it aloud in the dream ‘The coming of Jesus Approved”. I woke up and gave thanks to the Lord. I prayed for those in nations where it is difficult for people to have access to the word of God and that they may have easier access and become saved. I also prayed for my family members who are not yet saved. Then I asked myself, then what? The Spirit prompted me to tell others. I said okay, but how? I then remembered that we have a blog that has not received any recent publications for months. I felt very sorry and stood up immediately from my bed to write.

I believe the Lord wants us to have it uppermost in our minds that He is coming very soon and that we should be about our Fathers’ business to spread the good news to all. Whether He is coming today or in 1000 years the work of God in the mission fields and all over the world must continue.

This brings me back to our mission field. We saw with our own eyes the needs in this particular mission field and the needs in others are abundant as well.

It is my prayer that the Lord will give us strength and wisdom to do His work, both spiritual and secular until He comes.

Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus.

God bless you.

Esther Agbi

Arise and Shine!

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Arise and Shine!

Luke 15:1- 32 “I will arise and go…..”

I want to take a closer look at the word ‘arise’. This is the word people use now and then without having to think very deeply. A young child I suppose would understand when you ask him/her to rise.

For you to rise, it either means you were not in an upstanding position or you are not where you need to be at a certain time. It implies that there has to be a positional change. The position you are arising from could be a lying down one, sitting, low levels or general dissatisfaction or a desire to simply have an upward change in position. The Lord shall give us a positive positional change in Jesus Name.

From this passage above, The Lord told us the story of how the younger brother of two siblings took his portion of his dad’s inheritance and went away to a far country. Having been there for a period of time, he squandered the money until he became a pauper, eating what the animals he was caring for would eat. He did this for as long as he could until it dawned on him to arise and go to his father to apologize.

It is one thing to realize that you need to arise. Something must follow that action. No one arises and remains in the same position or even stand still. You have to do something. The prodigal son came to his senses, he arose and what followed? He went to his father.

You and I have to look inwards, examine our lives to see what we need to arise from. It could be a lackadaisical attitude to things generally. Is it a ‘besetting sin’ (Heb. 12:1) as the Bible calls it? It could even be our spiritual, emotional or even financial conditions. What is that thing you are dissatisfied with? It is time for you to arise from it and have an action plan.

The action plan for the prodigal son was to arise and go to his father. What is yours?

It is so amazing to me what followed next. The desire of the son was to ask for forgiveness, then probably his father would hire him as one of his servants. His father gave him more than he anticipated.

The father ran and met the son on the way, made a great feast for him on his return, placed the best robe on him and even shoes on his feet. He was interested in his son’s whole being. His father even gave him a ring to put on. What a beautiful sight! Why don’t you rise up and go to God, your Father and He will meet you on the way to welcome you. I pray the Lord would beautify your life with His goodies just as this son was transformed into beauty. He would give you much more than you deserve or expect.

1 Corinth 2:9 ‘Eye hath not seen nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him’

John 15:15 ‘I no longer call you servants……..Instead I have called you friends. We shall truly be His friends in Jesus name.
In any area where we have lost the glory of the lord, He is willing to restore us back to glory as we acknowledge our sins and come to Him in humility.

Arise, shine for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. (Isaiah 60:1)

I pray that the light of the Lord upon us will cause our faces to shine and we would reflect His glory at all times in Jesus name. Amen.

Prayer:
Oh Lord, Forgive me my wrong doings. I arise and come to you in humble submission, in Jesus name.

What is He telling you?

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What is He telling you?

John 5: 1-11

When I read this passage recently, some salient points came to light.

This passage makes us understand that this man at the pool of Bethesda had been there for 38 years.

It is a pretty long time by all standards to be in a mess or difficult situation as his. He may have been mocked at, made jest of, deserted by friends and family. He never knew that his day of redemption was very close.

Jesus is omniscient. He knew that this man had been there for a long time, and walked straight to him.

There may have been many other people by that same pool with different issues and problems, but The Lord picked him.

No matter the situation or condition you are facing, no matter the length of time it has taken, Jesus knows it all, and your own day of recovery and restoration is closer than you have ever anticipated in Jesus Name. Just as He picked this man at the pool, I pray you will find favour before God and He will bring solution to that problem.

Jesus asked the man a question…”do you want to be made whole?” I believe He is also asking each and every one of us today a question.  Your question may be different from mine.

Coming back to this man, do you notice that he did not answer the question directly? I thought the simple answer would have been Yes or No. That was not the case. In his own words,” Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me”

Are we answering the questions that God is asking us or are we like the man by the pool rambling away with inconsequential details? Or are we making excuses why we cannot give a Yes or No answer?

….excuses like, if I had started doing this or that while I was much younger, how I wish my mortgage is all done, how old am I now, that boss in the office, will I continue to work with him this way and for how long, that man coming to the pharmacy where I work provokes me all the time, how do I deal with him or make the situation better?….

Remember Phillip’s story. (John 6: 5-14). Jesus was only expressing His concerns for food for the people. The disciples brought in their own worries and excuses .The question asked by Jesus was” where can we buy bread?”(The message Bible) The answer from Phillip was “Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little” (King James Bible)

The man at the pool did not answer the question directly but Jesus was merciful to him and listened to his ramblings.

Sometimes we miss our opportunity this way. The lord will have mercy on us all in Jesus name.

In John 5: 8, Jesus told the man “Rise up, take up your bed and walk” He obeyed what Jesus told him to do. There was resolution to the problem. Peace and joy came to him.

Jesus is telling you something today. He is also telling me something. What he is saying to me might be different from what he is saying to you because our conditions and situations may be different.

Be calm so you can hear what he is telling you. You may not hear his voice in the quake, fire or turbulence.

May we be quiet in our spirit to hear what he is telling us to do so that we shall have joy and gladness of heart.

This shall be our portion in Jesus name. Amen.

Prayer:

  1. Oh Lord, let your voice be clear to me when you speak.
  2. Grant me grace to be obedient to you Lord.

 

 

 

Worries? Where is Jesus?

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Worries? Where is Jesus?

1Pet. 5:7

Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

From the passage above, we are admonished to bring our cares and place them on Jesus.

What do we mean by cares? Cares could be considered as worries, concerns, distress, disturbances, distractions or anything that steals away your peace.

When I had my baby boy in 2001 in the hospital, there were so many companies representatives who came around with samples of their products. Varied products ranging from diapers, baby formulas, education insurance and the like. They were soliciting for buyers, promoting different brand names, with the intention of moving you from potential buyer to actual customer.

A brand new baby in the arms of his Mom or Dad is usually very relaxed. Do you think he cares about anything or many things like mortgages, education fees, examinations, type of diapers to wear, doctors appointments and getting there on time or late? Your guess is as good as mine.

On the contrary, it is the parents who are worried about the things to be done for the baby.

When you also watch adults transferring babies from one person’s arm to another, it is done with great care so that the baby does not fall down or get injured in the process.

Let’s picture ourselves as the baby in the large arms of the lord Jesus. He is like the parent in this picture. We should be relaxed and not be carried away or consumed by worries and cares around us.

Jesus is concerned about us. When we are in difficulty, we tend to ask, where is Jesus? He has been there all these while. We are sometimes too busy to give him audience until we are over whelmed with issues.

The lord will not allow issues to overwhelm us in Jesus name.

Let Jesus speak peace to any roaring storm in your lives and mine today, just as he did to the raging sea.(Matt 8: 23-27)

“Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go he’s the one who will keep you on track” Prov.3:6 (Message Bible)

Prayer

Oh Lord, speak your peace to every raging storm in my life in Jesus Name. Amen.

Oh Lord, please address all my worries and concerns in Jesus name. Amen.

 

 

LOVE GIFT

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LOVE GIFT

Author: Esther Agbi

In the month of December, diverse things come into the minds of people.

The diversity depends on so many factors like age, gender, religious beliefs, social status, educational status and so on. In all of these, there is still a common link which is Christmas. There is an on-ending debate going on right now as to how the greetings would go. Is it Merry Christmas? Some people say they are Jews, so it’s happy Hanukah! Others are Atheists and they say, let’s just call it Holidays.

As people say, which I also agree with, Jesus is the reason for the season! Everything should revolve around Christ, but these days, we find out that Christ has been taken out of Christmas. How sad this sounds.

Many people are thinking of Christmas lights, end of year fireworks, wrapping sheets, chocolates, buying and selling, rounding up of business accounts, Medical field-stressors, Boxing Day discounts, deadline of purchases and even “end of the world” just to mention a few. Yours truly is included in some of these thoughts.

As there are diversities of thoughts at this time of the year, so there are diversities of gifts. The gifts differ depending on the giver and the receiver. I heard recently from a radio station that a teenager donated an organ. I believe he/she should be one of the youngest living donors. What a great sacrifice!

Gifts vary from computers, cars, education fees, remodeling of homes to inheritances. (Prov. 13:22a, a good man leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children.)

Gifts do not have to be so expensive or so cheap! It is not the amount but the thought that went into such giving. The everyday Joe could give a cup of coffee, gift certificates for groceries, baseball or plane tickets. The list goes on and on.

Some gifts like chocolates are temporary while others like inheritance are long lasting. What gift do you expect from a toddler who is 2 years old? He may give you a smile, or ‘high five’ or his cookies, which he may take back from you after about 30 seconds. Toddlers are so sweet.

This brings us to longer lasting gifts. The gift of life and the power to get wealth. (Deut 8:18).

There could be giving without love (1corinthians 13:3) but there is no love without giving.

God loved the world and gave the greatest gift of all- His son, whom we are celebrating his birth at Christmas (Jn 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)

God has a gift for you and for me. The gift of salvation and the gift of life.

Jesus says (Jn 14:6, I am the way and the truth and the LIFE…)

Deut. 30:19b, God admonishes us to choose life.

Are you willing to accept this precious gift?

God bless you as you celebrate with others this Christmas period.

Have Christ in your Christmas!

How is Business?

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How is Business?

Luke 2:49

And He said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s Business?

A Preacher was quoting a motivational speaker and he said that there are two questions that need to be asked to know how successful a business man is, and I will repeat the exact same questions here today.

The first question is, “What is your business?” Many people have different kinds of businesses. Some are big while others are small, some have just started while others have been in it for a considerable length of time. No matter the kind of business, you as the business owner knows what type of business you run.

Jesus in the above Bible passage stated that he was in charge of his Father’s business. He was in the Temple teaching and discussing with the renowned Bible scholars of his days; the Pharisees, Sadducee and Scribes. He was supposedly thought to be missing by his parents until he was found by them in the Temple.

Jesus was also involved in his earthly father’s business of Carpentry. Mark 6:3. “Is this not the Carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James….” He was not only found in the Temple, but He was also identified by the locals as a Carpenter. 

What are you identified with or what testimony do your neighbours have of you?

The second question is, “How is business?” This second question seems more difficult to answer. 

Some people might say, “oh well, it’s  so- so, just half way here and half way there.” Some may not even be sure, business is probably dwindling in size or about to fold up. Some others might say, “Business is going great!”

As Christians, followers of Christ, we may also have both types of businesses, our earthly business, the business we do to keep body and soul together, and then our Father’s business, the business God has sent everyone on earth to do….. The business of winning souls!

How is this business going?

“Jesus said, I must do the works of him who sent me while it is day……” John 9:4

Jesus saith unto them, “My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.” John 4:34

My question is, “What is your meat, and my meat? How is this business going? Can you and I answer with great enthusiasm as the Master did….”

Paraphrasing, don’t these people know that I am busy with my Father’s work?  Or are we going to say it’s so-so or I’m not sure?

Whatever your answer may be right now, it is my prayer that God would grant each and every one of us his grace so that we can say with great enthusiasm that “Business’ is going great!” May the Lord bless the works of our hands in Jesus Name.

 

Prayer: 

Oh Lord, apply my heart unto wisdom to be an effective witness of Your Saving Grace.

Oh Lord, help me to see Your business as my business in Jesus Name.