Christ Our Wisdom and Power Ministries

1 Cor 1: 24, 30 .... Jesus Christ is our Wisdom, Power, Righteousness, Sanctification, and Redemption

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WISDOM BOOKSTORE

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Christ Our Wisdom Bookstore recommends the following books for your spritual nourishment. These books are also great gifts for special moments such as “Birthdays”, “Christmas”, “Easter”, “Fathers’ Day”, “Thanksgiving”, etc. If you have been looking for that “special gift” for that Parent, your boss at the office, or a friend you have been praying for, these books will be a blessing to them.

Click the link below each book to purchase a copy.

15% discount off retail price for bulk purchase (10 or more copies).  Terms and conditions apply.

Call 780-433-7600; 780-901-2490; 780-901-2483; Fax: 780-669-5682

 

BOOKS IN STOCK. PLACE YOUR ORDER AND RECIEVE IT IN 5 TO 10 BUSINESS DAYS. 

The adventures of King David1

THE ADVENTURES OF KING DAVID: His Life & Legacy by Pastor Joseph Agbi

Paperback and Hardcover: 296 pages

http://www.friesenpress.com/bookstore/title/119734000010995421/Joseph-Agbi-The-Adventures-of-King-David

 CHRIST OUR PASSOVER LAMB_Front Cover

CHRIST OUR PASSOVER LAMB by Pastor Joseph Agbi

Paperback and Hardcover: 308 pages

http://www.xulonpress.com/bookstore/bookdetail.php?PB_ISBN=9781619968547&HC_ISBN=9781619968554 

 Living In God's Kingdom

LIVING IN GOD’S KINGDOM by Pastor Joseph Agbi

Paperback and Hardcover: 224 pages

http://www.xulonpress.com/bookstore/bookdetail.php?PB_ISBN=9781612154091

PROFITABLE TALENTS?

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PROFITABLE TALENTS?

Matthew 25 v 14-30
His Lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant … (verse 21)

Sometimes the word talent is difficult to define or explain. I used to consider talents as a unique gift someone has from birth or has acquired through time by training. To some extent, this may be right.

The free online dictionary has two definitions for talents: “a natural endowment or ability of a superior quality”, and the second is, “a former weight or unit of currency used by the ancient Greeks or Romans”.
There are some talent shows on television which bring home a better picture of what I am trying to convey in this piece of write up.

Some people actually bring out their spectacular gifts in artistic dances, singing high pitched notes, playing instruments and even some mathematical skills of summing up numbers without using a calculator, putting letters to spell words that have never being heard of, just to mention a few. I love watching whenever I have the time to do so because at the earlier stages of the competition, the participants are quite entertaining while displaying their talents. One sometimes wonders how talented some are, and my guess is not far-fetched from the Judge’s decision since such ones are easily eliminated from the competition. That is not to say that their unique performances are not talents but those with superior abilities are left standing to compete in the next round towards the final, since only one of the performances can win the competition.

While reading this’ Matthew passage’ cited above, three things stood out to me. It depends on the Bible translation you use, the King James Bible referred to the gifts as talents, while some Bible translations like “the Message Bible” and The New International Version” refer to it as money.
Everyone is made different by our God the creator. Embedded inside of us are unique gifts which are to be discovered and either used or buried just as the servants in the story did. I don’t think God is going to come down physically and give us money bags just as the Master did in the parable. However, He has given each one of us different gifts in different areas with differing abilities, which could be compared to the bags of money.

I want to focus on the attitude of the servants because it appears that having all received their gifts, the servants joyfully went their way thinking about what to do with their gifts. The first two servants who had five and two talents respectively went at once to do business with what was given to them. They did not delay or dilly-dally as some of us would do today. The response was sharp and immediate. The second point is that they took the master’s business as their own personal business and brought back profit. They wanted the master to succeed and profit so they invested. This was the exact opposite with the servant who had one talent. He did not do anything with his talent. The master did not only call him wicked and lazy, but he was quite disrespectful to his master by telling him that he reaps where he has not sown.

Today, some of us might say we don’t have any talent, or where do I start from? I encourage you to start from anywhere. Have you looked inward? Some people are very good at making others laugh while others are very gracious with their words and brighten the room whenever they come in. Some have caring attitude towards children or the elderly while others do not have such patience. Some people are interested in the progress of others by praying for them. We can go on and on with this list. The most important thing is to identify the gifts and put them to work.

This brings me to my third point. I discovered that all three servants thought they were working for the master because the master gave them the ‘seed money’ to start with. This is not the case as we see from the ‘reward ceremony’. The first servant started with five talents and made five more. His reward was to rule over ten cities (Luke 19 v17). The second servant was to rule over 5 cities. The servant who had the one talent probably did not realize that he was working for himself. If he knew this, he probably would have at least put the money in the bank to get the least increase in his investment as the master thought the servant would do.

We may think that it does not matter what we do with the gifts God has given to us. It may not mean much now, just as it did not mean much to the servant who had one talent. He discovered his mistake when it was too late to make amend. I pray this shall not be our testimony. I pray that God would give us grace to discover what he has given to us and to put it to work for His glory and also for our reward at the time Jesus comes back. May He say to us, “Well done , thou good and faithful servant…. Amen.” Come Lord Jesus come (1 Corinth 16:22).

Prayer Points
1. Lord, give me understanding to appreciate all the wonderful gifts in my life.
2. Lord, fill my heart with your presence and help me to love you more dearly.

Esther Agbi

DEC. 31 2013/2014 NEW YEAR PRAYERS

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DEC. 31 2013/2014 NEW YEAR PRAYERS

Jude 1:20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, 21Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

Psalm 104:23 Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour until the evening. 24 O LORD, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.

Tuesday Dec. 31 2013 [New Year worship/thanksgiving/prayers]
All the prayers should be prayed in Jesus name. Also cleanse yourself regularly with the blood of Jesus.

Praise Worship: Confession Scripture: Psalm 40:1-17 Text: Psalm 99:1-9

1. Praise Him for who He is using the verses of Psalm 99
2. Thank God for your salvation and divine protection for you and your loved ones in 2013 [Psalm 40:1-3].
3. Praise Him for His mighty hand of deliverance from all dangers and troubles in 2013 [Psalm 40:11-17].
4. Thank God for your successes, special blessings, and specific testimonies of 2013
5. Thank God for keeping you in divine health and meeting all your needs [pray, using Psalm 103:1-5]
6. Ask God for more wisdom in 2014. Pray that God make your heart wiser in Jesus’ name [Col 3:16].
7. Ask God for grace to serve Him more faithfully in 2014.

Prayer Session I [Prayer for Increased Spiritual Strength]

Confession Scripture: 2 Peter1:1-12 Text: Psalm 104:1-35

1. Lord, quicken my heart by the power of your Holy Spirit. Make my heart a citadel of power [Acts 2:1-4].
2. Lord, strengthen my inner-being. Refresh and revive me by your Spirit [Psalm 104:30].
3. Oh Lord, build me up. Help me to pursue the virtues of faith, holiness and love [2 Peter 1:5-8].
4. Lord, teach me to hate sin with perfect hatred. Consecrate me and sanctify me [Acts 10:38].
5. Every gift God has given to me; come alive, be stirred up and begin to function [2 Tim. 1:6-7].
6. Lord, cover me with your garment of righteousness and holiness. Make me a flaming fire [Psalm 104:1-4].
7. Lord, make me a healthy tree. Fill me with your sap of love and power in [Psalm 104:16; Psalm 1].

Prayer Session II [Prayer for Abounding Grace and Joy]

Confession Scripture: 2 Cor 4:14-16, Amplified Text: 2 Cor 8:1-24

1. Thank God you for the abundant joy of salvation and ask Him to cloth you with His righteousness [Isaiah 61:10; Isaiah 12:3; Habakkuk 3:18].
2. Ask God to strengthen you spiritually in 2014 so you will do exploits for His kingdom [Dan. 11:32].
3. Ask God to bless the works of your hands & make you a blessing to others [2 Cor. 8:7].
4. Ask God to fill your heart with kindness so you always be a blessing to the distressed [2 Sam 17:27-29].
5. Oh Lord, give me a humble & teachable spirit. Engrave your word in my heart.
6. Thank you Lord for your favour & blessings. Lord, distinguish me with your wisdom & excellence.
7. I receive the promotion, wealth & honour that come from you and you alone in 2014 [Prov. 3:13-18].

Jesus Christ is our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption [1 Cor. 1:23, 30]

DO NOT FOLLOW THE MULTITUDE TO DO EVIL

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Do not follow the multitude to do evil

By David Agbi

Exodus 23: 1-2
…2 Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment.

Someone has been accused of a crime. You know he is innocent, along with the whole story of what really happened. Everyone is saying he did it and lying about what happened. As a child of God, what do you do? Do you sit there and go along with the group or do you stand up for him and say what really happened, no matter the circumstances or consequences such as losing your close friends? This happens much too often and many of us follow the multitude because we do not have
enough courage to stand up, even though God wants us to.

Joshua 1:6 Be strong and of a good courage…

God wants us to have courage such as what Joshua, Caleb and Moses had, but many others in life and in the Bible did not muster enough courage to do what is right and then made excuses. Excuses get us nowhere and God does not listen or accept them. There is no excuse for doing sin. Some people such as Aaron, followed the multitude to do evil in the case of the golden calf saying, “This was their gods who delivered them out of Egypt (Exodus 32). Another example was king Saul. Instead of waiting for Samuel to come sacrifice, he took matters into his own hands and sacrificed by himself instead of waiting. When Samuel came just after the sacrifice and asked him why he had done this, Saul said that the people pressured me to sacrifice (1 Samuel 13). Instead of these people to do the right thing that God commanded, they did the wrong thing, and to make matters worse, they covered up their sin with excuses. God said that by our words we shall be justified and by our words, we shall be condemned (Matthew 12: 37).

We are not perfect. We will make mistakes. But what do we do from there? Nowadays, it is too common to make excuses for your mistakes (I, myself do this too), but what we need to realize is that we have to do the right thing as children of God. God expects us to do the right thing, no matter what the circumstances are. He wants us to step out of the crowd and be different. This is no easy task, but we have many examples to refer to. There are no excuses. If you do not follow the multitude to do evil, there is a reward, but if you do evil along with them, then there is a punishment. What do you want, the reward or the punishment?

God wants us to follow him and be blameless/perfect as Abraham was (Genesis 17:1)

My prayer for you is that we ask God to lead us in the right direction and follow him wholeheartedly so that we can know what the right decision is in Jesus name. Amen.

Do good and not evil!

Church Services & Programs

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You and your loved ones are cordially invited to our church services and programs

in our new sanctuary:

Location:
10706 101 Street Edmonton, AB T5H 2S3

Sunday Church Service:

Time: 10:00 am-12.00 noon

  • Sunday school both for adults and kids
  • Worship Session
  • Prayers
  • Sermon

Mid-week Service: Wednesdays

Bible-Studies/Prayer Meetings

Time: 6 pm  – 7:30 pm

Workers & Choir Meetings/Evangelism: Saturdays

Time: 1 pm  – 3 pm

Night Vigils: Last Fridays of the Month

Time: 10 pm – 12 midnight

COMING SOON: OUR BIBLE SCHOOL CLASSES

COME TO THE HOUSE OF BREAD AND BE PREPARED

TO MEET THE LORD IN A NEW PHASE OF YOUR LIFE

 

 

 

 

Citizens of the Heavenly Jerusalmen

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Citizens of the Heavenly Jerusalem!

Isaiah 62: 1-12
For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.2 And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name.3 Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.4 Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah: for the LORD delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married. 5 For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee. 6 I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence, 7 And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth. 8 The LORD hath sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, Surely I will no more give thy corn to be meat for thine enemies; and the sons of the stranger shall not drink thy wine, for the which thou hast laboured: 9 But they that have gathered it shall eat it, and praise the LORD; and they that have brought it together shall drink it in the courts of my holiness.10 Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people. 11 Behold, the LORD hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. 12 And they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the LORD: and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken.

This message is to encourage you to think of heaven and how sweet our fellowship with other members of the family of God would be in heaven. In this message you will have an idea of who will be accepted into God’s coming kingdom and who will not.

In Isaiah 62, Zion represents heaven where God resides while Jerusalem represents where the people of God dwell [Psalm 48:1-3]. Zion also represents God’s permanent or immovable throne. Kings and princes, including us believers will stand before Him in judgement in Zion. Zion is not the focus of this exhortation. An explanation of Isaiah 62:1 suffices for now.

Verse 1 in Isaiah 62 may be read as follows:

“For heaven’s sake (Zion, where God’s throne is) will I (God speaking) not hold my peace, and for earth’s sake (Jerusalem, where God’s people resides with His name) I (God speaking) will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.”

Note at the time David spoke Psalm 48, David’s earthly Zion was a stronghold. It was impregnable, that is no enemy could break into it. It was like a fortified garrison, yet he conquered and ruled his big kingdom from Zion.

What about Jerusalem? Zion was where king David dwelt but his subjects lived in Jerusalem [2 Sam. 5:1-10]. Who are those that would live in God’s Jerusalem (illustrated by David’s Jerusalem)? The passage in Isaiah 62 gives us a clue by a seven-sided prophecy, four of which have already been fulfilled. The prophecies when Isaiah the above verses in Isaiah 62 can be extracted from the passage as follows:

1. The coming captivity of Israel and Judah.
2. Their liberation back to their own land.
3. The birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
4. The scattering of the Jews & destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 and their gathering together in 1948.
5. The second coming of Jesus Christ.
6. Realization of the heavenly Jerusalem which will be an earth-wide tabernacle when God’s kingdom comes to dwell again with men on the earth.
7. The new name which the people of God would have that would grant them access to that heavenly city.

The last three in the above list have not been fulfilled, from which we see that Jerusalem has a special place in end time prophecy and it also connotes the physical abode of believers in the new earth. It has another purpose which has to do with the citizenship and special name of believers at the end of time. The focus of this message is the seventh which is: what will the general name the people of God will have at the end of time? Other scriptures also vividly tell us what our common name will be. This should not be strange because heavenly things can be illustrated by human experiences on the earth.

Have you ever wondered why some people want to perpetuate their names after their death? It is not a bad thing if it is done with good intentions. When a parent has children, he rejoices over the progress of his children. The parent is especially happy that the child is a member of his family and bears the name of that family. In the same way God has His name tag placed on all His children in Heaven. God wants to perpetuate His name on His children throughout all eternity. That is what makes them to be part of His family. These are those whom He has laboured for by the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. Such people have accepted His salvation and righteousness. In the above passage, God identified the members of the church as His people, both Jews and Gentiles whom He rejoices over. Let God Rejoice over You with His new Name!

Isaiah was an Old Testament prophet but in his time, he received a revelation beyond the forthcoming captivity of Israel. He foresaw not only the freedom from captivity of the people of Israel which happened nearly 200 years after his death, but also the liberation of the redeemed, both Jews and Gentiles from the grips of Satan when God’s Kingdom, the heavenly Jerusalem ultimately becomes a reality on the earth. David lived before Isaiah so Isaiah saw in the spirit some fine details of what David saw. The time for this ultimate redemption is unknown. Only God knows when it will be. However, other scriptures make us understand that the time is very near. The signs of His second coming are all evident, the prevalence of iniquity being one of them. Jesus will come when God is satisfied that His righteousness will be a praise in the earth. That is perhaps why Jesus was not definite, saying only the Father knew the end of the age.
The people of God constitute the general assembly of believers, that is, those believers who have already gone to be with the Lord and those still living [Heb. 12:18-24]. Those who have gone to heaven have already fulfilled their mission on earth. God is already rejoicing over them, not weeping because they have triumphed and are awaiting their rewards in the judgement of the saints.

Someone may ask! Does God weep! Yes He does when He sees His people are being openly led into captivity. Recall that Jesus wept over Jerusalem because the people who lived in His time, and we see it continue today in the Judaic world, missed the opportunity of accepting Him as their Messiah (Luke 13-34-35; Luke 19:41; Matt. 23:37-39]. Before destroying the inhabitants of the then world with water in Noah’s time, it grieved God in His heart that He made man, that is God lamented and wept in the heart. God lamented that Israel was being carried away into captivity shortly after Isaiah’s prophecy which was replicated on earth when Jesus wept over Jerusalem, saying the people of that generation would witness His prophecy come to pass. As He said it, so it happened in AD 70.

On the day of Judgement of believers, after Christ second coming, believers will receive His new name or His name becomes their new Identity. It is His identity that you carry that will allow you to dwell with Him in heaven [Isaiah 62:2]. There will be no rebels in heaven. Anyone who does not have His identity will be transported straight to hell fire. The angels God has assigned to do this will carry out this assignment with dispatch, because before God nothing unholy can dwell. If you take the prophecy of Isaiah as a pinch of salt, how about hearing it from the resurrected Christ!

Jesus told the Church of Philadelphia in Rev 3:12
12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.

Someone else may ask, of what use will be the name or how will God distinguish one person from another. Just as Jesus spoke to the church at Philadelphia, He spoke to the church of Pergamos:

17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it. When we correlate these verses in Revelation with that in Isaiah 62:2, believers will both have a first and last name (or surname). Do you want or look forward to having His new holy name for you? Pray the following prayers.

Prayer of Consecration and Commitment
Oh Lord, fill my up to overflowing measure with your Holy Spirit and power to live a life of holiness and consecration to you and you only. Lord, fill me up with your truthfulness because you are the God of truth. Expose to me every area of imperfection in my heart towards you. Let me have an unending love for you. Remove every form of pride from my heart. Bring across my way, people of like-mindedness. I will not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. Let me honour those who have made you their Lord and Master. Thank you for creating me spirit, soul and body. I dedicate my body as your vessel. Make me a vessel of high prize like gold in your household ready to serve other believers. Let me walk with you with a perfect heart and make companionship with those that walk perfectly with you in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Prayer Points
1. Oh Lord, fill me with your Holy Spirit. Soak me, drench me, and saturate me with your presence and power in Jesus’ name.

2. Gentle Holy Spirit; make me a friend of God all the days of my life in Jesus’ name.

3. Oh Lord, give me a broken heart and a contrite spirit. Let my soul pant for your righteousness like the deer pants for streams of water in Jesus’ name.

4. Lord Jesus, purge my heart with your precious blood. I empty myself of every form of pride. I embrace you with my whole heart. I lay all my burdens on you in Jesus’ name.

5. Lord, make your righteousness to run deep in my heart. Holiness and godliness will be my desire all the days of my life in Jesus’ name.

6. Lord, let your Kingdom reign in every area of my life. Make me a model Christian and form the character of Jesus in my life in Jesus’ name. Amen.