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

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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.

The Sin of Rebellion [Part 1]

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The Sin of Rebellion (Part I)
Gen. Chapters 3 and 4; 1 Sam. 15:22-23; Num. 13:1-13

Rebellion is from the Greek word meree and it means to rebel or be bitter or resist or disobey or grievously provoke. Rebellion is bitterness. Webster defines it as open opposition to any authority. The rebellious shows open discontent with the goodness and love of God [Rom. 11:22, 33]. The rebellious resists the authority and Lordship of Christ over his or her life. He does not see the reason why he should be subject to the law of God. His natural mind is perjured. He operates on a carnal realm. He reaps his reward.

There are two types of rebellion. Open rebellion like the sons of Korah did to Moses, and subtle rebellion, whereby you challenge the authority of the word of God. In this message we will discuss the sin of “subtle rebellion” or “faithlessness”. Note that both open rebellion and subtle rebellion carry the same consequence. They cannot stay in God’s presence or enjoy God’s promises for their lives. Adam and Eve were rebels for example. They rebelled against the word of God. Theirs was a “combo rebellion” consisting of “open rebellion” and “subtle rebellion”. The “combo rebellion” is a deadly rebellion, totally extricating a person from the presence of God. Adam and Eve suffered the “death” penalty for their combo rebellion. Another person who partook of combo rebellion in Scriptures is Cain [Gen. 4]. Even when God warned him of the danger of rebellion, he still went headlong and slew his brother, Abel. God banished him from His presence. No wonder he went away to land of Nod. He became a wanderer [Gen 4:1-16]. Another person who had the sin of rebellion in his heart always was king Saul. We can say Saul’s rebellion was a subtle rebellion but grew to become an open rebellion eventually ending in a combo rebellion. Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft. Both sins carry the same penalty.

The rebellious dwell in a dry land, David says [Psalm 68:6]. Obedience is the exact opposite of rebellion. Obedience brings honour and promotion while rebellion brings shame and destruction. Through obedience we have access to the blessing of the Lord through the finished work of Christ on the Cross. The Word of God is a two-edged sword. To the obedient it grants you the riches of His grace but to the rebellious, it drives you away into the wilderness [Heb. 4:12].

Isaiah 1:19-20 reads: If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land, but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured for the mouth of the Lord had spoken it.

Prayer Points

1. I bind every spirit of rebellion. I shall not stray away from my destiny. Let your counsel prevail over my life in Jesus name.
2. Lord, let every stubbornness of my will against your word be broken in Jesus name. I yield my will wholly to the Holy Spirit.

Warfare Weapons

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Warfare Weapons
When soldiers go to warfare, they go prepared. They load their armoury with different weapons. Similarly, when wrestlers are fighting, they strategize and change tactics to overcome their opponent. In both cases, quick and decisive victory is always preferred. The case of the believer is no different.

Ephesians 6:10-18 lists the spiritual exterior armour you and I must put on to wrestle down the enemy and his forces. With the Word of God you overcome the enemy. The armour of the blood of Jesus is another weapon you must use always. I recommend you use both combined. With the Word and the blood you have double advantage over Satan because you can knock him out with either weapon or both weapons combined. The word in the mouth of the saints and the blood of the Lamb are the ultimate overcoming weapons against the enemy for his final defeat [Rev. 12:11].

Jesus used the Word against Satan in Matt. 4:1-11 from which we see that you overcome the evil one when you stand your ground with the Word of God in your mouth. You literally become a witness for the efficacy of the Word.

Eph. 6:10-18 does not list the blood as a weapon because that chapter describes the exterior armour of the believer. As you use those exterior weapons to battle him to submission, he eventually becomes completely paralyzed unable to help himself. At this point you must ask him to surrender. In most cases, he will obey and flee as he did when Christ overcame him in the temptation in the wilderness. Remember the blood of Christ had not been spilled at that time when Satan tempted Christ in the wilderness.

If Satan refuses to obey, know that he is questioning your authority. Examine yourself whether unconfessed sin is the issue. Satan will readily disobey you when you are living in sin because he sees you as living a double life or a life of hypocrisy, knowing you will not be acceptable to God in that condition. If this is the case, ask for forgiveness and begin to plead the blood of Jesus, which is also a very powerful weapon for your total deliverance. The blood of the Lamb is like an explosive over Satan. Take it as your secret weapon which you bring out from your inside. “Pepper spray” the eyes of the enemy from time to time with the blood of the lamb in your prayers. Satan will be blinded, and so flee from you. When a soldier captures an enemy, the enemy becomes completely submissive to the orders of the soldier. Similarly, Satan comes under your complete control when you plead the blood of Jesus.

When you speak the Word of God, you are testifying of its truth, its creative power of the obedient (which you are by your position in Christ and your determination to abide by the Word), and destructive power to the disobedient. Since Satan is already wired to disobey, he does not agree with the Word and must submit to the Word since the Word is truth. That is how you overcome him by your testimony.

Note, when all else seem to fail or you are using the Word and Satan is not responding, he must respond to the blood of Jesus since that was the final knock out punch at Calvary. Living in sin will not allow the blood of Jesus to work for you. So you must repent and have nothing to do with sin, whether besetting or not. The blood of Jesus is the strongest antidote to the power of sin because it was spilled on your behalf on the cross which knocked out the devil for all eternity. Because Jesus conquered Satan and the power of sin through His death and resurrection, you can too if you use the weapons Christ has given to you. The devil’s muscles are seriously weakened. He cannot stand before you. Remind him of the defeat he suffered at Calvary and he will flee from you.

Bible Reading: Matt. 4:1-11; Eph. 6:10-18; Rev. 12:11

Prayer Point
Oh Lord, anoint me with the Holy Ghost and Power in the name of Jesus.

Looking Ahead

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Looking Ahead! [Author: Esther Agbi]
Luke 9:62
And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

The London 2012 Olympics is in section while writing this article. All the various sporting activities are interesting to me ,even the sporting events I did not know had been accepted as Olympic sports such as Karate, Judo, Trampolin, just to mention a few! Most interesting to me are the individual sports that require speed like swimming, track race, cycling. e.t.c.

I always watch such sporting events with great interest. I observe that the athletes are physically fit and ready mentally for the event. Years of practice, training and discipline must have gone into their preparedness.

There is always a kind of tenseness when the umpire says on your marks! Hearts racing ,different thoughts going through the mind such as am I going to succeed, are there others better than myself or have I wasted my time all these while preparing for the Olympics.? That brings me back to a picture I took recently while on vacation.

I posed as one boxing! A friend asked, why are you in this posture? I quickly replied in a joking manner that I was preparing for Olympics 2016. I was laughing out loud while responding to that question. This is because I knew that at that level of preparedness, I am going nowhere near the Olympics as an athlete, most probably as a spectator. My husband also laughed out loud because he knows that I am not even an athlete not to mention qualifying for the Olympics!

Coming back to our passage, as Christians, once committed to follow Christ, it is not good or befitting or even beneficial to look towards the back. We are in a race, a heavenly one at that matter.

Situations make some Christians to look back especially when going through difficult circumstances, disappointments, failures and the like .I pray that the Spirit of God would comfort and uplift anyone going through unpalatable circumstances.

When the umpire fires the gun in the air and says “GO” simultaneously, the athlete moves with speed, obeying the rules of the sport. Why? I believe because he has a goal! A medal is at stake, gold, silver or bronze. If this were not the case, he would not have appeared for the competition. If the athlete who is looking for an earthly reward or fame can subject himself to such stringent rules and no small discipline, how much more Christians aspiring to have a heavenly reward.

Some of these races are won by fractions of hundreds of a second. Just enough time to blink the eyes, that tells you how close. As I watch closely the cycling event, two athletes were neck to neck ,very close to the mark. Suddenly, one looked back and lost time. The other over took him and won the gold medal!

The Lord will help us always to look ahead that we may obtain the reward in Jesus name.
Your time spent serving the Lord shall not be in vain. You will reach the mark and obtain the prize.

Prayer Point
Oh Lord, strengthen me as I focus on heaven and heaven alone with the cross before me and the world behind me in Jesus name.

2012 MY YEAR OF VICTORY AND LIBERTY IN CHRIST

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2012 MY YEAR OF VICTORY AND LIBERTY IN CHRIST

2 Cor 2:14-15a 14Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of His knowledge by us in every place. 15For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ.

Gal. 5:1 1Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Praise Worship:

Confession Scripture: Psalm 103:1-5

Text: Psalm 93

1. Praise Him for who He is using the verses of Psalm 93
2. Offer praises to Him for His salvation & divine protection for you and your loved ones in 2011
3. Praise Him for His help and being there for you all through the year 2011
4. Thank God for your successes, special blessings, and specific testimonies of 2011
5. Thank God for keeping you in divine health & meeting all your needs [pray, using Psalm 103:1-5]
6. Ask God for more wisdom in 2012. Pray that God should make your heart very wise in Jesus’ name.
7. Ask God for more grace to serve Him more faithfully in 2012.

Join us in Church to start the New Year on good spiritual footing in a prayer/worship service on Sunday January 1 2012 and Sunday January 8, 2012.

If you will like to participate in the church’s prayer and fasting program from Monday January 2 2012 to Sunday January 8 2012, please send an email to info@christwisdom.org and we will send you some prayer points.

Sunday Service Venue: Quality Inn, 501 11 Ave, Nisku, AB T9E 7N5 [Use the overpass of the Edmonton International Airport]

Come and Be Blessed.

Christ Our Wisdom & Power Pentecostal Church
Ph: 780-433-7600; e-mail: info@christwisdom.org

Victory of the Cross

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The Concept of Perfection
Before reading this article, pause and think of the following: What is your opinion of the word “perfect”? Do you consider yourself perfect or are you perfect? Perfection in this article is different from the concept of “holiness” or “sanctification”.

When Jesus said, “Be ye perfect as your heavenly father is perfect [Matt. 5:48], what did He mean? If Jesus said we should be perfect before we can see God, what are the modalities for achieving this perfection? When God told Abraham to walk before Him and be perfect [Gen. 17:1] is it the same perfection Christ meant in His sermon on the mount? In other words, how do we compare the New Testament concept of perfection with that of the Old Testament, where for example, some kings such as David, Hezekiah and Jehoshaphat were said to have walked with God with a perfect heart. Or even those prophets who many consider “holy” and walked closely with God in their days such as Enoch, Elijah, Elisha and John the Baptist, who by comparison should also have the term “perfect” prefixed to their names, does it mean that these men were sinless? No! Because we read, for example, that Elijah was afraid of Jezebel and Ahab and went into hiding [1 King 19:1-4].

The concept of “perfection” has to mean more than “sinlessness” becasue neither New Testament nor Old Testament saints qualify to be termed “perfect” on this merit. New Testament saints merit their perfection by the “grace of Jesus Christ” not because we are physiologically different from those of the Old Testament.  Before Christ came, Old Testament saints had to earn their “perfection” by their obedience to God’s word through the Law and the prophets.  God pointed His searchlight into their hearts and saw how much their hearts yearned towards Him [Psalm 42:1-2]. He does the same for New Testament saints but now looks through the prism of the blood of Jesus at man’s heart [1 Cor. 6:11]. So those who were termed “perfect” in the Old Testament really exemplified themselves above the mortals of their time. They walked closely with God (although missing some few steps here and there), lived holy lives and obeyed His word. For example, David claimed his ways was “perfect before God”, and that stands in Scripture. However, we know he was an adulterer and murderer, a weakling at his son’s rebellion, a failure at disciplining his sons, etc, etc.   Therefore “perfection” has to mean something other than sinlessness.

How then is perfection better defined and how is our perfection as New Testament saints superior to theirs? Old Testament had enough marks to pass on God’s scale of perfection but their perfection still was short of New Testament standards which is Christ. Our “perfection” is better than theirs because our perfection is Christ’s perfection IMPUTED to us. How do we receive this perfection? First by accepting Christ. It is through the blood of Christ that God now looks at our hearts giving us advantage over persons of the Old. Our perfection becomes reality when we are touched by His Spirit and desire His spotless nature so we can dwell continually in His presence in a clean state. Remember nothing unclean can dwell or be allowed into heaven.

How did the Old Testament saints earn their perfection? By their closeness to God. In Isaiah 6:1-8, where Isaiah entered into heaven bodily in an open vision, a coal of fire was used to touch the prophet’s unclean tongue which transformed him. This allowed him to stay in God’s presence and affirmed his call into the ministry as a prophet. We have the advantage of having Christ’s righteousness imputed to us but we still have to continue to yearn to be close to God so we do not fall out of grace. The type of touch Isaiah expereienced is what believers should yearn for so that we can experience the glories of heaven here on earth  while we are still mortal.

Enoch and Elijah did not allow the flesh to rule them, neither should we as New Testament believers. They were men full of the Spirit and power of God throughout their stay here on earth. In our effort at pleasing God, if we fall short in our perfection momentarily, through falling into sin for example, God sees the perfection of Christ and restores us to fellowship with Him again as we repent of our sins. However, please note that frequent wilful fall into sin and untoward repentance to God by a believer is toying witht the grace of Christ and we cannot continue in sin while at the same time calling on the grace of God to abound [Rom. 6:1]. Rather such believers should heed to the command of Christ, “go and sin no more” [John 5:14; 8:11]. The following Scriptures points out the big advantage we have in this dispensation of grace.

1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:  2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world [1 John 2:1-2].

17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as He is, so are we in this world [1 John 4:17].

In summary, having understood what perfection in the New Testament means with the proviso that we should stay clear of wilful sins, we see that it is the grace of Christ that distiguishes our perfection from the Old Testament saints since they too had to contend with the power of sin. However, from 1 John 2:2, it appears they too were covered in retrospect by the death of Christ for their sins. Hence the bible reckoning them as “perfect” is because Christ died for the sins of all mankind. Enjoy the grace that is in Jesus Christ and God will accept you as perfect before Him.

Prayer Points
1. Lord, purify my heart with your word.
2. Lord, saturate me with your spirit and your power in Jesus’ name.