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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.

TRUE RICHES OF THE KINGDOM

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TRUE RICHES OF THE KINGDOM
This is a Bible Study outline prepared by the author and shared in one of our recent meetings. A lot has been said on prosperity and there are many divergent views. However, the Bible is very clear on what prosperity is and what it is not. As I was praying and meditating on the Word of God, I got the following points which I now share with you in questions and answers format.

Memory Verse
2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth [3 John v2].

1. What is the meaning of prosperity? True prosperity is a blessing from God. God owns all the resources in heaven and on earth. He wants us to prosper in our body, soul and spirit. However, His love transcends what we have, owe or own. God prospers us so we can be of better service to Him.

2 Cor. 9:8
8And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:

2. Is it a sin to be prosperous? Prosperity in itself is not a sin. It is the means people used to achieve it that is a sin. Examples are hoarding, stealing, deception, etc.

11 Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labour shall increase [Prov. 13:11]

3. What should believers do to prosper? Believers are encouraged to be hardworking, share with others what God has blessed them with, aspire to provide unique services in their vocation and pursue entrepreneurship as God gives you the ability.

4. Does the Bible encourage believers to be wealthy? How can we avoid being deceived? Believers are encouraged to seek the welfare of their soul first. That is the primary goal, having peace with your Maker. We are told not to take advantage of others in other to gain materially [1 Tim 6:17-19]. We are warned to avoid people who go about to deceive others [1 Tim 6:5, 9-11].

5. What is the balanced approach to prosperity? The balanced approach is to seek to live for Christ, glorify Him with all He has given to you but know you are mortal. Prosperity is not all about having a fat bank account which ends anyway when the person breathes his last breath. God is the one who adds His material blessings to you and me therefore it is wrong to hold Him to “ransom” with what He is freely willing to give to us [Matt. 6:19-34; 1 Cor. 4:7].

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you [Matthew 6:33].

6. Was Jesus Christ really poor or rich? Jesus is the King of kings so He is rich. All the Kings of the earth are subject to Him. He is the Word Incarnate that created Heaven and earth. However, He became poor to save us from our sins [Psalm 2; Heb 1:1, John 1:1, Rev. 19:11-17]

For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich [2 Cor. 8:9].

7. Does wealth hinder someone from serving God better and is poverty a blessing? Wealth does not hinder someone from serving God better. However, it can be a big distraction if you remove your focus from the Giver Himself. Examples of Bible Characters who were wealthy are Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Solomon, Hezekiah, etc. Examples of wealthy people who became distracted by their wealth were Lot and the rich young ruler [Gen.13:1-13, chapter 19; Matt 19:16-26]. Examples of rich people who refused to serve God with their wealth or be generous to others were the rich fool, Nabal, the rich man in Jesus’ parable and Ananias and Sapphira [1 Sam. 25, Luke 12:16-21; Acts 5]. There were also those who were poor but devoted their lives to God some by being taught the principle of faith like the widow of Zarephath [1 Kings 17:1-16]. God judges everyone according to the state of his or her heart. How should you handle wealth if you find yourself blessed with an abundance of it? Handle it the way the Scriptures say in Tim 6:17-19 and Matt. 6:19-34. Do not allow the cares and deceitfulness of riches to choke the Word of God in your heart. Give no place to the devil to allow the god of “mammon” to be your master and lord.
The Bible states we should be content with what we have:

6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out [1 Tim 6:6-7].

8. What was the approach of the Apostles to prosperity? The apostles were chosen for a specific mission and they each achieved his calling. None of them taught that poverty was a blessing. Neither did they teach greediness. The early church was one where people were encouraged to give according to the measure God had blessed them. Some brought everything to the Apostle’s feet, others did not and suffered the consequences [Acts 4:32-37; Acts 5]. Jesus taught his disciples to be fed by those whom the gospel is preached to [Luke 10:7]. In doing this both the giver and receiver learn to trust God to meet their needs, a lesson taught by Elijah to the widow of Zarephath [1 Kings 17; 2 Chron. 20:15-30, v20]

9. What are the conditions we must satisfy to truly say you are prospering? We are required to fear God, obey His word and serve Him in Love [Deut. 28:1-10].

10. What do we teach our children about prosperity? We should teach our children the fear of God and that they should grow in his wisdom [Prov. 4:1-11]

11. What investments should believers invest in to prosper? Christians should learn how to sow like the farmer. There are many opportunities out there to prosper. However, do not sow into a bag with holes. Prayerfully seek what to invest in. Seek counsel from those who know about wise investments and from your leaders.

12. How do we sow into the work of God? By looking at areas of need in your local assembly, mission field, blessing the Pastors and ministers as the Lord leads you, etc.

13. Tithing? Learn and continue the principle of tithing Principles and accountability to God. Serve God with what you have. What He has given to you is able to sustain you. Proverbs 3:5-10.
10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it [Mal. 3:10].

14. What is the role of wisdom in Prosperity. Godly wisdom is very important. The wiser we are the more God wants to bless us. He will only entrust true riches to those who would be accountable to Him.
If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? [Luke 16:11]

CONCLUSION I hope the study has been a blessing to you with better understanding of what true prosperity is. In conclusion, pursue the things of the Kingdom first. The Lord has promised to add all other things to you. Know that it is God’s utmost priority to bless you as emphasized in 3 John v2, 2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. Also know that there are diverse kinds of prosperity from God. At the time the Apostle John wrote this verse in this personal letter to a saint called Gaius, John was in his eighties or perhaps nineties. As he personalized the letter, so God personalizes His prosperity to you and me. He knows what to do and when to do the addition as you diligently serve Him. If you already are already enjoying His grace in this area of life, continue to serve Him and give Him the glory in reverence and awe. Only then will you continue to enjoy His true riches.

1 Cor. 4:7 says: 7 For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?

The Miracle of Five Loaves and Two Fishes

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Bible Text: John 6 : 1-14
                                                                                
Before reading this message, my question to you is, “What do you have to give to Jesus that He would multiply to propagate the work of His kingdom?”

The Bible passage above is about the miracle done by Jesus Christ when he fed 5,000 people by sharing five loaves of bread and two small fishes. The miracle is outstanding because it shows the limitation and helplessness of man when faced with a challenge of immeasurable proportion! Jesus asked one of His disciples, Phillip, of what  should be done to feed the throng of people at His crusade. This was to test Phillip’s faith, but he failed the test like any of his disciples did and we would have done. Phillip answered Jesus, “Two hundred pennies’ (forty dollars) worth of bread is not enough that everyone may receive even a little [John 6:7, Amplified version].” Another disciple of Jesus came close to the answer but receded back to unbelief; Andrew answered, “There is a little boy here, who has [with him] five barley loaves, and two small fish; but what are they among so many people [John 6:9, Amplified version]?” Jesus knew what to do all along, but waited for His disciples to answer first! Thereafter, He performed the miracle using a young boy’s lunch and dinner pack.

I come from one of the developing countries in the world. It is developing because we are not quite there yet, but we are making progress and one day, we would get there. We just celebrated it’s 50th birthday anniversary of independence three years ago. Sometimes the police man pulls you over. They do not always have a reason for pulling you over, but somehow you are pulled over. They begin to ask you all the legitimate questions like your driver’s license,insurance particulars for the car and so on. When the police man sees that you have all of those (particulars)items, he then proceeds to ask for inconsequential things like fire extinguisher, bill of Landing of the vehicle and  broom  or brush with which you use to clean up the car. I am not joking. This is for real because it happened to me. After all said and done, his next question would be “What do you have to grease my palm?” He is indirectly asking for a gift from you or a bribe. This time, forcefully or you will not be released from his presence until he gets something from you. 

 This has never happened to me where I currently reside. This is one of the G-8 countries. It is not that the policemen are perfect, but they pull you over for a reason. It is either you are driving too fast for the speed zone or you beat a traffic light or something else. They have never asked me to pay the fine directly to them, better still, you get the ticket in the mail and you know what to do thereafter. 

Back to our passage: This young lad was going to hear Jesus speak. I would believe his mom put together his lunch so he could stay longer if the program persisted. They say mothers know best, and the program went beyond lunch time. This young lad willingly lent his food to Jesus. Jesus blessed the food and fed the multitude and recovered 12 baskets full of bread. What do you have? This young boy gave all his Lunch and was blessed beyond his greatest imagination. Some bible scholars believe that the 12  baskets recovered after the feeding may have been given to him to take back home.

 In impoverished countries, the police take from you to consume or use for his personal benefit. Jesus is asking you to give to him that he may multiply it and bless you in return. This shall be your portion and mine this Easter period and always in Jesus Name. Peter lent his boat to Jesus and he got a net breaking miracle [Luke 5:1-6], Obededom lent his house to God when the Ark of God was brought back to Jerusalem [2 Samuel 6:11] and blessings never ceased from his home. These are but a few examples in the Bible. Proverbs 11:24 says “There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty.” What do you have that he has not given to you? All blessings come from God. Jesus gave all that he had for mankind. He left the glory he had with his Father and came to earth to rescue man from sin and death. He died on the cross and resurrected that whoever believes on him might have the hope of resurrection and eternal life. Are you willing to give him your heart so that he could bless you beyond your greatest imagination?

 A friend of mine once told me that she was doing so well in her business in the  late 90’s. I believe it was kind of making her somewhat proud. Then her husband called her and said “My wife, all that you have are mine. Is it the Kerosene business, the elementary school you are trying to start as a business and even the children we have are all mine”(paraphrase). So where is the place for pride? This is so true with us. All we have belong to God. Everyone will give his or her heart to God someday, either willingly or forcefully. Be wise and choose right!  In this Easter season, and always, give to God your very best in your service to Him whatever that service might be.  Stay blessed.

 Prayer Points

1.        Oh Lord, fill my heart with faith in every spiritual challenge I am faced with in the name of Jesus.

 2.      Lord, strengthen my faith that You will miraculously provide as I share what you have freely given to me with others for your Kingdom’s sake in the name of Jesus.

Door Number Two?

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Door Number Two?

 Gen. 13:11

Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.

 It is sometimes very difficult to make choices, probably because nobody wants to make mistakes and be in a situation of ‘Buyer’s remorse’. I am so glad to be living in this part of the world where you can return your merchandise even as long as 3 months after purchase if you don’t like it. Well, I will quickly add, not with all items! When you don’t have the option of returning the purchased goods, you have to think real hard and well to make sure that you actually want the item since the sale is final. Some of the Game Shows on TV would give you an idea of what I am talking about, such as those with prices associated with closed doors. You have been shown the different prizes, but which of the doors can you find exactly what you desire? Is it door no.1 or door no. 2 or even door no. 3?

 Lot was Abram’s nephew. Abram took Lot along when he heard the call of God. That was a very brief introduction of Lot. Abram and Lot both prospered to the extent that their herd’s men were frequently having fights over issues, so Abram wanted to stop the conflict by parting ways with Lot.  

 The Bible passage above tells us that Lot chose all the plain of Jordan. Why, you may ask? The preceding verses tell us that it was well watered and that it was like the garden of the Lord, probably like the Garden of Eden!

 Lot chose what he could see. That would have been what most people would choose; greener pasture for his animals. He did not want any ‘Buyer’s remorse’. Lot’s choice was not a bad one anyway, but was it a godly choice? Lot chose for his immediate benefit which most of us do every now and then. He forgot that he was being blessed by association. Tagging along with Abram brought blessings to him. He forgot to ask his uncle who was older than him to choose first.  He probably did not inquire from God if that was what God wanted for him. That was a very big decision, and he was moved by sight and chose hastily. Are you always moved by sight? Do you make hasty decisions in very important issues or do you inquire from the Lord? To inquire is good, but do you wait for the response? You and I have a lot to learn from King David.

 2 Sam.5:19

King David enquired of the Lord, saying, shall I go up to the Philistines? Will thou deliver them unto my hand? And the Lord said unto David, Go up: for I will doubtless deliver the philistine into thine hand.

 The Lord will teach us not just to inquire from him but to wait for the response before we set out on things we need to do.

 (To be continued)                                          

 Prayer

Oh Lord, teach me not to make hasty decisions based on my own judgement.

 Oh Lord, grant me the grace to wait and hear from you always in Jesus name.

  Author: Esther Agbi

The Sin of Rebellion [Part II]

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The Sin of Rebellion [Part II]

Numbers 13:1-13

Take Your Present Assignment Seriously
In Num 13 and 14, there is a sad story stated of how some “great men” of God who should have been great by all accounts failed because of unbelief. They refused to fight their way to their breakthrough. They not only refused to fight for their inheritance but discouraged others from doing so. Their sin made God to set a bar on the age limit of those who were going to enter the Promised Land. They polluted the minds of everybody. They sent many people to their early grave. The Bible records their names because they were renowned. They were already rulers among the people (v2).

God may have given you an assignment which looks little but use it as a training ground to develop your faith. If there are no people to do the assignments ahead or God decides that you have been long on your present assignment enough He might chose you for a new task. Woe betides you if you are not ready. God will not put on big shoes on your feet when an assignment is too big for you. You limit yourself by your lack of preparedness on the great tasks God has ahead for you. God recognized them and chose them for a special assignment. Moses acted on the commandment of God and appointed them (Num 13:3). Moses made sure that these were the people God wanted on the trip. There was no bias in their selection. Moses took their names to God and God approved it. They were complete.

Twelve is a very important number in mission work. Jesus had twelve disciples which turned the world around to God. When you are given an assignment, seek to engage 3, seven or twelve people as the Spirit of God directs you. It depends on how “spiritually Herculean” the task is but you must never rely on your strength or power to do the work. You could fail miserably if you try to do it alone or at least suffer from burn out and maybe premature death. Of the twelve only two “survived” or passed the test of the spiritual assignment. Joshua was the leader of the pact. He was appointed and recognized specially by Moses [Num. 13:16].

Did God know they would fail and still sent them? He perhaps did because of His omnipotent power. But that was not His plan for them. God saw them as people who would succeed. The way God saw them is the way God sees us too. He sees that we will succeed. They were programmed to succeed. However, as we see later, the tight knot of faith of their hearts began to unwind gradually by fear and doubt. Moses gave them direction about the assignment; a modus operandi that made their work easy. He told them the way to follow to the land, see and assess who the people that dwelt in those lands were; how fortified their cities were and the fruitfulness of the land. Their assignment lasted for forty days. When you are on a spiritual journey you should be increasing in faith not decreasing. By forty days your heart can either be full of faith or be full of doubt. Jesus was in the wilderness for forty days after which the devil came and challenged Him.

1And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler among them. 3 And Moses by the commandment of the LORD sent them from the wilderness of Paran: all those men were heads of the children of Israel. 4 And these were their names: of the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur. 5 Of the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori. 6 Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh. 7 Of the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph. 8 Of the tribe of Ephraim, Oshea the son of Nun. 9 Of the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu. 10 Of the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi. 11 Of the tribe of Joseph, namely, of the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi. 12 Of the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli. 13 Of the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael. 14 Of the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi. 15 Of the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi. 16 These are the names of the men which Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Oshea the son of Nun Jehoshua.

The spies came after forty days and reported what they had seen. There were two reports; a majority report and a minority report. There is no record who gave the majority report. It was not important. They all agreed. Failed people, that is, those who decide to remain failures, refusing to cooperate with God or His word have no place in His kingdom. The ten banded together and chorused their response [Num. 13:26-29]. In such spiritual duties and in the world of Faith what you see and report is what you get. As you said it, so you will receive it. If you see and report a positive thing that is what you get. However, if you see and report negative thing, be ready for the consequence. Unfortunately it is usually the judgement of God or punishment for the result of our failures which we cannot redeem ourselves from. Hence if you are in such situation, cry out to God for mercy through the blood of Jesus.

26 And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land. 27 And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it. 28 Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there. 29 The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan.

Prayer Points
1. Oh Lord, fill my heart with faith. I will not doubt your word in the name of Jesus.
2. Oh Lord, strengthen me. Every giant and spiritual bully standing against me in God’s Promised Land in my life, be uprooted, fall down and die like Goliath in Jesus name.

Missions Seedtime & Harvest

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Hallelujah!!! Christ our Wisdom has a new look to its website. Please, browse through and familiarize yourself with the website at www.christwisdom.org . You will find many articles in the CATEGORIES section of the website.

One of the new features of the website is that you can now pay your tithes and offerings on-line through the Ministry’s’s website. You can also begin to sow your seed for on-going and planned Missions Outreach of the Ministry. You will find the e-donate button when you click the MISSIONS menu on the website, or you can follow the link below, (or copy the link into your brownser), and it will take you directly to the Account of the Ministry.

Link:

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=5MHRXJLWM2BQY

VISA, MasterCard or direct payment from your bank account are accepted.

Did you know that your sowing to the work of God is a testimony of your righteousness? It is also an act of obedience to His Word.

“It’s time for you to sow to yourself in righteousness, reap in mercy and break up your fallow grounds ……” Hosea 10:12

“8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:…….10 Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness)”…… 2 Cor. 9:8-10.

It’s time for all of God’s children to increase in the fruit of righteousness through giving. God Bless you as you choose to excel in this gift also.

We are a Canadian registered “Charity” (Charity Registration no.: 806085882RR0001) with proper accounting records. Your donations and gift to the Ministry will be receipted to you at the end of the year for income tax purposes.