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Bible & Prayer Nuggets 0505

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The winning Team (I)

 

Bible Nugget 0505 [1 Corinthians 15:58]

 

1 Corinthians 15: 58

“Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”

 

Team sport is very interesting. A team sport requires every member of the team to contribute their quota for the team to perform. If any member is not giving his best on the field, the team’s performance goes down and the team may even lose the match. Sometimes, the team members may be excellent players, but the coach is very lousy. That team is likely to lose as many matches in a row as there are team members because the coach will give conflicting instructions to the team members before the big games. However, a very good coach will see and exploit the talent of each member of the team for successes. He changes one tactic (by tapping on the talent of a team member) and puts the opponent team in disarray. That one tactical change may make all the difference. This is common in soccer where the goal margin at the end of a game is 1-0. The match could have been so close that if you stopped watching as a neutral spectator at the 89th minute and left the stadium or went to bed thinking the match was over you would wish you saw the deciding goal live.

 

The coach of a Christian is Christ. He is not just any type of coach. He is a perfect coach. He coaches you to success and victory only. No losing game when Christ is your coach. He knows the tactics of the opposing team – the enemy (that is, the devil and his works). He has a clear plan against the other opponent coach, Satan.  John 10:10 reads:

 

10The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

 

Because Jesus is the best of coaches, victory is guaranteed.  However, you and I have a part to play our parts to continue as winners to the end. The scripture says …. be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work [1 Corinthians 15:58]. The problem is not with the coach because Coach Jesus is perfect. The problem is with you and me. How much effort (or labour as v 58 says) do you put into the kingdom to see the kingdom of God grow. Be a tireless worker for the kingdom.

 

Daniel 12:3

3And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.

 

Proverbs 11:30

30The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.

 

Be a soul winner. Be wise.

 

Prayer Points 0505

  1. I receive the spirit of an over comer in the mighty name of Jesus Name.
  2. I am a victor. I refuse to be vanquished. I enforce my victory in Christ over all the works of the enemy in Jesus Name.
  3. Oh Lord, grant me your divine wisdom. Help me to be a soul winner. Grant me the grace to work tireless in your vineyard in Jesus Name.

Bible & Prayer Nuggets 0504

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Acquaintance then Friendship with the Almighty (I)

Bible Nugget 0504 [Job 22 v21-30]

  21Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee.

 22Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart.

 23If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles.

 24Then shalt thou lay up gold as dust, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks.

 25Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defence, and thou shalt have plenty of silver.

 26For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God.

 27Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows.

 28Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways.

 29When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up; and he shall save the humble person.

 30He shall deliver the island of the innocent: and it is delivered by the pureness of thine hands.

Enmity, Acquaintance and friendship are three levels of relationships. Friendship with somebody is a deeper relationship than being an acquaintance of that person. If you are an acquaintance, you may know that person in different degrees and your knowledge of that person may be limited to any or all of the following: name, where he lives, his family members, where he works and other peripheral information about that person.

Today we will focus on acquaintance, a step away from enmity. God wants all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. Acquaintance with God means having a general knowledge, not having perfect knowledge or full intimacy with the Almighty. Acquaintance is the first step in friendship with God. It is the means to an end, not the end in itself.

If you have a quarrel with somebody, the first stage in reconciliation with that person is to strike an accord of peace with that person. You become an acquaintance with that person. Even if you had been the best of friends before the quarrel, the separation strains your relationship and your knowledge about that person during the period of conflict is highly limited. That is what the writer of the above passage is talking about. Make peace with the Almighty; do not be an enemy of God. Why? Because he created you in his own image and likeness.  It’s like the story of the prodigal son. He had a father and had an inheritance in the father’s house but decided to stray away to live like a bastard far away, until his life degraded to that of living and feeding with swine [Luke 15:11-24]. The number one issue that strains our relationship with God is friendship with the world. The book of James states it bluntly as follows:

4Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. [James 4:4].

The above verse is not necessarily about sexual immorality because the preceding 3 verses at the beginning of that passage talks about conflict between persons and the reason prayers are not answered. If you “love” the world, the Love of God is not in you. “Love” of the world means “lust” for the things of the world as stated in 1 John 2:15-17

15Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

 16For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

 17And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

The first step in building healthy relationship is to believe in that person. You are willing to listen and accept that person’s speech or words. So for you to have a healthy relationship with God, you have to be thoroughly separated from the world if you want God to turn his face towards you or be acquainted with him. Reconcile with God today and believe the word of God. Let your heart be a fertile ground to receive the message of salvation.  Job 22 v 22 says

 

22Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart.

 

There are immediate benefits when you acquaint yourself with the almighty. You have peace, you are built up, iniquity or sin will be strange to you, physical and spiritual blessings will pursue and locate you. Much increase in physical wealth will be your portion because the word of God says the earth is the Lords’ and the fullness thereof; the world and they that dwell therein. The Lord will also be your surety or defense. Job 22 v 26 says you can even lift up your face to God, not hiding it in shame or fear of punishment or judgment of God. God begins to hear and answer your prayers and your vows become a holy oblation or sacrifice to God. Your prayers become very potent, you begin to decree what will happen and that is what will happen. You become an encourager of other people and lead them into acquaintance with God. All these are still at the level of acquaintance with the almighty. How glorious will it be at the level of friendship? Re-emphasize Job 22:28-29 yourself as you step into better relationship with God;

 

 28Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways.

 29When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up; and he shall save the humble person.

 

Wouldn’t you like to be fully acquainted with God today? Would you not like to draw near to him. James says draw near to God and he will draw near to you. It means take a step away from God and he will take a step away from you. Woes betide that person if the step God decides to take away is a giant stride. He is calling you today in love. “Acquaint yourself with Me” and have peace and rest for your soul. Come to Jesus and be saved. That is your first step in your journey of acquaintance with the almighty because Jesus is the revelation of the fullness of God to man. In closing read James 4:8-10 and purpose in your heart to draw nearer and nearer to the Almighty in Jesus Name.

8Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

 9Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.

 10Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

 

Prayer Points 0504

Pray the following prayers with a penitent heart and believe you are in stride with the Almighty.

1.       Oh Lord forgive me for walking away from you and your ways in the past. I ask and receive full restoration of sonship with you today in the mighty name of Jesus.

2.       I come against every prodigal and vagabond spirit. Be banished from my life in Jesus Name.

3.       Oh Lord I place the cross before me and the world behind me.  I refuse to be in any bondage to the world and the lust thereof. I live in the world but not by the standards of the world in the mighty name of Jesus.

4.       Oh Lord, I claim your peace and full rest for my soul in Christ.  Holy Spirit do your work of reconciliation of my heart to God in the mighty name of Jesus.

5.       Oh Lord let the benefits of acquaintance and full salvation in Christ begin to rub on me and my household in Jesus Name.

6.       I receive the full blessings of Christ by virtue of my spirit being born again by the Spirit of God. All my rights and privileges in Christ I receive in the mighty name of Jesus.

7.       Oh Lord, let me experience your lifting up. Let me be a divine encourager to those who are cast down. Fill my heart with the spirit of humility in Jesus name.

8.       I shake off every spirit of sadness, sorrow and mourning away from my life. Joy everlasting shall be my portion in Jesus Name. Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bible & Prayer Nuggets 0503

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A Mother’s Love

 

Bible Nugget 0503 [Exodus 2:1-10, KJV]

1And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi.

 2And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months.

 3And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river’s brink.

 4And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him.

 5And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river’s side; and when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it.

 6And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews’ children.

 7Then said his sister to Pharaoh’s daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee?

 8And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child’s mother.

 9And Pharaoh’s daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the women took the child, and nursed it.

 10And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water.

 

In today’s message let us reflect on how a mother’s love protects a defenseless child in the face of great odds and danger. A mother’s love will want the best for the child right from infancy. When Moses was born he was a proper child. Our focus today is to look at how such a great potential as a child could have been destroyed by a senseless decree of a king. The mother saw him, loved him and wanted to protect him. She must have prayed how do I protect this beautiful child. She probably saw the hidden treasure of a great man of God hidden in this little child. God gave her wisdom to beat the enemy in his own game. He deposited a time bomb right in the palace itself. Pharaoh’s daughter became the mother of Moses by adoption. Through this Moses, learnt all the acts of Egypt. Thee seed of and thirst for the true God continued to germinate in his heart. At the fullness of time, he came to himself and refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter anymore. All these because of the love of a mother who had a vision for her child. As you ponder over you child or children from day to day, trust God put your faith in him. His word says his love is stronger than the love of a woman for a child.

 

Isaiah 49:15

15Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.   

 

Notice the bible uses the word woman instead of mother in this comparison. The love of a mother is even stronger for a child, than just a woman and a child. A woman has to be bonded to the child to be a mother. To the teenage woman or any woman wishing to have a child: are you ready to be a mother to a child if God blesses you with a child. Are you ready to love and protect that God given blessing against all the odd’s the child will face without your help? To the mother, continue to commit your children to God. and God will lift them up as you do this.

Hannah was another mother in the bible who compassionately cared for her child. Having been blessed with his birth because she was barren, she saw to it that the child did not live a wayward life. The child also became a firebrand man of God because of the dutiful, prayerful character of Hannah.

1 Sam 2:18-21

18But Samuel ministered before the LORD, being a child, girded with a linen ephod.

 19Moreover his mother made him a little coat, and brought it to him from year to year, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.

 20And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, and said, The LORD give thee seed of this woman for the loan which is lent to the LORD. And they went unto their own home.

 21And the LORD visited Hannah, so that she conceived, and bare three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before the LORD.

  To the fathers, thank God for being a parent. You too have a responsibility to the proper upbringing of your child but we will hear a sermon on that another day.  

 

PRAYER POINTS

Pray the following prayers aggressively:

1.   O God, thank you for making me a parent. Thank you for my child(ren). Show them your mercy all the days of their lives in Jesus Name.

 2. Oh Lord, make my children treasures in your household. Let them be a blessing to their generation in Jesus Name.

3.  Lord, let your love surround me. Let my soul continue to search for you even as a weaned child in Jesus Name. Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bible & Prayer Nuggets 0501

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The Fruits of the Spirit Series: Gentleness I

Excerpts froma sermon on 3rd May 2009 at Champions Pariah, Redeemed Christian Church of God Edmonton, AB Canada 

Minister: Joseph Agbi

 

Bible Nugget 0501 [Galatians 5:22-23]

22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

 23Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

 

Fruit Triangles

  1. Love, Joy and Peace
  2. Longsuffering, gentleness and goodness
  3. Faith, Meekness and Temperance

 

 Introduction

What is Gentle or Gentleness?

Oxford Dictionary:

Not rough: mild or kind

 

Gentleman: well-bred man

Gentlewoman: a woman of good birth or upbringing

 

            These are very kind words to say of somebody or a group of people. Because it has become very common to use these words people do not know the weight or take time to reflect on the meaning of these words.  Therefore what an irony if you are addressing an audience and you call them ladies and gentlemen and in the midst of them are murderers, adulterers and fornicators, liars, thieves, etc. all the sins of Gal:5: 19-21 a stack contrast to Gal 5:22 – 23

 

Gal 5: 19-21

19Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

 20Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

 21Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

 

Implying non-well bred or people without good upbringing are those living in the flesh:

 

The root word Gentleness in Greek [original text of the new testament] in v 22

 Gr. Chrestotes and it means a disposition to be gentle, soft spoken, kind, even tempered, cultured and refined in character and conduct.

           

            Because, you can identify the character of somebody by the words they say or their actions or by their behavior, gentleness is a character that can easily be read by others. It is a fruit and you know a fruit when it is ripe because it is attractive. When you see a bunch of yellow bananas they are very attractive and inviting to a hungry man. So is the character of gentleness. It is mild, very affective.

 

Source of Gentleness

            The source of the fruit gentleness is the Holy Spirit Gal 5:22, so as children of God if you are walking in the spirit, or a man living in the spirit, the fruit becomes more ripe everyday as you submit yourself to the Holy Spirit. You become gentler to yourself and others. You become more even tempered.  Pleasing the Holy Spirit is all you become interested in. Things that easily harass you and make you soil your testimony as a Christian such as anger, strife, and bitterness have no meaning to you. You become more broken, thoroughly broken. When you get to that stage, then you can truly say yes, I am a gentleman or gentlewoman. The secret of gentleness as a Christian is to be led by the Holy Spirit because against such there is no law.  Compare

Gal 5:18

18But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

and

Galatians 5:22-23

22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

 23Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

 

Implying walking in the spirit makes a person to walk free from the law of sin and death; the punishment awaiting those who break the laws of Gal 5:19-21.

To be continued

 

Prayer Points 0501

  1. Oh Lord, saturate my spirit with your Holy Spirit. Make me to walk in harmony with your Holy Spirit always in Jesus Name.
  2. Gentle Holy Spirit; make me a friend of God all the days of my life in Jesus Name.
  3. Jesus, I want to walk like you, talk like you have compassion like you. Give me the grace to be your good ambassador in Jesus Name. Amen

Bible & Prayer Nugget 0409

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WISDOM SERIES: WISDOM OF THE CROSS (I)

 

Excerpts from a sermon on “Wisdom of the Cross”

 

DATE: October 05 2008

Church: Champions Pariah, Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) Edmonton, AB Canada 

Minister: Joseph Agbi

 

 

Bible Nugget 0409 [2 Corinthians 5:19]

 

 19To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

 

Today we begin a very important series, the foundation on which this gospel outreach is based. It is called the wisdom of the cross. Something outstanding had to happen for God to turn rebellious man back to himself. One thing that can be compared in minuscule proportion to this glorious divine act is what is commonly called ‘miracle’. Jesus rebuking the Pharisees, and scorners who came to his meetings said except you see a miracle, you will not believe. So he performed one for them to see. Some believed, and some did not.

 

We will start from the basics and then build up the sermon.

 

What is Wisdom?

 

Wisdom is defined as knowledge guided by understanding.

 

Connection of Wisdom to Power and Authority

If you have power and authority and you are not wise, you can lose the power and authority in a moment of time. Examples are

•         Monarchical Power: A king who does not rule by wisdom soon loses the respect of his people. They begin to disobey him in their words or action.

•         Moral & Spiritual Power: For example, Men of God who fall into sin.

 

Wisdom and knowledge of God Described

•          The wisdom of God described in one sentence. 

It is deep, rich, unsearchable and past finding out.

 

Rom 11:33

 

O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!

 

The Fall of Man

 

•         God’s love for us never ends. He created us to have fellowship with him.

•         He values man as his most precious creation. Because man was created in the image of  God [Gen 1v26].

•         Man trespassed in the garden of Eden

•          Adam fell and lost the glory God asked Adam “where are you”.

God could not accept the sin of Adam for two reasons.

  1. Man was made in the Image of God, and God gave him authority over his creation Gen 1:26

26And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

 

  1. God’s eyes are pure, he does not behold iniquity. [Hab 1: 13]

 13Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he?

 

God’s Redemptive Plan Jump Started at Eden

 

•          God’s battle with the enemy of our souls is like a general who goes to war and will not accept defeat when the enemy comes for a raid and the enemy gains temporary victory. An example was when David’s camp was raided by the enemy.

 

1 Sam 30 v 1-3

 

 1And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire;

 2And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way.

 3So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives.

 

David’s love for his family and his soldiers families drove them to arise from distress, seek God’s face and take the battle to the gates of the enemy.

 Similarly, the world is the kingdom of the enemy and God is fighting through the death of Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit to reclaim or reconcile us who are domiciled in the world back to himself. That is what our nugget scripture is making us to understand.

 

 

 

God jump started redemption right from the day man fell. Adam and eve covered themselves with fig leaves [the foolishness of man’s devised religion] but God said that is not enough to restore my glory. He covered man with animal skin, having shed the blood of animal because the without the shedding of blood there can be no remission of sin. God has made provision for your salvation. Accept Jesus today if you have not done so.

 

 Prayer Points 0409

Prayer of Salvation: Oh Lord thank you for including me in your redemptive plan. I ask for your mercy. I accept I am a sinner. I ask for the blood of Jesus to wash my heart clean. Lord Jesus come into my heart. Holy Spirit dwell in my heart. I will not go back to my sins or allow the devil to be my master. I will walk with you Lord. Light my path daily and make me heavenly conscious all the days of my life in Jesus Name. Thank you for not allowing me to die in my sins. Thank you for reconciling me back to yourself in Jesus Name.

 

If you are already saved, thank God for your salvation and pray these two prayer points.

  1. Lord fill me inside with your wisdom. Make my heart to be intimate with your Holy Spirit. Lead me through all the battles I encounter in this world in the mighty name of Jesus.
  2. Oh Lord, let me carry your full image, spirit, soul and body. I will walk in your glory and your power you have covered me with in the mighty Name of Jesus.

 

 

Bible & Prayer Nuggets 0407

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The Righteous is Blessed

 

Bible Nugget 0407 [Psalm 1 v 1 Amplified]

 

1BLESSED (HAPPY, fortunate, prosperous, and enviable) is the man who walks and lives not in the counsel of the ungodly [following their advice, their plans and purposes], nor stands [submissive and inactive] in the path where sinners walk, nor sits down [to relax and rest] where the scornful [and the mockers] gather.

 

Rejoice because the promise of God is to bless you as you walk with him in righteousness and true holiness. You shall be the envy of all who do not know or wish to serve our loving heavenly Father. Wait on the Lord and see what he will do in your life. He will send blessing of salvation, healing, deliverance, spiritual and material prosperity abundantly upon you.  He will not delay. He is always on time. When the wicked are saying there is casting down, continue to say there is lifting up. Be blessed today in Jesus Name. Amen.

 

 

Prayer Nugget 0407

1.      Oh LORD, remember your covenant of blessing on anyone who calls on you with a true heart of righteousness and holiness. Rain down your blessing upon my life in Jesus Name.

2.       LORD, fill the field of my life with the dew of heaven. Let your river of blessing flow into every department of my life in Jesus Name. Amen.