TheNewsGuru

Tag: Christ

  • The new creation in Christ – Femi Aribisala

    By Femi Aribisala

    Jesus says to Nicodemus: “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (John 3:6).

    When you ask a man to describe himself, he might say: “I am tall and handsome.” But do you know your height and looks are not you? The man drives a Mercedes Benz and therefore considers the car to be his identity. He feels the luxurious car defines who he is. So the wisdom of God says: “Steal the car, and let us see if he will consider himself stolen.” “Burn the car, so he will consider himself burnt.”

    If we are how we look, what happens when we grow old? The Lord says: “I am the Lord, I do not change.” (Malachi 3:6). If the Lord does not change then, neither do sons of God because as he is so are we in this world. (1 John 4:17). If a man is his physical nature, then if he has an accident and breaks his leg, he has changed. No! A man is his spirit and not his body; and his spirit does not change. Like Jesus, a son of God is the same yesterday, today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8).

    The prototype

    There is only one New Creation and he is Jesus. There is only one personality. There is only one character. There is only one look; and that is Christ: “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:27-28).

    The New Creation stands in perfect atonement with God and with Christ. This was Jesus’ prayer, and it was answered completely at the Pentecost. He asked: “That all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” (John 17:21).

    Jesus is the beginning of the new creation. (Revelation 3:14). The first human species was in Adam. The New Creation is in Christ. As Levi was in the loins of Abraham when Melchisedec met him, so have we been in the loins of Christ from the foundation of the world. As Noah was in the ark, so are we in Christ. The New Creation is a completely different species of human being although coming through no human agency. He comes not by blood, or through the flesh, but as a result of the will of God. (John 1:13).

    Family of God

    Moreover, the New Creation draws strength from the power reservoir of the body of Christ. That body is not made up of one, but of many, parts. (1 Corinthians 12:12-14). Accordingly, the son of God is never alone. He is part and parcel of an incredibly large and illustrious heavenly family.

    The New Creation has a hundredfold of brothers and sisters and mothers. “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honoured, every part rejoices with it.” (1 Corinthians 12:26). When God says: “Touch not my anointed,” it is not a vain threat. The New Creation is his brother’s keeper. Therefore, the man who dares to fight a son of God is going to have to face him and all his relatives.

    If you fight him, you have to answer to the body of Christ. You might be fighting him in Lagos, but there are brothers and sisters of his in Toronto prevailing in battle on his behalf. Once the battle cry is raised, a message is transmitted to the twelve tribes of Israel that it is time to repel the forces of the enemy. So it is spiritually with the body of Christ.

    Therefore, know this for certain, the son of God is impregnable. He is an integral part of the army of the God, the Lord of hosts; an army united in spirit and in power. It is an army perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgement. Unlike what takes place in the contradictory churches of today, in the Church of Christ where the son of God belongs, there is one body and one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism and one God and Father. (Ephesians 4:4-6).

    Born again

    The New Creation is of God and is born of God. He hates sin with passion and walks in the truth. He cannot be killed and cannot die. Signs and wonders follow him. He has the spirit of excellence. He has the spirit of wisdom and revelation. He can see the kingdom of God. He can see the invisible. He has the mind of God. In short, the new creation is the fulfilment of the law and the prophets.

    “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when he is revealed, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. (1 John 3:1-2).

    Transfiguration

    One day, Peter, John and James went up a high mountain with Jesus and discovered to their surprise that this same Jesus is somebody else at the same time. Suddenly, Jesus was transfigured before them and they caught a privileged glimpse of his glory.

    Jesus said to Nicodemus: “ No one has ascended to heaven but he who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.” (John 3:13). This is a wonderful kingdom dynamic. The Son of Man who is in heaven is also here on earth at the same time talking to Nicodemus. No wonder, Nicodemus was completely flabbergasted. As it is with Jesus, so it is with the New Creation. As he is here on earth, so is he seated at the same time in the heavenly places in Christ. (Ephesians 2:6).

    As a man on earth, the pre-incarnate glory of Jesus was veiled. This baffled many. There was dissonance between Jesus’ mighty works and his human pedigree. People wondered about him. He was learned, and yet he never went to school. “He’s just a carpenter’s son,” they reasoned. And yet, carpenters don’t heal the sick and raise the dead. “But we know his mother and his brothers. Surely he is just another Joe.” (Matthew 13:55).

    However, at the Mount of Transfiguration, Peter, John and James discovered what manner of man Jesus is. They saw him completely differently, covered with God’s splendour and glory. And they heard a majestic voice calling down from heaven, saying: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (2 Peter 1:17). So it is with the son of God.

    Beloved, wouldn’t you like to be a son of God? “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7).

  • Easter: Learn from Christ, show love to all, Osinbajo charges Nigerians

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Sunday urged Nigerians to emulate the sacrificial love that Jesus Christ showed to all generations by preaching and showing love to all.

    Osinbajo gave the advice while speaking to newsmen shortly after the Easter Service at the Aso Villa Chapel.

    The VP had at the service preached on love to one another and said it was the foundation of the nation’s development.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that Osinbajo’s sermon was entitled: `Revelations on the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.’

    “It is a message for love for all; there is no tribe, no religion; regardless of faith, Jesus loves us. This is how we should relate with ourselves.

    “It is a pure love and I think that it is what everyone should bear in mind at this time,” he said.

    He reminded Nigerians to serve God faithfully to earn forgiveness and salvation in the hereafter.

    Osinbajo noted that spiritually, Jesus stood between hell and heaven, and serves as an intercessor for mankind.

    “All that is required is to believe in Him by acceptance of the commitment he made on the cross,” he said.

     

     

  • Easter: Nigerians should imbibe Christ’s sacrificial spirit – Jonathan

    Easter: Nigerians should imbibe Christ’s sacrificial spirit – Jonathan

    Former President Goodluck Jonathan on Saturday in his Easter message charged Nigerians to emulate the sacrificial life Jesus Christ led while on earth by accepting to give his life in redemption for the sins of all.

    Jonathan also urged individuals to be conscious of what they can contribute to the growth of the nation and not what the country can do for them.

    In his words: “On this Easter, I think about the unconditional love that Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, had for us to the extent that He gave His life for our salvation on Good Friday.

    “My reflections also take my mind back to His resurrection by God on Easter.

    “What a lesson for us of what sacrifice can achieve and the benefits it can bring to mankind generally and individually!

    “This Easter, I call on all, whether Christian or Muslim, to emulate Christ and sacrifice something for your nation, for your families and for yourselves.

    “Was it not John F Kennedy who famously said ‘ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.’

    “Let us not ask ourselves who will change our nations for the better.

    “Let us instead take a look in the mirror and ask how we can change our nations for the better. Indeed, as somebody once said, change begins with me.

    “It begins with you. Let this Easter be the beginning of a positive change in the nations of the world. From my family and I to you and your family, Happy Easter.”

     

  • Good Friday: Imbibe Christ’s virtue of selflessness, cleric urges Christians

    Good Friday: Imbibe Christ’s virtue of selflessness, cleric urges Christians

    A cleric, Rev. Ifeanyi Okonkwo, has urged Christians in the country to imbibe the virtue of selflessness in order to live above materialism and get-rich-quick syndrome.

    Okonkwo spoke on Friday during a homily in a Good Friday Service held at the Anglican Church of Ascension, Achara Layout, Enugu.

    “Only when we live selflessly like Jesus Christ did, by sacrificing his life on the cross; the urge to acquire wealth uncontrollably can be checkmated,’’ he said.

    The cleric also noted that selflessness involve giving as well as a heart of charity and sharing with others.

    “A selfless heart is the heart that seeks to give and does not seeking for his own personal gain; just as Christ exemplified,’’ he said.

    He, however, urged Christians to show the light by being selfless in order for the country to move forward.

    “Our lives as those that follow Christ must tell of our master’s wish that anyone who wants to lead others must be a servant to all,’’ he said.

    The cleric prayed for the nation’s leaders and for the recovery of the nation’s economy.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that Good Friday is celebrated by Christians as the day Jesus Christ died to redeem mankind from sin and condemnation of God.

    Many Christians all over the world observe the day with worship, solemnity and sobriety.

     

     

    NAN

  • Developing immunities to Christ – Femi Aribisala

    Developing immunities to Christ – Femi Aribisala

    By Femi Aribisala
    Many Christians reject central tenets of the faith Jesus delivered, while still claiming to be Christians.
    We have been socialised on the word of men, contrary to the word of God.
    Indeed, many have established no-go areas in their hearts and minds against the word of God. These no-go areas pertain to issues dear to us, about which we are not prepared to entertain anything contrary.
    Thus, when a man loves money and desires to be rich, he would not entertain a gospel about Jesus living on earth as a poor man, but would rather transform the donkey he rode into Jerusalem into a Cadillac.
    When a man’s heart is set on acquiring the good things of this life, he becomes immune to a gospel which insists we should hate the world and the things in the world. When a man is determined to prosper in the world, he becomes immune to any message that prescribes suffering for the sake of the gospel.
    Enemies of the cross
    The result of these “immunities” is that many Christians become “estranged from Christ.” Just like the Peter of old before the transformative Pentecost, we love the things of men more than the things of God. We persist in our own righteousness and reject the righteousness of God. We justify ungodliness by the idols of our heart. We prefer to be told what we want to hear than to hear the true word of God. We would rather be told lies than the truth.
    Needless to say, God finds this tendency particularly offensive. He says through Isaiah: “They tell my prophets, ‘Shut up- we don’t want any more of your reports!’ Or they say, ‘Don’t tell us the truth; tell us nice things; tell us lies. Forget all this gloom; we’ve heard more than enough about your ‘Holy One of Israel’ and all he says.’” (Isaiah 30:10).
    Therefore, the Lord himself sets us a trap. Since we don’t want to hear the truth, God makes sure we believe lies. He sends us his word but not in order to save. The word of God is preached that we may be snared by it. Isaiah says: “The word of the LORD was to them, ‘Precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little,’ that they might go and fall backward, and be broken and snared and caught.” (Isaiah 28:13).
    All men cannot receive the truth, but most men can receive lies. All men can receive money, but most cannot receive peace of mind. All men can receive death but most cannot receive life. Jesus said to the Jews: “He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.” (John 8:47).
    Vaccination against the truth
    Many Christians have been so socialised on the traditions of men, we find it difficult to receive the word of God. Solomon says: “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6). But when a child is breast-fed on falsehood, it becomes difficult for him to receive the truth. False doctrines immunise us against the truth. That is why it is sometimes easier to preach the gospel to an unbeliever than to a Christian.
    These immunities to the word of God are often developed by the very act of going to church. We do so by being followers of men and not of Christ. Without realising it, the messages we prefer vaccinate us against the sincere milk of the word. When we don’t read the scriptures for ourselves to find out the truth for ourselves, we become open to all kinds of strange self-serving indoctrinations.
    Once we are grounded on falsehood, the truth of God becomes offensive to us. When we hear the true word, it provokes us and makes us uncomfortable. God’s wisdom is peculiar; it is by nature unpalatable to the flesh. It requires us to turn the other cheek, when we want to fight back. It asks us to pray for our enemies when we want them punished. It asks us to submit to one another, when we don’t feel like it. It asks us to obey our masters, even when they are horrid.
    Therefore, even though we say we are Christians, we simply refuse to accept the counsel of God. The answer is that we pick and choose which scriptures we will obey. And yet, Christ cannot be divided. Jeremiah says: “To whom shall I speak and give warning, that they may hear? Indeed their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot give heed. Behold, the word of the LORD is a reproach to them; they have no delight in it.” (Jeremiah 6:10).
    Pick and choose
    If the scripture is about blessings, we cram it, recite it and claim it. If it is about righteousness we overlook or ignore it. When it is convenient for us, we stand on the word of God. When it is inconvenient, we reject it. So doing, Jesus becomes for us: “a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence.” (1 Peter 2:8).
    The Lord is constructing a building. The scriptures say we are that building. But the stone he is using is the word of God. He is building us up precept by precept; line upon line. But when we prefer the word of men to the word of God, then the building becomes our building. The Lord is no longer the builder: we are the builder. But the psalmist warns: “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labour in vain who build it.” (Psalm 127:1).
    Thereby, many depart from the true faith without even realising it. We quote the scriptures but fail to abide by its precepts. We go regularly to church, but are no longer believers. We preach stridently about one thing and do the exact opposite. We talk love but act hate. We preach to others but fail to preach to ourselves.
    God knows how many times we have heard it preached that fornicators will not inherit the kingdom of God. Nevertheless, we continue to sleep with our boyfriends and girlfriends. We are still telling lies. We are still being mean, abusive and quarrelsome. We say to ourselves: “This particular scripture cannot apply to me. After all, God knows that it is not possible for a man to clear his goods at the ports without paying bribes.” “God knows that if I don’t get pregnant my fiancé might not know I am fertile and therefore might not marry me.”
    And so it goes on and on. Ever so gradually, we convince ourselves that God will understand and condone our sins. After all, “nobody is perfect.” Without realising it, we soon become children of disobedience.
    Jesus is the stone the builders rejected that has become the chief cornerstone. (Matthew 21:42 ). What he says to biblical Israel, he say to us today: “Therefore the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.” (Matthew 21:43).
    On the last day, we shall be judged by the truths we reject. (John 12:47-50).

  • We must exhibit love, forgiveness as Christ did – Ooni of Ife

    The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has admonished Christians to exhibit love, forgiveness and peaceful co-existence among each other at all times as Christ did.

    The traditional ruler described Jesus Christ as the Lord of peace and love with an unparalleled forgiving spirit who should always be remembered and honoured with the existence of love and peace by Christians.

    According to him, that was the only way harmonious co-existence can be achieved not only within the ranks of his followers but also among the members of the larger global society for whom Jesus lived and died over 2000 years ago.

    The traditional ruler said this on December 25 (Christmas Day).

    In a statement signed by his Director of Media and Public Affairs, Comrade Moses Olafare, the Ooni wished all Christians in Nigeria and across the globe a merry Christmas.

    He charged religious leaders to always lead by example by not just preaching but always act like Jesus if their followers should take them seriously.

    The statement reads: “People of the world must see themselves as one before the God Almighty and must treat one another with forgiveness, peace and love as symbolized by Jesus Christ if the world must be a conducive place for everyone to survive.

    “There is no greater gift and honour you can give to Jesus Christ other than exhibition of forgiving spirit, display of love and ensurance of absolute peace because these are what the lord Jesus symbolizes.

    “We all must see ourselves as equal before the almighty God who purposefully created us with different cultural backgrounds.

    “The surest way of achieving the much needed global harmony is when we always imbibe the spirit of forgiveness and extend hand of love and peace to one another, with this Jesus Christ will be happy in heaven.

    “God will always smile to us and of course the world will become a better place for all of us to dwell happily,” the statement added.