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Tag: Femi Aribisala

  • The God of all things (1) – By Femi Aribisala

    The God of all things (1) – By Femi Aribisala

    “God is behind the devaluation of the Naira”.

    The internet has spawned a panoply of conspiracy theories. We have a handful here in Nigeria. Buhari died a long time ago. The man in Aso Rock for years was not Buhari. Some people conspired to steal the 2023 election. There is a secret cabal ruling this country.

    But the word of God says we should not call a conspiracy what men call a conspiracy. (Isaiah 8:12-13). According to the scriptures, there is no conspiracy in life. There is no conspiracy in the world. There is only one Conspirator, and it is God. He is the one behind everything. He is behind the good, the bad, and the ugly. Therefore, fear Him and Him alone.

    He is the One who causes men to stumble. He is the Rock of Offence against Whom they hit their cars. He is the One who makes foolish men think they can plan to rob a bank and get away with it. He is the One who makes them rig the election and they think they succeed when they are declared the winners.

    He is the One:

    “Who foils the signs of false prophets and makes fools of diviners, who overthrows the learning of the wise and turns it into nonsense.” (Isaiah 44:25).

    “Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is He who sits above the circle of the Earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. He brings the princes to nothing; He makes the judges of the earth useless. (Isaiah 40:21-23).

    Questions and questions

    While driving on a bridge in Lagos, I asked God a question.  When I looked up, the answer was boldly written on a billboard. It had always been there, with its words as dead letters, waiting for me to pass by. But God gave life to those dead letters and used them to answer my question precisely when I asked Him. 

    Now here is the challenge. How come the very instance I asked the question was the same instance I was at the billboard? Did I ask the question, or did God make me ask it? Did I look up at the billboard when I got near it, or did God make me look up? 

    Who put up the billboard? Did someone put it up or did God put it up? Was it put up specifically for me, waiting to answer my question? Now that it has been used to answer my question, is the billboard still useful? Will God use it to answer other questions from other people?

    Let me tell you what I have learnt at the feet of the Lord.

    Everything, without exception, is the work of God. God put up the billboard. God wrote the letters on the billboard. God made me pass by the billboard. God made me ask my question when I got to the billboard. God made me look up when I got to the billboard. God caused the billboard to answer my question.

    God is the uncaused Cause of everything. One hundred per cent.

    God says: 

    “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. (Revelation 22:13). 

    God orchestrates all things. He determines all things. He controls all things, including every human being.

    God is God

    God is God over everything. He decrees everything. He is the Alpha and the Omega of everything. (Revelation 1:8).

    Charles Spurgeon says: “I believe that every particle of dust that dances in the sunbeam does not move an atom more or less than God wishes. The fall of leaves from a poplar is as fully ordained as the tumbling of an avalanche.”

    God says:

    “I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure.’” (Isaiah 46:9-10).

    God is not mentioned even once in the Book of Esther. Nevertheless, God is the One that manipulates everything from the ending to the beginning.

    Take a look at this scripture:

    “Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife; and when he went in to her, the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son.” (Ruth 4:13).

    She did not have a child. God gave her a child. God gave her conception.

    The Bible testifies that fishes obey God. (Jonah 1:17). Worms obey God. (Jonah 4:7). God shuts the mouths of lions. (Daniel 6:21). Snakes become harmless at God’s command. (Isaiah 11:8). Lice, flies, and locusts obey God, as they did in Pharaoh’s Egypt. (Exodus 10:13). The wind and the seas obey God. (Mark 4:39).

    God commands and raises the stormy wind, which lifts the waves of the sea. (Psalm 107:25). Fire and hail, snow and ice, hurricanes obey His orders. (Psalm 148:8). He calls for a famine in the land; He destroys all the provision of bread. (Psalm 105:16). He calls for a drought on the land and the mountains, on the grain and the new wine and the oil, on whatever the ground brings forth, on men and livestock. (Haggai 1:11).

    He declares:

    “I make peace and create calamity; I, the Lord, do all these things.” (Isaiah 45:7).

    God was the cause of all the calamity that befell Job:

    “All his brothers, all his sisters, and all those who had been his acquaintances before, came to him and ate food with him in his house; and they consoled him and comforted him for all the adversity that the Lord had brought upon him.” (Job 42:11).

    God is behind the devaluation of the naira. He is the One who caused the price of petrol and diesel to skyrocket. He is the one responsible for the high inflation rate. When your pencil falls to the ground, it is God.

    Solomon says:

    “We may throw the dice, but the Lord determines how they fall.” (Proverbs 16:33).

    Jesus says:

    “Aren’t two sparrows sold for a penny? Not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father’s permission. Every hair on your head has been counted.” (Matthew 10:29-31).

    The Scriptures tell us God works: 

    “By the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control.” (Philippians 3:21). 

    “(He) works all things according to the counsel of His will.” (Ephesians 1:11).

    Men only do: 

    “Whatever (God’s) hand and (God’s) purpose determined before to be done.” (Acts 4:28). 

    “A man’s heart plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps.” (Proverbs 16:9).   

    We do not even understand why we do the things we do. Only God knows. (Proverbs 20:24). 

    God says: 

    “My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.” (Isaiah 46:10). 

    God’s sovereignty

    David acknowledges to God a fundamental truth about God and all mankind known to, and accepted by, only a few men: 

    “My times are in (God’s) hands. (Psalm 31:15). 

    He notes furthermore that God programs beforehand every minute detail of the lives of every man: 

    “You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in Your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.” (Psalm 139:16).  

    God creates every man for a specific purpose in the counsel of God, to play a specific role in life. There is a purpose that God has purposed in your life. It is a purpose only you can fulfil.

    The righteous are:

    “A chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, (God’s) own special people, that (they) may proclaim the praises of Him who called (them) out of darkness into His marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9). 

    But the wicked are made for the day of doom. (Proverbs 16:4).

    “The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies.” (Psalm 58:3). 

    Knowledge and understanding

    It is God who gives knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. (Proverbs 2:6). Elihu says:  

    “There is a spirit in man, and the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding.” (Job 32:8).

    If God wants us to know something, He will ensure we know it. Thus, Luke says of Lydia: 

    “The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul.” (Acts 16:14).

    But if God does not want us to know something, He will ensure that we will not know it. This was the predicament of biblical Israel:

    “God has given them a spirit of stupor, eyes that they should not see and ears that they should not hear, to this very day.” (Romans 11:7).

    If a man’s ways are pleasing to the Lord:

    “He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.” (Proverbs 16:7). 

    But if we offend God, He ensures that our enemies prevail against us.

    The psalmist recognises this. He says to God: 

    “You make us turn back from the enemy, and those who hate us have taken spoil for themselves.” (Psalm 44:10).

     

    CONTINUED

  • God’s open reward (2) – By Femi Aribisala

    God’s open reward (2) – By Femi Aribisala

    “The scriptures reveal that God is always thinking about us”.

    God’s open reward comes to those who pray without ceasing. This means praying at all times. It is not about praying in churches or at prayer meetings. It is about praying as Jesus commends, in spirit and truth. (John 4:24).

    Those who pray without ceasing think about the Lord at all times. We live in the consciousness of God. Paul refers to this as: “walking in the spirit.” (Galatians 5:16). We try as much as possible not to lose our consciousness of God, not even for a moment.

    Some people thought I was crazy when I said having sex with your wife provides the avenue for exuberant praise. But David says: “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. (Psalm 34:1).

    If we are enjoying something, we should praise God in our hearts. This is because: “(It is) the living God who gives us richly all things to enjoy.” (1 Timothy 6:17). Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, gave thanks to God before every meal. (John 6:11). It is God who: “satisfies the desire of every living thing.” (Psalm 145:16).

    We become candidates for God’s open reward when all our terms of reference come from God. If we watch a film, we watch it with God. We converse with Him about what is happening on the screen, even if fictional:

    “Oh my God, why do You let this kind of thing happen?” “Oh my God, look at what You did for that man.” “Oh Lord, when will you turn this kind of thing around?” “Oh God, You are such a wonderful person.”

    Thinking God

    David observes that God is always thinking about us: “How precious it is, Lord, to realise that you are thinking about me constantly!” (Psalm 139:17). He says to God by revelation: “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in Your bottle. You have recorded each one in Your book.” (Psalm 56:8).

    If God is always thinking about us, then we must always be thinking about God. Indeed, the psalmist describes the wicked man as one who does not think of God constantly: “The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.” (Psalm 10:4).

    God is particular about this. He is described in the Bible as: “The desire of all nations.” (Haggai 2:7). A Book of Remembrance has been opened in heaven for those who think constantly about God:

    “Then those who feared and loved the Lord spoke often of Him to each other. And He had a Book of Remembrance drawn up in which He recorded the names of those who feared Him and loved to think about Him.” (Malachi 3:16).

    Accordingly, Paul says: “Whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy — meditate on these things.” (Philippians 4:8).

    God is the only person in the universe to whom all these accolades apply.

    Divine particularism

    I had just finished writing a book of 100,000 words when God suddenly said: “Femi, every time you write about Me, start with a capital letter.” The Bible does not even do that consistently. But now I have to do it. I had to go through every sentence changing every he that applies to God or Jesus to He, every him to Him, every me to Me, and every my to My.

    I had to search with a tooth-comb every sentence in over 300 pages to make these alterations. I do not have to tell you that it was tedious.

    But God says: “Those who honour Me I will honour.” (1 Samuel 2:30). One of the ways He honours us is with open rewards. God rewards us openly when we are focused on Him in our hearts. He desires “truth in the inner parts.” (Psalm 51:6). He is the truth. (John 14:6).

    Open secrets

    We must not forget that everything we do secretly is open to God. God sees everything we do in the dark in the light of day. The writer of Hebrews says:

    “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before His eyes, and He is the one to whom we are accountable.” (Hebrews 4:13).

    A pastor asked an usher: “Is there any door through which I can enter the hall and join the service without being seen? The usher replied: “There is no way to enter the hall without God seeing you.”

    Christ’s ambassadors

    Jesus says: “Woe to you when all men speak well of you.” (Luke 6:26).

    It was well known that Jesus was indifferent to public opinion. Trying to set Him up, His adversaries said: “Teacher, we know that You are true, and care about no one; for You do not regard the person of men, but teach the way of God in truth.” (Mark 12:14).

    Paul equally disdains public opinion. He asks: “Do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.” (Galatians 1:10). “We have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts.” (1 Thessalonians 2:4).

    At first glance, he seems to contradict himself when he tells the Romans: “Let each of us please his neighbour for his good, leading to edification.” (Romans 15:2). He also tells Timothy: “(A bishop) must have a good testimony among those who are outside.” (1 Timothy 3:7).

    But there is no contradiction here. Without seeking the praise of men, and not caring what others think of us, we must care what they think of Christ. We are ambassadors for Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:20). We represent Christ so we must be godly. Christ must be shown to be excellent by the way we live.

    We do not try to gain the approval of Christ by unbelievers. They may not like Him. They may be blind and resistant to His truth. Nevertheless, as His disciples, we must represent Christ truthfully. We must be careful to epitomise the truth of Christ.

    Thus, Peter says: “Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbours. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honourable behaviour, and they will give honour to God when he judges the world.” (1 Peter 2:12).

    Open reward

    Some years ago, I was driving a van in Lagos. When I reached a roundabout, I heard a siren behind me. It came from an ambulance, so, I moved to one side to let it overtake me. When I wanted to continue on my way, a policeman of sorts blocked me and accused me of obstructing the traffic.

    “Did you not see I was giving way to an ambulance?” I asked. But he was not interested. “You are under arrest,” he barked as he jumped into my van. He took me to their headquarters just off the roundabout. He then fined me N7,500 for obstructing the traffic, and N1,500 for not having a radio permit.

    I asked him if he could see any radio in my car since I had none. He just smiled and said I could get my van out of there only if I paid N9,000.

    For some strange reason, I did not argue further. I paid the fine and left. But when I got home, I became angry. I went down on my knees and complained to God:

    “What kind of cheating is this? Your word says: “In righteousness, you shall be established; you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near you.” (Isaiah 54:14). “No weapon formed against you shall prosper.” (Isaiah 54:17).

    God told me to go back there the next day. “When you go, do not go in the van. Go in Karen’s Nissan Altima, and with her driver. Wear a suit and a tie.”

    I did as God told me. When I arrived, a man stood on the sidewalk as I exited my car. I greeted him and he replied. Then he said:

    “I know you from somewhere. Did you have a shop in Ikoyi at one time?”

    “Yes, I did,” I replied.

    “I used to be in Ikoyi, but I am now in Victoria Island,” he offered. “My name is Onikoyi, and I am in charge here. What can I do for you?”

    I told him: “You are the person I need to see.”

    I told him my predicament: “I made way for an ambulance and one of your boys arrested me for obstructing the traffic. He brought me here and fined me N7,500. Then he fined me N1,500 for not having a radio licence. But my van did not even have a radio.”

    The man invited me into his office and told me to sit down. Then he asked: “Can you identify the officer who did this if you see him?”

    “Yes, I can,” I replied.

    Then he called one of his workers: “Call all those working under me and tell them to line up in front of my office.”

    Immediately after he said this, the offending officer walked into his office for some reason.

    “This is the man,” I exclaimed.

    When the man saw me, he knew instinctively why I was there.

    “So you are the one?” asked Mr. Onikoyi. “Your job is finished here. You are fired.”

    There was no discussion about his offence. It was understood. My tormentor of yesterday was now rolling on the ground, begging for mercy.

    Mr. Onikoyi said: “This man is a fool. He has two wives.”

    I do not know how the matter was subsequently resolved. Mr. Onikoyi gave me his complimentary card. He said: “If anybody bothers you again in Victoria Island, just phone me.” Then he instructed that my money be refunded.

    I thanked him profusely and left. But the glory belonged to God.

    Jesus says: “Talk to your Father in the closet and He will reward you openly.”  The open reward came a week or two later.

    We wanted to turn from a main street to a side one. The traffic warden directed us to go. The car in front of us did as directed. But when we followed, the officer stopped us and complained that we moved without authorisation.

    He told us to park on the roadside. When we did, he entered the car, sat beside my driver, and said he would give us a traffic violation.

    I was at the back and said nothing.

    “You are saying nothing, oga, I will have to take you to Muri Okunola.”

    I ignored him, so he told my driver to proceed to Muri Okunola.

    When we arrived, he came out of the car, and I also came out.

    Suddenly, we were surrounded by a large number of the officers.

    “What are you doing here, Sir?” they asked in a chorus.

    Then they begged me that I should not go to see Mr. Onikoyi.

    They prevailed on me to leave without making a complaint and without incident.

    Since then, nobody has harassed me on the road in Victoria Island, Lagos. God rewarded my secret prayer openly.

    CONCLUDED

  • God’s open reward (1) – Femi Aribisala

    God’s open reward (1) – Femi Aribisala

    There are fundamental differences between what God does and what man does. God is not a man. His ways are different from those of men. His reward is different from that of men.

    Jesus insists we must choose between the things of God and those men. We cannot have both, not least because the things of men are the things of Satan.

    Ephemeral rewards

    Jesus identifies three instances where we must seek only God’s approval, not man’s: when we do charitable works, pray, and fast. He says if we do any of these secretly, God will reward us openly. But if we do them to be seen by men, the only approval we will get will be from men. (Matthew 6:1-3/6).

    We must fast because we hunger for God and not for the                 praise of men.

    When we give to men, we must do so recognising that we are giving to God and not to men. Jesus says: “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.” (Matthew 24:40).

    Therefore, we must not receive glory or praise from men. Jesus says: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16).

    The rewards of men are ephemeral. Unlike God’s reward, they do not last. Job says of men: “Their prosperity will not endure.” (Job 20:21). Men will praise us today and abuse us tomorrow. They will end up discouraging our righteousness. We will soon become tired of doing good if we seek their approval.

    God cursed the Earth. (Genesis 3:17). So, nothing fundamentally good or enduring can be dug out of the Earth. Therefore, Jesus teaches that it is more blessed to give than to receive from men. (Acts 20:35).

    When we fast, we must do so because we hunger for God and not for the praise of men. When we pray, we must be careful to pray only to God and not to men. Prayer must not be designed to feed our spiritual ego.

    God’s reward

    Most Christians acknowledge that God rewards man, but we do not know how. Churches primarily recognise money and riches as God’s rewards. But these can be obtained without God. Since many unbelievers are wealthy, then wealth cannot be the reward of God.

    God’s kingdom is not of this world. So, God’s reward cannot be of this world. John says:

    “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life — is not of the Father but is of the world.”(1 John 2:15-16).

    The Bible says: “(God) is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”(Hebrews 11:6).

    It is only logical that since God rewards those who seek Him, their reward must be what they seek, which is God Himself.

    God primarily rewards lovers of God with Himself. He is by far the most precious thing in the universe. Therefore, there can be no greater reward than God Himself. David says to God: “In Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”(Psalm 16:11).

    Accordingly, God chose Abraham by giving Himself to Abraham. He said: “I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.” (Genesis 15:1).

    The reward of God is God Himself, and it is an exceedingly great reward. He revealed Himself to Israel, His chosen people, as Immanuel: “God with us,” leading Isaiah to declare: “Cry out and shout, O inhabitant of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel in your midst!” (Isaiah 12:6).

    When Israel came to the Promised Land, the land was divided by tribe. Some received the highlands, some the lowlands. Some well-watered lands that rivers divide, and some coastal lands.

    But the Levites were not given any land whatsoever. God declared that He was their Promised Land.

    “The Lord said to Aaron: ‘You shall have no inheritance in their land, nor shall you have any portion among them; I am your portion and your inheritance among the children of Israel.’” (Numbers 18:20).

    Rather than complain about this seeming oversight, the Levites maintained that they received the best deal: “O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; you maintain my lot. The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; yes, I have a good inheritance.” (Psalm 16:5-6).

    Today, we have come full circle in Christ. We are not heirs of carnal things. We are not even heirs of what God has. We are heirs of God Himself: “Heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.”(Romans 8:17).

    So, when a man came to Jesus to seek His assistance in getting his brother to give him his share of the inheritance from his father, Jesus rebuked him for striving for the inheritance of men and ignoring that of God: “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” (Luke 12:15).

    God’s open reward

    As observed, most Christians are socialised in churches to believe that God rewards us with carnal things. We know that God rewards good works done in His Name. But we think He does this by giving us valuable things of this world.

    However, that cannot possibly be the case. Jesus says: “What is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.” (Luke 16:15). Surely, God will not reward anyone with what is an abomination to Him.

    Moreover, if what God gives is essentially Himself, how does He give Himself openly? Jesus says every secret devotion elicits God’s open reward.

    God does this by demonstrating openly that He approves of us. At Jesus’ water baptism, God approved of Him openly in the hearing of everybody: “Suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’” (Matthew 3:17).

    On another occasion, there was an open conversation between God the Father and Jesus:

    “‘Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name.’ Then a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.’ Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, ‘An angel has spoken to Him.’” (John 12:27-29).

    God rewarded Jesus openly by validating His word with signs and wonders. Thus, Peter testified to the people on Jesus’ resurrection from the dead: “Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as you yourselves also know.” (Acts 2:22).

    Such open validation also belongs to followers of Christ. Jesus says: “These signs will follow those who believe: In My name, they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;  they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (Mark 16:17-18).

    God rewarded Joseph openly by making him the prime minister of Egypt and then bringing his devious brothers who sold him into slavery to Egypt to bow down to him. He rewarded Daniel openly by shutting the mouths of the lions when he was thrown into the lions’ den. He rewarded openly the three Hebrew children when they were thrown into the fiery furnace. They were unscathed.

    God rewards us openly by doing something extraordinary for us that shows every bystander that the hand of God is upon us. They often come in wilderness situations. They come in ways that men cannot claim the glory, but God.  They are not hidden. God deliberately broadcasts them supernaturally to the world.

    When God rewarded David openly, he wrote in the Psalms:  “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.” (Psalm 23:5).

    When our cup runs over, everyone sees it, especially our enemies.

    It is not only God’s peace that surpasses all human understanding, so also do His open rewards. Everyone might be going through an economic crunch, but that is when our businesses prosper inexplicably.

    Thus, Isaac sowed in famine and reaped a bountiful harvest. His harvest must have been confounding to his neighbourh:

    “Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the Lord blessed him. The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous; for he had possessions of flocks and possessions of herds and a great number of servants. So the Philistines envied him.” (Genesis 26:12-14).

    Every time Isaac dug for a well, he found running water and his neighbours contested with him for the well. He would move away and dig somewhere else and still find running water. He kept this up until they gave up and stopped harassing him.

    “Then Abimelech came to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath, one of his friends, and Phichol the commander of his army. And Isaac said to them, “Why have you come to me, since you hate me and have sent me away from you?” But they said, “We have certainly seen that the Lord is with you. So we said, ‘Let there now be an oath between us, between you and us; and let us make a covenant with you.” (Genesis 26:26-28).

    Everyone concluded that God must be the one favouring Isaac, so even his enemies came to reconcile with him. Solomon says: “When a man’s ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.” (Proverbs 16:7).

    CONTINUED

     

  • Living the present in the future (2) – By Femi Aribisala

    Living the present in the future (2) – By Femi Aribisala

    “The future has broken in on the present”.

    Solomon says God operates in times and seasons: “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2).

    But Jesus conflates the future with the present. He says:

    “The hour is coming, and has already come.” (John 4:23).

    The time is coming and has come already when true worshippers will neither worship God on the mountains nor in Jerusalem. They will worship Him in spirit and truth.  God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. (John 4:24).

    But some people are already worshipping God in spirit and truth today. With the things of the kingdom of God, there are forerunners.

    Solomon is right, God operates in times and seasons. But He also operates out of time and out of season. He sometimes violates the times and the seasons by His grace and sovereignty.

    We saw this, for example when Jesus turned water into wine:

    “When they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, ‘They have no wine.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.’” (John 2:3-4).

    His hour had not yet come, nevertheless, He turned water into wine.

    “The time is coming and has already come.”

    A Gentile woman asked Jesus to heal her daughter. He replied:

    “‘I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’ Then she came and worshipped Him, saying, ‘Lord, help me!’ But He answered and said, ‘It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.’” (Matthew 15:24-26).

    It was not the time of the Gentiles. Nevertheless, the daughter of this Gentile lady received healing. “The time is coming and has already come.”

    Similarly, Jesus dealt with demons before the time:

    “When He had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way. And suddenly they cried out, saying, “What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?’” (Matthew 8:28-29).

    Jesus delivered these two demon-possessed men. Yes, indeed! “The time is coming and has already come.”

    The prophets

    The prophets were born again before the time prophesied by Joel. The Spirit of the Lord was upon Isaiah in the same way it was upon Jesus. Accordingly, Isaiah made a declaration that Jesus repeated at the inauguration of His ministry 700 years later:

    “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound.” (Isaiah 61:1).  

    Some insist the Holy Spirit was only upon the prophets of old and not in them, as it is now in born-again believers. This is not true. The Holy Spirit was in them. They were in-dwelt by the Holy Spirit.

    Peter says:

    “Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.” (1 Peter 1:10-11).

    In the same way that the prophets of old received the Holy Spirit before the time, even so, we believers today are receiving so many things of the kingdom of God before the time. Indeed, since we have eternal life, we must not operate anymore in time but in eternity.

    Thus, Paul admonished Timothy: “Preach the word! Be ready in season, and out of season.” (2 Timothy 4:2).

    Believers as watchmen

    Born-again believers are the forerunners. By the grace of God, we operate many things before the appointed time. We have a foretaste of things to come. Isaiah says:

    “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!’” (Isaiah 52:7).

    Born-again believers are those with beautiful feet. The Holy Spirit is given to us before time as God’s down payment. Paul says:

    “It is God who establishes us together with you in Christ and who anointed us, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a down payment.” (2 Corinthians 1:21-22). 

    “When you heard the word of truth (the gospel of your salvation) – when you believed in Christ – you were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit, who is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:13-15).

    The fullness of the Holy Spirit is promised in the future. But those of us who have Him now can have a foretaste of the future in the present. The kingdom of God is not yet, but we are already experiencing some of the benefits of the future kingdom now.

    First fruits

    Pentecost was an Old Testament festival where the Jews offered their first fruits to God in appreciation of their harvest. But now it has become God’s day of offering His first fruits to us. Believers are the privileged ones who have the first fruits of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 8:23).

    Failing to understand this novel meaning of the first fruits in the scriptures, mercenary pastors use it to defraud Christians of their hard-earned funds.

    But we are the first fruits of the Holy Spirit because we talk directly to God and He talks to us. We walk in the power of God. We walk in miracles. We receive and minister healing. We cast out demons. We have the fruit of the Holy Spirit. We have the joy of the Lord. We have the peace that surpasses all understanding. We have abundant life in Christ. We have the love of God. We have fellowship with God.

    Moreover, we have the hope of glory. Paul describes us as those to whom: “God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27).

    We have some experience of the age to come. “(We) have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come.” (Hebrews 6:4-5).

    We have been delivered from the Nigerian economy: “Christ, gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age.” (Galatians 1:3-4).

    Therefore, some of us are already living with the benefits of the coming kingdom of God.

    “But as it is written: ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.’ But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.” (1 Corinthians 2:9-10).

    We do not belong to this world any longer. We are in this world as ambassadors for Christ. We are strangers and sojourners in this world. We belong to the kingdom of God.

    Living in the future tense

    We have already received a foretaste of the future. We can live NOW in the future because, for us, the time that is coming is already here.

    So, what should we like, material blessings or spiritual blessings? We have to choose one: we cannot choose both. If we choose material blessings, we will die. If we choose spiritual blessings we will live.

    Thus, Peter blesses the Lord our God:

    “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1 Peter 1:3-5).

    This makes the Christian life today a life of eager anticipation.  The new life has begun but is yet to be perfected.  The old life is about to pass away but has yet to go. The future has broken in on the present. We are already enjoying some of the powers and blessings of the Holy Spirit. But it is only in the age to come that we shall experience the fullness of the Spirit.

    “The time is coming and has already come:”

    “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. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” (1 John 3:2-3).

    If we do not purify ourselves and are not determined to live holy lives, then it is eloquent testimony that we are not appointed to this glorious future. Christians to whom this has been revealed should not go back into ignorance. We must rejoice that our names are written in the Book of Life, and continue to rejoice. We must not allow the gospel to become powerless in our lives.

    Jesus says:

    “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.” (Luke 10:21).

     

    CONCLUDED

  • Living the present in the future (1) – By Femi Aribisala

    Living the present in the future (1) – By Femi Aribisala

    “The future is already in the past”.

    Solomon counsels believers in Christ: “Do not lean on your own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5). This is because the ways of God are counter-intuitive. To first understand many things about the kingdom of God, we first often misunderstand them.

    For example, we are accustomed to viewing our lives from the past to the present to the future. However, the Bible suggests that time flows from the future into the present and then into the past. Therefore, the believer should be future-oriented, forgetting the past. (Philippians 3:13).

    Joel’s prophecy

    “It shall come to pass afterwards that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants, I will pour out My Spirit in those days.” (Joel 2:28-29).

    This is a prophecy about something that will happen in the future. However, the Word of God says everything in the future is already in the past:

    “That which has been is what will be, that which is done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which it may be said, ‘See, this is new’? It has already been in ancient times before us.” (Ecclesiastes 1:9-10).

    Jesus is the Word of God. (Revelation 19:13). He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.(Hebrews 13:8).

    Did people dream in the past? Yes indeed! But young men dreamt in the Old Testament. Joseph was 17 when he had his dreams. But Nebuchadnezzar was 42 when he had his. There does not seem to be any consistent pattern there.

    Did people see visions in the past? Yes indeed! God said in the Old Testament: “I have also spoken by the prophets, and have multiplied visions.” (Hosea 12:10).

    “God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night, and said, ‘Jacob, Jacob!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ So He said, ‘I am God, the God of your father; do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there. I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will put his hand on your eyes.’” (Genesis 46:2-4).

    But Israel was an old man of 130 years when he received these visions and went to Egypt. Ezekiel was in his 50s when he received his visions of God. In his case, Daniel was 85.

    What about the prophecy of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit? Has it been fulfilled?

    Jesus says the Holy Spirit was not yet given in the days of His flesh:

    “On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” (John 7:37-40).

    But Peter declared this prophecy fulfilled when the disciples received the Holy Spirit at the Pentecost. Miraculously, they were speaking in foreign tongues and bystanders thought they were drunk:

    “Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, ‘Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams.’” (Acts 2:14-17).

    Joel’s prophecy was fulfilled at the Pentecost and it was not. It was partially fulfilled but not fully fulfilled. The prophecy says God will pour His Spirit on all flesh but not everybody received the Holy Spirit at the Pentecost.

    “For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.” (1 Corinthians 13:9-10).

    There were only about 120 people in the Upper Room at Pentecost. So, the Spirit was not poured upon ALL flesh. It was only poured on some flesh. At Pentecost, some received the Spirit before the appointed time. At the appointed time, all flesh will receive the Holy Spirit.

    If, as Solomon says, every new thing has already happened in ancient times, we should ask: “Was the Holy Spirit poured upon people in the past before the Pentecost?”

    Revelation knowledge

    God validated my regeneration when I received Christ by teaching me this song about David: “When the Spirit of the Lord is upon my soul I will dance like David danced.” I just woke on a Sunday morning singing this new song and when I got to church that morning, I found everybody singing the same song.

    But was David born again?

    According to what the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, revealed by teaching me this song, David was born again. The song shows the Holy Spirit was in me like He was in David. That means, like me, David was born again.

    David could not have written the Messianic Psalms in the Bible if he was not born again. Jesus confirms that the Holy Spirit spoke through David:

    “Jesus answered and said, while He taught in the temple, “How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David? For David himself said by the Holy Spirit: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool.’” (Mark 12:35-36).

    David could not have heard God the Father speaking to God the Son if he was not born again. When David repented of his adultery with Bathsheba, he pleaded with God: “Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.” (Psalm 51:12).

    This shows he had the Holy Spirit.

    Jesus Himself confirms that some people received the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament. He says to Nicodemus:

    “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus answered and said to Him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? (John 3:5-10). NKJV

    Jesus expected Nicodemus to know that some people were born again in the Old Testament. He was surprised that he did not know.

    John the Baptist knew about the Holy Spirit:

    John bore witness, saying, ‘I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon (Jesus). I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’” (John 1:32-33).

    John knew about the Holy Spirit because he had the Holy Spirit. God told Zacharias about his son, John the Baptist:

    “He will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.” (Luke 1:15).

     

    CONTINUED

  • Fulfilling God’s prophecies (3) – Femi Aribisala

    Fulfilling God’s prophecies (3) – Femi Aribisala

    The redeemed is no longer under the law of sin and death but under the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus.

    Let me tell you a fictitious story of a lady called Abigail. She was married to a man called Nabal and he gave her hell. He had a list of do’s and don’ts. He gave Abigail this list of things she had to do as his wife. But it was simply impossible for her to meet them all.

    No matter how hard she tried she would always find that she forgot to do something, or forgot to say something, or did something in a way that was different from the exact way he wanted it done.

    He wanted his rice cooked in a particular way. His meat had to be boiled in a particular way. His shirt must be ironed in one way, or you won’t hear the last of it. If Abigail failed to meet even one of his many conditions, it was like she had failed to meet every condition.

     God says: “The soul who sins shall die.”

    Abigail contemplated suicide, but she did not have the courage. She thought of murdering her husband. On one occasion, she seriously considered poisoning his Edikaikong soup. But she was afraid of spending the rest of her life in jail.

    And then there was this issue of divorce. She had nightmares about divorce. She was afraid that she would wake up one day and discover that she was divorced. Nabal made her understand that he could divorce her any day at any time for any cause. And then where would she be? Where would she go?

    So what happened?

    Nabal died

    One day, Nabal had a stroke and died. He just fell and died. When he died, Abigail got married to David. When she moved into the house of David, she asked David for his list of do’s and don’ts.

    But he said he had none. “I just love you,” he said. “There are no laws, no rules, no regulations, and no guidelines. Just love. For love makes up for many of our faults. Love covers a multitude of sins.”

    This is what happens when we are redeemed by the grace of Jesus Christ. We are dead to the law of sin and death and are now married under the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 7:2-6).

    “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8).

    Righteousness of God

    The passion of Jesus, His agony on the cross, and His death all came about because He chose to atone to God for the sins of mankind. As Isaiah prophesied:

    “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, everyone, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:5-6).

    God’s attitude to sin is so extreme that it cost Him the death of Jesus, His only begotten Son whom He loved before the foundation of the world.” (John 17:24). He could not even make an exception for His beloved Jesus.

    Jesus plea-bargained with God the Father in Gethsemane: “He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, ‘O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.’” (Matthew 26:39).

    In effect, God the Father said: “It is not possible.” It is impossible because God does not call back His words. God says: “My word that goes out from my mouth will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11).

    God’s word that must be fulfilled in this case says: “The soul who sins shall die.” (Ezekiel 18:4). Therefore, to redeem the sins of mankind, Jesus had to die.

    Wages of sin

    Let me tell you a parable. Most people did not know the Head of State was implacably determined to stamp out corruption in the land. Since he came to power, he has made speeches upon speeches that corruption would not be tolerated. “Any official caught stealing public funds would be executed,” he maintained.

    It sounded so extreme that people did not believe him. All government officials were corrupt. Corruption had permeated every facet of the society. To implement his decision, the president would have to kill everybody one by one.

    After several people were caught stealing and executed, a plot was hatched and the one and only son of the Head of State was arrested on trumped-up charges and accused of corruption. False witnesses testified that he also had been stealing government funds.

    Many laughed and ridiculed the Head of State. They said: “We’ll see now about all your talk about fighting corruption.” “So what is going to happen to your son?” “Will you also execute him?”

    The president’s son was charged in court. Everyone predicted that the trial would be fixed. Many anticipated the judge would be bought over and given instruction from above to throw out the case.

    But something seemed to go wrong. The President’s son was declared guilty as charged. What about the sentence? The judge sentenced him to death by hanging.

    The people could not believe it. Surely, the President would pardon his son. Surely, he would not allow his son to be executed.

    But to everyone’s surprise, the president’s son was hanged without reprieve. He died and was buried in a common grave. The president did not even attend his son’s burial.

    After the burial, the president addressed the nation and repeated his earlier declaration: “Anyone caught stealing public funds would suffer the same fate that happened to my son.”

    This time, everybody believed him. They said: “This man is insane. This man is serious about fighting corruption. So serious that he did not even spare his son from death.

    Extremist God

    God’s judgement is pure and His attitude to sin is total. So total in fact that He destroyed the whole world in the Flood because of sin, saving only eight people out of all humanity. So total that he created the lake of fire and brimstone for the fallen angels where they are to be tormented for the ages of the ages. (Revelation 20:10).

    So total that He turned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes for the sins of the people. (2 Peter 2:6). So total that having saved His chosen people out of Egypt, He destroyed them all one by one in the wilderness, except for Joshua and Caleb.

    So total that if anyone broke just a single one of the 613 laws of Moses, he is considered guilty of all the laws. (James 2:10). So total that even Moses, God’s dear friend who spoke to Him face to face, was not allowed to enter the Promised Land because of one single infraction. (Deuteronomy 3:25-26).

    No wonder, the writer of Hebrews concluded: “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Hebrews 10:31).

    Despising grace

    Nevertheless, this is God’s word of prophecy: “For Zion’s sake I will not hold My peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp that burns.” (Isaiah 62:1).

    Jesus was so determined that this prophecy be fulfilled that He left the glory of heaven to come down to earth to redeem us from our sins. He was so determined that He who created the heavens and the earth became a baby, crawled on the ground, sucked a woman’s breast, and grew in wisdom and stature, only to die a shameful death on the cross.

    Therefore: “If we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?” (Hebrews 10:26—29).

    The redeemed of Christ must be determined to live sinless lives. We must reckon ourselves to be freed from sin. We must carry our crosses daily and follow Jesus: “the way the truth and the life.” (John 14:6). We must acknowledge that we were crucified with Christ so we can have the newness of life in Him.

    But we cannot be freed from sin if we continue to make provision for the flesh. We cannot be freed from sin if we continue to excite the flesh. Otherwise, we would jump down from the cross.

    “Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honour at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory. So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshipping the things of this world. Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming. You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behaviour, slander, and dirty language. Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.” (Colossians 3:1-10).

    CONCLUDED.

  • Fulfilling God’s prophecies (2) – By Femi Aribisala

    Fulfilling God’s prophecies (2) – By Femi Aribisala

    “We don’t walk in the spirit. We walk “in the internet””.

    The Lord told me a story. A man was travelling from Jerusalem to Jericho and was attacked by armed robbers. They stripped him of his belongings and beat him black and blue. They beat him until he slumped and died.  Then the Lord asked me a question. He said, “Femi, what happened after the man died?” 

    I did not know the answer so I asked the Holy Spirit. He said: “They stopped beating him.” Then He said to me: “Femi, if they are still beating you, it is because you are not dead yet.  Once you are dead, the beating will stop.”

    What does a dead man do if he is abused? Nothing! What does he do if he is provoked? Nothing! What does he do if he is flattered? Nothing! What does he do if he is tempted? Nothing! What does he do if a seductive woman undresses in front of him? Nothing! What does he do if he is offered a bribe? Nothing!

    Whatever you do, a dead man does not react. He is dead to this world but hopefully alive to God. That is what it means to be born again. Therefore, Paul says to born-again believers: “Reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:11).

    Are Christians born-again?

    The word of God says: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

    Many Christians claim to be born again, however, old things have not passed away in us. We claim to be born again but we remain the same. We then try to put the new wine of Christ in an old bottle. But this cannot work. We come to Jesus by faith. But faith without works is dead. (James 2:20).

    The man who is born again is that man who was crucified with Christ. That means when Christ died, we also died.  Our body of sin was nailed to the cross. We then came back to life when Jesus rose from the dead.

    However, we do not come back to life as our old selves. We come back to life as new men and women. We come back to life in the likeness of Christ. Jesus becomes our life. (Colossians 3:4).

    Baptism into Christ’s death

    We are baptised into Christ’s death when we are truly born again. The old carnal man of the flesh, which is congenitally unrighteous, is crucified with Christ. That sinful nature is responsible for our alienation from God. It ensures that sin is natural to the man in the flesh. And righteousness is unnatural.

    David says: “The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies.” (Psalm 58:3).

    You do not have to teach a child to tell lies. Telling lies comes naturally to him. But you have to teach him to stop telling lies. However, no matter how much you teach him, he cannot stop. He cannot help himself. As long as he is in the flesh, he will be a slave of sin.

    But when a man receives Christ, he comes alive spiritually and the Holy Spirit comes to live in him as his Helper. The Bible says: “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” (2 Corinthians 3:17). The Holy Spirit breaks down the gates of brass, and the bars of iron that have tied him to the life of sin in the kingdom of death.

    Prophecy of new birth

    When a man is born again, he discovers that an Old Testament prophecy is fulfilled in him. He finds that there are two competing natures in him. This is how God describes this to Rebecca:

    “Two nations are in your womb, two peoples shall be separated from your body; one people shall be stronger than the other, and the older shall serve the younger.” (Genesis 25:23).

    This is where Christians miss the road. We are not determined to realise this prophecy that the older shall serve the younger. We fail to insist as Jesus did: “Everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled.” (Luke 24:44)

    The older man is the man of the flesh, that comes with natural birth. The younger man is the man of the Spirit, that comes alive when we are born again. The word of God says the older shall serve the younger. But in most Christians, including those of us who claim to be born again, the younger (the spirit) still serves the older (the flesh).

    Crucified flesh

    The reason is that we do not allow our flesh to be crucified. When the flesh is crucified, our body of sin dies an agonising death. Death by crucifixion is slow. But the inevitable end is death.

    This is presented symbolically by the war between the house of Saul and the house of David: “Now there was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David. But David grew stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.”  (2 Samuel 3:1).

    When the flesh finally dies, we are freed from sin: “For he who has died has been freed from sin.” (Romans 6:7).

    Jesus came to earth in the likeness of sinful flesh to break the power of sin in the flesh. He used spiritual powers to prevail over the flesh. He refused to accede to the demands of the flesh.

    He allowed malefactors to arrest Him. He did not resist when they beat Him. They clothed Him in purple and put a crown of thorns on His head. They slapped Him and spat on Him. They mocked Him, saluting Him as “the King of the Jews.” They then led Him out naked and crucified Him.

    In all this, Jesus put up no resistance: “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth.” (Isaiah 53:7).

    We can only emulate Jesus’ example if we walk in the spirit. We cannot if we walk in the flesh. If we do not crucify the flesh, the old man of the flesh will make us respond to abuses with abuses, insults with insults, an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.

    Crucified Life

    Many Christians are not aware that we are supposed to be baptised into Christ’s death. Even when we undergo water baptism, we only see this as a religious ritual, without realising its practical implication.

    Thus, Paul asks the Romans:

    “Don’t you know that all of us who were baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.” (Romans 6:3-6).

    Jesus died for us so we can live for Him. But we Christians do not see the crucified life he exemplified as “the way, the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6). We give an eye for an eye. We give a tooth for a tooth. We fight, we cheat, and we steal. We abuse others, curse, and betray our friends.

    We don’t walk in the spirit. We walk “in the internet.” We do not spend time in prayer but on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and LinkedIn.

    We fornicate and commit adultery. We pledge: for better. for worse, for richer, and for poorer, but then divorce our wives and choose younger models. We walk in lies and hypocrisy. We tell lies all the time. We waste our lives trying to make money. We love the world and the things in the world. We are lovers of pleasure not lovers of God.

    But then we go to church on Sunday. Go to midweek services. Speak in tongues. Fall under the anointing. Sing praise songs and quote choice scriptures.

    Jesus warns: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.  Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’” (Matthew 7:21-23).

     

    CONTINUED

  • Fulfilling God’s prophecies (1) – By Femi Aribisala

    Fulfilling God’s prophecies (1) – By Femi Aribisala

    “What is God’s prophecy about you and me”?

    In 1996, God gave me a prophecy in a dream. I had a video shop in Victoria Island, Lagos, and I was flipping through the account book. Suddenly, I opened a page and discovered it was recorded that my shop made N23,000 naira on a certain day. Then I woke up.

    I was excited. The maximum the shop had made in a day since I opened it in 1993 was N7,000. But now God showed me it would make N23,000.

    God says in Isaiah: “Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it.” (Isaiah 46:11).

    So, I knew that: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but (God’s) words will by no means pass away.” (Matthew 24:35). Therefore, I decided to run with this prophecy. I poured resources into the shop. Where I used to put 10 copies of a video, I put 50.

    Some clients warned me that I was wasting money. But I refused to listen. Theirs was the voice of a stranger. (John 10:5). I so ran with this prophecy that God spoke to me again about it. He said: “Femi, because you believe the word I gave you, I will tell you when My prophecy will be fulfilled. It will come to pass on 29 December 1996.

    This propelled me to an even greater level of determination. But something baffling happened. On 29 December 1996, my Victoria Island shop did not earn N23,000, according to God’s prophetic word. Instead, it earned N29,000.

    I took the matter to the Lord and sought His clarification. “I am not complaining, but You said N23,000 and it was not N23,000. Instead , it was N29,000. How come?”

    The Lord’s reply took me to another level of faith. He said to me: “Femi, you exceeded the prophecy!”

    Exceeding prophecies

    A year later, in 1997 God gave me another prophecy. I rented a house in Victoria Island as the headquarters of the ministry He gave me. But then He told me that He had given me the rented house.  

    I decided to act immediately as if I already owned the house. I spent over N6 million renovating it to my taste. When it was time to renew the rent after two years, the landlady sent her lawyer to me. She told me the landlady said she wants to sell the house, and she specifically want to sell it to me.

    I agreed to buy the house at the ridiculous price of N26 million. The landlady even agreed that I should pay for the house in instalments over 2 years. But after 2 years, I still had not finished paying for the house. N10 million was still outstanding.

    So, I borrowed N10 million from First Bank to pay off the landlady. The papers for the house were then given to First Bank pending my redemption of the loan. I paid the loan down to N5 million, fell on hard times, and it grew back to N10 million with penalties.

    Then God appeared to me in a dream and promised to send me the money. Within 8 days, I received N11 million naira in unsolicited gifts. I paid off my N10 million outstanding loan for an agreed N8 million and the house became mine.

    That house that I bought for a song at the agreed price of N26 million in 1999 is now worth over N1 billion in 2024. That is the amazing grace of God

    Nouveau Schools

    Some years later, God gave me another prophecy. He showed me a group of children from different countries running around in front of the building He gave me. I did not exactly understand what this meant. I assumed it meant I would have an international ministry somewhere in Europe. But then, the children were running around in front of the building in Lagos.

    Some 10 years later, two Indian women came to see me. They said there was a 35-year-old international school fifteen minutes’ walk from mine. (It was rather hidden, so I was totally oblivious to this). The owner was retiring and going back to England. Would I be interested in inheriting her school free of charge?

    That is how God gave me an international school. I came to work one day and saw some 60 children from different parts of the world running around in front of the building God gave me. It blew my mind.

    Thus fulfilled one of the promises of God to give His people: “(A) land with large, prosperous cities that you did not build. The houses will be richly stocked with goods you did not produce. You will draw water from cisterns you did not dig, and you will eat from vineyards and olive trees you did not plant.” (Deuteronomy 6:10-11).

    But the question remains. Why does God keep giving me these prophecies which I am then required to run with to their fulfilment?  

    He says to Habakkuk: “Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.” (Habakkuk 2:2-3).

    Messianic prophecies

    The answer to my question comes through the study of Jesus.

    The entirety of the Old Testament is a collection of prophecies about Jesus. Indeed: “The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” (Revelation 19:10). When Jesus finally arrived on the scene He was determined that every single prophecy about Him must be fulfilled.

    When He rose from the dead, He reminded His disciples: “When I was with you before, I told you that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled.’ Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. And He said, “Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day.” (Luke 24:44-46).

    Jesus was so determined that the prophecy of His death and resurrection must be fulfilled that when Peter tried to dissuade Him from the cross, out of the misguided kindness of his heart, Jesus shut him up in the most extreme manner:

    “Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, ‘Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!’ But He turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.’” (Matthew 16:21-23).

    Jesus was so determined that the prophecy of His crucifixion be fulfilled, that He even encouraged Judas to go ahead and betray Him without delay. He knew Judas planned to betray Him to the Jewish authorities and He said to Him: “”Hurry and do what you’re going to do.” (John 13:27).

    Immediately, Judas got up, and went out to betray Jesus.

    We can see, therefore, that it made no difference if the prophecy was good or bad, if it was about Jesus then Jesus was committed to its fulfilment.

    Thus, Isaiah prophesied about Jesus the Messiah:

    “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, everyone, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:5-6).

    On His resurrection, Jesus berated His disciples who refused to believe this prophecy. He said to the two He appeared to on the way to Emmaus: “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” (Luke 24:25-26).

    Prophecy about believers

    In this way, I discovered that God was giving me prophecies and fulfilling them so that, like Jesus, I would be committed to their fulfilment. But the lesson was so much bigger than my puny businesses, my school, and my finances. It was intended that I should be conformed to the image of Jesus,

    It was because God had predestined His elect to be conformed to the image of His Son Jesus, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. (Romans 8:29-30).

    So, what are some of those prophecies about believers that we must be determined should be fulfilled?

    Here is perhaps one of the most important ones. God says the time is coming and now is when the children of God will not be able to commit any sin whatsoever: “(God) will subdue our iniquities. He will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.” (Micah 7:19).

    The prophets say the time is coming when God will rain righteousness on us. (Hosea 10:12). So much so that we will not only not want to sin, but will even discover that we cannot sin: “Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.” (1 John 3:9).

    Should we believe this prophecy? Yes, of course! But if we believe, what should we do about it? How should we show our commitment to its fulfilment?

    James says: “Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” “But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?” (James 2:18/20).

    John even poses the challenge more succinctly: “Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but He has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He really is. And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as He is pure.” (1 John 3:2-3).

    If we do not keep ourselves pure, that is eloquent testimony that the prophecies about God’s sanctification of His saints do not apply to us. Those who believe must be determined, like Jesus, that everything written about us in the Law of Moses, in the Prophets, the Psalms, and the New Testament must be fulfilled in us.

     

    TO BE CONTINUED

  • God does not recognise Easter – By Femi Aribisala

    God does not recognise Easter – By Femi Aribisala

    “Easter is a pagan festival surreptitiously merged with Christianity”.

    Easter is not one of God’s holy days. The word Easter is not even scriptural; it does not exist in true translations of the bible. Easter was smuggled into the King James Bible in Acts 12:4, where it was substituted for the original word; “Passover:”

    “When (Herod) had apprehended (Peter), he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.”

    As a matter of fact, the word Easter only appears in the King James Version of English Bible translations. It does not exist in any other English translation. Even the King James Version was forced to remove it from its revised version, known as the New King James Version.

    Queen of Heaven

    Most Christians are unaware that Easter is a pagan festival surreptitiously merged with Christianity. Noah’s grandson, Cush, married a woman called Ashtoreth. (She is also called Semiramis). In some cultures, Ashtoreth is called Ishtar, which is transliterated in English as Easter.

    Ashtoreth made herself “the Queen of Heaven;” the goddess of fertility and became an object of worship. This idol worship of Ashtoreth, later camouflaged in Christendom as Easter, is specifically forbidden in the scriptures.

    God says:

    “The women knead dough, to make cakes for the queen of heaven; and they pour out drink offerings to other gods, that they may provoke me to anger. Do they provoke Me to anger? Do they not provoke themselves, to the shame of their own faces? Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, My anger and My fury will be poured out on this place.” (Jeremiah 7:17-20).

    God punished Israel for succumbing to the worship of Ashtoreth (Ishtar):

    “They forsook the LORD and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel. So, He delivered them into the hands of plunderers who despoiled them.” (Judges 2:13-14).

    Accordingly, Samuel counselled Israel to forsake Ashtoreth (Ishtar) worship:

    “Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, ‘If you return to the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths from among you, and prepare your hearts for the LORD, and serve him only; and he will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.” (1 Samuel 7:3).

    Sun worship

    Cush and Ashtoreth gave birth to a son called Nimrod. After Cush’s death, Nimrod married Ashtoreth; his own mother, and became a powerful king of ancient Babylon. When Nimrod was also killed, Ashtoreth deified him as sun-god or life-giver. Indeed, Easter means “movement towards the rising sun.”  It pertains to the religious rites of people who worship the sun and the signs of the heavens.

    Sun worship is expressly forbidden in the scriptures. Ezekiel says:

    “I was then led into the temple’s inner courtyard, where I saw about twenty-five men standing near the entrance, between the porch and the altar. Their backs were to the LORD’s temple, and they were bowing down to the rising sun. God said, ‘Ezekiel, it’s bad enough that the people of Judah are doing these disgusting things.’” (Ezekiel 8:16-17).

    Nevertheless, following this pagan tradition, “Sunrise Services” are conducted on Easter Sunday mornings in many Christian denominations.

    Hot crossed buns

    In Western Europe, it is traditional to eat hot-crossed buns on Easter Sunday morning. This is where we get the limerick: “Hot crossed buns; hot crossed buns. One a-penny, two a-penny, hot crossed buns.”

    These small, sweet buns are usually decorated with solar crosses made of white icing. They were consecrated in ancient Greece to the goddess of the sunrise. In ancient Babylon, the buns were offered to the Queen of Heaven, the goddess of Easter.

    Pagan Lent

    After the death of Nimrod, Ashtoreth (Ishtar) gave birth to Tammuz, a son she claimed was Nimrod reborn. When Tammuz was killed by a wild boar, Ashtoreth instituted an annual ritual of 40 days of mourning for Baal worshippers, when no meat was allowed to be eaten. This pagan tradition of “weeping for Tammuz” is specifically proscribed in the scriptures.

    God said to Ezekiel:

    “Turn again, and you will see greater abominations that they are doing.” So, He brought me to the door of the north gate of the LORD’S house; and to my dismay, women were sitting there weeping for Tammuz.” (Ezekiel 8:13-14).

    Nevertheless, weeping for Tammuz has been absorbed into Christianity by the institution of Lent; a 40-day period of fasting and prayer observed in some Christian denominations as a prelude to Easter. Just like Easter, Lent is not scriptural. Neither the word nor the custom exists in the bible.

    Lent begins, according to Christian tradition, on Ash Wednesday, which is also pagan. The ashes were said to be the seed of the Indian fire god, Agni, deemed to have the power to forgive sins.

    Easter egg

    Because of their prolific nature in reproduction, rabbits were associated with Ishtar, the goddess of fertility. This is where Christians borrowed the tradition of the Easter bunny. Ancient Babylonians believed an egg fell into the Euphrates River from the moon. Queen Ishtar was apparently “hatched” from this egg. This moon egg was called Ishtar’s egg, which became in Christendom Easter egg.

    Shifting date

    Have you noticed that your birthday falls on different days from year to year?  So how come the celebration of Easter always falls on Friday and on Sunday?  Moreover, unlike your birthday, the date for Easter changes from year to year. Sometimes it is in March, sometimes in April.

    Easter moves from year to year because the date has nothing to do with the death and resurrection of Jesus but with the changing cycles of the moon. Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first Vernal Equinox full moon, which is consecrated by pagans as Ishtar’s Sunday.

    This signifies the astronomical arrival of spring. The pagan belief is that the sun dies in winter (Christmas) and is reborn in spring (Easter).

    Good Saturday

    Good Friday is also a misnomer. Jesus was not crucified on a Friday. The week in which he was crucified contained two Sabbaths and He was crucified on a Wednesday. The following Thursday was a high Sabbath day; the first day of unleavened bread. 

    Jesus did not resurrect on a Sunday. He resurrected on a Saturday, which was a regular weekly Sabbath day different from the high Sabbath of the preceding Thursday. Mary Magdalene discovered the empty tomb on Sunday morning, while it was still dark.

    Christians should realise that from Friday evening to Sunday morning does not constitute three days and three nights in the grave, but one day and two nights.

    The decision to change the day of the resurrection to Sunday was simply a continuation of the Babylonian tradition. Nimrod was ostensibly resurrected on a Sunday; a day devoted to worshipping the sun. By AD 321, Constantine established Sunday as part of the official state religion, and the Sabbath was statutorily changed from Saturday to Sunday. 

    Christians should desist from celebrating Easter:

    “Thus says the LORD: ‘Learn not the way of the nations, nor be dismayed at the signs of the heavens because the nations are dismayed at them, for the customs of the peoples are vanity.’” (Jeremiah 10:2-3).

  • The kingdom that is already here but is yet to come (3) – By Femi Aribisala

    The kingdom that is already here but is yet to come (3) – By Femi Aribisala

    “The time is coming, but now is”.

    My oldest brother, Bayo, left Nigeria without telling anyone where he was going. He did not tell our aged parents, his wife, or his children. And he did not tell Biodun and me, his brothers.

    Moreover, he communicated with no one thereafter, so we did not know his whereabouts. When our parents passed away one after the other, we had no way of reaching him. His safety became a matter of great concern. All we could do was commit him to God in prayer, which was more than enough.

    A wasted trip

    Some six years later, we got word that he was sighted in the Gambia. I had to attend the funeral of a member of our church in Sierra Leone, so I decided to take the opportunity to go to the Gambia to see if I could find him.

    The person who told us about him gave us the address of a street corner shop in Serrekunda, Gambia. It was not difficult to find, and I was directed to a barbershop where I met a Nigerian man.

    He told me my brother had been living with him for years. But several months before my arrival, he left Serrekunda for a place called Basse. I thought the Gambia was a small country, but he assured me Basse was nine hours from Serrekunda by road.

    I told him that since I had come from Nigeria, I would have no choice but to go and see him there. But the man said that would not be possible. My brother left no forwarding address. “So where would you look?” he asked.

    I concluded that my trip to the Gambia was in vain. I checked into a hotel and told the Lord: “It looks like You brought me to the Gambia so that I can spend a quiet time with You.” 

    Kingdom dynamics

    But the next day, the Lord woke me up early in the morning. Out of the blue, He said: “Femi, let me tell you about the kingdom of God.” Then He started another session teaching me about kingdom dynamics.

    I was an intellectual who came to believe in God because of a miracle healing from gunshot wounds. As a result, I was afraid that one day my intellect would confound my faith. I did not stop being intellectual because Christ came into my life, and in so many ways my faith had confounded my intellect.

    However, I was afraid that one day I would read something or see something that would contradict my intellect and my faith would be shattered. I was afraid, for example, that I would discover intellectually that some parts of the Bible are false or contradictory. How then would I handle it?

    One of those things I questioned was Jesus’ statement to His disciples that many of them would not die until they saw the kingdom of God. But, I thought, all His disciples are dead. According to church history, all but one was martyred. And yet, the kingdom of God has still not arrived.

    Today, the church is still following the prayer guide of the Lord, which says: “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10).

    Who was Jesus referring to? Who among His disciples did not taste death until they saw the coming of God’s kingdom? Could Jesus have got it wrong? How could He have got it wrong? Jesus is not merely truthful; He is the truth. Moreover, He deliberately prefaced his statement by saying: “I tell you the truth.” (Luke 9:27).

    That morning in the Gambia, the Lord brought up this little question of my fears. He said:

    “Femi, you have been wondering what I meant in Luke 9:27. You have been asking who among My disciples did not die until he saw the coming of the kingdom of God. You said all the disciples are dead and the kingdom of God has still not arrived. So, what could I have meant? Let Me answer your question now.” 

    “Those who were alive after My death and resurrection, and who became born again at, or after, the Pentecost, saw the kingdom of God in their lifetime. Look at what I said to Nicodemus: ‘Unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ 

    “Once a man is born again, he can see the kingdom of God. The disciples were born again, so they saw the kingdom of God. What I want to do this morning is to show you the kingdom of God, since you also are born again.”

    Miracle of miracles

    And so, the Lord said to me: “Femi, let me show you the kingdom of God.” 

    And just then, the telephone in my hotel room rang.

    The Lord said: “Answer the phone.” 

    When I picked up the phone, the concierge said: “Dr. Aribisala, your brother would like to talk to you.” 

    I asked incredulously: “My brother? Where is he speaking from?” 

    The man replied: “He is right here in the lobby.” 

    I told him: “I am coming right down.”

    I put down the phone and could not believe my eyes. What just happened here? I saw it, as clear as daylight. The Lord had supernaturally moved my brother from Basse, nine hours away to come down to Serrekunda to meet me.

    Bayo never knew I was coming. As I said, I had not heard from him in over six years. He had simply decided to come down to Serrekunda to see his friends. Little did he know that that decision was part of the Lord’s plan to bring him to Serrekunda to meet me.

    When he got to the barbershop, the gentleman I had spoken to the night before quickly informed him that I had come to the Gambia to see him. Then he gave him my hotel address.

    That is how God works. That is the kingdom of God on the move; in the quiet. The natural man might call it a coincidence, not knowing that it is God who is at work. God is at work, and he is at work spiritually. His kingdom is spiritual, nevertheless The Most High reigns and rules in the affairs of his children.