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Tag: God

  • Thirsting for the world – Femi Aribisala

    By FEMI Aribisala

    At the Feast of Tabernacles, 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.” (John 7:37-39). However, no one seemed to be interested in what Jesus was offering. No one asked him for a drink of this so-called living water.

    Unwanted water

    “Clarus, which water was he talking about?” “He said living water.” “What kind of water is that?” “Frankly, Gringory, I don’t know.” “Is it as good as Coca-cola?” “Actually, I think he was talking about spiritual water.” “What do you do with spiritual water? Can you serve it to your friends at a party?” “I doubt it.” “I don’t think Jerusalem is ready for that kind of water. Of what consequence is living water when what you want is Coca-Cola?”

    God says: “My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn themselves cisterns- broken cisterns that can hold no water.” (Jeremiah 2:13).

    According to Jesus, there are two types of water: natural water and living water. Of the two, the prescribed choice is living water. Jesus says: “Everyone who drinks of (natural) water shall thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.” (John 4:14). What precisely is Jesus’ living water? It is the Holy Spirit.

    Hard choices

    Christians suppose all Christians have the Holy Spirit. We presume that we receive the Holy Spirit at the point of our conversion. We declare we are born again once we answer an altar call. However, most of us fail Jesus’ litmus test because we continue to thirst. If we truly have the Holy Spirit, we would not thirst again.

    But what kind of life would we have if we never thirst again? How then would we be entertained? Surely a person who does not thirst must be dead. Such a person would no longer be able to enjoy life. We want to be able to thirst but to have a constant supply of delectable drinks whenever we want them to satisfy our thirst. We want to be able to hunger but to be able to satisfy our hunger readily with lavish plates of food. Therefore, we reconfigure a more palatable construct to Jesus’ statement. We insist we have the Holy Spirit, in spite of the contradiction whereby we continue to thirst for the vainglories of this world.

    We really need to sort out these contradictions with the Lord beforehand. Otherwise, he might mistakenly send us to the wrong heaven. Who wants to get to heaven and find out that it does not have the good things of life? Who wants to get to heaven only to discover he cannot enjoy sex there? Who wants to go to a Promised Land that does not have the leeks and cucumbers of Egypt? Who wants to trundle through life having to eat manna every day instead of Kentucky fried chicken? Surely, the heaven that is truly heavenly is the one where we can have our cake and eat it too.

    Spiritual Life

    Let no man deceive you: the life Jesus offers is the spiritual life. He came that we might have a full and enriching personal relationship with God. That is why he gives us God’s Holy Spirit as a down-payment. “But Lord Jesus, we don’t want spiritual life. We want physical and material life. We want the life of eating the best foods and drinking the best drinks. We want the life of living in the best houses, driving the best cars, and having the best jobs. We don’t want the life of carrying our cross and denying our self.”

    For the children of Israel, the route to a Promised Land flowing with milk and honey turned out to be a wilderness. There was no pipe-borne water, no television, and no edikaikong soup. Therefore, they mumbled and grumbled and wanted to go back to Egypt.

    Alas, many Christians are caught in similar conundrums. We have been seduced by the “prosperity gospel.” Nevertheless, we are out of pocket; unemployed, without accommodation or unmarried. Therefore, we are also mumbling and grumbling through this wilderness of life; just as the Israelites did to disastrous effect.

    Esau did not value spiritual life. What is the value of spiritual life when a man is hungry? What is the value when he is horny? Esau did not value his birthright. But someone else did. Esau traded eternal life for a plate of rice. He traded eternal life for a night of passion. It was just one sexual fling, but he caught AIDS. It was just one night of illicit sex, but Bathsheba became pregnant. But much later, Esau came to appreciate his birthright. On his father’s deathbed, he sought it carefully with tears. But, alas, it was too late.

    We die in sin not because we cannot obtain eternal life, but because we reject it. We don’t want it. It is costly and we don’t want to pay the price. Jesus says: “any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:33).

    Forbidden drink

    One day, the Lord said to me: “Femi, I want you to stop drinking Coke and Fanta!” I have never fought the Lord with as much ferocity as I did on that one. Coke and Fanta were my favourite drinks in the world. They were non-alcoholic, non-intoxicating and relatively cheap. Why then should I have to give them up?

    “Show me,” I insisted, “show me in the bible where it says a man should not drink Coke. How is it a sin to drink Coke? Why are you so determined to take everything away from me?” “What if I told you to give it up for me?” asked the Lord. “But why would you even ask such a thing of me? I thought you were my friend,” I pleaded. “I also thought you were my friend,” the Lord replied. “Okay, I will reduce the number of bottles I drink in a day.” “No, I want you to give them up completely.”

    Jesus says: “My Father loves me, because I lay down my life.” (John 10:17). I am ashamed to admit it took me no less than two years to lay down this aspect of my miserable life.

    One day, the Lord told me to go and pray for a boy who was paraplegic. When I got there, the mother asked me if I would like to have a drink. I asked for Fanta Chapman and when I took a sip of it, the drink bit me on the lip. (Proverbs 23:32). I know that might sound strange to you, but there is no other way of describing what happened. I knew immediately that the Holy Spirit was behind this.

    I have not taken any Coke and Fanta in the last 20 years, and I will never take Coke and Fanta again as long as I live.

  • Life has nothing to do with being alive – Femi Aribisala

    By Femi Aribisala

    When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, their eyes were opened and they became aware that they were naked. Therefore, they sewed fig leaves to cover themselves. When they heard the sound of God walking in the garden, they hid among the trees. Then God called out to Adam and said: “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:1-9).

    Where. indeed, was Adam? Was he not in the garden? Adam was in the garden, and yet God asked him where he was. God is God, he knows all things, and yet he did not seem to know where Adam was. How can this be?

    Adam was in the garden but, by eating the forbidden fruit, he had moved spiritually to the devil’s kingdom. Adam’s positioning had nothing to do with where Adam was physically. God told Adam: “The day you eat the fruit of this tree, that day you will surely die.” But the devil contravened this by telling Eve: “You will surely not die.”

    Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the tree, and they seemingly did not die. Was God lying to Adam? Impossible! Jesus says: “The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” (John 6:63).

    Therefore, in asking: “Adam, where are you?” God was talking about a spiritual location. However, in responding, Adam referred to his physical location. God said Adam would die if he ate the forbidden fruit. In this, he was talking about spiritual death. Adam died immediately he ate the forbidden fruit. However, he remained alive physically.

    Spiritual life

    Physical life is not life; neither can it be because it always ends in death. Life must surely be spiritual. The life and death that God talks about are spiritual and not physical. God is: “the ancient of days.” (Daniel 7:9). He lives forever and can never die. And yet God is not material or physical. God is a spirit. (John 4:24). Therefore, real life must be spiritual.

    Eternal life is spiritual life. It should not be confused with physical life. Adam and Eve had physical life, but they were dead spiritually. Similarly, many people today are alive physically but dead spiritually.

    Adam and Eve died when they sinned by disobeying God, because sin disconnected them from God: the source of life. And yet, Adam and Eve continued to live on physically. Adam lived for another seven hundred years after he died, that is after he ate the forbidden fruit. Therefore, the life he lived was not life. The life he lived was death.

    Jesus says: “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10). Were people not alive before Jesus came? What does he mean by saying he has come that we may have life? If he came that we might have life, then we did not have life before Christ. But we were alive before we gave our life to Christ. No, says the word of God. We were dead. We were “dead in trespasses and sins.” (Ephesians 2:1).

    Dead men walking

    Life has nothing to do with being alive. Jesus reveals that the dead are walking. They are walking: “according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience.” (Ephesians 2:2).

    What then is life? Life can only be fellowship with God. Jesus says, in effect: “I have come that you might have a relationship with God, and that you might have it abundantly.” “I have come that you might have a relationship with God to the fullest.” “I have come that you might enter into a new personal and intimate relationship with God.”

    Jesus says to God: “This is the way to have eternal life- by knowing you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.” (John 17:3).

    Since God is eternal life, Jesus came to reveal God to men. He came to reconcile men to God. He came to bring men back into a relationship with God. He does this by showing us the way of salvation and by giving us the Holy Spirit as their teacher and helper. So doing, he creates sons of God who are new men and women with a new family, with a new set of values, with a new set of motivations and with new possessions.

    Our life

    Eternal life is a person called Jesus Christ. In the same way that only those who were in Noah’s Ark survived the Flood, only those who have the Holy Spirit will live. Accordingly, John says: “We know that Christ, God’s Son, has come to help us understand and find the true God. And now we are in God because we are in Jesus Christ his Son, who is the only true God; and he is eternal life. Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.” (1 John 5:20-21).

    God has given us eternal life and this eternal life is in Jesus Christ: “For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself.” (John 5:26). Eternal life cannot be separated from Christ. Eternal life is indissoluble from Christ.: “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.” (1 John 5:12).

    The Prodigal Son died when he left home. His father is Eternal Life, so when he left the father, he died. All the time he was wining and dining and making merry in a foreign land, he was dead. When did he become alive again? He was raised from the dead when he returned back home.

    “His father said to the slaves, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. And a jeweled ring for his finger; and shoes! And kill the calf we have in the fattening pen. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has returned to life. He was lost and is found.’” (Luke 15:22-24).

    Where are you?

    So, my beloved brothers and sisters, where are you? Are you in Christ? Moses says: “LORD, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.” (Psalm 90:1). But did we know this? No, we did not. But now we do because of the new awareness given to us by Jesus Christ.

    Adam, where are you. “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” (Psalm 91:1). Christian, where are you? I am in the Ark. I am in Christ. Where is Christ? He is seated at God’s right hand in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 1:20). That means believers are seated together with him at God’s right hand in the heavenly places, and everything is under our feet.

    Martha, do you believe this? Your location is not a physical location; your location is a spiritual location. Although you are physically here in Lagos, spiritually in Christ you live and move and have your being, for you are his offspring. (Acts 17:28).

  • Help! My saviour is after my life – Femi Aribisala

    Femi Aribisala

    Armed robbers attacked me on Lagos airport road and an anonymous Good Samaritan came to my rescue. I soon discovered this Good Samaritan was Jesus, someone I had previously gone to great lengths to avoid.

    It became imperative for me to get to know all I could about him; the better to lay hold of that for which he laid hold of me.

    Relentless assassin

    But there was a catch. Once I identified my saviour as Jesus, I was immediately thrust into intensive spiritual warfare. I started having a recurring nightmare that nearly scared me to death. There was a mean-looking man in a hood who was out to get me. Every so often, I found myself on the run for my life from him.

    After running non-stop from street to street all through the night, I would wake up exhausted and out of breath; drenched in sweat. Since I always managed to elude my would-be assassin, I would wake up gasping, screaming: “Thank you Jesus; thank you Jesus!”

    Until one day, I discovered the true identity of my “stubborn-pursuer.” The Lord himself showed me his face. I could not believe my eyes. The killer after my life was Jesus Christ, my Saviour.

    Ransomed life

    This brings to mind the experience of Moses: “It came to pass on the way, at the encampment, that the Lord met him and sought to kill him.” (Exodus 4:24).

    I thought Jesus came to save my life from robbers, only to discover he too had his own agenda. The robbers made away with my possessions; but my saviour was determined to take something even more precious from me. He wanted to take my life.

    Jesus says: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10). That means in order to receive the life Jesus was determined to give me, I had to relinquish my life.

    In short order, my saviour became my adversary. I discovered Jesus, my saviour, was not interested in saving the life I lived. Instead, he was bent on jeopardizing it. Accepting his offer of salvation would mean my life was over. Therefore, I was confronted again with uncomfortable choices, similar to the ones I faced with the armed robbers. I could either fight to the last to save my life from my saviour, or I could surrender and allow my saviour to take my life.

    But Jesus warns: “Whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:25).

    Salvation from life

    The bible says at the pool of Bethesda, there was a man who had been sick for thirty-eight years. Jesus singled him out and asked him: “Do you want to be healed?” (John 5:6). I was so bothered about this question, I brought it up before the Lord in prayer: “How can you ask a man who has been sick for thirty-eight years if he would like to be healed? Surely a sick man wants to be healed.”

    The Lord’s answer gave me the shock of my life. He said: “I asked him that, Femi, because sickness was his life.” I was not sure I heard the Lord correctly. “What did you say?” His reply was emphatic: “I said sickness was his life. He had known nothing but sickness. He did not know what it means to be well. To save him, I have to save him from his life. I have to save him from the only life he knows and that life is a life of sickness.”

    “But how can a man be saved from his life? I thought men are saved from death.” The Lord replied with a kingdom dynamic that completely transformed my life: “No Femi,” he said, “I save from life. That is the reason why I kill before I make alive. I kill the lives of men.”

    When a man has to be saved from his own life there is inevitably a problem. He is confronted with death. Salvation from life requires death. Without death there can be no salvation. And so the Lord kills before he makes alive.

    But are we prepared to face death? Is self-preservation not a basic human instinct? It might be human but it is not divine. Jesus laid down his life, leaving us an example to follow.

    Choice, choices, choices

    Beloved, understand this and internalise it. True Christianity is a death sentence. A true Christian dies in order to live. We are delivered from counterfeit life to substantive life.

    But most of us are not true to the faith. We are determined to save our lives. However, we are not determined to save our lives from the theft of the devil. On the contrary, the devil is the giver of the life we live and love, although we would hardly admit it. No! We are determined to save our life from Jesus Christ; “the way, the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6).

    The new life Jesus offered me involved working with him as a menial fisherman. But I was not interested in fisheries. As a matter of fact, I was contemptuous of fishermen. They are poorly paid and have low social status. I obtained a doctorate from Oxford University, England so I could do something better with my life.

    But had it not been for my Good Samaritan, I would be dead. How then could I refuse to work for him in whatever capacity he chose? What if he were to withdraw his protection? Would I not soon be at the mercy of armed-robbers again?

    I had to make a choice but clearly my personal agenda was not an option. I either had to risk premature death at the hand of robbers, or forgo my grandiose life-long plans and become a destitute fisherman.

    Buying Jesus insurance

    Be careful before you sign that life-insurance policy with Jesus Christ. There is a lot of fine print in it. Read it properly because you would be signing away your life. Once signed, there is no going back. After you put forward your claim, then you will be shown all sorts of clauses you were not aware of beforehand. You will need a magnifying glass to read some of them.

    “Holy Spirit, did we really agree to this from the beginning?” “Well, what did you mean when you sang: ‘Unto thee my blessed Saviour, I surrender all?’” What did you mean when you asked the Lord to “break” you; “mould” you; “fill” you; and “use” you?”

    Solomon gave us due warning: “Do not be rash with your mouth, and let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth; therefore let your words be few” (Ecclesiastes 5:2).

    But often, the Holy Spirit is the one who inspires our prayers, and we just go ahead sheepishly without realising we are praying our life away.

  • Crucified to the world- Femi Aribisala

    By Femi Aribisala

    The angel says about Jesus: “He will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21). But if you were to ask Christians how Jesus saves us from our sins, you would get a confused silence. Or they may tell you he saves us from eternal damnation in hellfire. But even if this hellfire exists, we are not in it now, so how can we be saved from what we are not experiencing in the here and now?

    Answer me this: if there is neither hell nor life after death, would Jesus still have come to save us? Yes indeed! In order for Jesus to save us from our sins, he has first to save us from this sinful world. Jesus came: “that he might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father.” (Galatians 1:3).

    Thereby, God: “delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of his love.” (Colossians 1:13). In effect, Jesus saves us from this world.

    Salvation from Egypt

    In the Old Testament, the Israelites were saved from Egypt, but did not seem to understand this. They thought God only saved them from their enslavement and oppression in Egypt. However, God’s salvation went far deeper than that, otherwise God could have killed off the Egyptians and left the Israelites in Egypt.

    No! Through Moses, God saved the Israelites from Egypt and all that was Egypt. He saved them from Egyptian life, from Egyptian culture; from Egyptian way of thinking; from Egyptian norms and values; and from everything Egyptian.

    However, the Israelites did not appreciate this. They had no problem with the Egyptian lifestyle. As a matter of fact, they would have readily accepted to become the rulers of Egypt. Therefore, they soon despised the manna God gave them for food in the wilderness and longed instead for the delicacies of Egypt.

    They asked: “Who will give us meat to eat? We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; but now our whole being is dried up; there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes!” (Numbers 11:3-6). They did not appreciate that they were saved even from the cucumbers and leeks and onions of Egypt.

    In the end, they wanted to go back to Egypt. Thereby, they despised God’s salvation.

    Salvation from the world

    Egypt is a type of the world in which we now live. In which case, God also saves us from the world and from all that is in the world. While in the Old Testament, God sent Moses to take the Israelites physically out of Egypt; in the New Testament, he has sent Jesus to take us spiritually out of the world.

    Rightly understood, Jesus saves us from everything in the world. He saves us, for example, from fashionable jeans. He saves us from Mercedes Benz. He saves us from chieftaincy titles. Accordingly, Paul admonishes the redeemed: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2).

    Because we are saved from this world and from everything pertaining to this world, John also admonishes us: “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. 16 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).

    Therefore, if you are a believer and you understand God’s salvation, there would be a difference between the way you were dressing before you met the Lord, and the way you are dressing now. You would not dress according to the fashions of this world, but: “modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds.” (1 Timothy 2:9-10).

    There would also be a difference in the books you read now; in the friends you have, and in the films you watch. You would be dead to the world and to yourself. You would lose all interest in sin and worldliness. You would no longer love yourself.

    You would stop lavishing money on yourself. You might even stop buying the things you like and stop eating the food you like to eat. You would stop being the centre of your universe. You would stop celebrating your birthday. Instead, you would deny yourself, carry your cross and follow Jesus. (Matthew 16:24).

    World of difference

    A child of the kingdom would not live the same way as a man of the world? Neither would he talk the same way as a man of the world. He would also not have the same concerns as a man of the world. That was why Jesus was angry with Peter: he held on to the vainglories of the world:

    “(Jesus) 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 16:23).

    You are not married, and it is a big deal. The focus of your prayers is about getting married. You feel everybody is getting married except you. You say: “God what about me? What is happening to me? Why am I left out?”

    The problem is not that you are left out or that God has forgotten or forsaken you. The problem is that your soul is still not saved. You are sold on the world. You are still impelled and motivated by the demands, fashions and desires of the world.

    God needs to take you on a wilderness experience in which you will be single and will think nothing about it. He needs to take us on a wilderness experience in which we are broke but think nothing about it. He needs to take us to that place where we are no longer distressed by shortcomings defined by the world system.

    Paul says: “I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:11-13).

    Where did he learn this? He learnt it at the feet of Christ. He learned it at the school of the Holy Spirit.

    But if we are sold on the world, we will fight God like the Israelites did in the wilderness. If we are mindful of the things of men and not of the things of God, we will despise God’s salvation. Therefore, Esau despised his birthright because he was hungry. The Israelites wanted a king so that they could be like everyone else in the world.

    In both cases, they opted for the carnal and temporal and rejected the spiritual and the eternal.

    TO BE CONTINUED

  • Why I want to ‘play’ God- Richard Mofe Damijo

    Why I want to ‘play’ God- Richard Mofe Damijo

    Veteran Nollywood actor and former Delta State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Richard Mofe Damijo has said he would love to play the role of God in a movie.

    The veteran role interpreter noted that he had played the role of the President and the devil, now he desires to act the role of God.

    “I wanna play God, it is one of my bucket lists. I have played the devil in another film, ‘Made in Heaven.’ I missed the chance to play God recently, so but I want to play God, I want to play God. I played I think I played the president. I want to play God. Yeah. I just want to play God, I want to play God’s character. It’s funny, but since I watched ‘Oh my God by this old actor and then when I saw Amitabh Bachchan, the Indian actor in (God Tussi Great Ho), now that I have some grays, so by the time I’m probably 60 something and the greys are little bit greyer, like snow white, I would probably get a role to play God or I write one myself,” he told Pulse.

     

    RMD also stated his reason for not appearing in just any Nollywood flick. He added that it is not about the number of films, but the quality of films that you do.

    “In the prolific period of Nollywood as it were, I didn’t jump on every bandwagon or on every film that came my way. I’ve always tried to be very selective about the kind of films I did. And in a lot in a lot of ways I feel very blessed that you know, my, my little body of work can kind of compare with any other person’s body of work. For me, it is not about the number of films you do, but the quality of the films that you do. I didn’t see a lot of films that I did at that time,”

     

  • How do you deal with a God who decides to send you to the cross? Femi Aribisala

    Many Christians make the fundamental mistake that Paul made, which he cautions that no one else should make. They see Jesus and God simply from a human point of view, forgetting that God is not a man. (Numbers 23:19).
    When he later realised his error, Paul wrote: “From now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know him thus no longer.” (2 Corinthians 5:16).
    God is not a nice person according to the flesh. God is a spirit, and the spirit and the flesh can never see eye to eye. (Galatians 5:17).
    Let me ask some leading questions here. What kind of father is God? Certainly not the kind we would readily recommend, according to the prescriptions of our humanity.
    What kind of father tells his son to marry a prostitute as God did with Hosea? (Hosea 1:2). What kind of person tells the Levites to carry a sword and kill members of their own family and relations? (Exodus 32:27). What kind of person instructs Isaiah to go around without his trousers for three years? (Isaiah 20:2-4).
    What kind of person instructs Saul to attack Amalek and kill all the men, women, children, babies, sheep, camel and donkeys? (1 Samuel 15:3).
    What kind of person kills off millions of his own children, the Israelites, one by one over forty years in the wilderness? God, that is who.
    Whatever you may call that kind of person, I would have you know that he cannot be a nice person as men regard it. If God were a man, he would not be a nice man at all. God’s concept of goodness is different from that of a man.
    Therefore, Jesus said to the Jews: “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.” (Luke 16:15).
    Rejection of Jesus
    The truth is that most people don’t like the God of the bible, and most don’t like Jesus of Nazareth. The scriptures had forewarned that Jesus would be despised and rejected by men and that we would not esteem him. (Isaiah 53:3). Don’t make the mistake of thinking this prophecy is only applicable to the Jews of biblical Israel. It is not.
    The bible is a living word and the word of God never passes away. (Matthew 24:35). Accordingly, even Christians today don’t like Jesus; although many would not admit this. But because we don’t like him, we don’t want to know him and have great difficulty being like him.
    We don’t see in Jesus the beauty we desire, therefore, the church has been busy reconstructing the biblical image of Jesus. The preferred portrait is now one of a handsome European-looking man with blue eyes. Jesus is no longer naked and unashamed but covered on the cross.
    The cross itself has become an ornament that is worn and not a burden that is carried. The gospel is now preached with the enticing words of man’s wisdom. As a result, we have ended up with a worldly Jesus and with a worldly faith.
    Who wants a God who is a servant? Who wants a God that rides a donkey instead of a chariot? Listen to a lot of the sermons preached in our churches today and you immediately realise that Christians don’t want that kind of God.
    Some don’t even want a Messiah who drinks alcohol; therefore, we insist that all Jesus drank was grape juice.
    But why would Jesus get a bad report as a wine-bibber for drinking grape juice? (Matthew 11:19).
    Peter’s denial
    Peter, one of Jesus’ closest disciples, did not like Jesus. How do you deal with a God who washes your feet? Peter would have none of it. (John 13:6-8). How do you deal with a God who would allow himself to be killed? “Be it far from you, Lord,” cried Peter, “this shall not happen to you.”
    But this only earned him a very sharp rebuke: “Jesus turned on Peter and said, ‘Get away from me, you Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are thinking merely from a human point of view, and not from God’s.’” (Matthew 16:23).
    How do you deal with a God who decides to send you to the cross? If that is what the Lord had in store for him, Peter wanted to know what he had in mind for John. But Jesus simply told him to mind his own business. (John 21:21-22). When the crunch came, is it any wonder that Peter denied Jesus not once but three times?
    Offensive Jesus
    For this reason, the prophets warned that the Messiah would be a rock of offense. He would do things in a way and manner that would not meet human approval.
    As a twelve-year-old, Jesus stayed all day and night in the temple for three days without telling his parents where he was. That would be unacceptable in any decent family. When rebuked about this by his parents, he replied: “Why did you seek me? Did you not know that I must be about my Father’s business?” (Luke 2:49). This would have earned him a few slaps in the families of today.
    Jesus made a whip, beat people and smashed their wares in the temple. He called a woman who came to request healing for her child a dog. (Matthew 15:26). At times, people can be won over with gentle words. At times, they need a smack on the head to see sense. Jesus did both.
    He refused to help John the Baptist when Herod arrested him. When he knew that his good friend Lazarus was dead, he said he was glad. (John 11:14-15). He kept company with disreputable people. (Matthew 9:11). He took sides with a woman caught in adultery. (John 8:7). He asked a man who had been sick for thirty-eight years if he would like to be healed. Then he only healed that one man and left all the others unhealed. (John 5:6-9).
    He pronounced woe on the Pharisees and abused them, calling them whitewashed tombstones. (Matthew 23:27). He called some people fools. (Matthew 23:17). He told the Jews that the devil was their father. (John 8:44). He denied his own mother and brothers. (Matthew 12:47-50).
    Clearly, Jesus is not a nice man as men call nice. But this same Jesus is now our righteousness. For: “We are all infected and impure with sin. When we put on our prized robes of righteousness, we find they are but filthy rags.” (Isaiah 64:6).
    Therefore, we must be divorced from the niceness of men and be married to the goodness of God. “Everything that we have- right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a fresh start- comes from God by way of Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 1:30-31).
    Jesus says: “Blessed is he who is not offended because of me.” (Matthew 11:6). This means blessed is he who is not offended by how God does things. Blessed is he who is not offended by what God chooses to do and what he chooses not to do.

  • God is not nice and he does not like nice people (1) – Femi Aribisala

    By Femi aribisala
    Over the years, I have learnt many things about God that I did not like. One of those things is that God is not like me or, to put it more appropriately, I am not like God. “My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways,” says the Lord. (Isaiah 55:8). But the challenge of my life is to be like God.
    Moreover, I like people who are nice to me. But God does not like nice people. God really liked David but David was not a nice person. He made a living by raiding innocent villages with a gang of area boys, killing every single one of the inhabitants and looting their property. He committed adultery, got Bathsheba pregnant, killed Uriah her husband and then married her. On his deathbed, David was still plotting the deaths of others.
    Nevertheless, God loved him. Jacob was also a horrible human being. Esau was a much better person than him. Jacob conned Esau out of his birthright, and he deceived his father into giving him his brother’s blessing. Nevertheless, God still liked Jacob. As a matter of fact, he preferred him to his victim; Esau Key of faith “Without faith it is impossible to please (God).” (Hebrews 11:6). Therefore, God likes people who believe in him. He likes those that are passionate about him. He likes people who are zealous for him. He does not like those in the flesh. (Romans 8:8). He only likes those in the spirit.
    But, very often, these are not likable people. For instance, Phinehas was obnoxious in his self-righteousness. In his zeal for God, he drove a spear through an Israelite man and a Moabite woman, killing them on the spot. This was nothing short of wicked. However, what he did pleased God. As a matter of fact, because of what he did, God made a covenant of “everlasting priesthood” with Phinehas. Since “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” and since we are not saved through works, but by grace through faith, being nice does not feature in God’s equation.
     
    Niceness is not even a fruit of the Spirit. But kindness is. (Galatians 5:22). God is kind. (1 Corinthians 13:4). But he is not nice. I Don’t Fall Sick Any More, A Former NNPC Staff Reveals What He Used and How You Can Also Benefit Too(Opens in a new browser tab) God likes kind people. He also likes good people. But no man can be good or kind without God’s enablement. However, good people are often not nice. I am not a good person, but I can be nice. I try to be nice and succeed at times. I am even nice to people I don’t like. But when I want to be good to someone, I am not nice to them.
     
    When God enables me to be good to someone, I am often harsh to them. Rock of offense Jesus was not likable. The more we are like Jesus, the fewer people will like us. Jesus was a rock of offense. The more we are like Jesus, the more offensive we will be. Jesus is not nice, therefore, we shouldn’t be nice either. The Lamb of God was also known as the Lion of Judah for a reason. The lion is not a nice animal. When we think of the word “nice,” we think of “the goody two shoes.”
    But this certainly cannot apply to Jesus. Most artists’ renditions portray Jesus as the sweetest, nicest-looking man, usually accompanied by lambs or children. This is not entirely wrong since Jesus is the Good Shepherd and he did love to bless children. But that does not mean he was nice. Niceness is not a godly virtue. It is possible to act “nice” outwardly while secretly hating or deriding a person in our heart. We do it all the time, either because we want to look good in the eyes of others, or because we want to be diplomatic. But Jesus did not have such concerns. He had no qualms ruffling feathers. He did not pay any attention to public opinion. He pointed out people’s wrongdoing without caring whose ox was gored.
    He spoke the truth to the “powerful” religious leaders without mincing his words. He did not care about being politically correct. Kindness is not niceness We love to say: “God is love!” This is true. But the love of God is not a nice kind of love. In 1 Corinthians 13, love is described as patient, kind, not envious, not boastful, not rude, selfless, not easily angered, and ungrudging. “Nice” never shows up on the list. But “kind” does. Quest for material gains by preachers hindering God’s work in Nigeria – Fr Ekereoku(Opens in a new browser tab) The difference between niceness and kindness is like the difference between tolerating someone and embracing him. It is the difference between pretense and genuineness.
    Niceness operates essentially on the outside, whereas kindness comes from the heart. Niceness often comes from the desire not to ruffle feathers; but kindness comes from the love for others and the concern for their well-being, A nice person might give money to a beggar, but a kind person goes the extra mile to invite him home to lunch. A nice person would ask how you are, but a kind person really wants to know if you are alright. Nice people are occasionally good, but kind people are always good. Jesus was quintessentially kind. He touched lepers.
    He had time for children. He ministered to the sick. He ate meals with the dregs and rejects of society. He says: “I have not come into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world.” He came especially for people who are discouraged, beaten down, and oppressed. If you belonged in that category, you would not want some nice person to give you a pat on the back and say: “It is well!” You want someone to hold you, love you, and encourage you until you get back on your feet again? If we’re really honest with ourselves, we would admit that we don’t really want people to be nice to us.
    “Nice” is just what we settle for when what we really want is kindness. Jesus did not care about niceness: he cared about goodness, and he cared about righteousness. Nice people don’t make enemies. But Jesus did. He made lots of enemies. He cared about righteousness more than making and keeping friends. Righteousness of God Niceness is not a godly virtue. We can be nice to someone while hating him in our heartWhat kind of person is God? He says of himself: “[DFA1] [DFA2] [DFA3] I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; nor is there any who can deliver from my hand.” (Deuteronomy 32:39).
    Who does the Lord kill before he makes alive? Who does he wound and then heal? God is not only talking about his enemies? He is also talking about his children. Christian apologetics are quick to say God is good. But they miss the road by failing to point out that the same God has no qualms about destroying his own people. They tell us that God is love but fail to add that the same loving God is also a killer. CONTINUED

  • Is there injustice in God’s redemptive justice? – Femi Aribisala

    By Femi Aribisala

    Jesus says: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” (Matthew 5:44-45).

    However, Christians honour this injunction more in the breach than in the observance. How can we possibly love our persecutors? Is this not asking too much of believers?

    Imagine a situation where an unbeliever viciously attacks a Christian. He kills his wife and children and destroys all his property. Nevertheless, the attacker is allowed to go Scot-free. Moreover, during the burial of his family, the Christian is counseled: “Vengeance belongs to God, leave the matter to him.” (Deuteronomy 32:35).

    To add insult to injury, at the end of his life on earth, the bereaved man meets his attacker in heaven. They have both become heirs of salvation. I ask you, how acceptable would this be to him?

    Consolations of God

    What kind of discussion do you think Uriah would have if he were to meet David in heaven? How do you think he would feel meeting in heaven of all places the very man who slept with his wife, got her pregnant, and had him killed to cover his tracks?

    Moses says: “(God) avenges the blood of his children.” (Deuteronomy 32:43). But does the Lord really repay? Can God give the offended true satisfaction? You have been used and abused; you have been spitefully treated and you take the matter to the Lord. What type of satisfaction are you likely to get?

    The Lord would preach the gospel to you. He would tell you to forgive and forget. And if you don’t, the Lord himself would deliver you, the aggrieved person, to tormentors who will torment you until you forgive the offender. (Matthew 18:34).

    But what about the offender; what would the Lord do to him? How would the Lord take vengeance on him? The Lord might simply ask someone to go and preach the gospel to him as well. If he receives it, he is pardoned. Would that be acceptable? Thus, Eliphaz asks Job if the consolations of God are enough for him. (Job 15:11).

    Jonah’s predicament

    Of all people to send to preach to Nineveh, God chose Jonah; a Jew. The Assyrians had oppressed the Jews for a long time. Nevertheless, God decided to send Jonah to them, not to destroy them, but to preach to them the gospel of repentance and salvation. Jonah would have none of it. He took a boat and headed for Tarshish instead; the exact opposite direction from Nineveh.

    God would have none of that but decided to take Jonah to Nineveh against his will by a “submarine.” Jonah’s shipmates throw him into the sea and then God arranged for him to be swallowed by a big fish. Jonah did not need persuading after surviving that ordeal; he had no choice but to preach to his enemies. His preaching was so effective that everybody in Nineveh repented and God’s judgment on the city was revoked.

    But Jonah was greatly displeased with this outcome. He complained: “Ah, LORD, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that you are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in loving-kindness, one who relents from doing harm.” (Jonah 4:1-4).

    God’s unacceptable mercies

    Jonah was so angry, he wanted to commit suicide. In spite of all the atrocities of the people of Nineveh, they received God’s free pardon. How can this be fair? You simply can’t get retributive justice from a God who is gracious and loving; whose mercies endure forever.

    But is there not something strange about being upset with God because he is gracious and forgiving? Does this not put us in the same place as those evil Pharisees who persecuted Jesus because he healed a man on the Sabbath? (John 5:16). Since we are really telling it like it is, let us pull no punches here. Do you know the greatest injustice of all? The greatest injustice of all is if you, reading this here and now, end up as one of the heirs of salvation.

    You, who were a crook, a liar and a cheat. You were a fornicator and an adulterer. You were an idol worshipper, a drunkard and a drug addict. You were proud, vain and riddled with deceitful lusts. Why in heavens name should God forgive someone like you? In the name of justice, it would be absolutely unfair for a sinner like you to spend eternity in heaven.

    So let us call a spade a spade. If we are going to insist on justice, let there be justice for all. Since all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, justice without mercy means judgment for all. Therefore, I would rather have a merciful God than a God of judgment. Even if this means I have to spend eternity in heaven with Idi Amin or Adolf Hitler; so be it. Heavenly Father, let your mercy triumph over your judgment in my case. (James 2:13).

    Redemptive calculus

    Life is so unfair. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Some die young; some live to a ripe old age. Some are handicapped; others are bed-ridden with sickness. Some are handsome; some are ugly. Some are smart; some are stupid. Some are fast; some are slow. Some are successful; some are failures.

    But life is unfair because what we call life is not the life of God. What we call life is precisely what Jesus came to redeem us from. He came to redeem us from a life of injustice; a life of ups and downs; a life of situations and circumstances; a life of sickness and health; a life of sin and death.

    Life is unfair, but death is fair. The poor die and the rich also die. Moreover, when the rich die, they lose all their wealth. When the poor die, they lose all their poverty. When the sick die, they lose their sickness. In death, the disadvantaged lose all their disadvantages; while the advantaged lose all their advantages. Every valley is exalted and every mountain is made low. (Isaiah 40:4). Therefore, the fairness of God is revealed, not in life, but in death.

    The believer is a dead man living a resurrected life. No matter what we go through, we can no longer talk of injustice. The word does not exist in the language of the kingdom of God. Neither can a believer insist on vengeance. To do so is to be in danger of revoking his free pardon.

    Dearly beloved, you can no longer make a case about somebody’s injustice to you and demand retributive justice. Should you insist on satisfaction, God will also insist on satisfaction. A Christian who still insists on retributive justice is someone who refuses to understand or appreciate the pardon he has received from God.

    Jesus says: “Freely you have received; freely give.” (Matthew 10:8). Therefore, since you received pardon freely; pardon freely.

  • Does God change his mind? Femi Aribisala

    One of the seemingly difficult questions arising from the scriptures is whether God ever changes his mind. On the one hand, it is clear that God is omniscient and immutable. Peter said to Jesus: “We understand that you know everything.” (John 16:30). God declares “the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done.” (Isaiah 46:10). Therefore, he does not and cannot change his mind.

    On the other hand, there are scriptural instances where it appears that God changes his mind. “The LORD relented from the harm which he said he would do to his people.” (Exodus 32:14). “I, the LORD God of Israel, promised in the past that your family and your clan would serve me as priests for all time. But now I say that I won’t have it any longer!” (1 Samuel 2:30).

    Unchangeable changer

    God is perfect. He cannot get better or worse. He says to Moses: “I am who I am.” That means he cannot change as to his essential character. He cannot gain or lose his attributes. He says: “I am the Lord, I do not change; therefore, you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.” (Malachi 3:6).

    God is “the ancient of days,” but he does grow. The psalmist says to him: “you are the same, and your years will have no end.” (Psalm 102:27). Similarly, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8).

    James says: “(God) does not change like shifting shadows.” (James 1:17). If he increases, then he was imperfect before the increase. If he decreases, then he was imperfect before the decrease. Therefore, he can neither increase nor decrease. God will never be wiser, more loving or more holy than he has ever been

    God’s plans cannot change. If they do, then he lacks foresight, which is impossible. God is infinite wisdom and knowledge: “He brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he makes the plans of the peoples of no effect. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations.” (Psalm 33:10-11).

    “The Lord of hosts has sworn, saying, ‘Surely, as I have thought, so it shall come to pass, and as I have purposed, so it shall stand.’” (Isaiah 14:24). “I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me,” says the Lord. “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).

    Change of mind

    But then we have this kind of assertion in scripture: “The Lord was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and he was grieved in his heart.” (Genesis 6:6). This sounds more human than divine. Does God actually have regrets? Can God take a line of action without knowing or correctly anticipating the consequences beforehand?

    The answer is “No!” God is fundamentally different from man: “He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through? (Numbers 23:19).

    Although, the scripture quoted above says God regretted creating man, God knew beforehand that man would sin: “Known to God from eternity are all his works.” (Acts 15:18-19). Before man even sinned, God had planned man’s redemption. Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, was: “foreordained before the foundation of the world.” (1 Peter 1:20). He is: “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” (Revelation 13:8).

    There are a number of occasions in scripture when it seems God changes his mind. However, on closer examination, it becomes apparent not only that he did not, but also that he cannot.

    One example is the case of Saul who God chose to be king of Israel, then removed when he transgressed against the commandments of God: “Now the word of the Lord came to Samuel, saying, ‘I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, for he has turned back from following me, and has not performed my commandments.’” (1 Samuel 15:10-11).

    The question often asked is why God made him king when he should have known beforehand he would disobey him. Did God not change his mind by replacing Saul with David? Indeed, a scripture says: “The Lord regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel.” (1 Samuel 15:35).

    Merciful God

    However, the answer here is also provided in scripture. It was Samuel who brought the verdict to Saul, saying: “You have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel.” (1 Samuel 15:26). But when Saul pleaded to be pardoned for his sin, Samuel told him it was pointless because God does not change his mind.

    “Samuel said to him, ‘The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to one of your neighbors- to one better than you. He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a man, that he should change his mind.” (1 Samuel 15:28-29).

    This immediately raises the question about what happens when we offend God and then ask for forgiveness. If and when he forgives us, does that not imply a change of mind?

    A good example is the case of Nineveh. God sent Jonah to Nineveh with a message that the evil city-state would be destroyed within 40 days. However: “When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened.” (Jonah 3:10).

    However, this does not imply a change of mind. God’s position, right from the get-go is always to forgive if we repent. Jonah understood this, which was why he did not want to go to Nineveh. As a Jew, whose people had been oppressed by Nineveh, Jonah wanted Nineveh to be destroyed and not forgiven. But he knew Nineveh would be forgiven if the people repent.

    Thus, Jonah complained to God when Nineveh was forgiven: “O Lord, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.” (Jonah 4:2).

    Therefore, when it sometimes seems like God changes his mind, he does not. Right from the start, his verdict was conditional: “If I announce that a certain nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down, and destroyed, but then that nation renounces its evil ways, I will not destroy it as I had planned. And if I announce that I will plant and build up a certain nation or kingdom, but then that nation turns to evil and refuses to obey me, I will not bless it as I said I would.” (Jeremiah 18:7-10).

    God does not change, but there is change and development in God’s relationship with his repentant creation. Thus, we who were once his enemies are now his friends.

  • Holy Spirit our source of walking in love – Prince Ufford

    By Prince Ufford
    *1JOHN1:5-7. And this is the message [the message of promise] which we have heard from Him and now are reporting to you: that God is LIGHT, and there is no darkness in Him at all [no, not in any way].[so] if we say we are partakers together and enjoy fellowship with Him when we live and move and are walking about in darkness, we are [both] speaking falsely and do not live and practice the truth [which the gospel presents].
    But if we [really] are living and walking in the light, as He [Himself] is in the Light, we have [true, unbroken] fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses (removes) us from all sin and guilt [keeps us cleansed from sin in all its forms and manifestations].
    *JOHN 13:34-35. A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another: as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall men know that ye are my disciples if ye have love one to another. (Amplify Bible)
    *ROMANS 5:5. Such hope never disappoints or deludes or shame us, for God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. (Amplify Bible)
    *ROMANS 13:8. Keep out of debt and owe no man anything, except to love one another: for he who loves his neighbor [who practices loving others] has fulfilled the law [relating to one’s fellowmen, meeting all its requirements].
    *To walk in love is to walk in the light of truth. Real love is from the fountain of the recreated man of the Spirit. It is based on the confession of our mouth. Love is the Nature of God. Love is the Character of God. Love will flow from the recreated man of the Spirit because it is connected with God supernaturally. Love is the evidence of new creation, your confession gave you access into the kingdom of God, meaning you have spiritually come into the territory of love. [the love zone].
    *Jesus Christ prayed a prophetic prayer that the Church (the body of Christ) should be one spiritually and naturally. Are we? In today’s church, it’s hatred instead of love for one another as He has loved the brethen. I have been born again for a while now. Christianity of today is greatly different from that of yesterday. We walked in love, we showed love to one another, we served one another both in church and out of the church environment, we were hearing from heaven the voice of Holy Spirit. Prayer was made for one another because we have revelation knowledge of love and by practice we enjoyed grace naturally.
    *John 15:9-10. I have loved you, [just] as the Father has loved Me: abide in My love [continue in His love with Me]. If you keep My commandments [if you continue to obey My instructoins], you will abide in My love and live in it, just as I have obeyed My Father’s commandments and live on in His love.
    The gospel is the message of love.
    *The natural man possess not this kind of love, he or she is not born again, such cannot produce love from ungenerated heart. Kingdom love is available to those who are born again.
    *PROVERBS 20:27. The spirit of man [that factor in human personality which proceeds immediately from God] is the lamp of the Lord, searching all his innermost parts. {Amplify Bible).
    Holy Spirit communicates with your spirit.
    *Love is the product of righteousness and of the heart which is born again. Love is the Nature of God which He demonstrated in giving unto us His Son. He loved us, we who have experienced His love and forgiveness should show love to one another by demonstrating it.
    *EPHESIANS 5:2. And walk in love, [esteeming and delighting in one another] as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a slain offering and sacrifice to God [for you, so that it became] Amplify Bible.
    Love (agape) brought us together in one place[the kingdom]. We have become citizens of the kingdom through love. If you love, you are dwelling in light.
    *God Spiritually released His Nature, Character into our hearts. Do not pray for love instead ask the Holy Spirit to teach you to walk in love. Your faith will work, grace will pour you the blessing, you will enjoy favor naturally because you have decided to walk in love. He that loveth not knoweth not God because God is love. Love is the key to unlock doors for supernatural manifestation of God’s promises which you are to enjoy daily.
    “Faith worketh by love”. Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flows the springs of Life.
    * So many of us will miss rapture because we are not operating with covenant principle of the kingdom by walking in obedience according to kingdom instruction. Without the help of the Holy Spirit, walking in love will be hard. Why, you are naturally operating in an environment full of corruption and wickedness. Satan is the commander of all evil, he is the god of this world. The Church can change the world through our life style as light.
    *EPHESIANS 3:16-19. May He grant you out of the rich treasury of His glory to be strengthened and reinforced with mighty power in the inner man by the [Holy] Spirit [Himself indwelling your innermost being and personally]. May Christ through your faith [actually] dwell (settle down, abide make His permanent home) in your hearts! May you be rooted deep IN LOVE and founded securely on love, that you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints [God’s [devoted people, the experience of that love] what is the breadth and length and height and depth [of it]: that you may really come] to know [practically, through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge [without experience] ; that you may be filled [through all your being] unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]!
    *if we love one another, it simply means that God’s presence abides with us, THIS LOVE is perfected in our hearts in Christ Jesus.
    TWO KINDS OF LOVE.
    *if you continue to walk in love, you are born of truth. God is true. Love will influence you to do good.
    *if you are not walking in love, you are born of the devil. “The choice is yours”.
    *Carnal Christians can not walk in love because the nature, character of God is not formed in them. This is inspite of the fact that they are born again, and are citizens of the kingdom. Although they are born again, spiritually their entire system has been overhauled by the Holy Spirit, but spiritual development and growth will determine how they will operate naturally. Developing one’s self in the written word is an individual’s responsibility.

     

    *Genuine love (agape) is the product of the recreated man of the Spirit, inner man of the heart. To walk in love is simple. You will ask how? Recognize the Holy Spirit, submit yourself to His leadership. He will teach you how to walk. Let me say this, to walk in God’s kind of love is not easy but with the help of the Holy Spirit you can operate, walk in love, and the requirement is determination. The devil will challenge your decision.
    One of the ways to walk in love is to constantly renew your mind with the written word of God. If you are born again you need to have a conscious walking relationship with the Holy Spirit. He is supposed to lead, guide, and direct you daily. God said this: for His ways are not our way, neither is His thoughts our thought. We choose our way because we want to do things our own way. You will ruin your life, you will not fulfill your destiny naturally because you have refused to recognize the Holy Spirit who abides with you.
    For whatsoever is born of God will walk in love because we are living in the dispensation of grace and truth. This new life in Christ Jesus is full of great benefits. In salvation you actually received the fullness of grace. You will enjoy grace as you keep a walking relationship with the Holy Spirit. The principle which brought you into the kingdom of God is the truth you heard from the word of God.
    *Truth captured your attention, truth captured your heart, you fell in love with the truth,you therefore surrendered your life to God through Christ Jesus by faith. At that moment, the Character and Nature which contain the love of God was shared abroad in your heart by the Holy Spirit. If the Holy Spirit is in you, love is equally there in your heart. As a matter of fact, every born again Christian carries love with him .
    *You will walk in love because you know from the word of God that it is a command. Grace with the truth supernaturally set you free from your old life style. How many Christians can really say they know the Holy Spirit?
    *How many Christians can really say indeed I recognize the Holy Spirit and I am depending on Him for direction for living. How many Christians can really say I listen to the Holy Spirit for counselling. Jesus said this about Him the Holy Spirit (for He will teach you all things, everything that has to do with you naturally). Until you know Him, recognize Him and allow Him, He will not force Himself on you. He is a gentle man. He respects Himself. Remember you should love your neighbor as yourself. What you sow is what you will reap naturally.