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Tag: God

  • Ekiti 2018: Olusola did not indicate interest; God directed me to pick him – Fayose

    Ekiti State governor Ayo Fayose, at a PDP rally on Monday in Ado Ekiti, declared that God directed him to support his Deputy, Kolapo Olusola-Eleka, to succeed him.

    “Olusola never said he wanted to be deputy governor, but God instructed me to pick him. I said we will go together after our tenure, but God said I should allow him to stay; that what I said was my own opinion,” Fayoe told the huge crowd.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that former minister of state for works, Dayo Adeyeye, a serving senator, Mrs. Biodun Olujimi, and Nigeria’s former envoy in Canada, Dare Bejide, had indicated interest in the PDP’s ticket for the July 14 governorship poll.

    The trio, along with a former Fayose aide and justice commissioner, Owoseeni Ajayi, had jointly rejected the adoption of Olusola as the PDP’s sole candidate and described the step as “pedestrian and undemocratic”.

    But Fayose, who spoke at the rally held at Okesa area, said that he was not rattled by the negative utterances hurled at him by the anti-Olusola aspirants.

    “The PDP has taken a position which we think is in the best interest of the state; we shall not be distracted by those opposed to this step,” he said.

    He expressed confidence that the PDP would win the July 14 election “by God’s grace”.

    Fayose said that the large turn out of people for the rally was a testimony of PDP’s popularity in Ekiti, and warned those thinking of rigging the election to perish that thought as the people would resist that.

    He said that his administration had achieved a lot in the areas of infrastructure.

    “We have improved on infrastructural development. We built a flyover at Oja Oba market and also built a new governor’s office. We have executed many projects,” he said.

    He dismissed allegations that his government had borrowed N56 billion, and declared that he had not borrowed “even a dime” since he came into office.

    “Let my opponents know that the elections are not won by propaganda. If they are sure of what they are saying, let them tell us the bank that gave the loan and also produce the papers leading to the transactions,” he said.

     

    NAN

  • Gen Olu Bajowa expresses gratitude to God at 77th Birthday

    When grace speaks in the life of an individual, such individual becomes a cynosure of all eyes and even when he walks on a tightrope, grace still makes the walk an easy pass for him. Thus, it is meet and proper for those who are at the receiving end of such uncommon grace to always express gratitude to God Almighty. As far as Gen. Oluyemi Bajowa is concerned, he is a man whom God has favourably shown his rare gesture of grace, love and kindness. This he revealed at the celebration of his 77th birthday, which he marked with a Thanksgiving service of the Holy Eucharist and communion at the St. Joseph Chapel within the precinct of Bajowa villa, Igbotako Osooro, Southern senatorial district of Ondo state.

    The event which held on the 27th of December 2017 attracted dignitaries and men of means within and beyond Ondo state to the country home of the foremost retired Army General.

    In his sermon at the Special communion service to commemorate Gen. Bajowa’s 77th birthday, Revd. Samuel Oluwafosile noted that the celebrant is a good example of a man whom God loves, adding that great men whom God has shown love cannot but reciprocate such gesture with an outpouring of thanksgiving and appreciation to their creator. The cleric noted that at all times and in all situation, what God demands from us is to give thanks even as the Bible reminds us that rather than grumble and complain, our appropriate duty to God is to appreciate Him.

    While calling on the congregation to accept Jesus genuinely as father and provider so that we all can be respective recipients of his favour, Revd.Oluwafosile charged the celebrant to continue to appreciate God with his time, material and substance and also not to relent in providing patronage for the needy.

    The congregation joined the celebrant and his wife in a special thanksgiving offertory in the course of the service.

    When it was time to give testimony, the celebrant, Gen. Olu Bajowa, the Jagunmolu of Ikale ,who also doubles as the Ojagbulegun of Ayeka kingdom, was full of praise to God for sustaining him in good health till this time , adding that since 1961 when he had pledged to God to always celebrate his birthday, he had not looked back. He said his birthday offers him an opportunity to appreciate God for the unquantifiable and numerous acts of kindness he has benefitted from God. Hear him, ” I clocked 77 years of age today and I am still bubbling with youthful energy; this is a rare privilege, you know why? My parents were not up to this age before their departure to the hereafter, thus it calls for celebration for me because a very good number of my mates are also no more! It will interest you all to know that I survived six coup d’etat and six cumbersome panel of enquiries which the military junta set up. It takes grace to survive those panels unscathed.” Going further, General Bajowa said it took the rarest kind of God grace for him to escape a bomb blast at Sabongida Ora in which fifteen soldiers were killed in broad daylight, noting that what he needed doing always is to give thanks to God. He did not forget to tell the congregation to always strive to please God in their daily activities as he noted that God rewards those who do his will.

    The reception followed immediately within the sprawling premises of the celebrant, Bajowa villa, as guests were treated to sumptuous delicacies and choice wine while the traditionally rich Comfort Omoge band, as led by her daughter, provided Ikale Biripo numbers to sizzle the atmosphere.

    The celebrant supported by his delectable wife, Bar. Princess Oluyemi Bajowa, the Yeye Ojagbulegun of Ayeka kingdom, cut the birthday cake amidst huge applause from the audience.

    Earlier, the finals of TIYEC/Gen.Bajowa Football competition had held at the Government field Okitipupa with Okitipupa FC walloping Winners FC Ore on a goal aggregate of 6 goals to 4. The final match which was officially kicked off by Gen Bajowa (rtd.), also had in attendance Retired Commissioner of Police Abayomi Olorunoje Akeremale among other dignitaries. It will be recalled that the Gen. Bajowa football competition has been sponsored by the celebrant now for the upwards of twenty years.

     

  • Fuel scarcity: Go on your knees, beg God to save Nigeria from APC – Secondus tells Nigerians

    The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus on Saturday in a special Christmas message advised Nigerians to use the yuletide to beg God to save the country from the ‘misrule’ of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) especially as the current fuel scarcity bites harder than expected.

    Secondus noted that the hardship Nigerians are going through in the last 30 months of the APC administration shows clearly that it was a mistake voting them in.

    He said, “The fact that Nigerians cannot see fuel to travel home to see their loved ones during this Christmas even after fuel prize jumped from N87 per liter under PDP administration to N145 under APC shows clearly that they have nothing to offer.

    “As Christmas is the marking of the coming of the messiah by christendom, this is the best time to seek God’s intervention to send a leader who would save this country as APC administration has failed the people woefully.”

    Secondus said that never in the history of Nigeria has there been this level of disaffection among the people with the government clearly unable to offer solution.

    He said, “This Yuletide time is therefore ripe for Nigerians to bury their political, ethnic and religious differences and go on their knees to ask God to save this country from the hands of the APC misrule and clear lack of direction.

    “This is the third Christmas Nigerians are marking under the APC government and the indignation in their faces across board shows it all that the people are sad and disappointed.”

    Notwithstanding the alleged frustrations, the PDP chairman admonished all Nigerians to use the Christmas period to reflect deeply on the future of democracy in this country and try and use this season to show love to one another and build on those things that unite than divide the country.

     

  • Nigeria survived by act of God – Buhari

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday said some of the past abuses he saw when he assumed office were unbelievable, stressing that Nigeria survived only by act of God.

    According to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, the President spoke while receiving his supporters under the aegis of the Governance Support Group at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    “Some of the things I saw here were unbelievable. I still shudder and wonder how a country can survive under such abuses. It is only by an act of God that we survived,” the President told his guests.

    He said his administration had ushered in a new era of accountability and responsibility by auditing and correcting the many wrongs of the past that crippled the economy and created an exclusive class.

    He promised to consolidate on the reforms he had initiated for change in the country.

    Buhari said the long-suffering, commitment and sacrifices of all his supporters over the years would be remembered by posterity.

    He urged them to remain steadfast in pursuing the overall good of the nation.

    He said he remained “eternally grateful’’ for all the personal and collective sacrifices that culminated in winning the 2015 elections, assuring them that all the efforts would never be forgotten.

    “I can never forget your sacrifices and I am grateful for all. You never gave up when things were bleak, and we needed to survive. I can’t express my gratitude enough.

    “In spite of the environment you found yourself, you kept believing and pushing. Some of you were really exposed to risks. My consolation is that you voluntarily threw in your lot with me.

    “Some of you exposed yourself so much, and I knew it. I urge you to still stick to your principled ways of doing things and our country will be the better for it,”he said.

  • Thank God it’s Christmas! By Sonnie Ekwowusi

    Thank God it’s Christmas! By Sonnie Ekwowusi

    By Sonnie Ekwowusi

    In four days it will be Christmas. If you put ears on the ground at the moment you will hear the angels, the Magi, the Shepherds, men and women of our time who are inhabiting the four corners of the earth singing in exultation: “jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle all the way…” in celebration of Christmas. Christmas, unarguably, has its irresistible enchantment. From Donald Trump’s Washington D.C to London, Paris, Ottawa, Tokyo, Brasilia, Madrid, Rome down to Abuja the houses, streets, offices and shops are decorated with special festoons and rosettes at the dawn of Christmas. People selling and buying on the internet, in market places and in street corners. Children laughing and dancing in the alleyways, fields, pathways, streets and esplanades. There is exchange of Christmas gifts and messages among people of goodwill. Families re-uniting amid family warmth and affection.

    Christmastime is a time to regain our strength, our hope, our joy and our sense of humor. Everything may be collapsing; your purse might have grown lean; fortune might have turned its back on you; politics and politicians may be synonymous with hypocrisy and deceits; death might have struck and snatched away your beloved one. But nothing is to be gained by losing our peace at Christmas. It is true that we live in a sad world. It is true that most men and women of our time are sadists in a state of melancholy. It is true that the fragile peace in the world is continually being threatened by the stockpiling nuclear weapons. But with our laughter we can challenge the sad world to look at us and be hopeful. We cease to hope when we cease to smile. We cease to smile when we give in to despair. We give in to despair when we find no meaning in life.

    But Christmas offers us the true meaning of life. Christmastime is a time for a good beginning, a time for a new hope in life. According Michael Cook, editor of MercatorNet, “Whether or not you accept the Christian theological beliefs which underpin the celebration of Christmas, they have transformed Western society and they are in the process of transforming nations far from Bethlehem. Christmas, that is, the celebration of the moment in which the all-powerful creator of the Universe took on human flesh and entered human history, sends powerful, even unspoken messages”. At Christmas, we are invited to re-live that unfathomable mystery and historical event which took place more than 2000 years ago when Jesus Christ, the Saviour of mankind, took flesh in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, to be born in a relatively humble city of David called Bethlehem. The Psalmist recaptures the expectancy of the birth of the Saviour in these poetic lines,rorate, caeli, desuper, et nubes pluant iustum (Send the just One like dew, you heavens, and let the clouds rain him down). And Isaiah will quickly add, “say to the anxious: be strong and fear not, our God will come to save us”. If you take a quick glance again at the Christmas Crib, you will see the family atmosphere that was the hallmark of the first Christmas in Bethlehem more than two thousand years ago. Everything in the Holy family of Jesus, Joseph and Mary bespeaks pristine values of humility, family and social dedicated service, self-abnegation, self-forgetfulness and altruism.

    Therefore, in re-living the exemplary life of Jesus, Joseph and Mary we should learn to build bridges across the troubled waters of political, ideological, racial, ethnic and personal differences. We should strive to build a new world order in which security of lives and property, justice, peace, love, service, respect for human dignity and respect for religious freedom can flourish. We must eschew hatred, rancour, greed and avarice. We must build an ethic of human solidarity aimed at promoting the common good and the welfare of fellow men and women. Christmas enjoins us to see our neigbours as human beings, not mere instruments to be used for our personal gain and comfort.

    DEFEAT OF THE ANTI-NGO BILL

    Last Wednesday the anti-NGO bill sponsored at the House of Representatives by Hon. Umar Buba Jibril suffered a disgraceful defeat on the floor of the Public Hearing Room of the House of Representatives. A disgraceful defeat because with the exception of one or two members of the House of Representatives in favour of the Bill all the Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Civil Society organizations (CSOs) and others that participated at the Public Hearing last Wednesday were vehemently opposed to the Bill. Not even Hon. Jibril, the sponsor of the unmeritorious Bill, was at the venue of the Public Hearing of the Bill to at least introduce his Bill or explain why he was sponsoring it. It is not unlikely that Hon. Jibril took to his heels upon seeing the mammoth crowd of protesting NGOs and CSOs storming the National Assembly in reminiscent of the storming of the Bastille. Last Wednesday was a day every Nigerian lawmaker will live to remember. It was a day members of Civil Society in Nigeria rose up in great solidarity to kill what they felt was a veritable monster threatening democratic tenets in Nigeria. When the history of the National Assembly, Abuja is re-written the revolution that took place at the National Assembly last Wednesday will be re-written in fine gold. As early as6.30 am last Wednesday the representatives of NGOs, CSOs, Churches, Mosques and so forth had encumbered the National Assembly in readiness to defeat the Bill. The import of this is that the people are the real sovereigns in our democracy. Power belongs to the people. But the Nigerian political leaders behave as if power belongs to them. But the revolution that occurred last Wednesday has once again shown that power belongs to Civil Society. Long live Civil Society!. Long live Freedom!

  • Pastor Mazino Egbuwoku reacts to ‘Did Christ apostle pay or receive tithe?’ [1]

    Pastor Mazino Egbuwoku reacts to ‘Did Christ apostle pay or receive tithe?’ [1]

    Read the reaction of Pastor Mazino Egbuwoku to the article titled, “Did Christ apostle pay or receive tithe?” written by TheNewsGuru.com publisher, Mideno Bayagbon, and published on this website on the 13th of October, 2017.

    RE: Tithing: Is it a new testament command? – Egbuwoku

    The subject of tithing has been a very controversial one though it really ought not to be. Tithing is strongly and traditionally rooted in many churches, such that any argument against it, is usually frowned at, often times viciously. However, every Truth seeker must desire to always go deeper in the knowledge of God.

    Hebrews 6:1

    Therefore leaving (going beyond) the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection (maturity, a deeper place)..
    Scriptures are quite clear on everything, for God has given us ALL things pertaining to life and godliness, but we must seek prayerfully for His knowledge.
    2 Peter 1:3
    According to as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue…

    There is a need to address this topic now, in light of the “spirit jesus’”, threats of perdition, and strict laws of tithing imposed by many churches today. For me, if there were no threats and bondage of legalism associated with this subject, ordinarily, I might not have seen the need for addressing it with urgency, in the same way Jesus saw tithing as a less important matter of the law, or for the same reason that the Apostles never mentioned it once as a new testament command, nor nearly with the monumental place of importance it has been elevated to in todays church age.

    I have studied quite widely on the reasons why tithing is imposed on the new testament church. The three major arguments are: Jesus told the Pharisees that tithing was good; Tithing was a practice before the law, particularly by Abraham, who tithed to Melchizedek who was a type of Christ and the “there and here” reference of Heb 7:8; tithing opens the windows of blessings for Christians. If anyone has any other bible based reason, I’ll be humbly glad to learn of them so I do not run in vain.

    I want to briefly submit my doctrine on this matter. I am open to superior DOCTRINAL not “heaven or hell” revelations on this matter, if any.

    Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, AND HAVE OMITTED THE WEIGHTEIR MATTERS OF THE LAW: judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

    Jesus told the Pharisees to tithe because they were still under the law as at that time: “these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone”. It is no different from Him telling the lepers whom He had healed, to go and show themselves to the priests, which was the standard practice of the law. This in no way makes tithing commanded in the new testament.

    And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. 3 And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4 And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.

    Today, even though Jesus told the lepers to show themselves to the priests as the law demanded, no one need go show themselves to any priest after being healed because we are no longer under the laws of Moses.

    Part 1 continues…
    Part 1b

    Abraham tithed to Melchizedek who was a type of Christ (a good topic for another day) and did it before the coming of the laws of Moses. Melchizedek was typified in comparison with Christs endless priesthood and the levitical order to receive tithes as priests. In other words, Melchizedek like the Levites, received a one time tenth part (and never again repeated) of the “spoils” of Abrahams victorious war against the kings – confirming His priesthood, but beyond that he had no genealogy of days to his priesthood – just like Jesus. The allegory or simile of Melchidek and Jesus was not to establish the ordinance of tithing, but the endless eternal priesthood of Christ. As we see, JESUS NOR HIS DISCIPLES NEVER ONCE COLLECTED A TITHE and if at all anything, it was a MITE that caught Christ’s attention. (Mt 12:41-44).

    Abraham did give “a tenth part of the spoils of war” once, but also entered into something higher than giving a tenth, called the covenant seal of circumcision: all these before the laws of Moses. Circumcision was the biggest ordinance, sign or seal of covenant from Abraham to Moses and until Christ, yet we know that now, circumcision is nothing in Christ. If circumcision is nothing, is tithing something greater?

    1 Corinthians 7:19

    Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God.
    Galatians 6:13-16

    For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh. 14 But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. 15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.

    16 And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.

    Clearly in Christ’s view, the Pharisees should have understood that truth or judgement, mercy or love, and faith or absolute trust in God, were more important according to the spirit of the law, than tithing. They knew the letter but not the spirit of the law, but thank God for Jesus, because in Christ we now walk knowing the mind of God or knowing the substance of what was once revealed by it’s shadow.

    Romans 7:6

    But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.

    lease stick with me till the end before you tune off, as you might see things a little clearer and this will help us test and prove all these “christs” appearing in the deserts and secret chambers, threatening non-tithers with hell fire. This is one way to prove which spirit is speaking and which doctrines Christians are imbibing, and also whether or not we are being bewitched and falling from grace.

Matthew 24:24-26

For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. 25 Behold, I have told you before. 26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.

Israel was governed by the 10 commandments which were enforced through the law of ordinances. They were respectively known as the moral and ceremonial laws of Israel. One major effect of the redemption we have in Christ, is that He has delivered us from ALL the ceremonial laws of Isreal, even circumcision and the Jewish ordinance of Passover, which were the “highest” ceremonial practices of the Jews, as they represented Israel’s seal of covenant with God at various times. Again, ALL the hundreds of ordinances in Israel, (not the 10 commandments), have been blotted out by Christ on the cross…ALL!

>Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; 15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. 16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days..

Part 1 continues…

All ordinances are gone and done away in Christ, therefore “let no man judge you in meat, drink, holy day, sabbaths etc”. In other words, let NO MAN JUDGE YOU ACCORDING TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE LAW OF ORDINANCES.

Ephesians 2:15

Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace..
In the new covenant, God no longer forces men to do His will, rather gives us a new conscience by which we can draw near to Him. The ordinances of the old testament were IMPOSED ON PEOPLE until the time of reformation.
Hebrews 9:8-10

The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing: 9 Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience; 10 Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, IMPOSED ON THEM UNTIL THE TIME OF
REFORMATION.

In Christ, we have been reformed to a new man, who is a new conscience in strong affinity with Gods Will. In other words, God NO LONGER forces or imposes His wishes on people, but works though their hearts to make them desirous of seeking to do His will. As they desire Him, they become equipped to do His Will by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Hebrews 9:13-14

For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: 14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Hebrews 10:22

Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

So, what is tithing?

Malachi 3:8-10

Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. 9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. 10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to

Sadly, most people quote Malachi 3:8-10, but omit or overlook verse 7.

Malachi 3:7
Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from MINE ORDINANCES, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?

Tithing was an ORDINANCE of the old testament and has been abrogated in Christ. In fact, as we go forward in this study, you will see how tithing is contrary to the spirit of the new testament, and undermines full development into true Christlikeness and prevents many from becoming entirely Spirit controlled Christians.

Colossians 2:20-22

Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, 21 (Touch not; taste not; handle not; 22 Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men?

SO IT IS CLEAR THAT TITHING WAS AN ORDINANCE OF THE OLD TESTAMENT AND A SHADOW OF THINGS TO COME IN THE REFORMATION OF CHRIST. ALL ORDINANCES, INCLUDING THE TOP TWO OF ISRAEL UNDER MOSES (CIRCUMCISION AND PASSOVER) HAVE BEEN CANCELLED IN CHRST.

It is actually dangerous to seek to practice any ordinance, because scriptures teach that if we must practice one, we have to practice all. Some zealous brethren were trying to impose circumcision on the Galatian church, and the implications were far reaching. Many of us need to properly read the book of Galatians. THE MAJOR PROBLEM FOR WRITING TO THESE CHRISTIANS WAS THE IMPOSITION OF ORDINANCES ON THEM. THIS IS A SIN CALLED LEGALISM. IT IS NOT JUST A SIN, BUT A CURSE UPON ANY HUMAN OR EVEN ANGEL WHO TRIES TO TAKE THE CHURCH BACK TO LEGALISM. NO ANGEL FROM GODS THRONE WILL ATTEMPT SUCH, THEREFORE, IT IS ONLY DISGUISED ANGELS OF LIGHT WHO WILL APPEAR TO PEOPLE IN A BID TO TAKE THE CHURCH BACK TO ANY LEGALISTIC PRACTICE. TITHING IS LEGALISM.

Galatians 3:10

For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, CURSED IS EVERYONE THAT CONTINUETH NOT IN ALL THINGS WHICH ARE WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE LAW to do them.
Galatians 5:3
For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.

I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: 7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. 9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

(Part 2 continues..)

  • The new creation in Christ – Femi Aribisala

    By Femi Aribisala

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

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

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

    The prototype

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

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

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

    Family of God

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

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

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

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

    Born again

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

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

    Transfiguration

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

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

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

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

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

  • The blood of Jesus is the holy spirit – Femi Aribisala

    By Femi Aribisala

    The Holy Spirit is at the heart of the New Covenant: “‘As for me,’ says the Lord, ‘this is my covenant with them: my Spirit who is upon you, and my words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your descendants, nor from the mouth of your descendants’ descendants,’ says the Lord, ‘from this time and forevermore.’” (Isaiah 59:21).

    At-one-ment

    The physical blood that “poured out” of Jesus’ body on the cross of Calvary was symbolic. The real blood of the covenant that Jesus poured out for the forgiveness of sins is the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit that administers the forgiveness of sins. On a daily systematic basis, he brings to our remembrance the words of Jesus.

    Jesus said at the Last Supper: “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” (Matthew 26:28). This means Jesus’ blood of the covenant is not intended for all but for many. Therefore, he cannot be referring to a sacrifice for sins, as presumed in classical Christian doctrine. In that doctrine, Jesus blood provides atonement for all. For example, Paul says Jesus provides “a ransom for all.” (1 Timothy 2:6).

     

    However, Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, says he provides “a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28). This is because although the Holy Spirit is intended for everybody, some will not be able to receive him. Those who are too tied to this world will not believe in the existence of someone they cannot see. Therefore, although God says those who ask receive and those who seek find, the children of this world will ask for everything but the Holy Spirit and will not receive him.

    Jesus says of the Holy Spirit: “The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.” (John 14:17-20).

    New birth

    In order to receive the new wine of the Holy Spirit, we have to be born again. Jesus says: “No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse. Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.” (Matthew 9:16-17).

    The new wine of the Holy Spirit is placed in the new wineskin of the new creature that is born of God. Let no man fool you. Without this, there can be no atonement for sins. Jesus says: “Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3). “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” (John 3:5). The Holy Spirit is our passport and gateway to the new life in the kingdom of God.

    White-washing blood

    Anything washed in natural blood turns red. However, John talks of those who “washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” (Revelation 7:14). This shows the blood of Jesus is not natural blood with red corpuscles. When you wash something with this sin-washing blood, it turns white as opposed to red.

    The Holy Spirit is the blood that washes sin and turns it white. So doing, he fulfils the promise of God: “‘Come now, let us reason together,’ says the LORD. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.’” (Isaiah 1:18).

    This process of reasoning together with God is mediated by the Holy Spirit. As we walk in him and with him, he convicts us of sin and teaches us the righteousness of God. This is the process whereby we are washed of our sins and not through some amorphous process concluded 2000 years ago on the cross of Calvary when we were not even alive yet.

    John says: “If we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin.” (John 1:7). Note that this cleansing is in the present-continuous. The Holy Spirit embarks on a laundry process that goes on in the believer for a lifetime. He is the true blood of Christ that is still flowing and cleansing our souls from sin today.

    The Holy Spirit purifies our hearts systematically by feeding us with the true bread of life. He makes the word of God a lamp unto our feet. This makes the Holy Spirit our sanctifier. God says: “I am the Lord, who makes you holy.” (Leviticus 20:8). This is the process Paul describes futuristically in the past tense: “You were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:11).

    It is the Holy Spirit that the writer of Hebrews refers to when he says: “If the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Hebrews 9:13-14).

    Ritualistic communion

    All this makes Christian “communion services” today empty rituals. The true communion is “the communion of the Holy Spirit.” Now that the Holy Spirit has come to concretise our communion with God the Father, there is no longer any need for symbols and rituals like those of the so-called Holy Communion.

    Indeed, the way of Christ is not a way of symbols, rituals and ceremony. Our communion with God is no longer symbolic. Our communion with God is now real.

    Jesus says: “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever.” (John 6:56-58).

    In other words, he who has the Holy Spirit has eternal life. As the word of God must be our daily bread; so the Holy Spirit must be our daily drink. We cannot reserve this for the occasional church service. We must be filled and refilled with the Holy Spirit. As we ask God to give us day by day our daily bread; so should we ask the Holy Spirit to deliver us from temptation. (Matthew 6:11-13).

  • God will prepare the right man for me- Rita Dominic

    God will prepare the right man for me- Rita Dominic

    Rita Dominic’s single status has been an issue both are fans and the media always talk about. The multiple award winning actress has revealed that despite being single, she believes God will prepare the right man for her.

    She made this known in an interview with a Lifestyle magazine. According to her:” I believe that God is in charge of my life and will present the right man to me at the right time,” she said.

     

    Rita confessed that the intense social pressure get to her, she stressed that society won’t be there for her when the chips are down.

     

    Her her:” I am a human being and I would be lying to say that it doesn’t sometimes. More so because it’s something I sincerely want to do but the feeling passes when I remember that society will not live with the person. I will live with the man, so it is very important that I do it because I want to, not because society wants it for me”.

     

  • Video: ‘God fighting Buhari like he fought Pharaoh for killing 1000 Muslims’ – Dokubo

    Former militant leader, Asari Dokubo has said President Muhammadu Buhari was suffering for allegedly killing one thousand innocent Muslims.

    He said that this is the reason no doctor has been able to diagnose his ailment.

    Asari said the hands of God are on Buhari just as they were on Pharoah.

    Asari also said the name of the disease affecting President Buhari is ‘hale and hearty.’

    According to the ex-MEND leader, every government official who goes to London to see President Buhari returns to the media to say that he is hale and hearty.

    He said they have all failed to disclosed what ailment he is suffering from.

    He said, “As God first of afflicted Pharaoh with the deafness of the ear and deafness of the heart, God also first of all, afflicted Buhari with deafness of the ear.

    ”He was not sick, later they said he has an ear infection like Pharoah. Allah inflicted him with ear problem.

    ”We are talking of ear problem and we heard of another sickness and the name of that sickness is hale and hearty. Have you heard of such sickness before, hale and hearty?

    ”He ran to London, stayed and stayed and he came back. Went back again, stayed and stayed, hale and hearty. Now they said his sickness is an ‘unknown sickness’ and that is the name of another sickness. They said all the doctors have diagnose him, he has gone through all the medical tests and yet, they don’t know what he is suffering from.

    ”The hands of God is against the wicked. God does not sleep. He does not slumber. He sees everything. A man who killed over 1000 Shea Muslims because they disagreed with him. Men, women and children and we keep on fighting God because of this man.

    ”The power of God cannot be stopped by anyone who is supporting this calamity. Buhari is bloody.”

     

    See video below: