Love (1 Cor 13:1-3,1 John 4:7-10)

PREAMBLE

First, we should bear in mind that every believer is important to the Body and we are all needed for the work. Every believer should discover His role in the Body and run with it. Having seen many that have borne witness to the life of faith, we should run our race. If God has put something in our hearts with respect to what He will have us do, then it is just right that we keep focused on doing it.  We should lay aside every weight and sin, anything that may distract us from this. Anything could be a weight, and they could be legitimate or illegitimate. It could be a sleeping or eating habit, a friend, a problem or even a relationship. Let us align our minds and hearts to the race before us. The woman who recently won the 100 metres race at the 2012 London Olympics did not even know she won until she saw the replay, because she was fully focused on her race and never allowed any distraction to hinder her from reaching her goal. Had she been distracted she would probably have lost the race because she won by the narrowest of margins. We should emulate this attitude in running the race set before us, keeping her eyes on the focus  without allowing anything to distract us (Heb 12:1-2).

Second, James stressed the importance of being slow to speak, swift to hear and slow to wrath (James 1:19). We should cultivate an attitude of swiftness in hearing and receiving the word of God. We should not be quick to commend or comment. We should have a readiness to be receptive at all times.

MAIN SERMON

Love is a concept that is usually talked about, and celebrated, but in the actual sense greatly misunderstood by so many people in our world today. There is a need for us to understand what love is from a divine/biblical perspective. 1 Cor 13 gives us tremendous insight into what love is from God’s perspective; while simultaneously using the exercise of spiritual gifts as examples to underscore how vital love is to our Christian faith.  Love is very important to our Christian faith. Love is so fundamental that if we manifest spiritual gifts of prophecy, faith, giving, word knowledge, to an extreme or prodigious measure,  without love as the underlying attitude or motivation; then it would profit us nothing (1 Cor 13:1-3).

WHAT IS LOVE?

In the present age and time, a lot of people talk about love and we see very little of it being shown. Also, one of the misconceptions people have is that love equates to sex.  So what is love? Have we been walking in love? Have we been showing love to one another as God commands us? If we check through the scripture we will see a lot of commandments instructing us on love, how we should love 

God with the entirety of our being, and also on how we should walk in love one with another (John 13:34-35,15:12-13,17,19, Rom 12:9-10,13:8-10, Gal 5:6,13-14,22,Eph 4:32, Eph 5:2, Php 1:9,2:2, Col 2:2, 1 Thes 3:12,4:9, 5:8, 1 Tim 6:11, Heb 6:10,10:24, 13:1, 1 Pet 2:17, 3:8, 1 John 2:7-11, 1 John 3:1,11,14,16-18,23, 1 John 4:7-8,11-12,16,20-21,I John 5:2-3, 2 John 1:5-6.  1 Pet 1:22 is a good example where Peter instructed believers to love one another with a pure heart FERVENTLY.  The emphasis of the foregoing is FERVENTLY, showing the depth of love we should display towards one another. Do we really understand what biblical love is? But the question still remains – what is love?

In Matt 22:35-38 Jesus described the concept of love as the greatest of the commandments that was given to the Israelites. In this portion of scriptures, Jesus, by calling it the greatest commandment underscored its supreme importance. As Christians we need to have a good grasp and understanding of love, we need to walk and act in it, we need to live our lives by this very important principle and concept. Without love we amount to nothing. 1 John 4:7 reiterates what has been said above and commands us to love one another as practical proof that we are saved/born of God/believers. Apostle John followed this up in 1 John 4:8 to categorically state that our failure to practice love may well prove that we are not saved since God is love. Lest we should not lose sight of what love is, we see that Apostle John gave us an insight – GOD IS LOVE.  If we have God then we have love. All that God expressed towards humanity is love. 1 John 4:9 reveals that God’s love was manifested towards us by giving Jesus who died and rose again, that we might live through Him.

Furthermore, there is a need to dispel a commonly held notion that we must love as a form of reciprocation, or that we need to love someone because the person loved us first. This idea essentially is the attitude of the natural man who loves conditionally, and because he is loved. However, the foregoing notion is foreign to New Testament scriptures with respect to biblical love, the love God displayed towards us, and the love He expects us to display towards others. We see clearly from scriptures that we did not take the initiative by loving God first before He had to respond; neither did He love us because He had to reciprocate, rather He loved us first and that is the reason why we love Him (1 John 4:10, 19). Biblical love as demonstrated by God through the gift of His Son demands that we love without expecting love back, or because someone loved us first. God lavished His love on us through the death and the resurrection of Christ and without any selfish motive because that is His nature. He did not love us because he knew we were going to be fantastic ministers, philanthropists or missionaries in the future; or because He knew we were going to live up to our calling  and exalted position; rather He did it because love is His nature. God is love. Out of that loving nature He offered Jesus as the solution to the 

deepest need of Man. All that God has done for us through Christ has been to benefit us, to elevate us and make us better persons that can function victoriously on earth.

God loved us and gave the greatest demonstration of that love when Christ died for us on the Cross. It stands sure and steadfast and remains for eternity. He did not love us because we loved Him first. We could never have loved God first because we did not have the nature or capacity to have done so since all men were dead in sins and alienated from God. The average man expects something back in return when he loves, even if it is for that love to be reciprocated.  The things we do which we call acts of love, are they really acts of love, or were they done with the expectation of reciprocation? We should do them because God commanded us to do so. God loved us without expecting back and He expects us to walk in love towards one another. Jesus said we should love God with the entirety of our being – with all our hearts, souls, and minds. This is the starting point (Mt 22:37). When we do this, it becomes easier to do the other aspect which Jesus talked about – loving others (Mt 22:39). God loves us whether we respond or not; whether we appreciate it or not; and whether we yield to it or not.

God loved us and demonstrated that love through the sacrifice of Jesus (John 3:16). We see here that God’s love involves sacrifice. Love requires sacrifice – a lot of sacrifice at times; but not because we expect something in return. He freely gave up Christ for our sakes because He loved us (Rom 8:32). We see from scriptures all that His love brought us. It brought us deliverance from the kingdom of darkness and translated us into God’s kingdom (Col 1:13). Because of His love something happened to us in the realm of the spirit that changed us radically that we had no contribution to. Because He loved us He made us better, gave us the Holy Spirit, therefore empowering us so we can live a triumphant life. What can we give in return to show appreciation for what He has done for us? God expects us to love others in appreciation of the love He demonstrated towards us.

God has given us the capacity to love as He loved us (Rom 5:5) because we have His nature within us (2 Pet 13). In John 15:13 Christ described how that the ultimate demonstration of love was for a man to lay down His for His friends. He did just that for us. He has impacted us eternally.

CONCLUSION

God is love and we have been loved by Him. We do not need to place ourselves in a position of pity or despair, because we are the recipients of His love. He has loved us with a love that cannot be compared to any other. Our response to His love should be to love Him with the entirety of our beings and to love one another fervently. 

Called according to Purpose (Rom8:28-30 & 2Tim1:7-10)

What is purpose?

Purpose is the reason for which something exists, is done, made or created. We all are creatures of purpose. We are not products of chance or some lucky cosmic probability. We did not just appear, and we would not just disappear. We are here for a reason and we have a purpose. We deal with a God of order, principles, precision and super intelligence, it will therefore be completely out of character for God to create people who will then have no purpose. God does not make mistakes, whatever and everything HE has said or did comes with a reason and purpose. Everything around us (creation) testifies to God purpose for everything he has created (Plants, animals, natural resources, air, water etc.). Accordingly, it would be ludicrous, stupidity and idiocy for someone to think that his/her life is without a purpose.

Unfortunately many believers carry on in their lives without a sense of purpose. Some people begin to find purpose too late, at the latter part of their lives, while some people never find their purpose till they die. Irrespective of the foregoing, the reality is that our lives have a purpose. Act17:24-26 underscores this as it shows that everything, every detail of our lives was pre-has a purpose and was predetermined by God, including such details as our race, nationality, family and even where we were born.  The problem is that many at times as human beings we do not have this perspective, and as a result we pursue the wrong things most times, and refuse to function in line with God’s purpose. The rest of creation which was created according to God’s plan and purpose, do not have a choice (since they do not have volition), but to function in line with God’s purpose. Unfortunately, it is we, the crowning piece of God’s creation, whom He has given so much to, whom he has bestowed right, responsibility and ability to think and decide, are the ones who often times try not walk according to His purpose.

Two benefits of Understanding Purpose

1.   It gives focus: Understanding purpose will help us focus.  When we do not understand the purpose of a thing, then abuse is inevitable. If we do not understand the purpose of God for our lives, we run around doing so many things. However, when we understand purpose, we will be able to prioritize, leave out the non-essentials, and focus on what is absolutely important. The story of Noah and the Spies sent by Moses in the Old Testament, and that of Jesus in the New Testament illustrate how purpose promotes focus.

Noah

From Gen 6:12-16, 20 we see that God called Noah to build an ark. If Noah had not understood this, he would probably have been going about other legitimate things or business, and would probably not have focused his energies on building the Ark. It had not even rained before the flood that God promised was coming. However, Noah understood the purpose of God, and in obedience he continued with the building of the ark until he completed it. The foregoing is a good illustration of how purpose can help one to focus.

Moses & the 12 spies

In Num13:17-26, Moses sent twelve of his men out to spy out the land of Canaan and come back with a report on the people how strong they were, and the quality of the land’s produce, etc. The twelve understood that that was their purpose for going to Canaan. What if they had gone and decided to marry and stay there; or joined their army; or felt it was a good place to settle? However, they understood they were sent for a particular reason, and that kept them in check and focused. Consequently, they came back and gave their report in line with the Moses specific instructions.

Jesus

Mark1:29-38 provides another good illustration. Jesus had healed Simon’s mother-in-law, and later in the evening other sick people. Thereafter, he withdrew to a secret place to pray, which prompted people to start looking for him. Eventually, his disciples found him, and were surprised when they told Him everyone was looking for Him and he responded by saying they should go to another city to teach and minister. Apparently, they probably assumed he was going to make that city the base of their ministerial operations. However, Jesus understood his purpose and the reason why he came, and it gave Him focus. He knew to fulfill it he had to go round different cities and take the good news to other places; therefore he could not afford to stay in once city. Luke 4:14-19 shows that Jesus clearly understood His purpose and he was able to channel his energy and all his resources to achieving it.  He knew he could not just be tied to one location.

When we understand purpose, it gives you a sense of focus. The truth is that in life, there are so many things competing for our attention, or that places a demand on us, or which requires our action and commitment. Nevertheless, when we understand purpose, we are able to focus all our energies on the right spot.

2.   It motivates us amidst difficult circumstances of life: Understanding of purpose keeps us motivated amidst adverse circumstances of life. Rom 8:28 is a wonderful verse of scripture written as a sort of encouragement, as seen from the context of its surrounding verses (e.g Rom 8:18-27, and Rom 8:29-39). It was written to encourage us and let us know that no matter what we face, when we understand God’s purpose, it will keep us motivated.

Nehemiah’s story is another good illustration. In Neh1:3-7, it was impressed in the heart of Nehemiah to re-build the wall of Jerusalem, for which he obtained the king’s permission to do so. Despite the problems and persecution (At some point they had to hold a weapon with one hand and build with the other) Nehemiah and his men faced (Neh 4:13-17), an understanding of God’s purpose kept them focused and motivated till they finished their task.

We also see this in the life of Jesus. Several times as he approached the Cross, he intimated his disciples that he was going to Jerusalem to die (Matt 16:20-23). Even when Peter opposed him, he rebuked Peter because He knew His purpose.  Death by crucifixion was not an easy task for Jesus (Mt 26:37-42, Heb 5:7-8). From John 17:1-5, we see that Jesus perfectly understood the purpose of the task ahead of Him and how difficult it was. Heb12:2 reinforces this. There we see that Jesus for the joy set before Him ENDURED. His purpose motivated Him to look beyond the scorn, shame and pain to complete his task. The same way we can also look ahead and face whatever comes our way as long as we understand that it is in accordance with God’s purpose for our lives.

What is the Purpose of God?

If we read the entire book of Ecclesiastes well, we will find Solomon saying everything in this world seemed meaningless (e.g. wisdom, wealth, riches, talents, pleasure, nature etc.).The truth is that if we do not have the right perspective we may come to the same conclusion. That indeed is the way natural man thinks. The cause of this mindset which conceives of everything as vanity is arguably sin, because God did not from the beginning create man to think that way. Nevertheless as towards the end of the book, we see the actual context in which everything was regarded as meaningless (Eccl 12:13). However, this was merely a hint.  2Tim1:8-10, gives further insight.

2 Tim 1:8-10 and indeed other scriptures that talk about purpose do not talk about purpose outside the Person of God. The purpose of God is not something we think, guess or feel, it is about what God says our purpose is. It is not about us, but about Hi,. That is why Eph1:4-12 is replete with phrases stressing things which were designed to benefit us FOR HIS GLORY Outside of Christ there is no purpose in life, and all endeavours or pursuits would indeed be meaningless and purposeless, as stated by Solomon in Ecclesiastes, to the natural mind. It is only in Him that things begins to make sense for everything was created for Him (Col 1:15-17). Therefore a person not born again cannot understand an iota of what purpose in life is all about. In the same vein, a Christian who is not serious with his Christianity is not serious with his purpose in life. It is only in Christ Jesus that life begins to make sense and have purpose.

As we read Eph 1, especially verse 11, we see a broad sense of what the purpose of God is for our lives, which is TO BRING GLORY, EXULTATION, AND PRAISE TO GOD. We see the same idea in Eph 2:10, 1 Pet 2:9. Though the specifics (i.e. what God will have each one of us do specifically) might differ from one another, but the foregoing BROAD PURPOSE is the same. For example Peter was primarily sent to the Jews, while Paul primarily was sent to gentiles (Gal 2:6-8), notwithstanding, the overall aim, goal and purpose was to herald the gospel and bring praise and glory to Himself. From Gal1:15-17, we see that God knew Paul so intimately and He was aware that He, rather than Peter was the proper vessel to propagate the gospel amongst the gentiles. God knows us intimately and He takes into account every detail and works it all to go in accordance with His purpose for our lives (Ps139:13-16, Jer1:4-5).

Everyone of us must wake up to the reality that God has a unique purpose for our lives which in specifics differs from others Accordingly, rather than being mediocre by seeking to imitate others, thinking up our own self-conceived purpose, or trying to measure up to what someone said we should be, we should strive to discover His specific purpose and pursue it. Jonathan for example, knew that it was not His purpose to be King of Israel, and that understanding prevented him from being jealous or becoming an enemy or competitor of David.

Fulfilling God’s Purpose

Fulfilling God’s purpose is not limited to utilization of spiritual gifts alone, but also involves utilizing our natural abilities, talents, education, vocation, training, where we are now, where we will be in the future, our citizenship, and indeed the entirety of our lives.

From Rom 12:1-2, we see that living according to purpose starts from the place of surrender, and abandoning ourselves completely into the hands of God. Sometimes as believers we keep a part of us back, not giving ourselves totally, and treat God as though he is a visitor or alien in our lives. This ought not to be. Romans 12:1 describes it as sacrifice, which is apt, for an animal that has been slain as a sacrifice on the altar is in a state of total and absolute surrender, and has no volition of its own. That is the way we ought to be towards, the entirety of our lives should be presented to God as a sacrifice for His glory.

Conclusion

We should repent and stop playing God with our lives by drawing up our own plans, dreams and ambitions and expect God to rubberstamp it because it may not be His purpose for our lives, though me may be successful. It is when we relinquish control of ourselves to God that we actually become useful in the hands of God and can really discover and begin to pursue His specific purpose for our lives.

Faith should be the lifestyle of the believer, not a weapon you look for when you are confronted with a mountain or reserved for the time of trouble, or as a last alternative out of necessity. Faith is what makes us Christians (Eph 2:8-9, Gal 6:10). The word is called the word of faith because for you to live by it, you must exercise faith.

The word of God is called the word of faith because it inspires faith (Rom 10:17) and also because you cannot live by it if you do not have faith in it. Bible says we should walk in Christ the way we received Him (Col 2:6-7). We received Him by faith (Eph 2:8-9); we are to walk in Him the same way - by faith. The faith walk is the normal Christian walk. If we are not walking by faith, we are not walking in our Christianity. If we do not follow that pattern, we will find Christianity boring, burdensome.

The Bible describes the lifestyle of the Christian as: A WALK, A FIGHT, and A RACE.

·         OUR LIFESTYLE AS A WALK

Certain portions of scriptures describe our lifestyle as a WALK. This walk must be conducted by faith (2 Cor 5:7,Gal 5:16). It is knowledge of God’s word that inspires faith to enable this walk (Rom 10:17).Ignorance inspires unbelief (Rom 10:1-2). Often times we wrongly associate great faith with zeal, but without an accurate knowledge of God’s word you cannot walk by faith. e.g the Jews (Rom 10:1-4). The key to walking by faith is having an understanding of God’s word.

When you fall sick and you profess to believe God, what exactly is the basis of your faith? Is it God’s word or some flimsy and faulty basis which cannot be proven? True faith must be based on reality or truth of God’s word. If the basis is false, there cannot be true faith. The reason why a man can be saved is because salvation is based on the reality that Christ actually rose from the dead. If He did not rise from the dead, then there is no true faith (Rom 10:8-9, 1 Cor 15:1-20). When it is not based on God’s word, it is presumption, foolishness or unbelief. Faith must therefore be based on the truth of the word of God. The word of God, is the word of truth, and it is also the word of faith (Rom 10:17). If you must walk by faith, you must seek for knowledge – knowledge of God’s word.

In our walk, we should seek to live by faith on a daily basis (2 Cor 5:7). When you make decisions, are they based on sight or God’s word? When God has spoken to you concerning something, it may not make sense from a human perspective, but faith means agreeing with God and acting on God’s word regardless. That was what Abraham did (Heb 11:8-10).

We are admonished to walk in the Spirit in Gal 5:16.It takes faith to do this, and to express the fruit of the Spirit listed in Gal 5:22. It takes faith to walk in love, joy, peace, self-control, meekness, etc. Without faith, it would be difficult to forgive and show love to someone who has wronged us. We may find it difficult to forgive because we are trying to do it by sight, by our feelings. But when we do it by faith, we can forgive and really let go. External circumstances would not ordinarily make one rejoice, it takes faith. That was why Abraham could rejoice while waiting for the fulfilment of God’s promise, in spite of the deadness of his body and of Sarah’s womb (Rom 4:17-21). Job lost all he had in a split second and yet he was able to bless God. If you depend on feelings to rejoice, you can never truly rejoice, for it takes faith to rejoice amidst contrary circumstances.

·         OUR LIFESTYLE AS A FIGHT

The Christian life is described as warfare or a fight of faith. Somehow, Bible reveals that we are constantly involved in warfare (1 Timothy 6:10, 2 Cor 10:3-6, 1 Tim 1:18, 2 Tim 2:5). We must have the attitude of a soldier/fighter [2Tm2:4-5). A soldier is trained to have an awareness of his surroundings and to instinctively react. Many times we are engaged in a battle. There is an enemy somewhere fighting against us, and we need to be alert and engage properly.

Ephesians 6:12 reveals that we wrestle not against flesh and blood (human beings) but many times we wrongly fight against that which is seen - a neighbour, a brother, or a colleague, or a supposed with somewhere - when in truth we have a common enemy – the Devil - who has turned us against one another. We are engaged in a war with him, not at vigils, or some seasons, but on a daily basis – and we need faith to engage in the battle. Paul knew HOW to fight (1 Cor. 9:24-27), and WHO to fight (Eph 6:12).

There is a battle, and that battle is against principalities and powers. Usually the tendency is to focus on witches and wizards, and all sorts of techniques are used to do this – binding and casting etc.  Even if someone is a witch, the scriptural thing, knowing that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, and that the person is being controlled or possessed by a spirit, is to cast the spirit out of the person, like Paul did (Acts 16:16-18), and not to fight a physical witch. We should realize that even in respect to principalities and powers, they rank below us. By virtue of being a member of the Body of Christ and principalities being under His feet, the believer has been placed above them (Eph 1:21-22). Col 3:3 also makes us realize that the life of the believer is hid in Christ in God. A life hid in Christ is under exclusive protection and the devil cannot touch it. We attribute everything that happens to us to the Devil, despite scriptures revealing that God has given us power over him, his works, and that nothing can hurt us(Luke 10:17-19).

This is the truth – we operate at a higher level of superiority (1 Cor 8:5-6, John 3:31, Mk 16:17-18). There is no biblical authority to bind a devil or a person spiritually. Mt 16:19 & Mt 18:18,  do not speak about authority to bind devils; while the Bible reveals that the Devil will only be bound by an angel, ONCE in bible for a period of a thousand years (Rev 20:1-2), before eventually being cast into the Lake of fire. Casting out demons and evil spirits are however scriptural (Mt 16:19).

There is indeed a struggle with the devil, and it is not what we conventionally think (e.g witches and wizards) it is something much more sophisticated and subtle. The warfare the believer engages in daily specifically relates to the WILES of the Devil (Eph 6:1). Wiles are stratagems or tricks intended to deceive or ensnare - they are the Devil’s greatest weapon, and that is what we must stand against in evil day (Eph 6:13), the evil day being everyday (Eph 5:16). Bible instructs us to arm ourselves (Eph 6:11-17) to be able to stand against this wiles in the evil day (Eph 6:13]. One of the greatest mistakes we can make is to magnify the Devil beyond how scriptures reveal him, and as a result we are defeated. He knows the superiority of the status of the believer in Christ, and that he cannot match or stand it, and he instead resorts to wiles/deceit/lies. The lies/deceit (2 Cor. 11:3) is what is referred to as the fiery darts of the wicked [Eph 6:17], which we are to extinguish with faith/believing God’s word. Since the wiles are daily, the shield of faith must be utilized as a lifestyle. Therefore, the greatest disservice we can do to ourselves is not to believe God’s word.

A similar idea to Eph 6:11-17 is conveyed in 2 Cor. 10:3-6. The war described there is a battle waged, won or lost in the mind. It is not some battle against witches and wizards, but one where the believer chooses to believe God’s word or something else. It is a war of choices between walking by faith in God’s word or sight, between God’s word and that of men (human reasoning, opinion, sentiments). That is why demons, spirits are not mentioned in that portion of scriptures but “strongholds” (figuratively means “arguments”), “imaginations” (reasoning, thought), which along with every high thing exalts itself against the KNOWLEDGE OF GOD. It is an ongoing war between the truth of God’s word, and the imaginations, arguments, knowledge of men, and a world system ruled by the Devil. This war takes place daily, plays out in our circumstances, experiences, temptations, and faith in God’s word. An example would be when someone does something to you and you feel anger, and for a good reason because what the person did was provocative. Thoughts of repaying evil for evil, bitterness, malice, etc would arise in your minds, and you feel like releasing it in form of retaliation. You are able to win the war in your mind and forgive or walk in love when God’s word determines your actions (Eph 4:26-27, 31-32,1 Pet 2:19-22,Rom 12:17-21), and refrains you from responding wrongly.

Wielding our Christianity is our non-carnal weapons for waging this war. We are to fight the good fight of faith, lay hold of eternal life [1 Tim 6:12], on the truth, on our Christianity is our weapon in this war. There is therefore no substitute for a personal understanding of God’ word.

·         OUR LIFE AS A RACE -Heb 12: 1-2

There’s a race we must finish [2 Tim 4:5-6,1 Cor. 9:24-27, Heb. 12:2], a course to run [Acts 20:24], a purpose we must accomplish and we cannot do these successfully if we are running by sight. Let us run with faith. Faith considers the word of God. It considers the invisible. It recognizes that there are things to consider and things not to consider. We are to consider Jesus/God (Heb. 3:1, Heb. 12:2-3, Heb. 11:16) inspite of all other things you could have considered. You must deliberately consider not certain things, else they serve as deterrent to your walk of faith (Rom 4:17-21). This does not mean to deny all things that can be seen and are true in their own realities, but it means to consider the higher reality of the word of God (Mk 11:23-24).The word of God should be the judge and the final issue. When you are doubtful of the word of God you cannot enjoy the blessings of redemption. Abraham waited for 25 years till age 100 when His word was fulfilled. Consider Him! How? Consider Him through His word. Let His word settle the issue.

You cannot walk as a Christian if you do not walk by faith. You cannot fight the good fight of faith without faith, and you cannot run your race without faith.

A lesson on faith – (2Cor 5:7)

  

“For we walk by faith not by sight” (2 Cor 5:7). This statement applies to Christians as can be seen from the surrounding context. It is not a command, but rather an assumption that Christians walk by faith. In other words, walking by faith is the way to walk, and not the things we see, hear or perceive with our physical senses. Our physical senses – sight, sound, touch, taste, smell- were given to us to enable us relate with our physical environment, but as Christians, we should walk by faith not by sight. Before the fall, man related with God by faith, but after the fall man started living by sight. When you get born again, that relationship with God is restored. In actual fact, we are placed on a better pedestal than Adam who did not have eternal life or the Spirit of God.

Faith is the way to live for the Christian. Outside faith, living the Christian life would be extremely burdensome and near impossible. It is faith that enables us live in our natural environment – the kingdom of God. From John 3:5, Col 1:13, the believer has been brought into God’s kingdom – and in His kingdom we are to relate with him by faith. The two reasons why we find the Christian life difficult are: when one is not born again; and when the Christian walk is lived or approached by sight. Hebrews 11 focuses exclusively on the subject of faith. Not only can one not be born again outside faith (Eph 2:8-9), walking as a believer is also by faith, and not the physical senses (sight). Science furnishes us a good example of walking by sight, as well as Thomas who demanded physical proof of the resurrection of Jesus before believing He was risen (John 20:24-29). However as Christians we cannot afford to relate with God on the basis of sight. Walking by sight is actually unbelief in the living God.

Faith is described as the “substance” and “evidence” (Heb 11:1). We can understand the phrase “substance” from the idea of Jesus being described as the express image of God’s person. When Jesus spoke, it was tantamount to God speaking to men, as seeing Him was/is equivalent to seeing the Father - because He is the very substance of God.  Faith is the “evidence” of what you are things unseen. A banking illustration would help understanding this. The possession of a bank draft is evidence of the fact that there is money in an account, and that the recipient of the bank draft will receive the cash.  The bank draft is as good as the money and evidence of the money not physically seen.

The foregoing runs contrary to the idea that faith is stupid, illogical, or blind etc. Blind faith is foolishness. Real faith is not blind, but is hinged on the spiritual logic of God’s word. Faith does not deny physical evidence. Rather it believes God, in spite of the physical evidence. Abraham was confronted with physical evidence - the deadness of his own body and Sarah’s womb, but he chose to believe God (Rom 4:17-21). How do you know there is a God, or explain creation of the world, by science? Or do we take the place of the fool that says there is no God? (Ps 14:1,53:1) No! We know these through faith (Heb 11:3, Heb11:6), for creation itself evidences God (Rom 1:19-20)

2 Cor 4:16-18 speaks of looking at things not seen. “Things not seen” does not mean things that are unreal. Looking at things unseen is only possible through faith. It cannot be done through science which is based on physical evidence, focuses on things temporary, and is therefore based on shaky foundations. Through faith we focus on things eternal and permanent that never changes.

Faith is based on spiritual logic - on an understanding of the truth of God’s word. This is its foundation. It based in a reality of God’s word, even though we cannot see it. We have to realize that the physical realm is more tangible than the physical realm, even though we cannot see it. The physical realm is a product of the spiritual realm. Faith works based on the realities of the spiritual realm. It comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God (Rom 10:17). Hearing in Rom 10:17 does not mean listening, but THE THING HEARD i.e the message anchored on the word of God. The message has to be understood and received. When that occurs, faith is born in the heart. It is not the hearing that brings faith, for one can hear and not have faith. Rather when what is heard (the message) is embraced, received, believed faith is born. Even though one may not see any physical proof yet, there is peace and assurance in believing (Rom 15:13).

God is the object of faith

We associate faith with when we need to get something we desire that we do not see. Most times people only say they have been living by faith when in the midst of sufferings and lack or difficult circumstances. The danger inherent in this is that when things were good people could have the tendency to live by sight and not by faith. For example there is an inclination for people to set their hearts ad eyes on riches. It was because of this Paul instructed Timothy to warn the rich about the dangers of making riches the object of their faith, but rather let God be the object of faith (1 Tim 6:17-18).

Everyone has faith, but the issue is – what is that faith in? God is the object of faith, and faith is only as strong as the object on which it is based. When it is based on sight or symptoms, then it produces unbelief. Faith should be a lifestyle adopted whether things are good or bad (Dan 3:16-18), because it is anchored in an object that never changes - God. Paul’s faith was strong amidst turbulence at sea because it was anchored in God who had told him He was had an appointment to keep with Caesar at Rome (Acts 27:25). Never make man the object of your faith, for the same man God used for you in time past may turn against you subsequently e.g Nebuchadnezzar with regard to Daniel and his friends.

Faith is the prerogative of the believer

It is the choice of the believer to exercise faith in God and to believe what God has said or done. The unbeliever in incapacitated to truly walk by faith in God because he is blinded (2 Cor 4:3-4). However, after being born again by grace though grace as a gift (Eph 2:8-9), the believer has a choice to exercise faith in God. We must learn to choose walking by faith in simple things. We should not claim that our faith is weak so we cannot. A mustard seed is over a 100 times smaller than the seed of beans –it is like a speck of dust, yet Jesus used it to illustrate the point that faith is about the object of faith (the quality) and not the quantum (Luke 17:5). Strong faith is faith anchored in God, while weak faith is the opposite, one not anchored in God – which is actually unbelief. Anyone can choose to believe God e.g Peter walked on water Mt 14:22-23. Believers must choose to exercise child-like faith in God leading to obedience. The things we know physically- our experiences with people, experiences in the world, and natural knowledge may be an obstacle to this. Nevertheless we need to learn to exercise faith in God. That was why Jesus, in his interactions with men was always instructing men to that effect.

If faith is risky, thee alternative (unbelief) is costlier

God rewards faith. Faith shows regard for God (1 John 5:9-10, Num 23:19), while unbelief is the primary thing that grounds Christians. Unbelief is costly as exemplified by the example of the Israelites who could not enter the Promised Land (Heb 3:11-19, 4:1-3). Entering the Promised Land symbolized enjoyment of the blessing of God’s redemption, and not exclusion from heaven – for even Moses did not enter the Promised Land. Their unbelief was the primary sin primary sin which excluded them, and we stand the risk of not experiencing the blessedness of redemption/Christianity if we do not exercise faith as a lifestyle.

Illustrations of Faith from Hebrews 11

Abel’s sacrifice was better than Cain’s not because it was an animal sacrifice instead of produce from the cursed ground as erroneously claimed, but because of the faith factor (Heb11:4). Abraham’s going out without knowing where he was going, seems foolish to the world, but He did it by faith and obedience in God who knew his destination and had the master-plan (Heb 11:8). It is good to plan, but those plans must be emanate from God’s will (James 4:13-16). Sarah could never have given birth without faith in Him who had promised (Heb 11:11-12)/ Abraham’s determination to offer Isaac was motivated by faith in God who He believed would have raised him in whose Abraham’s Seed was to come. Prompted by faith, Moses forsook that which was good and inconvenient, and looked to a reward beyond the realm of sight (Heb 11:6). On the other side of the divide were those who died, were tortured, suffered, were sawn in two, and suffered unimaginable hardships without any apparent positive results. In contemporary “christianity”, they would be described as failures and faithless – but God’s word uses them as examples of faith (Heb 11:35-38). All those in Hebrews 11 were all natural men – flesh and blood. We are better placed because we are new creatures with the life and Spirit of God ( 1 Cor 2:13-16).

Conclusion             

We should learn to exercise faith in God in all facets and at all times of our lives (James 1:6-9). In difficult circumstances we should choose to adopt David’s attitude who encouraged himself in the Lord; or Mary who believed in God to perform (Luke 1:37-38,45) 

EFFECTS OF PRAYER (COL 4:2-4)

 

Paul in Colossians 4:2 admonished the believers in Colosse to continue in prayer and watch in the same with thanksgiving. He went further in Col 4:3 to covet their prayers towards the attainment of a particular effect – to proclaim and make clear the gospel as he ought to. This highlights a very important issue – the effect of prayers. As believers we ought to know that we have come into a relationship with God, which relationship forms the bedrock of our prayers to Him. Prayer is meaningless without a relationship with God. Equally meaningless is using the name of Jesus as a mere tool (like the sons of Sceva: Acts 19:13-17) without a relationship with God brokered on the platform of Christ death and resurrection. While it is important to know the foregoing, the believer should also know that prayer has effects – “...The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective: James 5:16, ISV). This fact – the effect of prayer - should drive the believer on to a greater commitment and engagement in prayer.

A careful reading of the accounts of the Old Testament would reveal that men such as Abraham, Jacob, Samson, etc, prayed with great effects. James opted to use Elijah, out of several examples in the Old Testament of men to demonstrate the great effect that prayers could have on people, circumstances and nations. Sometimes, we erroneously read such accounts and regard such people like Elijah as men who were so to speak “supermen” and of a different constitution from other men. However, scriptures negate such misconceptions and described Elijah as a man of LIKE PASSIONS (James 5:17) whose prayer had great effect. He was not superior in constitution to believers – if anything, we stand on better ground, and we have a better constitution, nature – God’s divine nature within us.

The effects of prayer can be categorized on two road categories: (1) Prayer affects or changes things, events, circumstances or people towards the goal of fulfilling God’s will; and (2) Prayer has an effect on us DIRECTLY and INDIVIDUALLY.

(1) Prayer affects or changes things, events, circumstances or people towards the goal of fulfilling God’s will

In Luke 22:31-32, Jesus told Peter, that in view of the fact that Satan had desired to sift him as wheat, HE had prayed for Peter. The Bible does not disclose when exactly Jesus prayed for Peter, but we see that Jesus’ prayer for him had an effect. Despite denying Jesus thrice, and seemingly losing the plot, we see the effect of Jesus’ prayer in that Peter was eventually restored and played a significant role in the history of the church, which He had promised to build (Mt 16:17-20,Gal 2:9). Jesus prayed for Him with the intent that it would affect the course of events in Peter’s life and His prayer did have the desired effect on the course of events in Peter’s life. If Peter’s temptation had completely overwhelmed him, it may have affected the emergence and progress of the church. However, because of Jesus’ prayer, Peter was restored and had a positive boomerang effect on the church agenda.

Paul in 1 Tim 2:1-2 also requested for prayers from believers. To what effect? Paul requested prayers to be made to the end that a quiet and peaceable life would be possible, with the ultimate aim of providing a conducive atmosphere for the proclamation of the gospel for the salvation of souls (1 Tim 2:2-6). A similar effect was desired for requesting the prayers of believers in 1 Thes 5:25 and 2 Thes 3:1). Epaphras also prayed towards a desired effect – that believers in Colosse will stand perfect and complete in all the will of God (Col 4:12).

We therefore see a pattern of prayers being engaged in with an underlying desire of seeing the will of God fulfilled. Some would argue that since God is all-powerful, He does not need our prayers to bring His will to pass, and therefore there was no point praying. While this contains some modicum of truth, it does not belie the necessity of prayers. God can indeed do anything He wishes without our prayers. He could heal the sick without our prayers, or do whatever He wishes without our prayers. However, in His sovereignty, wisdom and grace, He CHOSE to bring about His will in collaboration with our prayers – just as He chooses to effect the salvation of souls in conjunction with us (2 Cor 6:1-2). This is a privilege we should be grateful for and should consider a great privilege to engage in.

(2) Prayer has an effect on us DIRECTLY and INDIVIDUALLY: Jude aptly describes an effect of prayer on believers praying in the Holy Ghost as BUILDING UP THEMSELVES on their most Holy faith (Jude 20). The picture of building referred to here can best be glimpsed from 1 Pet 2:3-5, where Peter described believers as being built up into a spiritual house. The idea conveyed is one in which brick is laid upon brick until the house rises up into a great edifice. Such is the picture of the effect of what happens when a believer engages in prayers. Prayer builds us up!

1 Cor 14:4 conveys a similar idea of an individual believer edifying/building himself up when he prays in the Spirit. That chapter does not forbid or denounce praying in the Spirit as against prophesying (1 Cor 14:18). On the contrary, it focuses on the greater magnitude of the benefit derivable from prophesying (which benefits the whole church) during meetings, without controverting the great individual benefit accruing to a believer who prays in the Spirit. Prayer edifies the believer (1 Cor 14:4).

We have the privilege of consciously transferring our cares to God (1 Pet 5:7). Too many of us live our lives with emotional and psychological burdens on our shoulders/hearts but we are invited to consciously cast it upon Him in prayers (James 5:13). This is the way to banish anxieties and experience the peace of God (Php 4:6 & 7). Peace is a direct effect of casting our cares upon Him in prayers. Jesus demonstrated this vividly at a most difficult period in His life when the weight of what He was going to do loomed largely before Him. When He was about to go to Calvary to die for the sins of the world, his heart was burdened. What did HE do? Jesus turned to God in prayers and cast His cares on the Father (Luke 22:39-43). He received strength. We do not know the dynamics of how He received strength, but we know that He did receive it. In the place of prayer we can do the same and have the same experience.

In the place of prayer we can experience the sufficiency of God’s grace and strength amidst weaknesses or contrary situations. Paul’s experience as described in 2 Cor 12:7-9 is instructive to us. We see there that Paul was beset by what He described as “a thorn in the flesh”. The biblical account is sketchy and as such does not enable us to decipher what he figuratively described as “a thorn in the flesh”. What is clear is that Paul had it and it caused him a considerable degree of discomfort. When Paul prayed thrice that it should be taken from him, God responded by assuring him of His grace and power as sufficient for him amidst the problem. Did Paul not know about God’s grace and power, or was God’s response a surprise to him? In all likelihood, Paul knew that already, but may have lost sight of it amidst the challenges. Accordingly, Prayer may have been vehicle to impress that reality upon his heart.

In conclusion, we should never forget that prayer has an effect on people, events, and us, in accordance with His will. This is why we need to be devoted to it and engage in it. Are we spending time on non-essentials, rather than devoting more time to prayers. More than ever before, there is the need for us to consecrate and renew our commitments in prayers. We need to fill the prayer closets once again. If we need to set our alarms or partner up with people, we just have to do so in view of its effects. We must maximize every opportunity to devote ourselves to prayer, building up ourselves on our most holy faith! 

PRAY, PRAY AND THEN PRAY SOME MORE! (Col 4:2-3)

 

As a prelude to the Col 4:2, Paul began to give specific instructions to specific groups of people in the Colossian church .i.e. wives, husbands, children, fathers, servants, and masters (Col 3:18-4:1). However, at Col 4:2, he gave an admonition, unlike the ones addressed to specific groups within the church, but one that applied to the whole Colossian church – “continue in prayers, and watch in the same with thanksgiving.” The word, “continue” contains a presumption that they were already praying Christians – which presumption cannot be safely made in contemporary Christianity.  Nevertheless, it is helpful to found continuity in prayers on a good understanding of what prayer is from God’s word.

What does it mean to pray/what is prayer?

Prayer is what is commonly practised by several people, and from time past. Catholics pray, Muslims pray, Hindus pray, even idol worshippers pray. Perhaps it is primarily within the world of Atheists, which is fast gaining grounds, that people who do not pray can be found. There seems to be that innate desire within man to pray, even to gods, or to a God they are not really acquainted with (Acts 17:22-23). This non-acquaintance with the true God has led to prayers or worship being offered to gods/idols, (Is 44:13-15, Exodus 32:1-2), instead of the true God. This is what prayers have become to most people, but it ought not to be the case for the believer (1 Cor 8:6-7). Our prayer culture should be founded on proper insight from God’s word.

The first mention of prayer in Bible is in Genesis 4:26, after the birth of Enos. There, it was recorded that men began to “call upon the name of the Lord”.

From the Bible, we can perceive that men prayed differently historically. Moses and Aaron lived in the same dispensation, but Moses’ prayers must have been different from Aaron’s because of a better understanding of God. The same can be said about the prayers of David, relative to Saul’s. Jesus’ prayer was definitely different from that of the Pharisees (Mt 6:1-8). This was what informed his disciple’s request that Jesus taught them how to pray. The distinction is further stressed by Jesus Himself when He admonished them not to pray like the Pharisees did (Mt 6:9-13). At this point, it must be reiterated that prayer was not a new phenomenon, people had been praying even under the Old Testament. Jesus however expounded principles governing prayer. We see that prayer should not be done the way it is done in the world not because of superstition, or because people usually prayed, but because we have the privilege of conversing with the true and living God – our Savour, Redeemer and Creator. To us, prayer should be an opportunity to converse with God, and it should be governed by the principles highlighted below.

Principles governing prayer

1. Sincerity: Jesus warned his disciples to desist from hypocrisy in prayer (Mt 6:5). The meaning of hypocrisy is well depicted by an actor, who assumes a role quite different from whom he really is. It is very much like the actors who take up roles in Nollywood different from whom they really are. Hypocrisy is basically acting differently from one’s true identity. The crux of Jesus’ teaching on the issue is SINCERITY. Prayer is communicating with God, it is not about teaching on prayer, or quoting back verses to God – who inspired the entire scriptures. It is conversing with him, and this must be done in sincerity. When praying, we should cast away pride, or pretentiousness and commune with God in sincerity.

2. Assurance of faith (Mk 11:24): Faith must be a factor  that must be found in our prayers. Indeed, faith is not just restricted to our prayers, but must pervade every sphere of our lives as Christians. It is the way we are to conduct our life in the flesh. It is the only way to please God (Heb 11:6). Heb 10:22, not only stressed the idea of sincerity, but also accentuate the principle of assurance of faith: “draw near with a TRUE heart and full ASSURANCE OF FAITH”. Truth be said, drawing near to God with a true heart and assurance of faith is not unique to New Testament believers. For example Simeon in Luke 2 could be said to have both ingredients of sincerity and assurance of faith in his prayer. However, the third principle highlighted below is what distinguishes the New Testament believers’ prayers from those under the Old Testament – prayer under the authority of Jesus.

3. Prayer under the authority of Jesus (Jn 15:16, John 16:23-24): Asking in the name of Jesus does not mean we verbalize whatever we want to say  and then finalize with the name of Jesus. Asking in the name of Jesus means asking in the authority of Jesus. Authority is what “name” signified in their culture – comparable to the authority an officer who acts in the name of the Queen, Government or Crown has. We can pray in His name not because of any good thing we have done, but because through Him, we have been granted access to God (Rom 5:1-2, Eph 2:18, 3:11, Heb 10:19-22). We have access because He paid the price by shedding His blood. Because of this we can approach God under the authority of Jesus, without cringing or crying or begging, but in boldness and confidence, just like Jesus at the tomb of Lazarus (John 11:41). Despite all the despondency and gloom all around, Jesus had no doubt at all that He was heard, and prayed in sincerity, boldness and assurance. We should have the same attitude Jesus displayed because we pray in His name (His authority).

4. Pray in accordance with His will (1 Jn 5:14-15, James 4:3): How many times have we asked God in prayer for things which are not in accordance with his will for our selfish desires? Bible declares that is only when prayer is done in accordance with God’s will that we have confidence that we have been heard and that we have what we ask of Him. God answers when our prayers are in accordance with His will.

 How do we pray in accordance with His will?

We can decipher His will through continual study of God’s word. A thorough acquaintance with the will of God will change the content of our prayers. It will ensue in us dropping things which we normally prayed for when we know that it is not in line with His will. In any event, when we cannot apprehend the will of God, we can pray to Him in tongues, knowing that we have the help of the spirit who knows the entirety of God’s will (Rom 8:26).

 Praying Continuously (Col 4:2)

Predicated on the foregoing context, believers are admonished to CONTINUE IN PRAYERS. It means to maintain the frequency and constancy of the discipline of prayer. We are to persevere in prayer (Eph 6:17, 1 Thes 5:17, Rom 12:12). Does “praying without ceasing” mean we go into seclusion, and never do anything else? No! It means we should not allow times of intermission to happen- or that there should never be seasons in our life when we go prayerless. Continuity in prayers should not be limited to church settings, but  continuity must be maintained in prayers beyond the confines of the church.

The life of Jesus was characterized by prayers. At different points we see Him withdrawing from the crowd, and engaging in prayers alone with God (Lk 4:22, 6:12, Mt 14:23, Mk 1:35, Heb 5:7, Mk 6:46-48, Jn 6:15). Prayers was also part of the early church’s practice [Acts 2:42 (a continual practice); Acts 4:31 (after persecution); Acts 6:4 (deacons appointed to enable greater attention to prayer); Acts 12:5 (on account of Peter’s imprisonment);  Acts 16:25 ( Paul and Silas in jail); Acts 20:36 (Paul while departing from the Ephesian church’s  elders). Jesus also drove the idea of continuity home with a parable in Luke 18:1. We are to pray whether there is trouble or whether there is no trouble; and whether we are in prosperity or whether we are in adversity.

Finally we are to note that:

[a] our prayers should be laced with thanksgiving – an attitude which must permeate every facet of our lives (Col 4:2)

[b] our prayers have an effect e.g on ministry (Col 4:3), on events (James 5:16), and on us (Jude 18), and other believers (Eph 6:17).

This should produce in us the desire to maintain continuity in prayers.

UNDERSTANDING THE GRACE OF GOD

The grace of God is the bedrock of your Christianity. Understanding it enables us to live a fruitful life, and see things from God’s perspective. You will appreciate what you have better with a full understanding of the grace of God; how God is the all in all.

Most view the grace of God merely as “unmerited favour” bestowed on us through salvation. A favour bestowed on us, not because we deserved it and yet we could not have worked for. However, it goes beyond that. The grace of God is a concept that reveals God’s character. It is a concept that brings joy and gladness; that depicts the character of God.

Also others view it narrowly, and see it as a concept limited to the New Testament. This is however untrue.. It is not limited to the Old Testament; rather, it cuts across both the Old and the New Testaments.

The manifestation of God’s grace can be seen in the Old Testament. For example Jonah expressed the fact that God was a gracious God. He verbalized this in Jonah 4:2 and cited it as the reason why he did not want to obey God by prophesying about the judgment of God that was coming on them for their sins. He knew that God was gracious and he could change his mind if they repented. This was exactly what happened.

 Other scriptures in the Old Testament underscore this fact of God as being gracious [Nehemiah 9:17, Exodus 34:6-7,Ps 78:38, Ps 103:8-18, Ps 145:8-9,Is 55:7-9,Joel 2:13].

However, the concept of the grace of God is better understood in the coming of Jesus Christ. What He came to do and made available to us showed us what grace is all about. A gift we did not merit in any way [John 1:14-17,2 Cor 9:15]. It was not about what we did, but about God and His gracious character.  Understanding the grace of God therefore cannot be fully comprehended outside the New Testament, or the work of redemption.  God demonstrated His graciousness in giving His son to die for us so we can be saved. [Titus 2:11, 2 Tim 1:9]. Indeed, every aspect of the work of redemption, from election to His incarnation, His vicarious death, our call to salvation, and our response to the gospel are attributable to the grace of God [2 Tim 1:9, Eph 1:4, 1 Cor 25-31, John 6:44, Titus 2:11, Titus 3:5-7. Even while on earth, Jesus Christ manifested graciousness towards people. For example, in Matt 9:36, seeing the crowd helpless and harassed like sheep without a shepherd, He was moved with compassion. Other verses also reveal this [Luke 4:22, Mk 6:31, Jn 3:16].

When we speak of the grace of God, we should realize that it excludes works or anything we could have done. (Different schools of thought in varying degrees try to ascribe the things salvation to some degree of works)???, thereby nullifying the role of grace. However, Paul understood clearly that God’s choice of us, our salvation, was entirely by His grace, and did not in any way include our works [Rom 11:6]. You were chosen and elected in Him. You did not decide on your own to be a Christian. Without the workings of God in you, you would not have chosen to give your life to Christ [John 6:44,65,  Eph 1:4]. Everything we see from Eph 1:4-14 which described our blessedness in Christ Jesus is punctuated at different parts with attributions of that blessedness to grace. Realize that your works in any way do not count towards your salvation. Emphasis on your works nullifies the work of grace!

We need to appreciate the priceless possession God gave to us because He chose to save us of His own free will [2 Tim 1:9, Rom 8:28-30]. It cannot be over-emphasised that the coming, death and resurrection of Christ is a demonstration of God’s grace. There was a substitution for you in that Jesus died for your sins, He took your place, so you can have life; it was not based on your good works, but only His grace! Rom 8: 28-30, Gal 6: 15. We were justified through redemption by the grace of God [Rom 3:24, Titus 3:7].Our perseverance and continuity in the faith is also by His grace [1 Pet 1:5, Jude 1:3, 24, 1 Cor 1:9,1 Cor 5:23-24].

Paul had such a profound understanding of God’s grace that He attributed all He was to the grace of God [1 Cor 15:10], and relied on that even amidst challenges [2 Cor 12:9]. God’s grace satisfies every need of man. The earlier we lived our lives in that consciousness, the better we approach life. We become more fruitful when we live consciously and deliberately in the reality of the grace of God. We know His grace is at work in us in all situations, and cease depending on ourselves but on the grace of God!