FIRST ARTICLE:
A KING’S
INVITATION
(2016, THE YEAR OF THE
SON)
The Lord spoke to me
and impressed on my heart to have a meeting called ‘A King’s Invitation’ and He
gave me a scripture for it.
I want you to know that
the Word you are about to read today will change your life forever. I see you
getting bigger, greater, your marriage better, your children more obedient and
submissive to your authority, your wife more loving and you will be more caring
in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. You have entered your best year yet.
By the end of this year, your life will be a thousand times better.
If you come to our
church and you see what the Lord has done, the tiling, and the roof and the
excellence, God did it cheaply. He was reminding me when today of the big
things He has done for me so far. And He has done them with ease and without
fanfare that grace is upon us. What God will do in your life in 2016, it will
be obvious it is God that did it.
First of all, why the
King’s Invitation? What do we mean when we say A King’s Invitation?
We’ll begin by defining
the word invitation. An invitation is a written or spoken request for someone
to go somewhere else or to do something. Secondly, an invitation is a formal
request to be present or participate. Now we all know that God is A King. In
fact, He is the King of kings. So, let’s explain the King’s Invitation and take
you into the Big Picture of 2016.
In Matthew 22:1-4 the
bible says; “And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and
said, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage
for his son, and sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the
wedding: and they would not come. Again, he sent forth other servants, saying,
Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and [my]
fatlings [are] killed, and all things [are] ready….”
From the above
scripture, you will notice that the King was inviting them to come for a
wedding and He said to tell them that they should come that he has killed his
oxen, he has killed his fatted calf and they should come to the dinner for all
things are ready. We have entered a year that God is setting you up for a
blessing, because all things are ready. That means in 2016, the things you were
looking for, searching for, working hard for, you will find them placed in your
hands by God. He has made all things ready’.
You have to understand
that Christianity is an invitation to participate in divinity. Becoming a
Christian is an invitation into the God-kind of life. It is an induction into
royalty. It is also an adoption into a family. It is becoming a member of a
royal family. Becoming a Christian is a complete change of status. As a
Christian reading this, you are now a member of God’s household. Notice from
the scripture that the king never forced them to come. It was an invitation. He
said tell them that all things are now ready. As Christians, the Bible tells us
we have been invited to marry the lamb.
2 Corinthians
11:1-2 says; “Would to God ye could bear with me a little in [my] folly: and
indeed bear with me. For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have
espoused you to one husband, that I may present [you as] a chaste virgin to Christ.”
We’ve been invited to a
wedding.
According to
Matthew 22:5-10; “But they made light of [it], and went their ways, one to his
farm, another to his merchandise: And the remnant took his servants, and
entreated [them] spitefully, and slew [them]. But when the king heard
[thereof], he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those
murderers, and burned up their city. Then saith he to his servants, The wedding
is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the
highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. So those servants
went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found,
both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.”
Christianity is
an open invitation. Jesus says ‘come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy
laden and I will give you rest’. (Matthew 11:28). So it is an invitation to
rest. It is not an invitation to struggle but to rest.
It continues in
Verse 11 saying: “And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a
man which had not on a wedding garment:”
Now you also have to
understand that when you get born again, there is a change of garment, God
takes away the cloak of sin and gives you the garment of righteousness. That is
why Paul said I want to present you a chaste virgin to Christ. It is a wedding
and if so, then there is a wedding garment, but from where we read, this man
was there, he wasn’t wearing the wedding garment.
Verse
22:12-14 says; “And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither
not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then said the king to the
servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast [him] into outer
darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called,
but few [are] chosen.”
This guy was in
the wedding ceremony, but wasn’t wearing the wedding garment, in other words,
he was among Christians but he wasn’t saved. There are many people who are
amongst us, ready to participate in the royal bounty and they are not born
again, and the way you are going to be able to participate in it is to be born
again. Because that is the only way you are going to get your garment.
What I am sharing
is for believers, 2016 is going to be a difficult year for unbelievers. The
handwriting is on the wall all over the world. Look at the floods in the U.K ,
the floods in the United States. The fire burning in Dubai, it is going to be a
difficult year for unbelievers. But for those of us who are saved we are
spared.
To be born again
is to be exempted. You have to know it. I just want to remind you that when the
children of Israel were in Egypt, God made a distinction. Whatever problem was
happening to the children of Egypt did not happen to the children of Israel.
Those of us who have come to the Lord, who have been brought near to Him are
exempted.
Galatians
1:3-4 says; “Grace [be] to you and peace
from God the Father, and [from] our Lord Jesus Christ, Who gave himself for our
sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the
will of God and our Father:”
You
have to know that the way out of the troubles coming is to be saved. That is
the only way out.
In
1 Peter 2:9, scripture says; “But ye
[are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar
people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of
darkness into his marvelous light:”
So,
if you are born again you are no longer in darkness.
There
is a fascinating scripture that says; ‘arise
and shine for thy light is come, for the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee’
and forget to pay attention to verse 2 which say ‘For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness
the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen
upon thee’ Isaiah 60:1,
We
are in a season where darkness will cover the earth and gross darkness the
people. People are afraid everywhere. But the Bible says ‘but the Lord shall arise upon thee and his glory shall be seen upon
thee’. I want to let you know that it is important you start your year
right, get born again and get your garment. We are talking about salvation.
Luke
14:15-17 says; “And when one of them that
sat at meat with him heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed [is] he that
shall eat bread in the kingdom of God. Then said he unto him, A certain man
made a great supper, and bade many: And sent his servant at supper time to say
to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.”
No
wonder the Bible tells us ‘Blessed be the
Father and God of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places’ (Ephesians 1:3). We are in the season where
all things are now ready. You don’t struggle for things. You don’t beg for
things.
Luke
14:17-18
“And sent his servant
at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now
ready. And they all with one [consent] began to make excuse. …”
Some
of you might want to make an excuse for salvation today, saying ‘I will get
born again tomorrow’. I remember Mike Murdock shared a story why he always
makes an altar call before he preaches. He said he was in a meeting one day, he
didn’t make an altar call then a twelve-year-old girl left the meeting and was
hit by a car outside the service and she died. He said he had to fast for 14
days because he felt so guilty and since then whenever he preaches, he makes an
altar call first, because he doesn’t know when someone will just get up and
says the message is long and leave. People make excuses and say ‘I will get
born again tomorrow’.
When
I was seventeen years old, there was this young man named Ezikpe, he was about
15 or 16 years old, we use to call him Ezikes, and before then, I will tell
them it’s as though God wants me to be saved, it’s as though God wants me to be
born again and they will say you go and answer God’s call, go and get born
again, but he will say that they will get born again later in their lives, they
want to groove, they want to enjoy, when they are old, they will come to God.
The sad thing is that about two years later, Ezeikpe was involved in a
car-crash and he died. We went to school together, it still hurts me today, and
I wish I could turn back the hands of time and tell him that there was no
promise of tomorrow to the unbeliever. The only person that has the promise of
tomorrow is the believer. The Bible says ‘the path of the just is like a
shining light that shines more and more unto a perfect day’. But it says ‘the
path of the wicked is darkness’.
Luke
14:18-21
“And they all with one
[consent] began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece
of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. And
another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray
thee have me excused. And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I
cannot come. So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the
master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the
streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed,
and the halt, and the blind.”
It
is my prayer for you that what God ordained for you in 2016 will not go into
the hands of another, it is my prayer for you that in 2016, your destiny will
not be aborted. They were invited according to the Bible but they made an
excuse.
Luke
14:22-24
“And the servant said,
Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. And the lord
said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel [them]
to come in, that my house may be filled. For I say unto you, That none of those
men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.”
Matthew
16:13
“When Jesus came into
the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men
say that I the Son of man am?”
Religion
is the worship of God based on human opinion. He says ‘whom do men say that I
the Son of Man am’. A lot of times we worship God based on someone’s opinion of
God. You don’t judge God or deal with
Him by people’s opinion or by your experience, you judge God by who He is. And
the Bible says ‘in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the
Word was God’ (John 1:1). So, the Word of God is the accurate picture of who
God is. Don’t let anyone tell you who God is. Let the Word of God speak for
itself.
He
says ‘whom do men say I the Son of man
am?’ Every religion has an opinion of Jesus. The Muslims have an opinion of
Jesus. They call Him ‘Isa’, and they believe that when their ‘mahdi’ who is
their messiah will come, he will convert Christians to Islam. That is not our
Jesus.
TO BE CONTINUED...
SECOND ARTICLE:
NEW THINKING FOR A NEW YEAR(continued from last week)
You
are cut off from the life of God and that is why you don’t see divine supply. You
don’t see all the supernatural things you want to see. You can’t see them
because you are cut off. You are thinking like an unbeliever. You used to
travel every week but this week you just decided not to travel, so that demons
will not know the time to attack you. When you are like that something is
wrong.
Do
you think you are safe because you didn’t travel? Some people were sleeping in
their houses when a trailer went off the road and drove into their bedroom. What
of the incidence of the plane where it flew right on top of a house to meet the
people inside? People are safe because they are covered by His grace. Don’t
talk like an unbeliever, don’t talk like one that does not have a covering. You
have a covering. The Bible says ‘my life is hidden in Christ’. You are covered,
you cannot die. Your going out is blessed and your coming in is blessed. Don’t
be carnally minded.
If
you want to see different results, you have to think differently. When last
year started, people said a lot of prayers, binding all the spirits responsible
for what has been happening to them yet they still have the same thinking. This
can only produce the same results in your life.
Job
1:8-10 says; “And the LORD said unto
Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that [there is] none like him in
the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth
evil? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast
not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he
hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance
is increased in the land.”
That
means there is even a protection on your shoes.
The
Living bible puts verse 10 this way “You
have always protected him and his home, and his property from all harm, you
have prospered all he does, look how rich he is…”
In
the Message Translation, it says “Why, no
one ever had it so good! You pamper him like a pet, make sure nothing bad ever
happens to him or his family or his possessions, bless everything he does--he
can't lose!”
He
says he will pamper him like a pet. Have you seen a mother fond of her child? That
is the way God treats you, but God says if the suckling mother forgets her
nursing child, He will not forget you. He says you are in the palm of His
hands, then He also says you are the pupil of my eye.
The
devil speaking about Job said God blesses everything Job does—he can’t lose! Therefore,
you can’t lose as well. Have a New thinking. Start thinking differently from
this year, 2016.
Romans
8:6 says; “For to be carnally minded [is]
death; but to be spiritually minded [is] life and peace.”
Don’t
say things like ‘only God knows what is going to happen this year, money will
not reach some of us at all’. If you accept it in your thinking then that is what
it will be for you but not for the next person. The Bible says if you are
willing and obedient, you will eat the good of the land.
The
Bible says ‘as he thinketh in his heart…’, it did not say as the witches allow
him, rather it says as he thinketh in his heart so is he. God cannot help you
if your thinking is not positive. A lot of times we feel God can just do
anything, yes He can, but why is everybody not saved? God wants everybody on
earth to go to heaven but you know some people are planning to go to hell. It is
a choice. It is their thinking.
One
time Kenneth E. Hagin was ministering to a minister of God who had not been
able to walk, and while he was praying with the minister, the minister said ‘I
just know God doesn’t want to heal me, I just know it, he won’t heal me’ and
Kenneth E. Hagin being a prophet said God opened his eyes and he saw Jesus and
He had something like a bowl in His hand and He said‘see? he won’t let me’.
TO BE CONTINUED...
THIRD ARTICLE:
AN INTRODUCTION TO CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP 2
(continued from last-week)
We have
previously looked at the Concept of Leadership and the next thing we will look
at here is “content”. When we are dealing with content, we are looking at what you
contain and in this context, we are looking at the content of your character.
WHAT IS
CHARACTER?
Your character
can be defined as the sum-total of your personality; that is, the way you talk,
think and behave. We need to understand that in many ways, life is about
leadership. In the family, a father is the leader because he leads his wife.
Ephesians
5:23-24(MSG) says; “The husband provides leadership to his wife the way Christ
does to his church, not by domineering but by cherishing. So just as the church submits to Christ as he exercises
such leadership, wives should likewise submit to their husbands.”
The bible tells
husbands that their leadership should not be a domineering leadership, but
loving leadership; husbands should lead by love. As a father, you are also a
leader in your home.
In Ephesians
6:4(MSG), the scripture says; “Fathers, don't exasperate your children by
coming down hard on them. Take them by the hand and lead them in the way of the
Master.”
Fatherhood
is leadership. Therefore, any man that wants to succeed in leadership and in
family as well as in marriage must understand the principles and the parameters
that God approves. And it is important
to know that as a man, before you bring a child into the world, you should know
that you are going to lead that child. Similarly,
if you are in business, you are also a leader. You are leading an organization.
So, you have to understand leadership if you are going to excel in business.
Many businesses will not go beyond average because the individual heading them did
not develop or cultivate leadership skills for their businesses. If you are in
politics, you are also a leader.
“Samuel gave solid leadership to Israel his
entire life. Every year he went on a circuit from Bethel to Gilgal to Mizpah.
He gave leadership to Israel in each of these places”, 1 Samuel 7:15-16(MSG).
Everything we do
is about leadership, even our relationship with others require leadership
skills because you have to develop your people skills in your relationship with
others. So we began by looking at the concept of leadership. How does God
want us to lead and what are those things that He requires of us in leadership,
then the content, which deals with our character. We are looking at the
foundations of Christian leadership. What are those things that God requires of
us?
Proverbs 16:12
[KJV] posits; “[It is] an abomination to kings to commit wickedness: for the
throne is established by righteousness.”
TO BE CONTINUED...
SHOUTS OF VICTORY! (Testimonies from Charismatic Renaissance International Church Inc.)
Favor
in Marriage
I also want to thank God for my marriage
which took place in November 2015. Prior to that time, people advised me not to
go on with the plan at that period because things looked difficult. But I
believed what the Bible says about marriage that he that findeth a wife findeth
a good thing and obtains favor from God, so I went ahead with my plans to get
married. In a few weeks before the wedding, God made everything so easy that we
had five persons offering to give my wife the wedding gown for the day, some
others offered to make the cake free of charge and I was very happy and grateful
to God because I knew it was the favor of God that was working. PRAISE GOD!
Vincent K.
Favor
with Baby things
I and my wife have been believing God
for the provision of baby things because she and we received a knockout miracle
on the 1st of January 2016. A friend of mine called from London and
was asking after my family and everything else. I told him we were fine, and he
asked if I had gotten the things I needed for my baby, I told I hadn’t and he
said he was going to send me those things from London and right now they are
already on their way to us. GLORY TO GOD!
P. C. Ogonodi
HAVE A GREAT WEEK!!
Published by:
CRIC MEDIA TEAM
PRINT POWER MEDIA (PPM) YENAGOA.
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