Author Archives: Ekundayo

Righteousness: What does it mean to be Righteous?

Posted by Sep 1, 2017 Holy Word, Church, Gospel Evangelism 1 Comment
Righteousness: What does it mean to be Righteous?

I was studying the scriptures to understand the process involved in having a mansion in Heaven and I stumbled upon this statement made by Jesus: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…” (Matthew 6:33). I changed my course of study to know the virtue of righteousness, and I would like to share my findings with you today.

The story of Albina during the war shows that the act of righteousness is more than a theoretical essay;

“Albina and Dennis Przybyszewski lived in Stydyn, a small Polish town. When the Nazis began to take away the Jews, Albina and her husband took several young Jews into their home to save them. In May 1943, a young Jewish man, his wife and her sister were hidden in their home.

The sister, Ita, had gone to another village when the Ukrainians under German command attacked the house. The young couple was killed and Dennis Przbyszewski was taking away and later killed. Albina ran to another village.

Ita went to another place. But they met again after two months in Sarny when they were being deported to labor camps in Germany. Ita was with another young Jewish girl, Batia. During the processing for departure the officials called out the name Przbyszewski, the people who stepped forward were Albina, her mother, Albina’s two young daughters, Ita and Batia.

During their entire stay in Germany, they lived together as one family and endured many terrific incidents until the end of the war.”

What is Righteousness?

It is God’s character related to perfection and holy justification in all issues of life.

Does God want us to be Righteous?

Yes!! The following verses speak the voice of God:

1. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” (Matthew 5:6)

2. “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:10)

3. “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:20)

How Can I Become Righteous?

The righteousness from human doctrine is a filthy rag which is also called self-righteousness.

The best way to become righteous is to forsake human doctrines (including all false church doctrines) and to obey all the teachings of the Lord faithfully. You cannot fulfill the righteousness of the Lord without the presence of the Holy Spirit in your heart.

John chapter 16 verses 8 say: “And when He (the Holy Spirit) has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.”

Is it Possible to be Righteous?

It is a pity that majority of the preachers in our generation have watered down the teachings of righteousness through misconception of the scriptures. Some of their misleading statements include:

1. “Only God can be righteous…

2. “It is not possible for the earthly body to obey righteousness, so recite Psalm 51 always.”

3. “You are under the grace and not under any law (of Jesus), so the grace will take care of your incessant unrighteousness.”

4. “Just become a Christian, your character does not matter because Jesus’ righteousness will take care of you…”

If righteousness is an impossible virtue for us, then the Lord will not instruct us to seek for His righteousness.

The golden rules

1. Understand the personality of the LORD by reading the Bible from Genesis to Revelation.

2. Believe the Power of the Lord and Love Him.

Romans chapter 1 verse 17 says: “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”

3. Allow God to control everything about you (this is the most difficult task for human!)

4. Obey the voice of the Holy Spirit in every decision of life.

Romans chapter 6 verse 16 say: “Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?”

 

The practice of these four steps makes you righteous in the Lord without your strength or power. It is impossible to boast of God’s righteousness, because it has to do with one’s daily submission to the Lord’s will.

I am not surprised that many pulpits don’t preach righteousness anymore. The church had mingled with the world. This sad scenario answers the questions of our Lord Jesus Christ recorded in the book of Luke chapter 18 verses 8: “…Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”

There is no shortcut to heaven, so, your righteous lifestyle is paramount. Prayer is not enough to yield righteousness, but you will enjoy the righteousness of the Lord through obedience to His ordinance.

Christian Children: 13 Ways to Raise Godly Children

Posted by Aug 16, 2017 Holy Word, Church, Family 3 Comments
Christian Children: 13 Ways to Raise Godly Children

Christian children are God’s Army for the next generation. How much training have you given to your children? How ready are the children in the church today?

I noticed that the moral attitude of children in many places across the world is bad. And there is less improvement in the lives of so many Christian children. This scary development breaks my heart, and I would like to share some vital points with Christian parents on this platform today.

To raise godly children is a great challenge. Training a child involves the process of repetition, encouragement, and reinforcement.

The Act of Training Christian Children

It is not all about writing a long list of instructions to your children, but the godly transformation starts with you (the parents).

1. You must live an exemplary godly life.

Deuteronomy chapter 6 verse 5 to 7 says: “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength… You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.”

2. Teach your children boundaries, and give them the liberty within those boundaries. That teaches independence, but also self-control and respect for authority.

3. Guide them to know how to read the Bible from their toddler age. The best guide for training Christian children for good character and godly lifestyle are loaded in the Bible.

Second Timothy chapter 3 verses 16 to 17 says: “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

4. Don’t irritate your children. Your decisions should be fair. Colossians chapter 3 verse 21 says: “Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.”

5. Idle threats is toxic, for instance: “If you shout again, I will break your …”

6. Spend quality time with your children. It is an avenue for them to tell you all the deceits, confusing statements and seductive approaches they were exposed to during the day’s activities.

7. Be firm as a parent. Don’t bend God’s commandments. Enforce it consistently.

It helps your Christian children to become good ambassadors in the society.

8. Beat your children when necessary.

Proverbs chapter 23 verse 13 to 14: “Do not withhold correction from a child, for if you beat him with a rod, he will not die. You shall beat him with a rod, and deliver his soul from hell.”

9. Correct their mistakes with love and not through public embarrassment.

10. It is not wise to publicly compare the abilities of one child to another.

11. Teach your children the power of music and how to engage in inspirational /worship songs all the time.

12. Jokes and all forms of worldly entertainment should be disallowed. Ephesians chapter 5 verses 1 to 11: “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children… neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks…”

13. Family Altar is essential; engage your children in singing and prayers to the Lord during family devotion.

 

Raise your Christian children in the way of the Lord and you will make the next generation to know more about Jesus. Train your children to be godly and the abominations in the land will reduce.

Old Self! : How to defeat your Old-Man!!

Posted by Jul 30, 2017 Holy Word, Gospel Evangelism , Leave a Comment
Old Self! : How to defeat your Old-Man!!

Old self is your personality that loves to do things in your own way without considering the opinion of the Lord. Old self or old man does not live to please God. The old-man hates the rules from the Lord, but loves everything about the world.

Old self is the rebellious nature which is not acceptable by the Lord. So, the teachings of Jesus Christ, His death and Resurrection are events that give New Life or New Man to all believers.

Everyone must put away the old self before enjoying the salvation of Jesus Christ.

I give God the glory for my life today. My old self starts to manifest from the tender age of nine. I grew up from a Christian home, but my old self pleases me more than obeying the instructions in the Bible.

So, I was hypocrite for a long time. I lived a lukewarm lifestyle till my final year in the Polytechnic. My encounter with the Lord defeated my old self, and I became a new man in Christ.

Today’s message will reveal the power of old self and how to overcome the forces of the old man.

What are the Features of the Old Self?

The old self neither obeys nor respect the Holy Spirit. Now the works of the flesh are evident:

  • adultery
  • fornication
  • uncleanness
  • lewdness
  • idolatry
  • sorcery
  • hatred
  • contentions
  • jealousies
  • outbursts of wrath
  • selfish ambitions
  • dissensions
  • heresies
  • envy
  • murders
  • drunkenness
  • revelries

If you carefully go through the list above, and you notice one or two of the character in your life, then the old self is still in control.

Colossians chapter 3 verse 5 to 10 says: “Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which are idolatry.

Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them.

But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.

Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds.

And have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him.”

How to Defeat Your Old Self!

God loves you and He does not want your old self to put you away from heaven. The following tips will help defeat the old self:

  1. Walk in the Spirit

Paul said: “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” (Galatians 5:16-18)

You are not under the curse of the law, if you quit the features of the old self.

  1. Obey the Word of God

The old self would want you to always argue with the word of God. And the old man would make you see the instructions of Jesus as a difficult task to accomplish. The old self makes the Bible boring to you, but do not give-in to the old-man.

Read the New Testament carefully and understand the New Life Jesus Christ is introducing to you. Embrace Jesus by obeying all His commandments. You can do all things in Jesus. Thus, nothing is difficult in the instructions of our Lord Jesus.

Jesus says: “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.” John 15:7

Obedience to the word of God all the time will defeat the old man in you.

  1. Your Strong Determination is Essential

It is true that Jesus had completed your salvation on the cross, but He won’t spoon-feed you. You need to forsake worldliness. Make the right choice to follow Jesus with All your heart.

First John chapter 3 verse 4 to 6 says: “Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.”

Don’t fold your arms and expect Jesus to come down from heaven to earth to do all the fights for you. He can’t force you to abide in Him. The Power of Jesus will give you victory over your old-man, if you have a strong determination in your heart to stop all worldliness.

The Grace of God is abundant in our generation, but only few could enjoy it, because, many are not ready to pay the price – “Then He said to them all, if anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” Luke 9:23

Your old-self will die if you always refuse to do the common practice of the world. And your new man will live forever if you always obey the word of God daily. It is impossible for people living in their old self to inherit the kingdom of God.

So, make the right choice! Crucify your old man on the cross, and live a New Life in Jesus Christ.

Is Water Baptism Necessary for the Christians?

Posted by Jul 13, 2017 Holy Word, Church, Gospel Evangelism 4 Comments
Is Water Baptism Necessary for the Christians?

Water baptism is the immersion of a repented person in water as an outward proof of repentance. The process of repentance starts from the mind (soul), to the body (public display) and ends with spiritual transformation.

So, water baptism is the first part of public display by the new person who gives his life to the Lord. Today’s message gives a scriptural description of water baptism, and how important it is to the Christians.

Why Do You Need Water Baptism?

I have seen converts who were shy to tell people around them about their faith in Jesus. And in a short time, they were lured into worldliness again. Water baptism is significant, because it gives boldness to the heart of the new Christian.

If you can boldly come out to take part in public water baptism, then you will find it easy to tell people around you about your new life in Jesus. And It will be difficult for the spirit of shame to depress you.

Is Jesus Interested in Water Baptism?

The first servant of God who practiced water baptism in the New Testament was John the Baptist.

Mark chapter 1 verse 5 says: “Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.”

Jesus was not a sinner, but He decided to be a role model for the continuity of water baptism. So, Jesus insisted that John the Baptist should immerse Him in the Jordan River.

Matthew chapter 3 verses 13 to 15 say: “Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?” But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him.”

Jesus laid more emphasis on the practice of water baptism when He rose from the dead. Though, some false leaders in the Christendom said that water baptism is not compulsory.

But, that does not change the instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ written in the Book of Matthew chapter 28 verse 19: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…”

When is the Right Time for Water Baptism?

If you standardize your lifestyle with the Word of God, and you realized that the result is counterfeit, then surrender your total heart to Jesus for a new life.

Thus, repentance from your sinful lifestyle precedes water baptism. The book of Matthew chapter 3 verse 6 says: “… and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.”

Water baptism signifies the time for ‘public announcement’ of forsaking worldliness.

Acts chapter 2 verse 38 says: “Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Who can be baptized in Water?

All the scriptural references of water baptism shows that the people immersed in water can differentiate right from wrong. So, water baptism is not for infants or children who can’t distinguish righteousness from unrighteousness.

Any church doctrine practicing water baptism for infants is against the instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Where to Perform Water Baptism

Civilization and doctrine of men are changing the significant processes of water baptism. I am not comfortable with the in-door style of water baptism practiced in some churches.

In-door baptism does not take away the shame that makes it difficult for Christian babe to proclaim Jesus publicly. There is no part of the scriptures that supports in-door baptism.

Water baptism is best done publicly in a body of water.

 

Water baptism is pronounced in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). No any other name or ‘incantation’ is acceptable by the Lord.

Since our Lord Jesus Christ allowed Himself to be baptized as an example for His followers. I recommend water baptism for you when your body, soul and spirit are given to the Lord.

Steadfast; How Can I Stand Firm in the Lord?

Posted by Jul 4, 2017 Holy Word, Word of Faith 7 Comments
Steadfast; How Can I Stand Firm in the Lord?

Steadfast in the Lord means; ‘do not call God a liar when some unpleasant issues hit you hard’. Stand firm in your Christian faith! Steadfast is a word of encouragement to you at the point of your discouragement.

Few years ago, I lost my first child, a handsome baby boy. I love him so much, but my prayers could not stop death from taken him to heaven. God answered my prayers to raise two people from death on different occasions.

But, the prayers for my late son to come back to life went unanswered… I mourned him for a year, and my faith went through a tough trial. I asked God a lot of questions, but I only received few answers.

I stood firm in the word of God. Thus, He opened the womb of my wife and gave us a beautiful girl without delay.

Are you going through some unpleasant situations that makes you ask questions such as; Is God alive?… Is the Bible a true Holy Book? … Despite my commitment to the Lord, why this bitterness? All your questions have only one answer; “Steadfast in the Lord”.

Jesus says: “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world”.

The following steps will guide you on how to steadfast in the Lord without falling away:

  1. Don’t Hide Your Feelings

When you go through hard times, express your emotions in the presence of the Lord. But, do not blaspheme. Weep in His presence if necessary. It is not a taboo for Christians to weep on earth. The promise of “no more weeping” will be fulfilled in Heaven.

Revelation chapter 21 says: “Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth… And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away…”

For instance, Job did not hide his feeling when he was going through hard times. But, he steadfast in the Lord. “…That it would please God to crush me; That He would lose His hand and cut me off! Then I would still have comfort; though in anguish, I would exult, He will not spare; for I have not concealed the words of the Holy One…” (Job chapter 6)

So, the first step is to cast your feelings to the feet of the Lord. “Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. (1Peter5:7)

  1. Drag your Bible Closer

Some people throw their Bible away when a painful event occurs, and they find it difficult to regain their joy. Always read the Bible repeatedly to prevent evil thoughts from sweeping you off-balance. You will steadfast in times of troubles when the promises of the Lord fill your heart.

Many false pastors and prophets may intend to mislead you, but the knowledge of the Word of God in you will hold you firm. Listen to Peter’s advice: “You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked…” (2Peter3:17)

    1. Make Your Prayers

Complaints in times of trial lead to destruction. A typical example is the story of the Israelite in the wilderness. Numbers chapter 11 verse 1 says: “Now when the people complained, it displeased the LORD; for the LORD heard it, and His anger was aroused. So the fire of the LORD burned among them, and consumed some in the outskirts of the camp.”

Make your prayers known to the Lord and do not waste your time complaining on your knee. You can neglect the presence of some men when going through provocative situations, but do not shut the door of your heart against the Lord.

Jesus Christ steadfast when going through hard times on earth. And the secret of His firmness in the Lord is persistent prayers. Luke described Jesus’ feeling and action in chapter 22 verses 44: “And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”

  1. Lead the Praise and Worship

The power in praise and worship to the Lord is enormous. My broken heart receives healing whenever I praise and worship God. Praise restores the Joy of my salvation.

Yes! It might be difficult to weep in pains and sing praises at the same time. Praises to the Lord might not be practicable as the first step, and that is the reason I made it the fourth step. Nevertheless, it is a powerful step that will make you steadfast in the Lord.

Give God the praise for other unwanted circumstances that never happened to you… And worship God as One and Only Great God. The Bible says: “in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1Thessalonians 5:18)

  1. Churchgoing makes you Steadfast

To steadfast in the Lord also involves speaking to the right people. Visit a true servant of God or group of genuine Christians who strictly believe in the Bible. Share your pains, provocation, or troubled heart with God’s children and their good scriptural counsel will ease your heavy burdened heart.

It is dangerous to share your confused heart with lukewarm Christians; or else you will find it impossible to steadfast in Jesus Christ. For instance, Paul advised the true Christians in Corinth to steadfast in the Lord when he heard about the introduction of heresy by false Christians.

First Corinthians chapter 15 verse 58 says: “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”

Stay away from ungodly solutions or ideas in times of trouble.

 

Jesus says: “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world”.

The unpleasant condition you are going through is for a short period on earth. Stand firm in the faith you have in Jesus Christ and you will overcome the pains. If you steadfast in the Lord, then you won’t miss your crowns in Heaven.