IN EVERYTHING GIVE THANKS - PASTOR E.A ADEBOYE

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his court with praise: be thank unto him,bless his name” (Ps. 100:4)Read Psalm 118:1-10

Some year ago, I heard a true story of man who was jailed in America because a woman alleged he raped her. Four years into his jail term, the woman confessed she lied against the man. So the case was re-opened in court. The lawyer of the plaintiff argued that if she lied the first time, what was the assurance that she was not lying this time around. So they returned the man to continue his jail term for a crime he did not commit. Today, there are many in the prison who knows nothing about the crime for which they are imprison.

THE CHAIN CALLED 'RELIGION'

No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him" (John 1:18). 

One of the most terrible captivity God must deliver mankind from is the bondage of religion. The worst chain in my opinion is to be chained to religion. When someone is bound to a set of religious beliefs which cannot save him, such a person truly needs to be set free. Religion may be defined as any belief system put together by man in his attempt to worship God. Ultimately, religion happens when man sets apart God's laid out pattern of coming to Him and sets up his own process to worship God according to man's precepts. Such may make religionists out of men but will never raise true worshippers of the one and only true God. 

I HAVE A GOOD NEWS FOR YOU

And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house" (Luke 19:5). 

There are several themes that could be explored in the encounter between Jesus and Zacchaeus. But the one that caught my fancy at this time is the surprise element in the story. What a pleasant surprise it must have been for chief Zacchaeus when Jesus said, "I'm coming with you to your house!" All that the man wanted was merely to catch a glimpse of Jesus. But now, he had the opportunity of a full view of the Master. Beyond that, he had the honour of receiving Jesus in his house, sitting at the same table and dinning with Him. It was a real pleasant surprise and I'm sure that Zacchaeus would have treasured the memory of that awesome event for the rest of his life. 

What would you be remembered for?

Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and wipe not out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God, and for the offices thereof" (Nehemiah 13:14). 

Every living being has two kinds of a past. There is the past that already is, and there is another past that is yet to be, but shall be. The first is gone, already completely out of our control. But the second 'past' is still in formation and can, to a reasonable extent, be created to our taste. Today is the womb from which tomorrow shall be born. But it is also the beginning of what shall be called 'yesterday' tomorrow, the beginning of the 'past' that shall be. The past is no more than the offspring of the present. When you are conscious of the present and you do what is right in the present, you create a past that shall come to be. The question is, what kind of a past would you want to follow you? Put differently, what would you want to be remembered for? 

REACH OUT FOR A TOUCH 1

And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid" (Matthew 17:7). 

Jesus had led three of His disciples into a mountain where He was transfigured before them. The Bible says His face did shine as the sun, and His raiment was white as the light. Then Moses and Elijah suddenly appeared on the scene, talking with Him. This spiritual encounter completely overwhelmed the disciples and they fell on their faces. But the Jesus came and touched them, with an instruction to get up and come out of their shock. That was the Master's touch. It was a touch that produced a lifting. That touch brought strength to the disciples, raising them from the ground and setting them back on their feet. 

Today, the Lord is still in the business of touching people and putting them back on their feet. That invisible hand of the Lord is available everywhere to touch those who would believe and make them whole. Sometimes, it is troubles or persecutions that overwhelm us and get us down. It could even be the stress of life and making a living that gets the better of us and knocks us down. Maybe it's your business, your marriage, or even your spiritual life that is broken down. The Master's touch can fix it and put smiles back on your face. The Master's touch can reverse the irreversible. It can bring hope where there is no hope. 

REACH OUT FOR A TOUCH 2

"And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?" (Mark 5:30).

The Bible is full of instances where Jesus touched people and they received definite divine intervention because of the Master's touch. But on the other hand, we also have a number of instances wherein it is people who reached out to the Master with a touch of faith. The well-known story of the woman with the issue of blood is a classical example. This was a woman whose menstrual flow did not stop for at least twelve years. She had visited many physicians, gone through countless medical procedures, swallowed medications upon medications, and spent all that she had in the process. But she never got better, not even a little. Rather, she got worse. 

Apparently, she also must have visited many prophets and spiritual houses. She must have prayed all manner of prayers. When that didn't work, she must have added fasting, in spite of her physical weakness. She must have recited all the Psalms and other Scriptures she knew and those that were recommended for her. But none of these brought her any relief. With no money left, no cure for her ailment, and no hope that things would get better, her's must have been a very miserable life. It would have been no surprise if she had contemplated suicide. 

DE-BAGGAGE

"He has dispersed, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honour" (Psalms 112:9). 

Travelling with excess luggage has never been a wise thing to do when on a journey. Apart from the physical inconveniences, excess luggage take up spaces that could have been put to better use. Excess loads could also mean additional cost of transportation. And when you manage to reach your destination with all the excess loads, you will eventually find that you have used the resources you need to convey the things you really don't need. Wasted efforts and wasted resources are the typical results of travelling with excess baggage, especially when you really don't need the items. 

So it is with the journey of life. Too often, the average person carries with him things he hardly ever needs. Our wardrobes are filled with clothes we have not put on in the last one year or more. Displayed on our shoe racks are shoes we have not used, sometimes for years. Some of us have jewelleries we have not even looked at for a long while. Move into our kitchens and you find pots that have not seen the burners for years. Our cabinets contain plates, cups and cutleries that have not been privileged to visit the dining room for many, many years. These things ought not to be. 

DE-BAGGAGING PROCESS

But Zacchaeus stopped and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, half of my possessions I now give to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone of anything, I am paying back four times as much!” (Luke 19:8, New English Translation). 

I like the man Zacchaeus. When he met the Lord Jesus, he just knew that certain things must change and that life should no longer be business as usual. Without being told, he immediately commenced a 'de-baggaging' process to free his life of things that could slow down his spiritual journey. Of particular interest here is that Zacchaeus wasn't going to continue living with things that didn't belong to him. He just wanted to do away with anything he had not acquired legitimately. He wanted to urgently clean house and remove from his life the things that were not his. 

Friends, there are certain things that must not proceed with you in the journey of life, particularly at such a time as this. There are some needless load that must not come with you into your future, lest they destroy the glorious things God has in store for you. What do you have in your custody that you do not truly possess? What is in your hand that belongs to another? What office are you occupying that you took up through intrigues? What is lying in your house that rightfully belongs to another household? And who is lying in your bosom that belongs in another's bosom? 

EXCUSES - Revd Oluwamuyiwa Okuseinde

Never let your mouth cause you to sin and don’t proclaim in the presence of the angel, “My promise was a mistake,” for why should God be angry at your excuse and destroy what you’ve undertaken?" (Ecclesiastes 5:6, International Standard Version). 

Excuses. That is something you don't need in your life at any point in time. But human beings love to present excuses for their laziness, errors, weaknesses, incompetence and failures. We give excuses to God, to fellow men and even to ourselves. Man, why don't you stop making excuses and giving needless explanations? Why don't you just get up for once and do something worthwhile with your time, energy and resources? God hates excuses and they make Him angry. If you will rid yourself of excuses, you will make a lot of progress in life and advance greatly in your relationship with God. 

APOSTOLIC PLEA TO BELIEVERS

"And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; 

And to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. And be at peace among yourselves" (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13). 

Here is an apostolic plea to believers, urging them to value their pastors and respect their spiritual leaders. Paul, writing by the Spirit of God enjoined Christians to love those who have spiritual oversight over them. The Bible says that you are to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. "For their work's sake"? What is it about their job? For those who are truly called of God, ministry is about the riskiest job a man could undertake in this life. You will never know how much attack your pastor receives in his attempt to fight your battles. You won't know what denials he goes through on a regular basis because of you. You will never know what your ministers go through in the course of their job of watching over your soul. 

THE COUNTRY GADARA PRT 2

"And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones" (Mark 5:5). 

One of our Christian hymns talks about God sending His Son whose name is Jesus Christ to the world. His whole purpose of coming was to save, heal and forgive mankind. He came to buy our pardon with His own life and set us free from the things from which we could not deliver ourselves. He came so that by reason of His coming and His abiding presence thereafter, we may live forever, free from the shackles of sin and Satan, free to serve the Lord our God in holiness and righteousness all the days of our lives. That is the story of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God.

THE NAMELESS MAN AT GADARA PRT 1

"But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him" (Mark 5:6). 

Today, we want to take another look at the story of the man of Gadara. I am particularly excited about how the story ended. Here was a man whose life was a complete mess and totally wrecked. But the coming of Jesus was a turning point that brought about a total, positive change in the life of that man. I love that! His chains were broken and he was permanently delivered from the unclean spirit that made him hurt himself and do things that were not convenient. This is precisely why Jesus came into this world: to set us free from the chains that bind us. The good news is that Jesus is still in the business of breaking chains and setting the captives free. 

In a sense, virtually all people are living in one type of Gadara or the other, and we need to be set free. But thank God that whosoever the Son of God shall set free shall be free indeed. Therefore, whatever may be the chains you are dealing with, whatever could be the oppression you are experiencing, and whatever may be the affliction that is tormenting you, I want you to know that the coming of Jesus is your sure hope of freedom. Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the Son of the living God has come to bring you out of that Gadara wherein the enemy has shut you in. It is written, "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil" (1 John 3:8). 

There are a number of things that we can observe from the story of the man of Gadara that led to the destruction of the works of the devil in his life. Let us quickly look at some of those things that helped this man obtain his deliverance and ensured that the coming of Jesus produced that great change in his life. First, when he cited Jesus, he ran toward Him, unlike many who are refusing and avoiding Him today. Next, he quickly acknowledged His divinity by worshipping Him. Then most importantly, the man acknowledged Jesus Christ as the Son of the living God. He had no time for all that meaningless debate as to whether God has a Son or not. 

The story of this nameless man of Gadara should challenge us because if such a hopeless case could be reversed, repaired, redeemed and restored by Jesus, then there is great hope for you. If you also will willingly run to Jesus, if you will worship Him and acknowledge Him as the Son of God who is able to save you, you shall surely be saved. All who run to Him in faith and acknowledge Him as the Son of God will always benefit immensely from His coming. All who worship Him never go away disappointed. For those who receive Jesus, His coming will never be in vain. Thank you God our Father for sending us your Son, Jesus Christ. 

MICHAEL PHELPS: HOW GOD RESCUED ME

If there’s one thing the Olympics can teach us, it’s that hard work and perseverance can pay off. If there’s one thing it can’t teach us, though, it’s how to measure your life. Surely if you’ve won an Olympic medal, you would feel accomplished, right? Surely if you’ve won as many as Michael Phelps you could feasibly ride that feeling of accomplishment the rest of your life.

However, this was not the case for Phelps. Even after winning eight gold medals in Beijing, “Phelps says he despised the image of perfection his success had created.”

DON'T INVITE COMEDIAN TO CHURCH

BY Andrew Adah Okpe

Popular Christian actor and president of Mount Zion Faith Ministries, Mike Bamiloye has openly condemned Nigerian men of God who invite comedians to perform at church events, adding that it was wrong to be entertained by comedians who use the Christian faith as a topic to make jokes.

Bamiloye, tackled the topic in a lengthy post on his official YouTube page on Monday, according to a report by Premium Times.

The actor, who is also a director for Mount Zion Films titled the article, As per COMEDY in Church Meetings and Events!!

Thank you everybody

We sincerely appreciate every of our readers, to our over 12,000 subscribers and many others who appreciate our ministry, thank you for supporting us in the year 2016.

We do hope that in 2017, we will serve you better and that you will partner with us also to reach farther than we did this year.

This site is all about everyone who loves Jesus and ready to push the message to the unreached.

Thank you, we love you all. Do have a wonderful Christmas and Pleasant New Year.

 A.T Joel
Team Leader

20 THINGS I WISHED I KNOW BEFORE BECOMING A PASTOR

I

hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there are some things we are failing to prepare new pastors for.
Here are some things I wish someone would have sat down and told 20-year-old me. I have spent the last decade learning these the hard way:
Things I Wish I Knew Before Becoming a Pastor

1. It will be the hardest thing you ever do.
No seriously, it is really, really, really hard! Imagine the most difficult thing you have done and multiply it by a hundred. That may be close to how hard ministry is. If you want to be a pastor because it sounds fun or easy, do something else.

2. Integrity and a love for Christ will not be enough; you have to be able to lead people.
Your character and love for Christ are the requirements for entry. These are crucial and more important than anything. However, no matter how godly you are, if you cannot lead people, you will struggle.

JESUS IS COMING BACK THIS DECEMBER

Though HE said no one on earth knows the date of HIS coming back, it would seem someone thinks he knows.

Nora Roth, a Christian computer programmer and a conspiracy theorist, says the second coming of Jesus Christ is nearer than you think. He specifically predicts that Jeus would come back December this year.

Roth said he has conducted a research that shows the apocalypse will occur by the end of 2016