THE HEART-FIXER

Luk 4:18  The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 

First of all, I would like to apologize for uploading this topic before I had written anything on the article. It was a mistake.  I had wanted to just write this topic and leave it until I felt comfortable enough to develop it,(honestly I have several topics that I left as drafts, that I have not developed. I guess if this error did not occur this would have been one of such). so here goes:

In our world today, heart breaks seem to be a common theme. Many suffer from broken relationships that they have invested so much in. In fact, I heard of a young man who drank poison and died because his girlfriend, whom he had been dated for years, broke off the relationship. The pain of a broken heart seemed too much for him to bear. Others have had their hopes dashed, in business deals or huge expectations. The events that unfold before our eyes gives no one the comfort or believe that things would be better. The uncertainty of what tomorrow holds, grips a lot of people with fear.  Still others have been so betrayed, hurt, lied against and misrepresented that deep wounds have been created in their hearts.

Maybe as you read this your heart has been broken and the pieces never seem to mend. The Hurt we feel in our heart can leave us with a lot of negative attitudes that destroy other relationships in our lives or even ourselves. For example, have you noticed how children from broken homes, get so angry and rebellious. They feel betrayed, some even think it is their fault that their parents have separated and cant understand what is happening. Their hearts are broken and battered by the feelings of rejection and the pain of not having both parents like other children.

If you fall into any of the categories above or even if you suffer a broken heart, of which cause is not covered above, then I have good news for you.

Jesus in the above scripture gave a manifesto as to what he was sent to do upon the earth. One of the things he highlighted is that He came to heal the brokenhearted.

If you have ever been in a painful situation, like I have, many people may come with comforting words. Some in their words reveal that they have no idea what you are going through. They seek to deal with the issue on the surface and never can address the core of the matter but I know of one who can go to the very heart and deal with the pain. Thank God that Jesus does not say that He is  just a comforter that helps me deal with the pain but He can ,if I will let him, heal that broken heart.

Don't take your life, give up or become bitter, angry etc

Friend, Take your hurting heart to the Heart-Fixer even if you're in a mess that is of your own making, He still welcomes you. Your broken, bruised and crushed heart can be whole again.

Jesus Loves you more than words can express, so much so, that He died to prove His Love.

KINGDOM SERIES- A YOKE THAT BRINGS PEACE

Mat 11:28-30  Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. 

Our world, as it is today, is faced with several challenges, problems and conflicts that makes the heart of men fail them.  A look at the state of affairs of the economies of several countries and the constant threat to the peaceful co-existence of individuals in a nation does not help matters. From the constant beheadings that are so graphic by various terrorist groups, to suicide bombings in various countries by a religion, who by name claims to be peaceful, but has raised so many who have no regard for human life.

In the Light of these sad state of affairs, I would like to share with you the words of Jesus in the Scripture above.

Come to Jesus.

It begins  by encouraging us to come to Him. Come with your burden of sin. Most would run away from a man that has been labouring and has a heavy burden but Jesus asks us to come with our burdens to Him. You are not too filthy for Him, nor your burdens too great for him. He offers you peace if you would but come. Friend, I don't know what you have been labouring with and the burden or yoke that has been placed on your life. Jesus promises you rest! This rest is however dependent on whether you would agree to come to Him in the place of prayer, repentance and absolute surrender to Him. You have been doing things your own way and yet you have never found rest, Why don't you surrender to Him and let Him give you the rest, He promises.

If you are already a believer in Christ Jesus and you have known the rest that he gives from sin already, then this next section refers to you.

As believers we have come to accept a gospel that states that we have no responsibilities and that Jesus did it all,(In a sense this is true. As we obtain forgiveness of our sins based on the price he paid and not based on our righteousness).

However, verse 29 of the scripture above, makes us to understand that when he delivers us from the yoke of the devil and of sin, He(Jesus) has a yoke that we should willingly take upon ourselves, learn of Him if we are to find rest for our souls.

Notice that in the scripture above there are two "rests" being stated here.

One rest is the rest that comes from being made right with God while the second rest comes when we have decided to live our lives for the One that gave His life for us.

Many Christians go about rejoicing(as they should) that they have been delivered from the yoke of sin and hell but never submit their lives to take up His yoke.

Have you met people who have given their lives to Jesus but still live the way they want to? Their relationship with Christ does not affect their conduct, behaviour, friends or any aspect of their lifestyle. A constant conflict rages with regards to who they profess they are and the identity of who they truly are. They are Christians in title but not in lifestyle. Are you such a person?

This mixed lifestyle has opened them up to a plane of existence where Satan can still harass and oppress them because they do not see the need to submit to the yoke of their new |Lord and Master. Where they stand is easily accessible to the enemy of their soul and hence they have no peace.

To these Jesus says: Take My Yoke and My Burden. In case you did not know, Jesus has a Yoke,a burden that is light compared to what we bore before,but nevertheless a Yoke. A yoke may not convenient  at first but if you do yield your life to live only for Him, you will find it easy and have rest for your soul. Learn of Him and stop living for your pleasure, passions and desires. He gave up true comfort to die for you, would you do the same for him? What has your Christianity cost you?

There is a Yoke that brings peace and only if we yield our lives to Jesus totally in words and in our deeds can we share in this experience.

Many acknowledge Him as a Saviour but few know Him as Lord.  You must know Him as both.

Kingdom Series- Is The Church A Place of meeting God?

Exo 33:7  And Moses took the tabernacle, and pitched it without the camp, afar off from the camp, and called it the Tabernacle of the congregation. And it came to pass, that every one which sought the LORD went out unto the tabernacle of the congregation, which was without the camp. Exo 33:8  And it came to pass, when Moses went out unto the tabernacle, that all the people rose up, and stood every man at his tent door, and looked after Moses, until he was gone into the tabernacle. 
Exo 33:9  And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended, and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the LORD talked with Moses. 
Exo 33:10  And all the people saw the cloudy pillar stand at the tabernacle door: and all the people rose up and worshipped, every man in his tent door. 

Christianity is not a set of moral principles!

Do not get me wrong here, men will definitely become morally upright by knowing God and walking with Him but any other morality that exists outside of a living relationship with God is the same as what Buddhist Monks do. They are able to  discipline themselves and deny themselves  great pleasures by an act of their will. God considers this righteousness, attained outside of His help and relationship with Him,as filthy rags. What motivates us to live for God should not be the fear of hell or judgement but our love for  and closeness to Him.

How does the above verse of scripture fit into my message for today? Please bear with me and keep reading.

Let me start by giving you some background of what happened before Moses did what he did in the verses above.

In Exodus chapter 32, the High Priest who was in charge of instructing the people of Israel in Spiritual things, in the absence of Moses, fashioned a golden calf for the people to worship the true God before it. The people declared that:these be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. If men do not know the God that delivered them, they will give the glory of their deliverance to anything.(I think thats a quote I heard from Pastor Tunde Bakare).

It amazes me that the High Priest did not even know God enough, to defend Him before the people. So why should the people know any better? I have met Christians who quote their Pastors more than they do the bible. When we are engaged in discussions about the Christian Life, you hear them say, My Pastor said this, My Pastor said that. This seems to  point to a void of personal knowledge of God. Again I am not advocating that we despise the words of our Pastors but like the Late Archbishop Benson Idahosa says "1 Peter chapter One verse five says, Acts 2 verse 3 says, I, Benson Idahosa say, What do you have to Say?''

After the incidence of the golden calf happened, Moses realised that the people, and worse still even the High Priest, did not know God!

This made him take a  tabernacle and set it up so that any one that sought God would do so there.
He set it up away from the distractions of their homes, children, friends etc, so that people could truly seek God for themselves.  Unfortunately only Moses and Joshua went to seek God, everyone else still sort to worship God from their tent doors. Not seeing or willing to put in the extra effort it takes to know God personally.

Many have forsaken times of prayer and count on the Pastor to pray for them because that is convenient. Few will cultivate a discipline of seeking God at Night, fasting, personal study of Gods word or even longing for God on a personal level. This has left Christians powerless against the onslaught of the devil.

As bad as the personal state of affairs of most believers may be, it is compounded even further when Churches are no longer tabernacles of meeting God.  Entertaining men seems to be more important than ensuring that men encounter God in our services. A lot of sermons have made believers to think that it all starts and ends here.People are devoid of a real walk with God and many grow lean in the House of God. Many in the house of God, Have come to depend on their Pastor so much, that they can not seek God for themselves.

Worst still is that some Pastors take pleasure in this state of affairs.Why should you be happy that your congregation remains trapped in Spiritual diapers? Why would you have people attend your church for two hours every sunday and leave without having touched the God of Heaven?

You were called to prepare all God's people for the work of Christian service, in order to build up the body of Christ(Eph.4:12)

Every Pastor owes it to his congregation, as much as it lies with him, to preach, teach and pray for his congregation till they grow in their walk with God and live out the call of God for their lives.. He should , like Moses, put forth the Tabernacle of meeting or in this case a lifestyle or teachings  that would help the believer know God for himself.

At this point I would like to ask you, Is your church a place of meeting God? Or does God stand at the door of your church and Knock?

Jesus said :Mark 11:17  And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.

KINGDOM SERIES - I, REBEL

Matt. 11:12  And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. 

Rebellion is not considered a positive word.

In fact, whenever the word rebellion is used we conjure up images (mainly of teenagers if you are a parent) of spike hair styles, tattoos, heavy metal rock music or things that are considered deviations from acceptable behaviour.  (Come to think of it, why are rebellious teenagers drawn to these kind of music? I think there is more to be said on this but not today)

Well today, I would like to promote rebellion(I know that the word isn't the proper word to be used as rebellion deals with a struggle against legitimate authority but if you  once lived in sin, like I did, then at that time satan had legitimate authority over you and even though you have left his camp, he still seeks to have you serve his purposes, hence the word Rebellion is adequate to an extent)

I choose to rebel, because in this day and age, an enemy has arisen that seeks to hold me from the fulfillment of the great destiny that God has for me. This enemy is well organized and has found a way to make Christianity look absurd and ridiculous. It focuses all its arsenal to get the one who is a believer to come to conformity with its mould.The whole environment around us does not really support or encourage living for God.

The world clamours that we accept gay marriage as normal, pornography is only a click away, almost every advert or bill board displays an unclothed woman even when what is being advertised is not going to be used on the body or on women. In the traffic, you are insulted so you can resort to the level of trading insults, to do business you are asked to give bribe to buy favor or lose out.

Many in this world rebel against the only One(Jesus Christ) who they should submit to, while submitting to the one(Satan) who they should rebel against. Many have enthroned their intellect as god, not knowing that the true throne that they are bowing to, is to the god of this world-the devil.

The world's system and way of doing things is so opposed to the Christian life that if we choose to live a godly life we must be resolute and rebel against this ungodly system.

If as a Christian, all men speak well of you, or If you are a christian and you have known no battles or nothing has ever opposed your christian life, please do not rejoice. Check the word of God if the Christianity you are practising is of the Bible.

Jesus says in John 16:33  These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Jesus assures us that we would be victorious but not that we would be trouble free!

Friend, I call you to join the rebels of God and stand against everything that stands to destroy the purpose of God in your life, family and the environment where you live. Live a different life from the world. Point the sinner to the salvation that was purchased for him.Live no longer to gratify the desires of your flesh.

That sinful desire is not there for fun, it seeks to destroy your eternal destiny. Stop playing with it!

Go to God who still has weapons which are mighty. Our weapons are mighty in deed through God.

Stand up against every depression, oppression, weights and sin. Seek that only Jesus would be Lord over your life and no other.

I choose to Rebel, would you?

Kingdom Series: His Kingdom and His Will but Where are His People?

Dan 2:44  And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. 

The Jehovah's witness look forward to a time when God's kingdom is set up on the earth. I love the utopia I see in the images they present in their magazine. Little babies cuddling great lions, healthy looking couples taking a walk with smiles on their faces and so on. The sense of peace and security that seems to overflow from these pictures makes you think, Wow! who wouldn't want this?!

As desirable as these images are to me,I have a problem with it.

The problem I have with these images, is that, they seem to endorse the assumption that if its not picture perfect then we haven't began to see the establishment of God's Kingdom on the earth. It seems to suggest that for God's kingdom to be operational on the earth all the troubles of life must first of all give way. 

Do not get me wrong, I believe that as revealed in the book of revelation that we would see the rule of Christ upon all the earth but I believe that this reign of Christ has started in the hearts of men both here and now.

There are men  who though they walk the earth,  have chosen to  march under the banners of a heavenly flag, the dance to the beat of a heavenly drummer, they live their lives to honor only a heavenly King, they are in this world but they are not of this world, their allegiance and loyalty is pledged to a king that is not of this world. They know that they are citizens of  the very kingdom of God.  

These are men who face great storms and still come out strong,  They have faced great conflicts but it did not compromise their stand.I am talking of men that could still worship in the face of great personal loss, men who harbor no bitterness but sustain those that sold them into slavery even when they could pay them back.

I say this because many Christians also have assumed a state where they long for this utopia and forget that, here and now, their King needs them to live by heavenly decrees.

Friend, not everyone is destroyed and burnt by the fires that are kindled in this world (Ask the 3 hebrew children). 

God says In Isa 43:2  

When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. 

These ones can go through the place of weeping and turn it into a place of refreshing. They are willing to yield their lives to serve the purpose of their great King and their love for him makes the trials they face a light thing.These are the ones that hold a song in their hearts in the darkest night, who set their course in life by a distant star-Yes, the bright and the morning Star. They walk by a light that is not the light of the day nor of the night but are guided by the true light that lights every man that comes into the world. These are the men and women who have totally yielded their lives to the King of all kings.

These are the ones that say boldly, It is no longer I that lives but Christ lives. For these ones, the kingdom of God is not a distant or future utopia, it is something they live and walk in daily.

A lot of Christians do not know the peace that comes from taking up their cross to follow Jesus.So many are unwilling to go through any hardship and would easily compromise rather than face any inconvenience for the one they call their Lord.

Oh, I pray that I would be among those who live by a different set of rules and have complete trust in God to cast my anchor completely on Him. 

Did you notice that in the scripture above that it is in the days of "those" kingdoms that God chooses to set up His own Kingdom. Friend, God's kingdom is not coming, it is here already! It exists in the heart of men and women who live by the decrees that issue from heaven in their day to day life. 

These people face great conflict because their laws seem to contradict the laws of the land where they dwell. Their way of life opposes the way the nation, in which they dwell, have chosen to live. Laws have been set up by these kingdoms to oppose the establishment of their kingdom on the earth but they still do not back down.To these ones I want to say to you: Be encouraged! You are among those heaven applauds as an overcomer. We suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together with Him. 

I have heard of God's kingdom, I have heard of His will but where are the people who would live for this great King no matter the cost? 

Oh, May I be found to be one.