FULFILLING GOD’S PURPOSE OF EVANGELISM

That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear,In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life” (Luke 1:74-75). God surely had a purpose foe investing His only begotten Son in His redemptive program;and He is determined to see that purpose fulfilled. Otherwise, the blood-washed sinner becomes a good-for-nothing saint, who like a fat but fruitless tree deserves to be felled off. But the attitude of many Christians shows they are unmindful of God’s divine purpose for their salvation. The Bible declared; “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly,in this present world;Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works” ( Titus 2:11-14).

All Christians are saved to serve. God’s purpose for pulling us out of the furnace of sin and placing us inside the coolness of His kingdom is not to accommodate our sins, make us His cosmic pets, nestle us in the sheepfolds to hear the soothing bleating of flocks; or regale us with the splendor of His majesty. We are saved to serve. And this purpose must be fulfilled.God has a dual purpose for saving sinners. It is to make them pure and peculiar people who will carry out the ministry of reconciliation (evangelism) on earth. “And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18).For this reason, there can’t be a sinning saint or an idle believer in God’s kingdom. After our deliverance from the power of sin, we are brought into the kingdom and given the grace to live holily and no loafer.Therefore, each Christian should be diligent in ensuring that God’s dual purpose for his existence in Christ’s kingdom is fulfilled. The Christian must hate sin and serve the Lord (2 Corinthians 7:1). If a saint sins, he immediately loses his place in the kingdom. He could get back his position only through repentance and restitution. Unconfessed sin would not be pardoned and a saint, if he sins, isn’t freed on account of his past righteousness (Please read Ezekiel 33:12-13, 18 and Hebrews 6:4-8).

If repentance is delayed or there is no room for it, and death strikes, the former saint is lost forever.Therefore, every believer should fear sin and take time to be holy."If sin is deadly, dleness is equally perilous. It seems the two works together to steal,kill, and destroy. The devil hits the saints best with sin when the believer has let down his guard and signed off from duty. Besides, an idle believer is a bad investment for God. The Lord wouldn’t mind to wind up His dealings with such a believer or permit him to drift away into affliction and eternal damnation. Unless the believer heeds the warning, accepts His chastisement and seek pardon and readmission. Finally, every believer is called to serve. He is to serve God by doing a specific and practical duty according to the measure of grace given to him. Serve Him faithfully without reservation and expect no commendation from any man.

PRECEPTS FOR CHRISTIAN TO SUCCEED IN LIFE

“Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do it with thy might; for there is (Ecclesiastes 9:10; Philippians 4:13).From this word of God, we could see that it’s the will of God for no work, no device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave, whither thou goest (and) … I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” every Christian to succeed in life.

Success or failure in life comes in line with one’s disposition to life. God has made time and resources available to man, and every opportunity must be made good use of. “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he”, the heart is the heart of all matters. The unregenerate heart is darkened, think evil and sees evil continually, thinks low and is brought low, think defeat and is defeated. But when Jesus cleanses your heart with His blood at salvation, your life and your attitude will change. Your heart and your thought are regenerated as you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and personal Savior. Therefore, you must not allow Satan and the world to force on you any thought and the consequence actions that may hinder your success. Slothfulness, laziness, procrastination and discouragement must give way to discipline, diligent, enthusiasm and determination in your life endeavors.

Discover yourself: You are not an accident of creation. God made you for a purpose, prayerfully discover the purpose. God made you in His own image and likeness, the image of God is the image of success, Whatever He is, He want you to be (Genesis 1:27; Romans 8:29). God made you for His glory and praise. Why became a reproach to Him? If you are a believer, discover who you are in Christ. You are a king and a priest. God has chosen you to reign in heavenly places with Christ Jesus (Please read 1 Peter2:9; Ephesians 2:6).

Dream good dreams: It is one thing to have good dream, and quite another to preserve them. Mind whom you share your dream with and avoid dream’s killer. Someone said, “Do not share you six feet view of yourself with those who saw a dwarf in you” do not share your dreams with dream killers. Dream killers are people who are more critical than complimentary. They are people who mock and jest at your dream, example, Sambalat and Tobias mocked at Nehemiah while he embarked on building the wall of Jerusalem. Do not keep company with those who steal your time and energy with useless, sometimes useful, but diversionary talks. They are also dream killers. “He that walketh with the wise men shall be wise, but a companion of fools shall be destroyed”(proverbs 13:20). Usually it is seed sown on good ground that flourish. Dreams are success seeds. Know where you sow your dreams.Decree and pray: Now you have some divinely imparted ideas (dreams) in your mind. Ask God to help you pursue and realize them. He has promise to prosper the work of your hands; pray for the fulfillment of that promise. Decree the righteous, prayerful decrees, bringing into being favorable conditions, profitable opportunities and needed resources that will help you to actualize your dream. “Thus saith the Lord, the Holy one of Israel, and His Maker … concerning the work of my hands command ye me” (Isaiah 45:11).

Drive/enthusiasm: A strong desire will tunnel through mountains of difficulties. You may not be able to control the feelings or opinions of others about you or your dreams but you can control yours. Therefore, motivate yourself. Never surrender your zeal to criticism. “People who are afraid of criticism never make decisions which will liberate them” And don’t forget that success always attracts criticism. Start the pursuance of your dream with zeal, continue with zeal and finish up with zeal. Don’t let the fire go down. Always remember that you can do it as long as Christ is in you, He wants you to succeed and fulfill His divine purpose for your life. “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth” (3 John 2).

Discipline: To live a life of purpose and success, you must be disciplined. Success means maximizing the available resources in order to hit a desired target. Even in spiritual matters, no one can ever live a victorious Christian life without discipline. It takes discipline to rise up early in the morning to pray. It takes discipline to drop some activities in order to study the word of God. It takes discipline to overcome some temptations. It is true of all good ventures in life. Discipline will help you not waste your time, talents and resources but to channel them to the actualization of a goal. Discipline entails making sacrifice. He who would achieve little, sacrifices little. Great sacrifices always attend great successes. When the Bible says, “If thy right eye offend thee pluck it out, and cast it from thee … “(Matthew 5:29), that is discipline. If you are not discipline, you can not plan well; neither can you follow your plans through.

Determination: The saying goes that where there is will there is a way. If you are determined, you will not yield to distractions and intimidations from any angles. Determination means purpose of heart. Daniel 1:8 shows us that determination was Daniel’s success blueprint. He had a clear picture of what his life should be and he would not settle for transient, demeaning, and defiling options. It has rightly been observed that the enemy of the best is the good. Therefore, go for the best and always keep going for the best.Diligence: There is no food for the lazy man (2 Thessalonians 3:10). “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might …“(Ecclesiastes 9:10). That you are a Christian does not automatically guarantee you prosperity if you refuse to work. It is the work of your hand that God promised to prosper. That you recite psalm 23 many times a day does not guarantee food on your table except you rise to work, and you work hard. In the sweat of your face the Lord God said you should eat. Adam was put in the garden to dress it. Father Abraham was into animal husbandry (Genesis 13). Isaac was a farmer. “ And there was a famine in the land … And Isaac went unto Abimelech … then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundred fold: and the lord bless him” (Genesis 26:1, 12). In spite of the famine, Isaac went ahead to cultivate his farm, believing God to prosper his effort, and He did.Keep afloat by His sovereignty: It is God who gives the increase. We must therefore work with Him and by His word if we ever hope to make any good success in life.

Then our dreams, desires, drive and diligence must comply with the scriptures. Otherwise God will not bless what contradicts His word and His will. You must live a righteous life, doing your business with clean hands. God will always fight unrighteousness and break up evil alliances and unequal yoking in businesses. Faith in God is the crowing of all our efforts. “For the Lord God will help me; therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed” (Isaiah 50:7) … “The LORD … will bless us … He will bless them that fear the LORD, both small and great. The Lord shall increase you more and more and your children” (Psalm 115:11-14). Without God we can do nothing (John 15:5). So, if you are still a sinner, accept Jesus Christ into your life and make Him the Lord of your life. Then success and prosperity will follow. Remember to do away with procrastination and laziness. Act now and it will be well with you.

GRACE AND FAITH FOR SALVATION

“And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins…Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Matthew 1:21; Acts 4:12). From these verses of the scriptures, it is clear and certain that salvation from sins come through the vicarious death of our Lord Jesus Christ to those who believe in Him. Salvation in essence, is an act of forgiveness from sin, deliverance from sin, and reconciliation with God through genuine repentance form sin and faith in Christ’s atoning sacrifice on the cross. Salvation is different from healing, joining a church, renouncing from idol worship, changing name. Salvation includes freedom from the power and guilt of sin, and all its consequence. It aimed to not to make us turn a new leaf but to make us live a new life. The grace of God teaches us to deny all ungodly acts or behavior and to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world (Titus 2:11).

Salvation makes it possible to live a godly life in the face of temptation, corruption and evil. God’s offer of salvation is by grace. Grace means the favor of God which we receive without the any merit or work, while faith is the spiritual mechanism through which man receives salvation. Being healed, having dreams that are continually being fulfilled and reading the Bible and to memorize its verses without the experience of salvation, amount to self-delusion and destruction. Salvation is the object of grace; it is not obtained by keeping the law of Moses. Salvation is not like traits we inherit from our parents; it cannot be passed from husband to wife, from wife to husband, from parents to children or from children to their parents. To be saved; one, acknowledge and repent of your sin or sins; two, renounce Satan and all his activities; three, receive Christ as your Savior, and put your faith in the atoning work; not in your good morals or good works; four, rely on God to live a victorious life. Only Christ can make one a new creature in righteousness. Yes, Jesus have the power if you can come to Him today. “But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name” (John 1:12). “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith” (1 John 5:4).

Any one that lacks the assurance of salvation cannot overcome sin, Satan, the world and temptations. Assurance of salvation means a firm and confident understanding that one’s sin is forgiven. Those who lack the assurance of salvation place their confidence on feeling rather than a faith. They think to be sure, must have a certain kind of feeling. Others feel they must be happy always. Salvation is not by feelings but by faith in the atoning work of Christ. This faith is dynamic, which produces not only assurance of salvation in our hearts but also fruits of righteousness in our lives.

WALKING DAILY WITH CHRIST

“As he spake these words, many believed on him. Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” - John 8:30-36 (KJV).

The new birth experience is the beginning of life-long adventure of walking with Christ. But, what does it mean to walk with Christ? You took the first step toward walking with Christ when you decided to repent of your sins and commit your life to the Lord, Jesus Christ. This step, although vital, is not the only step you are supposed to take.

To be a disciple of Jesus Christ, you must walk with him consistently. One of the essentials things of walking with Christ is reading God’s word, the Bible. The path of life is littered with temptations. The safest way of walking and not stumbling at any of the temptations is to read and keep the word of God. The holy word of God as a guiding light is imperative to those walking with Christ daily. It dictates the conduct and life-style of the believer and it has the final say on all matter that concerns the believer.

Another essential in walking with Christ is prayer. Communication is essentials for a growing relationship. When you pray you are communicating with God. The Christian life is a new experience to everyone that is newly converted. As a Christian, it’s essential to maintain a life of open communication with God as a habit. Not only does the person walking with Christ has the privilege of telling God about whatever bothers him, he also has the added advantage of having his need met. Prayer, the act of communicating with God, is also the greatest weapon through which the devil and his cohorts are defeated. Prayer is simple. It is casting your care upon God (1 Peter 5:7), asking God, the father, whatever you need (John 15:16) in the name of Jesus (John 14:13).

The most essential in walking with Christ that many overlook today is obedience: This what God demand from us and He places a high premium on it. A number of people who profess faith in Christ faltered when it comes to obedience. This is because they see Jesus as Savior but fail to know and accept Him as Lord. The Bible says “Jesus is Lord”. It is important to know that the true wisdom consists in building our spiritual house on the Rock, Jesus Christ our Lord. This singular act will make our Christian faith to become strong and firm in the fundamental principles of victorious Christian living. Our Christian life should always obey the Lord when things are convenient or when things go contrary to the way of our expectations. Jesus is Lord forever! He demands absolute obedience for all believers who are walking with Him. Our motives, tempers and lives should always conform to His Word, leaning on nothing but His grace and enabling power. Hence, walking with Christ is the most glorious experience in life that can ever happen to a Christian.

There are new discoveries for us each day in our daily walk with Christ. It ushers us into deeper knowledge, greater experiences and enjoyment of God’s blessings. With Christ as Captain of our salvation in our journey, He’s ever faithful to grant us victory, success, happiness and fulfillment here on earth and a blissful eternity hereafter.  “But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and has been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them” (2 Timothy 3:14).

BURNING FIRE OF GOD ON THE ALTAR

Leviticus 6:12-13, “And the fire upon the altar shall be burning in it; it shall not be put out: and the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order upon it; he shall burn thereon the fat of the peace offerings. The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out.” God expects the Old Testament priest to keep the fire burning on God’s altar continually. In the same vein, this divine instruction is still very relevant to us today as Christians and very useful to sustain God’s fire in our souls. Every born-again Christian is a priest unto God today. “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a 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; Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy” (1 Peter 2:9-10).

Believer’s growth and development begins after he/she is born into God’s kingdom into a new life. This new life in the kingdom is with the new thoughts, new walk, new behavior, and new language of God's grace with divine nature to live a holy life. This experience didn’t end there. Our body now belongs to God’s temple, which the holy fire should be burning therewith continually. There’s need for such believer in Christ to continue in the faith to the end in spite of all challenges (odds), as we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God (Acts 14:22). Final salvation is when we shall see Jesus face to face. Salvation in Christ Jesus is an open door to God’s love and mercy to receive the fire of Holy Ghost that burns continually in our souls.

It’s our sole responsibilities and coupled with the measure of grace given to us to keep the fire of God’s love burning and glowing both in our hearts and in the souls (mind, will, and emotions) and the fire of Holy Ghost should continually be burning in us. “It is the burnt offering, because of the burning upon the altar all night unto the morning, and the fire of the altar shall be burning in it…Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God” (Leviticus 6:9; Romans 6:13). These verses of the scripture revealed to us our responsibilities to continue in submission to God’s word so that the Holy Spirit could keep His fire burning perpetually in your soul. It is wisdom for us to take heed to this admonition today. “That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us” (2 Timothy 1:14).

It takes walking in the Spirit to sustain, keeps safe, or guard the fire of God’s love in your heart and soul! In Leviticus 6:10-11, “And the priest shall put on his linen garment, and his linen breeches shall he put upon his flesh, and take up the ashes which the fire hath consumed with the burnt offering on the altar, and he shall put them beside the altar. And he shall put off his garments, and put on other garments, and carry forth the ashes without the camp unto a clean place”. The ashes in Leviticus 6 are an indication that fire has thoroughly burnt through sacrifice on the altar.

Hence, God instructed the priests to carefully handle them and properly dispose of them outside the camp in other to allow the fire to keep burning continually. Self-glory, self-centeredness, self-focused, and praise of men after God has used us to accomplish His purpose is nothing to us anymore as servants. Not only that, we should humble ourselves continually in God’s presence and return all glory to His Holy name in anything He has used us to do. “Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake” (Psalms 115:1). God bless.