PREACH THE WORD!!

Telling People about God and His word[The Bible] are habits some Christians find very difficult engaging in.

Reasons for this could be:

1.They don't have enough/any knowledge of His existence atol because,they have failed to study His words;the Bible,to show themselves approved unto Him.2Tim 2:15.

2.They are afraid of discussing His existence,creations and plan of salvation because,they too are still doubting them.Jn 1:1,Jen 1:1,Rom 10:9.

3.They are ashamed of telling Him and His words to other People because,their lifestyles[conducts] are not worthy and in harmony with His words.Phil 1:27.
And this makes it impossible for them to ever mention Him to those outside His Kingdom[Church] since,they must get to know Him better through our conducts in the Society where we live in because,we are the light and the epistle that they must certainly use to see and understand Him better.Matt 5:14,2Cor 3:2.

Unfortunately,telling People especially,those outside His Church[Acts 20:28] about Him and the account of His creations as well as His plan of salvation was and still is a command that EVERY Christian must undertake,should they desire to make Heaven.Matt 10:32-33,Mk 16:15-16.

Jesus taught that,those who love him must keep his commandments,Jn 14:21-24,and one of his commandments to we Christians is that,we should preach his word to every creature,Mk 16:15,failure to carry out this divine command is a sin and can disqualify one from entering into the Heavenly kingdom.Matt 10:33.

We live in a dispensation where People give flimsy excuses for not carrying out God's commandments such as,Evangelism.In the past dispensations,it was not so.In the first Century,some Christans had to abandon service to their land[State],their businesses and various works and preached Jesus Christ and him crucified to their fellow Country-men.Why can't we do same today?

should we continue to wait only for the Church's Saturday Evangelism before we preach? or,until the Preacher writes us a special letter to accompany him on a follow-up work,before we know that is our responsibility to follow-up our prospects?
Brethren,I think it's high-time we wake up from our slumber and do something.We are to rise and preach the WORD in season and out of season.2Tim 4:2,for without which no one will make Heaven.


Kingsley C.Odogwu
is a gospel Preacher and the Coordinator of
The Voice of Truth in Nigeria[V.T.N].

CHOOSE YE THIS DAY...

JOSH 24:15
A defining moment!!
An OMG moment!!
It was a defining moment when Joshua said to Israel '..choose ye this day, whom ye shall serve but as for me and my house, we shall serve the Lord!'

defining moments show us who we are, what we can achieve, our inner strength or cowrds, our principles and convictions are brought to fore..
These moments normally come as a surprise, and usually in times of crises.. a  death, making a difficult choice, personal failure, hardship, taking an unpopular stand, being asked to forgive etc

Sometimes we don't even know them for what they are but later, when we look back, we see the ir importance and then we begin to beat ourselves over for the steps we took or on the other hand, commend ourselves if we did the right thing..

Defining moments also show others what we are, it exposes our real selves, not the mask we mostly wear before the world each day but the inner personalities are brought out and everyone sees..  the moment we said those words we shouldn't have or took the step that encouraged others, the moment your decision made someone ' i never would've he/she would do something like that' or ' what great faith he/she has!!'.

Above all, defining moments determine where we will go and who will become and that is because they give us an opportunity to take a step, to take a turn, seek a  new dimension and destination..

May God Almighty give us the strength to make the right choices and shine as light to the world, and may whatever we do in that split moment that seeks to define us show the world that we stand on the side of Christ!

Happy Weekend, everyone!!

PSALM 121
1. I will lift up my eyes to the Hill, from whence cometh my help

2. My help comes from the Lord who makes heaven and earth

3. He will not permit thy feet to be moved; he that keepeth thee will not slumber.

4. Behold, he that keepeth israel shall neither sleep nor slumber.

5. The Lord is thy Keeper; the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.

6. The sun shall not smite thee by day ; nor the moon by night.

7. The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil; he shall preserve thy soul

8. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even forever more.

I know we have been MIA for a long minute but we have taken steps to revamp this blog and hope you shall come along with us for a refreshing time in His presence..

well, just wanted to share with you one of my most loved psalms..This Psalms encapsulates so much regarding what God is to me, Saviour, preserver, Sustainer, Shelter, Father..everything..

when i meditate upon it, it gives peace to my soul, i hope it does to you too!

I also wanted to try and post a hymn here, hope it works and that you enjoy it!

WHAT KIND OF GOD DO YOU SERVE?

What kind of God do you serve? Most people would quickly respond, "The God of the Bible," but is that always true? Is it possible that some invent the kind of god they want, much like those in times of old?

The prevalent picture of God by most people today is a kindly, old grandfather, who smiles and blesses everyone in every aspect of life. He is quick to hear every prayer, deeply understanding and compassionate. He naively and gently laughs off our indiscretions, being too loving to condemn anyone. His patience knows no end, as he warns and threatens. He is too loving to send anyone to hell. He may or may not see what we do, but our sins really do not matter much to Him. In the end, He pardons all, no matter how badly one has lived, and ushers us all into heaven.

No one wants to diminish the inexhaustible love and grace of the God of heaven, but the above picture of a god is not the God of the Bible! The God of heaven is a just God, who recompenses every man according to his deeds (2 Corinthians 5:10). He has a cross for us to bear, and holds us accountable if we do not bear it. Jesus said, "Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple" (Luke 14:27). He also said, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 7:14).

The truth of the matter is that God responds to us as we respond to Him. Paul reminded the Christians in Rome, "Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God's kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off" (Romans 11:22). God doesn't want anyone to perish (2 Peter 3:9), but for those who choose to reject Him and His grace, judgement awaits (John 3:36).

It all comes back to the real issue of whether we wish to accept the God revealed in the Bible, or wish to manufacture one of our own. The God of Scripture doesn't turn His back on sin, but throughChrist offers forgiveness for sin, but for those who reject His offer of forgiveness, there is a promise of wrath (Romans 2:6-11). What you find with God depends on how you come to God. If you come to Him as He asks, you will find more than enough love, grace and mercy to last today, tomorrow and eternally.

Make the New Year Count

The Apostle Paul wrote, "One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:13-14)

Wiashing all a Happy and Prosperous New Year. Obviously, the past is behind us. We can't undo it even if we wanted to, but we can start the New Year with hope and purpose, keeping in mind the words of Mannie Haskins who said, "And I said to the one who stood at the gate of the year, 'Give me a light that I may tread safely into the Unknown.' And he replied, 'Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God. That shall br to you better than light and safer than a known way.'"

I couldn't think of a better way to start the New Year and, with God's help, let this coming year be better than all the others. Vow to do some of the things you've always wanted to do but couldn't find the time. Call up a forgotten friend. Drop an old grudge, and replace it with some pleasant memories. Vow not to make a promise you don't think you can keep. Walk tall, and smile more. You'll look ten years younger. Don't be afraid to say, 'I love you.' Say it again. They are the sweetest words in the world.

As each year rapidly passes I'm becoming more aware of the fact that life is short for all of us. So be sure to make 2010 an investment in eternal values knowing that, in the words of the poet, we have "Only one life 'twill soon be past, only what's done for Christ will last."

Prayer: Dear God, thank you for another New Year in which to serve You. Please help me to invest it wisely in eternal values so that when I stand before You face to face, I will hear Your welcome words: 'Welldone, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord.' Amen.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

What if it is true..........

First of all, i have to tender a well-deserved apology on behalf of the whole crew to y'all for the long hiatus.
there's been a lot going on, not the least being our poor internet connection which made blogging such a big deal and the need to sort out a few issues to enhance the experience..

But we r back..

To stay!!

Now to the issue of the day -

The world has always had its share of people who do not believe - in God,by whatever name called. Or are just averse to the Christian God, for various reasons.

Now with communication explosion, these views are in your face and you see and hear them whether you really waant to or not. With the internet and its teeming adherents,young and old alike, the ease with which these people can get their views out there for anybody to access,it is bot surprising that quite a number of people no longer know what to even believe.

Even the most basic issues like 'Does God exist?' can generate such intense intellectual debate
(read: discourse) that it is somehow startling that this was at one time was a given.

I will not be making a long post..

but i will just ask..

what would you do if it all turns out to be true?
that God demands from us morally uprightness, love and compassion to our fellow human is actually for our own good so we can stay in peace and enjoy our various forms of reltionships..

and that we flout His commands does not make Him any less the awesome God that He is..

so again i ask..

What if we die and realise that it is true -

that Heaven and conversely hell exists?
that there's a reward for uprightness
and diligence in the worship of the creator of all beings?
and that yes, we really have to answer for our deeds..
even up to every little word we utter..

will it not be too late then?

The Bible says it will be..

TIMES OF REFRESHING

I recall a few years ago when my friends and I embarked on a relaxation tour of South-western Nigeria. We visited some notable tourist attractions. We were at some waterfall- a chilling and thrilling experience it was! We also had a swim in a pool from a warm spring. There we saw one of nature's numerous mysteries- a warm and a cold spring flowing down, meeting at some point but never mixing up! The whole trip was, to say the least, refreshing!
But this is by no means comparable to a refreshing experience that comes directly from God. Acts 3:19 talks about these "TIMES OF REFRESHING". The privilege, chance and ability to enjoy these times are however, hinged on REPENTANCE.
Yes, repentance.
This simply implies a change of heart that brings about a change of life. It entails a turn around from a old sinful life to a new one filled with the spirit of God.
Shunning sin gives us that great opportunity to enjoy the innumerable beautiful blessings from the throne of God. He cannot dwell in a sinful temple. We, therefore, need to cleanse ourselves, expunging all evil, and present ourselves as holy temples before Him.
Indeed, seasons of refreshing await all who choose to forsake evil and resist the devil. This spiritual refreshing cannot be matched by any fleshly or physical satisfaction derived from earthly pleasures.
Accept this offer and you'd be exceedingly glad you did!!!