ELEVATION IS CAUSED BY ZEAL

ELEVATION IS CAUSED BY ZEAL

life and ministy

sharing with Pastor Dapo Adeniyi

The book of Daniel tells the story of 4 zealous Hebrew boys.

They were boys at the beginning but older men in later chapters of the book.

The king of Babylon took several of them into his palace for special training but it was the zeal displayed by this 4 that stood them out.

Zealous people do not seek attention or limelight but their zeal always speaks out loud.

The scores of other Hebrew children in the same situation also had a name as Hebrews and worshippers of the living God.

The problem was that, the others were nominal or marginal Christians.

They ruffled no feathers, as such they hoped that theirs would not be ruffled.

They would soon discover how being a fence-sitter can put someone in the line of danger.

A dream soon came to the king which put all their heads in mortal danger.

Zealous Christians are agents of change but lukewarm Christians accept things as they are.

Daniel and his friends risked their comfort and security in the king’s house by following what their hearts told them.

They did not have to refuse the king’s food.

It was not unlawful, the food only grieved their spirits.

The king’s portion was expensive food and very nourishing.

The purse that they asked for was by contrast a bread of affliction.

Their action eventually increased their favour with God and with men.
Christians today try to work their ways into the hearts of those having power instead of being zealous for God.

What it takes to please men is what it costs to be their slaves.

No one who is a slave somewhere else can be a useful vessel in God’s hands.

No servant serves 2 masters.

The elevation of zealous Christians come from God.

Usually, it is the same tribulation that challenge their faith that provides the lader for them to rise.

One of many attributes of zealous people is that they are not afraid of hard work.

Now let’s examine some 4 additional attributes of zealous Christians:

Zeal is present when someone begins to do for God things that they don’t have to do.

God Himself probably would understand if they do not do those things.

By doing such things, gateways are opened for great increase.

Secondly, zealous people do not do just the minimum required, rather they exceed in the business and in the interest of God.

Thirdly, a zealous person is not troubled by the prospect of loss in the pathway of achieving their goal for God.

By risking loss, they often end up gaining all.

The same Hebrew boys did not mind going into the flame of roaring fire rather than bow to Babylon’s idol.

Zealous people are never alone.

They always find someone else to agree with them.

Even Jehu found Jonadab the son fo Rechab in 2 Kings 10.

 

 

OVERCOMING FEAR

OVERCOMING FEAR

LIFE AND MINISTRY

SHARING WITH PASTOR DAPO ADENIYI

Fear is an enemy that we must seek to defeat by all means.

It saps our energy.

It leads us to make poor choices or no choices at all.

Fear and its cousins (hatred, anxiety, doubt, depression) are works of the flesh.

We swim in them simply because we refuse to walk closely with God.

Fear and its companions are viral infections in the air.

Only a committed Christian life can help us to overcome them.

They are like ravening birds flying overhead everywhere and trying to perch on top of our heads.

When they are unable to perch, they urinate in order to mess up a decent Christian life.

Such urination takes the form of thoughts, especially harmful thoughts.

Those who are not saved stand little or no chance of overcoming fear.

More than the ordinary experience of having fear, there is the real danger of having “the spirit of fear”.

That one is a stronghold.

That stronghold also comes to play where God is not given a chance.

Those who have the spirit of fear often have manic fear.

They plunge into fear even when there is no reason to fear.

 Prov. 28:1 says “The sinner fleeth when no one is pursuing, but the righteous is bold as a lion”.

The spirit of fear is afraid of the least of things even though they are also defiant and hateful of mighty things like the anointing of God.

They do not fear God but you cannot imagine the flimsy things they fear such as butterflies, moonlight, rainbow etc.

It is the genuine experience of salvation that brings freedom from sin and death.

 Rom. 8:2 says “For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free  from the law of sin and of death.”

Fear and hatred are twins.

They are 2 items on the list of what causes death.

We can have freedom from hatred because of the love that God gives out from us (Rom. 5:5).

We can walk in love and love with the love of God.

God can and will give us the grace to love those who are impossible to love.

People are impossible to love because they don’t love themselves.

Fear and hatred are products of a sinful life.

Those who walk closely with God are not troubled unduly by hatred and fear,

Fear is overcome by faith and faith comes when God’s word enters .

Unfortunately a Christian can choose to live in fear simply by choosing not to be zealous for God.

The lack of zeal for God brings so many problems to a Christian.

A Christian without zeal is like someone trying to serve two masters.

God has promised in His word to push them out eventually from His house.

Christians without zeal will join a battle they know nothing about.

Like the men who followed Absalom and Adonijah, sons of Hagith.

The lack of zeal takes a man who previously was in God right back to Egypt.

See Prov. 14:12/16:25

 

 

The power of God’s spoken word

The power of God’s spoken word

life and ministry

sharing with Pastor Dapo Adeniyi

Ezk. 37:1-10

I think, one of the fascinating passages in the Bible showing the immense power of God’s word when spoken, is Ezekiel chapter 37.

Can these bones live?

No doubt, they can live under the decree of God’s word.

God teaches the prophet how to bring His word to bear on a terrible situation.

Undoubtedly the passage also teaches us that nothing is impossible with God.

He can reverse any situation, however hopeless.

There is help available, beyond the imagination of men.

God can heal many or a few

He can touch anyone who cries to Him for a filling.

The word of God is like a long spear or a sword.

God is teaching His servant Ezekiel how to use it.

Many good people have complained that they decreed the word of God over their lives but saw little or no changes.

There are lessons here on how God’s word works.

For example, the word of God must gain deep root in the heart of the one who will be decreeing it.

It has to dwell in you richly before you will say it and it will come to pass.

See Rom 10:9-10

The valley full of dry bones can also stand for a terrible situation which is common to a lot of people.

The situation of everyone in a particular church assembly can be that bad.

It can also be a family line.

It can be a city.

The case of Jericho in the time of Elisha comes to mind, (2Kings 2).

Now, let’s learn some quick lessons about the valley of dry bones.

The first is that the people whose bones fill the entire landscape were all slain.

That means the situation was created by certain people.

Secondly, problems this serious can develop on their own.

A good example is a famine.

Terrible problems can also arise due to our own mistakes.

For example, the bones could have died and dried up because the people were involved in a mass suicide.

It could also be due to a curse or a judgment from God.

Finally, how will the bones live?

God’s hand may need to be on the one giving the decree before the word of God that he or she is putting to work can stand.

You will recall that Elisha waited until God’s hand came on him before he gave the word to 3 kings in 2 Kings 3.

Secondly, the one giving the world may need to receive precise words which he or she will then releases over the situation at hand.

Another clue on what makes the bones live is that, the decree is given more than once.

Some of us faint in prayer because we don’t realize that the situation may require several blows in prayer.

Lastly, what are the chances of the bones becoming an army of God if they do live?

God will not invest in a project that brings no profit to His programme on the earth.

SPECIAL INVITATION TO THE JOSEPH COMPANY DECEMBER CONCERT

 

                                              THE JOSEPH COMPANY CONCERT

                                              DATE: SUNDAY ,DECEMBER 9 2012

                                                                    VENUE: HE CARES GOSPEL CHURCH GROUNDS

                                                                          13, MODUPE ST,BALOGIN B/STOP,IKEJA,LAGOS

TIME: 3PM

 

 

 

The power in the utterance of God’s words

The power in the utterance of God’s words

Reference: Acts 19:1-10

 The enemy knows what impact greets the spoken word of God.

It rends the atmosphere and reclaims the arena for the Lord to work in.

It rends the hearts of men when they hear it.

See Lk. 2:34-35

God’s word spoken into an area opens the atmosphere of that place for God’s angels to work in.

This is why the devil moves against those who publish the gospel of peace.

The ministry of Paul is a testimony to this.

Let us observe Acts 19:9-10

Paul kept delivering the word until everyone in Asia heard it.

Hearing is of two kinds:

Hearing by the ear is one.

Hearing by the heart is the vital other.

Many whose ears hear the world cannot receive it in their hearts because the devil has put a covering over their hearts.

God’s word is mighty and it will prevail!

All it needs is the faithful witness.

Prophesying the word and praying the word are actually the same.

 

 

THERE IS A LITTLE BIT OF THE BIG PICTURE RIGHT NOW

There is a little bit of the big picture right now

life and ministry

sharing by Pastor Dapo Adenyi

 This actually is the underlying message in Heb 11:1

Hope which is rooted in the future has substance right now.

Even though we cannot entirely see the big picture, we have evidence of it, now.

Things may seem bad, we may also feel low because the wind sometimes is very contrary, but we have clear undoubtable evidence of God’s mercy right now.

The real problem with us many times is that, we ignore the signs.

God has been speaking to us through signs and by the moving of his invisible hands, but we often ignore it.

We want nothing but the big picture right now.

The reason good people are cast down is often because of the opinion of people.

We must realize that no one can read the signs of God’s mercy in our lives like ourselves.

Our neighbours may be blind to it, but we must continue to see with the eyes of our faith.

The truth of the matter is that, God never seems to do anything major for any person or nation without somehow saying it evidently in advance.

If it is a plan to advance a person or a nation, He will naturally send a dream or visions.

We have to know of course, that no dream or vision tells everything.

They only give a hint.

God tells someone that He will take him or her from one mountain peak to the other but does not show much of the steep valleys between the mountains.

This is why the Bible says we are seeing through a glass darkly.

The same applies to a nation:

Every plan to do a nation well or reward the wickedness of a nation is often revealed beforehand.

In His mercy, God never allows the wicked to go down into hell without sending a warning in advance.

This is particularly true of those who belong to cults and secret societies.

A little bit of every big promise is fulfilled in advance.

When God showed Joseph that everyone would gather around him to thank him, Joseph found that everywhere he went, a little of it was being fulfilled in advance.

Portiphar appreciated him and was thankful until he decided to believe a lie.

It seems that some people, by their nature, cannot discern the truth.

They swallow whatever they are given.

No one can walk with God without being able to tell deceit from honesty.

Everyone who is saved knows that there is heaven.

That is because there is heaven in the heart of every believer through the joy of the Holy Ghost.

Also the Bible says that Christ is the King of all the earth.

The wise men came from the east to worship the child Jesus. That is a little bit in advance.

Pastor Owolabi was telling us how people from all nations were pouring into Israel because of the name of Christ.

That is advance payment for the word given by Isaiah that, “to Him shall the Gentiles trust”.

PICTURES FROM THE AUGUST 2012 JOSEPH COMPANY CONCERT

 

 

COME

COME.

life and ministry

sharing with Pastor Dapo Adeniyi

This is the whole summary of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Jesus says; come and have life, come and be healed, come and be saved.

Man needs to be saved from; himself, from the consequences of his actions, from the consequences of his choices.

In Matt 11:28, Jesus says all who labour and are heavy laden should come. Until we find rest in Jesus ,life will always thrust upon us yokes too grievous to bear.

Another reason God is calling us to come today is because the days are evil. This is a time of great deceit.

The devil tries to make those who are saved think they are not. He hauls thoughts on them like stones and tries to envelope the truth with doubt.

He also tries to make those who are not saved think they are. One of the greatest tools is to give them a title in church.

Three substitutes for the life of God that the devil is promoting today are; Christian labels, Christian activity and head-knowledge of the things of God which is against the heart knowledge.

SIX  SIGNS OF THE LIFE OF GOD.

The power of God .  John 1:12 “AS MANY AS RECEIVED HIM, TO THEM GAVE HE POWER TO BECOME THE SONS OF GOD”.

The joy of the Lord. This is similar to the peace of God. Peace comes like a river. When we have peace with God and the freedom to call him our Father.(read Rom 5:1)

The Love of God is also a part of the life of God. The human kind of love will always fail but this kind of love comes through the Holy Ghost.

Another aspect of the life of God is the light of God. Those who follow Christ do not walk in darkness  but are given the light of life. He gives light concerning where the nations are headed and light concerning our lives.(read Psalm 18:2)

The zeal of the Lord is another part of God’s life.  Apathy towards God’s business is a sign of death. Everyone who has God’s life has a heart for the service of God’s house and the salvation of souls.

Lastly , wisdom from God is another sign of the life of God. It comes from God above and divine insight is also in the wisdom of God.

 

 

A Fertile Ground for the Gospel

A Fertile Ground for the Gospel

Life And Ministry

Sharing with Pastor Dapo Adeniyi

 

Acts 18: 18-28

 

Corinth was a place where the gospel through Paul gained a firm foothold, after much battle.

The word that God gave Paul earlier at Corinth brought much fruit.

Only the Holy Spirit can tell where the seeds of God’s word would do well.

Certain kinds of grounds are a lot more resistant to God’s word.

Even though opposition seems to persist everywhere, the word thrives in a place if we allow God to send us there in His own timing.

The pattern of Paul’s work seems to be to break new grounds for the gospel in new places.

He breaks the fallow grounds, introduces the seed of the gospel and leaves while it springs forth in his absence.

Corinth was a success story to the extent that, Priscilla and Aquilla could leave with him to Ephesus.

Paul clears a little space for the word also in Syria but quickly moves on.

The case of Ephesus is very interesting indeed.

This is the same region where God forbade Paul from entering to preach the word in Chap. 16: 6-7.

It proves that the issue was one of timing even at that period.

It could also be a question of divine priority – maybe God wanted them in Macedonia first.

The city of Ephesus was thirsty for God’s word but Paul could not wait now for personal reasons

The passage says Paul had a vow

This implies that Paul made a vow, most probably a vow of thanksgiving, before reaching the region of Syria and Ephesus.

Paul seems to live above a common pitfall of public ministry.

Ministers tend to spend much time attending to other people without working on their own relationship in a private place with God.

Paul seems not to be ignoring his own spiritual life.

We need to study for ourselves, apart from studying to teach others.

We must spend time praying to edify ourselves, apart from when we pray for others.

There are times when we have to leave God’s business in God’s hands when they prove to be too much for us to handle.

The hunger and the need in Ephesus notwithstanding, Paul dropped the work at Ephesus to continue back to Jerusalem for reasons of his own edification.

 

 

SOVEREIGN AND SUPERNATURAL ACTS OF GOD

SOVEREIGN AND SUPERNATURAL ACTS OF GOD

 

Life and Ministry

Sharing With Pastor Dapo Adeniyi

  It is very important for us as believers, to remember that God is not only our Father but a king in heaven.

 As such, He does as He pleases in the firmament of heaven.

We cannot call His acts to question.

Fortunately for us he is both good and all wise.     

 People do not query God because they feel they know better than God but rather because a spirit     of rebellion is in them. 

Very many times, the wisdom behind God’s sovereign acts become visible to us later on.

David for example never could understand why it took so long to remove King Saul from office after   God had rejected him. It must have been later on that David realized that Lord preserved Saul for his   sake.

God was using Saul to train David and reveal himself to David as the great savior. The proof of this was that Nabal the Carmelite insulted David and was a dead man in 10 days!

 I think it was Pastor E.A Adeboye who once said that it is the wisdom of God that controls the power of God. In other words, there are many things that God’s power can do but which His wisdom will not allow Him to do.

His power could save Joseph from the hands of his brothers, but his wisdom released him to go down in chains to Egypt.

His wisdom also transferred Joseph from serving in Portiphars house to the prison lest Joseph should escape back to Canaan before the word of Pharaoh called for him.

One of the many reasons the Bible is precious to us is that it is a record of the judgments of God.   

 His judgments are things He considers as right in His sight.

Some things that God will decide are right may be appalling to some people.

The sentencing of the Canaanites to mass killing under the hand of Israel has appalled some.

A commentator even said that it confirmed to him that the God of the Old Testament was not the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Unfortunately for them, none can question the King of heaven in His judgments.

They perhaps will also need to remember that it was to give the Canaanites room to mend their ways that God kept Israel in Egypt for 400 years.

We see a lot of the judgments or sovereign acts of God in the area of divine healing.

Healing is likened to rain.

God can decide to send His rain on the wicked. No one is qualified in the real sense for God rain, they are a rain of His mercy.

Those used of God in the healing ministry must also realize that they are God’s witnesses only.

He is the doer of it, not us

The baptism in the Holy Spirit that may seem to us to be commonplace is also a rain of God’s mercy.

To take glory for a sovereign act of God and to give His glory or credit to graven images are the same.

We also see God’s judgments at work when we call for His help.

Spiritual babies think their prayers are answered because of the quality of their cry to God.

The heathen for their own part think they are heard by God because of their much speaking or fasting.

The mature Christian however understands that every answer to prayer is a sovereign act of God.

God is not compelled to prove anything to us by answering our prayer.

We can always call on God and trust in His goodness.

SOVEREIGN AND SUPERNATURAL SIGNS OF GOD

LIFE AND MINISTRY
SHARING WITH PASTOR DAPO ADENIYI

 

SOVEREIGN AND SUPERNATURAL SIGNS OF GOD

God uses His sovereign and supernatural signs to speak to someone related directly to Him.

He can also use His supernatural signs to testify concerning someone dear to Him.

He uses signs to confirm a ministry in addition to using it to help someone in need.

Sovereign and supernatural signs of God are understood today in the church as “signs and wonders”.

They can be as real as someone writing in a chalkboard.

They can also be as simple as someone planting a sign post by the road side.

They can be used by God for direction.

They can be used for correction.

They can also be a mark of divine approval or open heaven.

God can set forth one or many landmarks.

That can be a major or distinct revelation that tells of a distant future.

A landmark from God can take the form of divine assurance to someone who will go through a tempest. God will use the landmark to say to him or her that the tempest will not consume him or her.

Sovereign and supernatural signs of God are often rare and far between.

That means they don’t happen every day.

Abraham and Moses did not see angels and heavenly beings every day.

We have been created and placed in this season in the natural world.

God uses His voice as well as natural signs to speak to us in our current natural context.

The Psalmist in Psalm 19: 1-3 says,

“The heavens declare the glory of God, the firmament showeth His handiwork, day unto day uttering speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge.

“There is no speech nor language in which their voice is not heard”.

Other occasions when God works through sovereign and supernatural signs are as follows:

To deliver someone he really loves.

Also someone who is His potential vessel.

PICTURES FROM JOSEPH COMPANY AUGUST 2012 CONCERT

WELL KITTED FOR THE RACE

Life and Ministry

Sharing with Pastor Dapo Adeniyi

Well kitted for the race

 Acts 19: 1-7

 Disciples that Paul met at Ephesus were not kitted with the whole armour of God.

But they prove that sincerity is the most significant consideration in the business of the kingdom.

Like Apollos, they ran with and for God with what was available to them.

Which was the baptism of John without that of the Holy Ghost.

John’s baptism was unto repentance.

I think with sincerity, we will come eventually into the fullness of the sons of God.

Sincerity takes us over and above doctrines and teachings which deny aspects of God’s power and promises for His people.

Like Apollos, the 12 men were open to receive.

The basic witness in a believer proves and confirms the word of God to His saints even where there was little prior knowledge in that regard.

The Holy Ghost is given to those who are open.

Unbelief sets up a barrier to God’s blessings.

Unbelief which is deliberate is rebellion and enmity against God.

The Holy Ghost falls like rain upon God’s people.

It is one of the great signs of an open heaven over a person.

It confirms that other blessings can and will flow if we  press on to believe for them.

The passage says that they spake in tongues and prophesied, v6.

That proves that one who is filled is dangerous.

They can say something with authority and it will come to pass, (that is what prophecy means).

They will pray with the intensity of fire because they will speak with power.

They will speak out of the well of the Father’s will.

In prayer, they will smite accurately even in the midst of great or total darkness.

LIGHT IN THE MIDST OF DARKNESS

Life and Ministry

Sharing with Pastor Dapo Adeniyi

Light in the midst of darkness

 The Bible loudly declares that we are the light of the world.

By contrast the whole world lieth in darkness.

By this contrast we can see clearly why there is an epic struggle between the light and the darkness.

The light is destined and called to undo the darkness.

We are also informed by God’s word that the darkness that is in the world will grow (Is. 60:2)

“Behold the darkness shall cover the earth and gross darkness the people…”.

Isaiah also gives us to understand that darkness, especially gross darkness, is an opportunity for the light to shine.

To shine can also mean to grow in influence.

Let’s quickly examine the things that happen even as the darkness in the world grows.

Fear will grow.

The hearts of men will fail them.

Wickedness rules in the midst of darkness and wickedness will grow.

Sin is convenient in the midst of darkness and sin will also grow.

As sin grows, sin will become more fashionable and godliness will appear and sound obsolete.

Uncertainty is also an attribute of darkness and uncertainty will grow too.

Everything men leaned upon for support will give way.

No one needs to stretch his or her imagination to see all these happening in our world today.

The Lord however promises to rise on His people and His glory on them shall be seen.

Another lesson I want us to learn is that, true light evolves in order to gain more power.

John 1 alone defines the true light in two ways.

Number 1, it has life v4

Jesus the light of God is life and that is why He is the light of all men.

Number 2, it is the marvelous light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

And true light spreads.

As it passes from age to age, it grows in power because it evolves with the time.

Light went from roaring naked fire to candlelights.

Quiet but lively candlelights are dangerous to darkness.

It is shared fast.

Light also went from candlelight to electric bulbs.

Today, electric energy can be generated through nuclear power.

The dispensation of church communications must change even as our own city evolves.

We may not be able to paste posters on walls any longer but we can post them on the walls of facebook.

As the potentials of light grows in a dark world, the conspiracy to put out the light in the midst of darkness grows too. John 1:5

One of many ways in which darkness tries to overpower the light is by the spread of demonic doctrines.

One of the most injurious to faith are the lies about fellowship relationships.

Also modern day failures of marriages did not come out of a void.

There are demonic influences on modern culture which snuff out traditional notions of commitment in relationships and promote selfishness and sensuousness.