CHRISTIAN CONDUCTS

-Gavin Aleogho

It is common knowledge to everyone that certain conduct is expected from any man who claims to be a true follower of Christ.  To claim ignorance of this fact is to live in self-denial.

You can’t claim to have given your life to Christ Jesus and still be living like you wish. Such is not compatible with the nature of God that has been given to us. To think otherwise is a sign that you are not serious in your walk with the Lord.

If you are born again, your life does not belong to you again. Rather, your life belongs to Christ. Hence, you are expected to use your life, your body and your action to exemplify Christ to your world.

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20

Just like actions speak louder than words, so do characters speak louder than what you profess. You might be an ardent member of a local church, but if your character and conduct outside the Church do not reflect the life of Christ, then you are missing it.

There is no doubt that a lot of people who claim to be Christians in our society live like they please. The fact that the majority are living like they want should not compel us to live like they do. Our lives must reflect what the Bible says. Not what the society or the crowd says.

 When we align our conduct to that of the scripture, we show to the world that we are indeed the light of the world. We will show through our character that we are people of high moral value and people of good examples to be followed. By doing this, we can easily win others to our faith.

 …but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

1 Timothy 4:12.

RISING AFTER A FALL

-Pst. Gavin Aleogho

For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again:

Proverbs 24:16a.

 

In our walk of faith, we must keep in mind to run the race that is set before us according to the rules as outlined in the scripture. We don’t run the race by our strength, but by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

 

There are some who run with the consciousness of the fear of failing. We are not supposed to run the race, motivated by fear of falling, but by faith in Him who has called us to finish well. For God is much able and willing to help us finish well.

 

Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,

Jude 24.

 

However, peradventure we fall; we should not dwell in our “fall”. Rather, we should rise up and continue the race. Rather than dwelling on our sins, we should endeavor to always rise up to continue the race that is set before us. For there is provision for you to get back in line after a fall. This is not a call to fall, but an orientation of the fact that God will want you back.

 

My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

1 John 2:1-2.

 

The parable of the Lost Son, which is popularly known as the Prodigal Son which was said by Jesus Christ in Luke 15:17-32 is an example of how our Heavenly Father reacts to any of His child who went off, but later realized his or her fault and came back. Our Father is always willing to receive His stray children.

 

This truth is further emphasized by how the parable ended with the Father saying that: “It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.” Luke 15:32.

 

It is very dangerous for us to give up so easily. Many believers have given up on the faith because of the thought that they have done something unpardonable before God. The devil has made some believers think that they are worthlessly unqualified for the race. This is a big lie from the devil that we must all avoid.

 

Just like it is in the Father’s nature to receive back the backsliding child; it should also be in our nature as Believers to help those who stray away from the faith, to come back to the fold.

 

My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

James 5:19-20 NIV

 

It is the devil’s mission to see to the total annihilation of every believer who falls from the faith. We shouldn't help the devil to fulfill his mission.

 

And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.

Jude 23

 

God knows our make-up. He understands our frailty. What God is most concerned about is our heart condition. Do we still have a heart that yearns for Him? Are we longing to be close to Him? If we are, then we can be sure that we can finish well.

THE IDENTIFICATION BADGE OF THE BELIEVERS

 

-Pst.Gavin Aleogho

For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.

Galatians 5:6

Identification badges are used primarily for identification purposes, to identify the person wearing it. Identification badges can come in forms of ID cards or just badges. For example, two different schools can be using the same uniform colour. But to differentiate the students, you either look at the badge on the uniform or you can decide to demand for an ID card, especially when the uniform is not put on.

As followers of Christ, we also have our identification badges. Our identification badge is not the stickers we got from our local Churches. It is not the t-shirts, wristbands, tags, Church badges, neck pedals or whatever we got from our Church, which are bearing our local churches’ names. They are not the scriptural ways true believers are to be identified. Even as good as the hard copy Bible is, it is still not the way to identify a true child of God.

According to the gospel of John, our Lord Jesus Christ gave us a simple way by which we can be identified as His followers. He said: “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”

(John 13:34-35) 

The whole commandment of God that is given in the entire Bible can be summed up in one word, “LOVE”. Like our Lord Jesus said, it is only when we exhibit the virtue of love that the world will know that we belong to Him.

By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. (John 13:35) 

In other words, without love, we can’t be easily identified as Jesus’ followers. This implies that love is the identification badge of the believers.

If love is so important and fundamental in this kingdom, it is therefore important that every believer should be well-grounded in the truth of what love means from God’s perspective.

There is no doubt that every believer in Christ Jesus is greatly endowed with unquantifiable riches of God ranging from God’s grace, His power, His anointing, the Spirit of God etc. As great as these riches are; they are invisible to the eyes of the world. It is only through the vehicle of love we can actually display this richness of God in us for the world to see.

Love in this kingdom is not a feeling, but a way of life. It is the badge that we put on that helps the people of the world to easily identify us that we are children of God. And we are expected to put on this badge every time, irrespective of where we find ourselves.

Love is the only valid spiritual document that identifies us as followers of Christ to the world. It is not our prayers, faith, doctrines or religious activities. All this has their place, but if we must attract people to Christ with our lifestyle, then it must be by love.

In the same vein, through our love life, people do not need to ask if we are of Christ, because they will clearly see God the Father in us, “for God is love.” (1 John 4:8).

Like every ID card that expires and that needs to be renewed; we must constantly renew our ID card of love, otherwise when it expires we won’t have any other means to identify ourselves to the world as followers of Christ.

Thus, we can’t claim to be serving God while we ignore our fellow man. We can’t claim to love God when we can’t love our fellow brother. We can’t claim to honour God while we ignore people made in His image.

If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

1 John 4:20

THE GIFT OF THE FAMILY OF BELIEVERS

-Pst. Gavin Aleogho 

So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

Romans 12:5.

One of the great things that the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ achieve is the unifying of men from different tribes, tongues and nations into one great family; the family of God. Hence, through the blood of Jesus Christ, we’ve been made one big family in Christ Jesus.

A family is one blessing that you get when you come to Christ. When Peter asked the Lord Jesus of the benefits of following Him, Jesus’s response was this:

And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.

Mark 10:29-30

You can see from verse 30 of the above scripture that one of the blessings of following Jesus Christ is having a new family which comprises of brothers, sisters, mothers and children. Isn’t that wonderful?

It is important to note that this is a blessing we get here on earth. We must learn to acknowledge, value and appreciate this precious gift of God’s family that we’ve been born into.

This is a gift that cuts across tribe, language, colour and nationality. This is irrespective of our different local church or denominational affiliation. We must see everyone who is born again as a heavenly relative. Not as a stranger, but as a brother or a sister in the faith.

When we learn to value this gift, there are many things in our lives that will automatically take care of themselves. For rarely will God come down to earth to help you, but what he does is to help you through man, especially through relationships that you’ve valued and kept. And it’s God’s ultimate goal to reach out to you through another of His child, who is a member of this great family of the believers.

When we have the right perspective about this, it will help us to appreciate the gifts and uniqueness of everyone in this body of Christ.

There’s no need for anyone to say much to you about loving your fellow believers, for God is continually teaching you to unselfishly love one another.

1 Thessalonaians 4:9  TPT