GROW SPIRITUALLY OR DIE

-By Gavin Aleogho

No man is born a full-grown overnight. Growth to any living organism comes with the passage of time and as a result of having the right nutrients. When any plant or animal does not take in the right nutrients or when it is not exposed to the right environment, it is bound to die. Our walk of faith is similar to this.

When an individual gets born again, although he or she might be an adult, but he is considered a spiritual babe in Christ, thus the term “born again” or “born anew”. He needs to intentionally “work out his salvation” to ensure that he grows up to become a matured Christian, this is solely an individual responsibility. Although, God has made the provisions available to all that wants to attain spiritual maturity; an enabling environment of the Church and the fellowship of Believers. He has also made available the spiritual nutrients needed which is the Word of God (1 Peter 2:2).

Today, besides the Bible, there are countless numbers of spiritual (Christian) books available to help you grow.  There are innumerable numbers of articles written, both on the web and on hardcopy which are written by inspired Christian authors to help you grow spiritually.

Thank God for the internet; there are countless numbers of audio and video messages online readily available for you to take advantage of. Thus, “oh man thou art inexcusable”.

I will quickly want to put a caution here, just as I will not recommend just any gathering in the name of a Church for you to fellowship with, I will also warn you not to consume anyhow material whether written, audio or video. For some are never inspired by the Holy Spirit to bless you.

The whole essence of this short piece is to wake you up to take responsibility for your spiritual growth. You don’t have excuse why you should not be growing spiritually. If you are not growing, it is your fault. You can never take advantage of the full package of salvation, until you grow spiritually. If you are not growing spiritually, you are dying gradually.

“Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world”. Galatians 4:1-3.

BONDSERVANT OF CHRIST

- By Gavin Aleogho

One of the Apostles who understood the concept of servanthood in Christianity can be said to be Apostle Paul. In several of his letters, which are part of the New Testament, we see that he always referred to himself as either “servant” or “bondservant” of Christ (Romans 1:1, Galatians 1:10, Philippians 1:1, Colossians 1:7, Titus 1:1).

He was totally committed to the course of Christ because of this understanding. This is definitely one major reason why he did much for the course of the gospel, for he was totally sold out to the course of his Master, Christ.

Apostle Peter (2 Peter 1:1), James (James 1:1), Jude (Jude 1:1) and even John (Revelation 1:1) also reflect this concept in their letters. This shows that the concept of being a “servant of Christ” was not foreign to the early Church or fathers of faith. Rather, it was one of the fabrics of humility that the Church was founded upon.

There is a level of commitment to the course of the Kingdom of God that you will never attain until you grasp this revelation of becoming a servant of Jesus Christ. There will be limitation to your walk with God if you don’t understand and accept this concept. Your personal motives (will) will keep interfering with the will of God if you don’t appreciate this. Ignorant of this concept will make you to misbehave and misuse the gifts and endowment of God upon your life (Matthew 24:45-51) for personal gain or intention.

Yes, we should never forget that we are friends of God, we are sons and daughters of God and that we are joint heirs with Christ. All these are fundamental truths which are biblical. But if we don’t balance it with the truth that we are “servants of Christ” we will slip into spiritual apostate by becoming spiritually proud and self-righteous. It is the concept of servanthood that brings the balance of humility to your life. It helps you to see yourself for who you really are, as one saved by the grace of God.

The moment you start seeing yourself as God’s servants, your perspective about ministry, worldly possession and life will change drastically.  You will begin to understand and accept the fact that you are only a tool in God’s hand whom He can use to fulfill his purpose. And you will be ready to answer yes, whenever He calls. As Christ your Master wishes, He should do with your lives the way He pleases. You should be rest assured that all He does with your life is for your benefit.

"So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.'" Luke 17:10.

GOING THE EXTRA MILE

-By Gavin Aleogho

Jesus said to another, "Follow me," but he replied, "Certainly, but first excuse me for a couple of days, please. I have to make arrangements for my father's funeral." –Luke 9:59. MSG

One of the reasons why many believers are not experiencing the grace and the fullness of God in their lives is because they are serving God, following Jesus Christ at their own terms and conditions instead of abiding by the terms and conditions of our Lord Jesus Christ.

As Disciples of Christ Jesus, who are called to follow Him, we must accept the fact that following Jesus should not be conditional. It should not be based on whether God plays by our demands or requirement. There are some that are serving God, so long as their job, marriage, career or business remains intact. The moment things change, they begin to withdraw their faith in God. Thus, we see supposed believers indulging in ungodly practices when things go sour.

When we make serving God conditional, we will not go far with Him. This is because the conditions that we will desire will never be 100% right for us to follow completely. We will always have more than 1001 excuses to turn back. But if we can say like Job, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in Him”. Then are we ready to go the extra mile with Him.

As Disciples of Christ, we must forsake all to follow Him to the end. We must be aware that following Jesus Christ as His Disciples is not a part-time thing but a lifetime matter.

Much more than Ruth’s commitment to follow Naomi, so should ours be in following Christ. The reward is only meant for those who will endure till the end, and not the beginners.

Then another said, "I'm ready to follow you, Master, but first excuse me while I get things straightened out at home." Jesus said, "No procrastination. No backward looks. You can't put God's kingdom off till tomorrow. Seize the day." -Luke 9:61-62 MSG.

Breaking forth, Despite Limitations

-By Gavin Aleogho

I felt led to write in summary on the above subject which I preached on lately in Radiant Saints InternationalChristian Centre. The aim of the message is to let you know that despite your supposedly limitations in your life, you can still break forth.

One of the truths you should be aware of is that every great and successful man you see today in any endeavour, became successful and great despite the limitations that surrounded them in the past. No man is born without some forms of limitation which present itself in different forms. Beside the limitation of family background, society and national background, there are a lot of different limitations that people face. Some limitations might be spiritual, academic, situational, marital, financial et cetera.

The point again is this, every great man you see today broke forth and became successful even when there are limitations in life to stop them from succeeding. Thus, you can also become great despite the limitations that are facing you.

One of the key to breaking forth despite limitations is recognizing and accepting the reality on ground. When you deny your problem, you can’t find solution to it. Some people in the name of faith are denying their problems. No! Acknowledge it and look for the appropriate solution to your limitation. If finance is the limitation, acknowledge it and go look for how to solve it. Always look for the root cause of the problem and tackle it appropriately.

Secondly, leverage on your strength. One of the great undoing of many people is the error of only focusing on their weakness and limitations while neglecting their strength and many opportunities surrounding them. Just like every man is born into some form of limitations, so also is everyone born with some form of strengths and many advantages. Your assignment is to discover and appreciate your strength and then leverage on it. An individual might not be too good intellectually because of faulty academic background which now stands as a form of limitation to him. But if he checks very well, he might have an entrepreneur gift for doing business which he can leverage on.

A child in a village in Africa might be crying because he is not privileged to be born in the city where he can have access to good education and many social amenities. Such child should be made to know that he has the advantage of having access to land for agriculture and also the opportunity of learning how to farm, compared to his contemporaries who are in the city that lacks such rare opportunities. So, open your eyes to the strength and opportunities you have around you.

Thirdly, never allow your limitations to limit you. Avoid complacency. Work on yourself and take appropriate action to get out from that limitation. Don’t just have faith for change of level, you must also support your faith with work and action, taking personal responsibility to get out from that mess.

Lastly, engage what I call the God factor. As humans, there are limits to what we can do because of several factors that are beyond our control. Factors like opportunities, timing et cetera which only God controls. This is why you have to leverage on the God factor to change time and seasons for you, to open up opportunity to you. How do you engage this God factor? This is through a personal relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ who is the only way to accessing God, the Father. Let Jesus be the Lord over your life and He will give you an edge in life.

I returned and saw under the sun that-The race is not to the swift, Nor the battle to the strong, Nor bread to the wise, Nor riches to men of understanding, Nor favor to men of skill; But time and chance happen to them all. Ecclesiastes 9:11.

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Strategy for Maximizing the Year -with Pst. Gavin Aleogho

In this short video, Pastor Gavin Aleogho shared simple biblical tips that will help you to achieve maximum productivity in a given year.

Was Jesus not encouraging praying against human enemies in Luke 12:49-53?

Thank you very much for your question, it shows you want to know.

Luke 12:49-53 reads “I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished! Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division. For from now on five in one house will be divided: three against two, and two against three. Father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."

It’s important to note that these are the very words of Jesus Christ.

And you will agree with me that Jesus cannot contradict Himself. For Himself spoke in the following scriptures:

Matthew 5:43-48 : "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

And when Jesus was asked which is the greatest commandment He responded that:

Matthew 22:35-40

“Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said to him," 'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' "This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."

Do you think the same Jesus will be saying on one hand that you should love and in the other hand saying that he came to bring division especially among family members?

So, what is Luke 12:49-53 saying?

For better understanding, we must read it in context at least from Luke 12:41 down to 53.

For verse 49, it was a conclusion of God’s ultimate Judgment that will be melted out to those people (servant, vs 41-49) who rejected the saving grace of God.

While verse 50, is a figure of speech that talks about Jesus’ death, which was yet to come at this time.

Verse 51 down to 53 speaks of the division that comes to the human races between those that accept Jesus Christ as Lord verses those who reject him.

One of Jesus’ primary mission is to bring peace and He offers peace to those that receive Him…

“Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" Luke 2:14

“Then He said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you. Go in peace." Luke 7:50

"The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ--He is Lord of all—“ Acts 10:36

"But whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace to this house.' "And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you.” Luke 10:5-6.

For if Jesus has not come, there won’t be room for God’s judgment.

I hope you get my response clear?

I am always open to help with any further question?

Blessings.

Pst.Gavin Aleogho

THE GREAT APOSTATE

By Gavin Aleogho

The Lord Jesus Christ warned us to, “Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them” Luke 21:8. It is important to note that this scripture is still being fulfilled at our very eyes. The question then is this, “are you a victim unknowingly”?

The warning that we should be careful that “no man deceives us” is spelt out on several places in the New Testament, ranging from the words of our Lord Jesus Christ and to the Apostles (Matthew 24:4, Mark 13:5, Ephesians 5:6).

“Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,” 2 Thessalonians 2:3.

2 Thessalonians 2:3, speaks of the “falling away” otherwise known as the “Great Apostate” which will be experienced in our days before the return of Christ. The “Great Apostate” speaks of believers’ defection from the truth, falling away, forsaking or departing from the way because of the level of deception which will be propagated by the antichrist (the devil) and his agents.

The question to you then is this, “are you being deceived unknowingly” Or, “have you departed from the faith unknowingly”?

You might say no, but before you exonerate yourself from this, you must understand what the “the faith” means.

Jude 1:3 speaks of “the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints”. It is the pure and undiluted doctrine which was handed over to us whose foundation is on the finished work of Jesus Christ. Are you still sticking to this pure gospel? I am not asking if your Church is still sticking to the pure gospel. I am asking you as an individual, because on that final day, before the Judgment Seat of God, it will be an individual thing and not a denominational or corporate thing.

It is important for the present Church of Jesus Christ not to take lightly this warning that was given by the Lord Himself. For the great deception is already going on presently. Many Disciples of Christ are being deceived by those that claim to be Christ or of Christ.

It will be an irony, having started well, if we become prey to these agents of darkness. We must be on our guard, fully equipped with the belt of truth which will help us to discern deceptions.

Question and Answer on 2 Timothy 4:14

2 Timothy 4:14 reads, “Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works:”

Here, Apostle Paul was only speaking as a man, wishing for divine justice to be done upon Alexander. There is nothing in that scripture that suggest that Paul wished Alexander evil, just like Alexander did evil to him. Because if Paul wished him the same evil, then Apostle Paul would be contradicting the very Words he himself (Paul) wrote by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost in Romans 12:17-21. And you will agree with me that the scripture doesn’t contradict itself. 

Note that 2 Timothy 4:14 is not addressed to God but to Timothy. So we cannot say that that is a prayer from Paul to God, but a letter from Apostle Paul to Timothy his mentee.

To me, 2 Timothy 4:14 is not cursing neither is it a blessing, but only a WISH from a mere man called Paul.

I am always open for further discuss on this topic or any related topic.

God bless you.

Pst. Gavin Aleogho

THE CAPTURED HEART

By Gavin Aleogho

“If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him”. 1 John 2:15b.

There are many things in this world that are craving for our attention and our heart. These things ranges from legitimate to illegitimate things. Legitimate things like family, career, job, ministry, religious activities etc. And illegitimate things which are aimed at satisfying our ego, greed and flesh. These are the sinful desires and the lust for the things of this world.

The aim of the devil is to capture your heart away from God to another direction. His aim is to stop you from loving God the Father wholeheartedly. When the devil succeeds in achieving this, he has won the battle over your life.

This is one reason why you should keep your heart in check always, to ensure that the love for God the Father is your priority and not the love for any man or anything.

We must be careful of whom or what wins our heart, because anything that wins our heart automatically gets us and dictates how our lives goes. Our heart should primarily be to love God, then other things can follow. We can’t and shouldn’t love anything first before God.

Our ultimate goal and desire is to ensure that we love God the Father with our total being. We cannot love God and love the world at the same time (1 John 2:15), it is impossible-just like you can’t serve God and mammon or materialism simultaneously.

When God takes His rightful place in our hearts, then can we love the legitimate things in our lives correctly; for God must come first and He must also get all of our hearts.

“For Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica…”  2 Timothy 4:10a.