The Life that satisfies

There is nothing wrong with searching for what will bring happiness and joy to our lives. The only question is, 'where and how do you search for them?'. If you search for a right thing in a wrong way and wrong place, you will definitely come home hollow and frustrated. The Lord Jesus Christ gives the Life that satisfies.

The Life that satisfies
Searching for the life that satisfies,
Searching for the love that is true,
Some are searching for the peace that will put their minds together,
Some have died in their search for joy.

Honest heart and open mind are needed here,
I'm gonna say what only few can realize,
In my mind cannot be made what God desires,
God sent His answer in the person of Jesus Christ.

Jesus says "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life"
"Come unto me as you are you'll be at rest"
That is the point-way God on high made for us,
I've got this faith and now I have a song to sing:

I am free, I am free Justified,
I'm loved not because of my good works.
I am saved, ..saved, dou..btless
I'm satisfied, satisfied, I'm satisfied.

Are you still searching for the life that satisfied,
Are you still searching for the love that is true,
Are you still searching for the peace that can put your mind together,
Do not die in your search for joy.

You can be free, you can be free, jus..tified,
You are loved, not because of your works,
You can be saved, saved dou..btless
Be satisfied, satisfied, be satisfied.

A Volunteer for Jesus

How many are ready to volunteer there lives to the Lord Jesus for His use? In a world where we focus on this right and that right oftentimes, we forget that when we give our lives to the Lord Jesus, we lose the 'right' to determine what happens in our lives. That is what it means to surrender to Him as Lord.

A volunteer for Jesus, a soldier true,
Others have enlisted, why don't you?
Jesus is the Captain, we will never fear,
Will you be enlisted as a volunteer?

A call for loyal soldiers, comes to one and all,
Soldiers for the conflict, will you heed the call?
Will you answer quickly, with already clear will?
Will you be enlisted as a volunteer?

Yes Jesus for soldiers who are filled with power,
Soldiers who will serve Him, everyday and hour,
He will not forsake you, He is ever near,
Will you be enlisted as a volunteer?

He calls you for He loves you, With a heart most kind,
He whose heart was broken, Broken for mankind,
Now just He calls you, Calls accent clear,
Will you be enlisted as a volunteer?

And when the war is over, And the victory is won,
When the true and faithful, gather one by one,
He will crown with glory, All who there appear,
Will you be enlisted as a volunteer?

I Shall Rise Again!

This blessed my life so I want to share it here with you.

Don't Write Me Off, I Shall Rise Again.

If you see me on the ground
With a fallen face;
You don't have to write me off,
But you can offer a helping hand;
For you are called to do just that:
To strengthen the weak knee
When the righteous stumbles, he has hope in God.
So by the mercies of God, Do not write me off
For I hall rise again.

If you take a good look around you,
You will see bruised souls,
Wounded in the battles of this life;
They need someone to help them.
Littered in broken homes and banquets,
In prisons and palaces,
Are these poor helpless folks.
There is healing for them in Gilead.
Do not let the wounded soldier die.
Do not write him off, He will rise again.

When this life is over, And I cast off this mortal,
I will not fear,
How weak I had been.
With my bruises and scars,
I will go for a new body.
I shall rise in newness.
My Lord will crown me with life,
So this is my prayer:
'Do not write me off off now, I shall rise again.

8 Mistakes the American Church made

This is a sermon by Lee Grady of Charisma Magazine in Nigeria in 2002. It was reproduced in The Nigeria Anglican, the official magazine of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion. I'm convinced it worths repeating in this blog.

Eight Mistakes the American Church Made That I Hope You Don’t Repeat

When in 2002 I was in Nigeria conducting interviews, I was invited to speak at a growing Church that meets near a University in Lagos. Knowing that future Church leader would be in the audience that Sunday morning, I wanted to deposit something that could shape the destiny of Africa. My message was title “Eight Mistakes the American Church Made That I Hope You Don’t Repeat”. I don’t have the kind of pulpit savvy that gets people shouting ‘amens’ and waving handkerchiefs. Yet this sermon struck a chord not only with my Nigerian friends, but also with Americans who heard about it when I returned. I am sharing the gist of the message with you because I know it’s not too late to learn from our blunders. Here’s my list of the American Church’s all-time biggest goofs:

1. We made unbelief a doctrine:

While Christians in Chine, Latin America and Africa were casting out devils and healing the sick, we were teaching seminary students that the Holy Spirit doesn’t do miracles any more. That’s really bad theology.

2. We tolerated division:

Who needs the devil when Christians are perfectly OK with hating one another in the name of denominational loyalty? Why should the world listen to us teach about family values when the family of God is so fractured?

3. We cultivated a religious spirit:

We taught converts that Christianity is all about daily Bible reading, Church attendance and avoiding cigarettes and beer. Genuine faith became drudgery. Christians trapped in dry legalism lost their joy because they thought intimacy with God could be achieved by their performance.

4. We encouraged “superstars:

We elevated ministers to celebrity status, and some of them actually believed they deserved the titles, the pedestals, the grand entrances and the first-class seats next to Jesus’ throne. They stopped modeling servant hood and as a result the Church forgot that Jesus washed the feet and rode on a donkey.

5. We equated money with success:

We taught that biblical prosperity could be obtained by inserting our tithes into a heavenly slot machine. LOTTO fever spread throughout the Church and we found a way to legitimate greed and materialism when we should have been using our wealth to feed the poor, adopt orphans and fund missionary ventures.

6. We wouldn’t release women in ministry:

We let gender prejudice have more control of the Church that the Holy Spirit. He is ready to send an army of dedicated women to the front lines of spiritual battle but He is waiting for us to bury our stinking male pride.

7. We stayed in the pews and became irrelevant:

We insisted on letting a group of older white men in dark suits represent our faith in the marketplace, and we freaked out when somebody tried to use rap, punk or metal music to reach the younger generations. Instead of engaging the culture, we hid from it.

8. We taught people to be escapists:

Jesus told us to occupy the planet until He returns. But most of us were reading rapture novels when we should have been praying for our brothers and sisters who were on the verge of martyrdom. They were willing to suffer and die for the cause. Why can’t we have that kind of faith?

The Race

This is a composition I read from the book, "Finishing Strong" by Bro. Steve Farrar. It has been a blessing to my life. I want to share it with you:

Defeat! He lay there silently, a tear dropped from his eye.
"There's no sense running anymore - three strikes,
I'm out - why try?"
The will to rise has disappeared, all hope had fled away,
So far behind, so error prone, closer all the way.
"I've lost, so what's the use," he thought,
"I'll live with my disgrace."
But then he thought about his dad who
soon he'd have a face.
"Get up," an echo sounded low,
"Get up and take your place.
You were not meant for failure here,
so get up and win the race."
With borrowed will. "Get up," it said
"You haven't lost at all,
For winning is not more than this -
to rise each time you fall."
So up he rose to win once more, and with a new commit,
He resolved that win or lose, at least he wouldn't quit.
So far behind the others now, the most he'd ever been,
Still he gave all he had and ran as though to win.
Three times he'd fallen stumbling,
three times he rose again,
Too far behind to hope to win, he still ran to the end.

They cheered the winning runner as he crossed,
first place,
Head high and proud and happy; no falling, no disgrace.
But when the fallen youngstar crossed the line, last place,
The crowd gave him the greater cheer for
finishing the race.
And even though he came in last,
with head bowed low, unproud;
You would have thought he won the race,
to listen to the crowd.
And to his dad he sadly said, "I didn't do so well."
"To me, you won," his father said.
"You rose each time you fell."

And now when things seem dark and hard
and difficult to face,
The memory of that little boy helps me in the race.
For all of life is like that race,
with ups and downs and all,
And all you have to do to win - is rise each time you fall.
"Quit! Give up, you're beaten," they still shout in my face.
But another voice within me says,
"Get up and win that race."

- AUTHOR UNKNOWN.

Sorry for the long period of silence

Dear friends, sorry for this long period of silence.
We got very busy over the past few weeks and could not post here. Please expect our post to be more frequent from here. Thanks and remain blessed!

Matters from the Heart

I love this. It tells of the love of God that draws us to Himself through the Lord Jesus Christ. He died for me and you so that believing in Him, we may have eternal life. This is real. I've experienced it and confirm that God saves. This poem is from a poster with the name 'Crystal' in the Christian Room on Hi5.com.

Matters from the Heart

I took and carried our blame
Your soul I redeemed
I bought you

I commanded nature to sing
You a love song
Wishing you would come to me
My heart aches how long, how long
I long for you

I waited for you all night
You never came
You sold yourself cheaply
So again I took the blame
I waited for you

I look for you
I found you in the town square
There you were cold and bare
I covered you

I love you no less
Even though your life was a mess
I want to cleanse you

I court you then married you
You are not free
You belong to me
I want to talk to you

I saved you
Your company I missed
I want to fill your life
With beauty and bliss
Can’t you tell how much I love you?

A Man of God

This is a true saying, if a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil (1 Timothy 3:1-6).

The scripture says that they (teachers0 will have a more strict judgment. The job of a Pastor is not an easy one. Paul made an interesting parallel in the third chapter of Timothy. He said that a novice (inexperienced or immature) person should not be a leader in the church. This person has the potential to become arrogant and prideful. Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit says that pride is the same condemnation of the devil.

Many biblical scholars wrestle over passages like Isaiah 14:12-17, and Ezekiel 28:11-19. they wrestle with the subject of the passage. Is the subject satan, the accuser of the brethren, or is it the king of the nation that Isaiah was indicting? Ironically, I believe Paul gave us an answer to that question in the qualifications for a Church leader.

Pride was found in the beautiful cherub (satan). The desire to be “like the most High” controlled his passions. This fallen one is called the devil or slanderer amongst other names. Paul says that if the leader is a novice, the risk of pride is great and this is what Isaiah and Ezekiel mentioned about the devil. God has revealed so much in His Word. If you are like me, pride might be a struggle, but the Word of God is humbling. May we all be doers of the Word and not heaers only.

Musing: A Capsule Lesson on Witnessing

1 Peter 3:15 provides an ideal pattern for witnessing: …sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.

1. Sanctify or hallow God within your hearth. This reminds us that a good witness comes from a right relationship with God.

2. Be ready. The opportunities to bear witness are according to God’s schedule, not ours. They can come at any time, anywhere, and in any situation.

3. Give an answer. You can’t answer something that has not been asked. Ideally, but not always, witnessing comes as a response to a question or problem that God wants to answer.

4. The hope that is in us: we witness based on a reasonable hope, “the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1b). that hope cannot be our wishful thinking, but must be based on the promises of God in scripture. It is an inside hope, not an outside chance.

5. The attitude of the witness must be with meekness and fear. This refers to a dual approcach – humility towards the person to whom we tell the Good News, and reverence toward the Lord of whom we tell.

`Gospel of wealth' facing scrutiny

This piece is worth reading, especially as we trace our way back to biblical principles. It is time for us to stop preaching and stop our ears from hearing teachings that tend to put all about our faith on the things that this life can offer. We have to go back to the preaching about heaven and hell - preparing ourselves for heaven and living in holiness to avoid going to hell. It is written by By ERIC GORSKI, AP Religion Writer in Yahoo News

The message flickered into Cindy Fleenor's living room each night: Be faithful in how you live and how you give, the television preachers said, and God will shower you with material riches.

And so the 53-year-old accountant from the Tampa, Fla., area pledged $500 a year to Joyce Meyer, the evangelist whose frank talk about recovering from childhood sexual abuse was so inspirational. She wrote checks to flamboyant faith healer Benny Hinn and a local preacher-made-good, Paula White.

Only the blessings didn't come. Fleenor ended up borrowing money from friends and payday loan companies just to buy groceries. At first she believed the explanation given on television: Her faith wasn't strong enough.

"I wanted to believe God wanted to do something great with me like he was doing with them," she said. "I'm angry and bitter about it. Right now, I don't watch anyone on TV hardly."

All three of the groups Fleenor supported are among six major Christian television ministries under scrutiny by a senator who is asking questions about the evangelists' lavish spending and possible abuses of their tax-exempt status.

The probe by Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa, the ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, has brought new scrutiny to the underlying belief that brings in millions of dollars and fills churches from Atlanta to Los Angeles — the "Gospel of Prosperity," or the notion that God wants to bless the faithful with earthly riches.

All six ministries under investigation preach the prosperity gospel to varying degrees.

Proponents call it a biblically sound message of hope. Others say it is a distortion that makes evangelists rich and preys on the vulnerable. They say it has evolved from "it's all right to make money" to it's all right for the pastor to drive a Bentley, live in an oceanside home and travel by private jet.

"More and more people are desperate and grasping at straws and want something that will alleviate their pain or financial crisis," said Michael Palmer, dean of the divinity school at Regent University, founded by Pat Robertson. "It's a growing problem."

The modern-day prosperity movement can largely be traced back to evangelist Oral Roberts' teachings. Roberts' disciples have spread his theology and vocabulary (Roberts and other evangelists, such as Meyer, call their donors "partners.") And several popular prosperity preachers, including some now under investigation, have served on the Oral Roberts University board.

Grassley is asking the ministries for financial records on salaries, spending practices, private jets and other perks. The investigation, coupled with a financial scandal at ORU that forced out Roberts' son and heir, Richard, has some wondering whether the prosperity gospel is facing a day of reckoning.

While few expect the movement to disappear, the scrutiny could force greater financial transparency and oversight in a movement known for secrecy.

Most scholars trace the origins of prosperity theology to E.W. Kenyon, an evangelical pastor from the first half of the 20th century.

But it wasn't until the postwar era — and a pair of evangelists from Tulsa, Okla. — that "health and wealth" theology became a fixture in Pentecostal and charismatic churches.

Oral Roberts and Kenneth Hagin — and later, Kenneth Copeland — trained tens of thousands of evangelists with a message that resonated with an emerging middle class, said David Edwin Harrell Jr., a Roberts biographer. Copeland is among those now being investigated.

"What Oral did was develop a theology that made it OK to prosper," Harrell said. "He let Pentecostals be faithful to the old-time truths their grandparents embraced and be part of the modern world, where they could have good jobs and make money."

The teachings took on various names — "Name It and Claim It," "Word of Faith," the prosperity gospel.

Prosperity preachers say that it isn't all about money — that God's blessings extend to health, relationships and being well-off enough to help others.

They have Bible verses at the ready to make their case. One oft-cited verse, in Paul's Second Epistle to the Corinthians, reads: "Yet for your sakes he became poor, that you by his poverty might become rich."

Critics acknowledge the idea that God wants to bless his followers has a Biblical basis, but say prosperity preachers take verses out of context. The prosperity crowd also fails to acknowledge Biblical accounts that show God doesn't always reward faithful believers, Palmer said.

The Book of Job is a case study in piety unrewarded, and a chapter in the Book of Hebrews includes a litany of believers who were tortured and martyred, Palmer said.

Yet the prosperity gospel continues to draw crowds, particularly lower- and middle-income people who, critics say, have the greatest motivation and the most to lose. The prosperity message is spreading to black churches, attracting elderly people with disposable incomes, and reaching huge churches in Africa and other developing parts of the world.

One of the teaching's attractions is that it doesn't dwell on traditional Christian themes of heaven and hell but on answering pressing concerns of the here and now, said Brian McLaren, a liberal evangelical author and pastor.

But the prosperity gospel, McLaren said, not only preys on the hope of the vulnerable, it puts too much emphasis on individual success and happiness.

"We've pretty much ignored what the Bible says about systemic injustice," he said.

The checks and balances central to Christian denominations are largely lacking in prosperity churches. One of the pastors in the Grassley probe, Bishop Eddie Long of suburban Atlanta, has written that God told him to get rid of the "ungodly governmental structure" of a deacon board.

Some ministers hold up their own wealth as evidence that the teaching works. Atlanta-area pastor Creflo Dollar, who is fighting Grassley's inquiry, owns a Rolls Royce and multimillion-dollar homes and travels in a church-owned Learjet.

In a letter to Grassley, Dollar's attorney calls the prosperity gospel a "deeply held religious belief" grounded in Scripture and therefore a protected religious freedom. Grassley has said his probe is not about theology.

But even some prosperity gospel critics — like the Rev. Adam Hamilton of 15,000-member United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in suburban Kansas City, Mo. — say that the investigation is entering a minefield.

"How do you determine how much money a minister like this is able to make when the basic theology is that wealth is OK?" said Hamilton, an Oral Roberts graduate who later left the charismatic movement. "That gets into theological questions."

There is evidence of change. Joyce Meyer Ministries, for one, enacted financial reforms in recent years, including making audited financial statements public.

Meyer, who has promised to cooperate fully with Grassley, issued a statement emphasizing that a prosperity gospel "that solely equates blessing with financial gain is out of balance and could damage a person's walk with God."

The story is from here.

Called to Serve

This is a true saying, if a man desires the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil (1Timothy 3:1-7)

The man of God that leads the Church today in our circle is the Pastor. Paul says this unique man desires this work. The work of shepherding men and women, equipping them to grow and serve, is s tremendous task. It is very fortunate for us that God would have the qualifications explained in the Bible. These qualifications are in 3 categories:

Leader in spiritual discipline
leader in managing God’s ministry
leader in evangelism to those outside

This person should be self controlled and blameless. Blameless does not imply sinless perfection. To be blameless is to follow the scripture perfectly as one understands them. Living what one preaches and preaching the whole counsel of God is one task of the Pastor. If a person desires this tremendous office, they have to live according to the lofty standards required.

Furthermore, every Christian should live a blameless life. This is the name given to us who believe – Christians. We are to be like Christ. Some Pastors are failing in the Church today in America, as our brother Christian had previously enumerated in some of his previous exhortations. The scripture says that they (teachers) will have a stricter judgment. The job of a pastor is not an easy one, so remember to always pray for our Church leaders.

Dr Martin Luther Jnr Quote

I love this quote. It encourages me and sets me into action for what I ought to do now I am alive and strong.

“You may be 38 years old, as I happen to be.
And one day, some great opportunity stands before you
and calls upon you to stand up for some great principle,
some great issue, some great cause.
And you refuse to do it because you are afraid.
You refuse to do it because you want to live longer.
You’re afraid that you will lose your job,
or you’re afraid that you will be criticized
or that you will lose your popularity,
or you’re afraid that somebody will stab you,
or shoot at you or bomb your house;
so you refuse to take the stand.
‘Well you may go on and live until you are 90,
but you’re just as dead at 38 as you would be at 90.
And the cessation of breathing in your life is but the belated announcement of an earlier death of the spirit. You died when you refused to stand up for right. You died when you refused to stand up for truth. You refused to stand up for justice.”
-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
From the sermon “But, If Not”
delivered at Ebenezer Baptist Church November 5, 1967.
He was assassinated five months later on April 4, 1968.
From here

The reason for Christmas

When I look around this period, I see a lot of movements. Everybody seems to be in a hurry to shop. For some people, it's a time to spend all they have made for the year. For others, it's a time to go to the village and show the people how far they have gone through the year. They compare and compete and receive chalenges from their mates for next year's target.Many people make unnecesary expenses and travls they are not supposed to make ordinarily. There is increase in greed and crime. This is the time that your kids put pressure on you, if you did not start early to work on their value system. Incidentally, even some wives too. The price of things and transport go up so high that when the year comes, many of them do not come back to former prices. I agree this happens majorly in third world countries, where there is no price control. People suffer a lot during Christmas period.

Is this all that the season is about?

We commemorate the birth of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. He is our Messiah and our God. He was born into one of the poorest of families at that time and in a manger, where you feed sheep. It's not as if they did not look for a room to sleep, but they couldn't find anyone. Joseph and Mary helped themselves around the Sheep pen while the baby Jesus was laid in a manger. The information about his birth did not go the king's palace, it was given to some poor shepherds in the field. We ask ourselves, who was that perosn in the manger?

He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He is the Saviour of the whole world. Isa 9:6-7 "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this."(KJV)

Phil 2:5-11 "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
(KJV)

He humbled Himself and took the sinful human form because He loves us and wants to save us. From this, we learn that for us to affect our generation and accomplish the purpose of God for our lives, we have to humble ourselves. Yes, we should celebrate but let's not lose sight of the purpose of Christmas and the lessons we learn from it.

I wish all my friends Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!