Evangelism

Tuesday, November 7, 2023

Absalom: The King Israel never had

A good looking man

Described as the most handsome man on earth

He was intelligent, smart and a outstanding leader

He hated injustice

He could not tolerate evil done against his sister

He took law into his hands

He assassinated his brother in a cold blood

He critically observed his father's government

He addressed the weaknesses of his father's government

He formed a forum to interact with the people

He coined a leadership style that appealed to the people

He consistently met the needs of the people

He became man of the people

As powerful as Joab was

He brought him to his knees without combat

What could have attracted the Kings Counselor to him

The man with the counsel of God

Was he doing it for a revenge?

Was he attracted to Absalom's leadership style?

Absalom slept with his father's concubines in a broad day light

He heeded to Ahithophel counsel

His camp was gathering momentum and support

David almost gave up

This was beyond ordinary

The hand of God was against him

He knew

Nathan's curse was at work

His kingdom was crumbling

At a point where all hope seems to be lost

Mercy spoke for him

Hushai advice prevailed over that of Ahitopel

Ahitopel knew that was the end of his kingdom

He hanged himself

Absalom displayed great leadership skills

He was not authocratic

He listened

He sought advice

He was closed to the people

He knew the people's plight

He led with mercy and passion

Had he been alive

It would have been difficult for Solomon to be king

He was a strong contender for the throne

He was wisdom combined with beauty

David loved him

David was willing to die for him to be the king

God's agenda is different from human agenda

Absalom had the leadership skills

God was not looking for skills

God was not looking for his beautiful qualifications

Was he character flawed?

Obviously yes

His hands were soaked with blood

He murdered Amon

He orchestrated a coup that lives were lost

He slept with his father's wives

His flaws might not be the reason God rejected him as king

No perfect human

We all have our flaws

It was not on record that Absalom had affinity for God

Probably His heart was not right with God despite his qualifications

Spirit of God subdue character flaws

A gifted and talented leader without divine checks are dangerous

In human perspective, Absalom could have been better as a king than Solomon

Absalom was better prepared

He was a man not afraid to lead a war

He had all the qualities but God said no

Only God knows why he chose Solomon as king

Solomon admitted his weaknesses

God qualified him and bestowed on him all he needed to be a king

Absalom knew he could not be the king

He could not wait till his father's exit

He staged a coup

Had God not intervened

He would enforce himself on the people

He would lead them according to his will

The name of God may not be glorified

The work of God for that generation might be put on hold

Obviously the Temple might not have been built by him

The heart of the people might have been turned away from God

He would have been tagged the people's king

He might have pleased the people

But failed God

Men were pleased with Saul's leadership

He always put Men's agenda above God's agenda

He was a men pleaser

He reigned for Forty years

His people so loved him that they became volunteers to monitor his arch enemy

God did not want a repeat of Saul's era

He stopped Absalom

God worked against him

Till the power he desired consumed him

Oh Absalom

You desired a throne

You desired power

You were capable

You were prepared

You were desperate for power

You were willing

But you have forgotten

that it is only God that delegates power

And set people on thrones

©️ Abolanle Oladipupo

26/10/2023

Saturday, September 24, 2022

THE TRAVAILS AND TRIUMPHS OF AN EVANGELIST

An evangelist is a man with a mission. He is a man with passion and hunger for souls. His primary purpose on earth is to win souls. He is given the mandate to depopulate the Kingdom of darkness. He is a hell razer. He is dreaded by the kingdom of darkness because he has been anointed to preach the gospel that will liberate people from the kingdom of darkness. All ministry gifts are in one way or the other dependent on him. The ministry gifts are interconnected with the purpose of edifying the church. A church that has the five ministry gifts in operation is blessed beyond measure. To an evangelist, he want all souls to be saved. When he preaches, you will be so touched and broken on the spirit. He exhorts. He called the attention of people to the salvation of their souls. His preaching at times can make you ask yourself : “am I saved”? Outstanding Evangelists are men of the word, they are deep in the word and give themselves to word and prayer on daily basis. Evangelist can be spotted by

· They are people of prayer. It is like praying machine is in them. They pray for hours and cannot just stop praying. It is in prayer they are empowered for the assignment

· They are burdened to witness to people on a regular basis. They see evangelism as a duty and they do it with zeal.

· They are not happy when they see people in sins. They call sin by its name. They can’t just look away from people living comfortably in sins. Their joy is to see sinners giving their lives to Christ.

· Evangelists are well known people in the community because they are identified with the gospel of peace which they preach. Evangelist loves the company of people and are always relating with people. They are loving and compassionate people.

· Evangelists are always looking for opportunities to witness. They do not wait for invitations to preach in a church or crusade. At any slight opportunity they present the gospel on the street, in the car, bus and they do it passionately

· Evangelist are usually attached to a church. They do not move from one church to another. They have a church where they worship every Sunday and are accountable to the church.

· Evangelist do not entangle himself with the affairs of this world. He has only one mission and that is to win souls and please his God who has enlisted him into his service.

An Evangelist is a man of many travails. At times people around him do not understand him. They usually see him as someone that is extreme in his faith. The kingdom matters dominate and burn in his heart. He is concentrated on making heaven and taking as many people as possible along. He cannot cover sins, wherever he is, he is a beacon of light that exposes darkness. He is hated for standing on the truth and speaking the truth at all times. The evangelist does not care if the truth will kill you, he will say it right there. This unique attitude of him earned him a lot of enemies at work and environment. His colleagues in the ministry cannot just tolerate him at times because he is not diplomatic with issues. He usually sees what people call diplomacy as a compromise that will land them in hell. As a result of this he may not have friends even among fellow ministers. Some pastors will say force an evangelist to pastor at least three years, probably he may stop saying some of those things he do say. That is not always true. An evangelist will not even want to pastor a church. His nature will not allow it if he pastor a church, the church may scatter because he cannot just do it successfully. Can you make an Engineer to be a Doctor. This is not possible. This can only be possible if such an Engineer went to medical school and was trained. Though an Engineer, he can still do work of an evangelist. Evangelist that can be forced or accept to pastor a church will be the one that is theologically trained. A lot of errors are committed by an Evangelist who is not theologically trained and we often generalized it as “that is how Evangelist do”. Billy Graham was theologically trained, he pastored for a while before venturing into full evangelical ministry. He pastored well , he was outstanding because he was trained and gave himself to word and prayer. Reinhard Bonkee, a German evangelist was theologically trained, he pastored for three years before venturing into full evangelical ministry.

As an untrained evangelist in the University, I made a lot of errors, I said so many things then which are unnecessary. This earned me unnecessary enemies and hated for no reason. Imagine, leading devotion in the hall, and calling them out that there were lesbians in the hall. You better repent. That sounds too harsh. After theological training, there was a great change, a friend at the University saw me, he was so surprised and could not hide it but confessed “ you are reformed “. Theological training will refined an evangelist. An evangelist without Theological training in a Bible School or seminary is crude and may be toxic. Today only a few knows that I am an evangelist because I have been refined.

An evangelist greatest problem is discouragement and rejection.

Discouragement easily sets in. He laboured so much on the field and at times only a few chose to follow him to his church. At times he evangelizes and only a few surrender their lives to Christ. Sometimes no soul at all and this kind of situation makes him discouraged. He pray for people, they get breakthrough but only a few come back to say thank you. A story was told of an Evangelist who was invited for a open day crusade and no one gave his life to Christ except a little boy. The little boy eventually became a world renowned evangelist. Another Evangelist preached, on the last day, no one came out for testimonies except a man who said God healed him from headache. The evangelist got so mad with God. Few days later he had a migraine, he prayed on it, nothing happened, he remembered how he challenged God for a man God healed of headache in his meetings. He asked God for mercies and God healed him. At times he prays and prays but the situation remain unchanged. People will mock him, call him names and this may dampen his spirit. An Evangelist was once challenged by his church pastor, you keep saying you are evangelizing but how many people have you brought to the church? The Evangelist felt bad, went on his knees and the following week God glorified himself. People came to the church and said evangelist preached to us and we decided to worship in his church.

Discouragement is like an arrow or dagger in the heart of an evangelist. Discouragement have made many evangelists to stop evangelizing. Some have lost something precious to them, some are not motivated, and some are fainting because reward tarries. Some have prayed for people and those people forget them when they got their breakthrough.

Evangelists are not loved by the people of the world. People can just transfer aggression on them unnecessary for preaching the gospel in public places. At times he feel lonely with no one to share his burden with. An evangelist can be difficult to understand at times. A few minutes ago he was bubbling in faith, sharing the gospel and suddenly he is lonely, meditating and praying. It is hard for you to understand him, even his fellow ministers can pick up offence against him. He wants to relate with other ministers too but they feel his own is too much.

Evangelists are the foot soldiers of the kingdom. This position them as targets for the enemies. God have ways of building up his evangelists. They are made in wars which are hard circumstances and situations beyond human understanding.

No matter how the enemy tries, God always make an evangelist to triumph. External battles from the enemy hardly kill an evangelist because God usually back him up mysteriously in such a way that it is beyond human understanding.

Rejection and discouragement is majorly a battle that is hard for an evangelist to win except he learns to build up his faith in God, find his identity in God and encourages himself. Rejection and discouragement often leads to depression which can make the health of an evangelist to deteriorates.

God manifest himself in the ministry of an evangelist just like any other ministry. He usually give him harvest of exploits. Notable revivals, crusades are spear headed by evangelists. Miracles, healings, deliverance flows like rivers of water in the ministry of an evangelist. Above all God gives him harvest of souls to the extent that he cannot even know the exact number of souls that have been saved through his ministry. Beyond that, crowns will be given to him in heaven and he will be highly decorated and celebrated. The call to the office of an evangelist is a noble calling that gives God joy in heaven and the host of heaven. Obviously there are problems, an Evangelist see the problem as challenges which he must step on for him to triumph in ministry. He have wounds but God is his healer, strength and comfort. The ministry of an evangelist is a ministry of endurance and suffering. Paul had this to say:

2Ti 4:6 For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure.

2Ti 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

2Ti 4:8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

An Evangelist endured all, he have seen several revelations about heaven. He knows where he is going and he is determined in his mind to take as many people as possible there. He is sure of his crown of righteousness waiting for him, he is sure of mansion waiting for him, he knows that life is not a funfair but battlefield. He is confident of his faith. He delights in his weaknesses, insults, hardships and persecutions. Why? God’ grace is sufficient for him and he knows that he will keep him strong till the last day. Not all people we call evangelists are evangelists in the real sense of it. Evangelists have first hand spiritual experience and revelations that you may not believe if they share it with you. They are humble and their watch word is that Christ should be known and make great through them while they are unknown. There are very few evangelist in a generation. Evangelists are world shakers. Till today America has not recovered from the evangelistic ministry of Billy Graham. In the scripture only Philip was referred to as an Evangelist. Others do the work of an evangelist but are not evangelist in the real meaning of the actual word. You cannot desire the triumphs, victories, greatness of an evangelist without the travails. His triumphs are enclosed with pains, suffering and endurance.

©️ Abolanle Oladipupo

24^th September 2022

Wednesday, September 21, 2022

WHY YOU SHOULD NOT BE A MISSIONARY

WHY YOU SHOULD NOT BE A MISSIONARY?

A missionary is a job of dignity and honour. They are emissaries of God in a territory. They are Apostles of God. They carry the burden of the Gospel. They carry the message of the gospel. They combine the ministry of an evangelist and also that of a pastor in a locality. At times they establish new churches in the area where there is none and presides over it. They have a relationship with their flock and in some fields they know all their members by names. The hosting community usually accord them honour as a representative of God in that domain who have left their comfort for the sake of ministering to their needs. The privileges, benefits, honour can make someone desire to be a missionary. Before you decide to be one there are reasons why you should not choose to be a Missionary .

Certain people came to Jesus, they loved his ministry, the way he moved around with accorded respect, dignity, honour , entourage. They wanted to be part of his team. Jesus looked at them and told them reasons why they should not? Let’s look at it in the scripture

Luk 9:57 As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”

Luk 9:58 Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

Jesus told him that he did not have a home of his own. As wild as foxes are, they have homes even birds of the air have nests. Jesus had no place to call a home. Your home is your comfort, where you sleep and refreshes your body. It is your privacy. It is where you retreat to after a long and hectic day.

You should not be a missionary because a missionary does not have a home of his own . He has left his comfort zone to a place that may not provide the comfort he was enjoying where he was coming from. He is a sojourner there, whatever house he rents or build there will be left someday. He operates a open door, he does not have a full privacy, a member can come in at any time for help or assistance. He cannot switch off his phone. His phone must always be on. If he finds himself in a place without potable water supply, he will drink from the stream the community is drinking from, if the community does not have stable power supply, he will adjust to the system. Jesus told the man the consequences of his decision to follow him. If you will be deprived of your comfort, will you still be a Missionary. The man didn’t respond to Jesus question probably he thought Jesus was living in a beautiful mansion with the comforts of that time.

The another reason why you may not be a missionary is found in Jesus response to another man who he beckoned on to follow him

Luk 9:59 He said to another man, “Follow me.” But the man replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”

Luk 9:60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

Jesus wanted the man to follow him. He saw a missionary in him but he gave an excuse. He wanted to attend the burial, dined and wined with his relatives. He would also benefit from the shared inheritance of his father. He considered all these before telling Jesus that he had to bury his father first. Paul said in 1Ti 5:6 that:

But the widow who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives.

Jesus said let the dead bury their own dead. Anyone who lives in pleasure is worldly and he is dead. Jesus told him that he is not of this world, let the people of the world celebrate and share inheritance but as for you proclaim the kingdom of God. Do not be a missionary if you are not ready to prioritize your mission above pleasures. Demas abandoned Paul, he ran away from the mission field. Of which Paul wrote:

2Ti 4:10 for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia. As a missionary there will be social gatherings you will be invited to, but you may not be able to honour the invitation because you are engaged with the work of the LORD on the field.

Another reason why you should not be missionary is found in Jesus response to a man that wanted to follow him .

Luk 9:61 Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family.”

Luk 9:62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

Another man wanted to follow Jesus but he insisted on seeing his family first. He was emotionally attached to his family members. You cannot be a missionary if you are emotionally attached to your loved ones and cannot do away with them. Do not be a missionary if you cannot excuse yourself from your extended family at times. A missionary at times may not see his extended family for years. Not that he did not want to see them. Who will he leave the flock for? Not that he is not emotionally attached to his friends, family and relatives. He prioritizes his mission above family ties.

Finally do not be a missionary if you cannot endure suffering. Suffering is part of missionary work. Sufferings are not limited to not having food to eat or money to buy things you want. Sufferings is when you are willing to sacrifice your life for others. Paul had this to say:

2Co 4:8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;

2Co 4:9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

2Co 4:10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.

Paul was sharing his personal experience on the mission field. He was able to do great exploits for Christ because he was willing to sacrifice his life for the gospel. He did not hold his life back but pour himself into the mission. The outcome was great missionary exploits. Do not be a missionary if you are not ready to suffer for the sake of the gospel. The missionary must be ready to bear the marks otherwise known as scars for Christ. Paul wrote:

Gal 6:17 Finally, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.

Paul gloried in his sufferings because that identified him as an Apostle.

Some so called missionaries have runaway from their duty posts when the reality of what it takes to be a missionary dawn on them. Mark run away at a point when the journey was tough, thank God for Barnabas who picked him up, encouraged him and later be of help to Paul in the ministry. With all these, if you are still willing to be a missionary, You are indeed a missionary and the work of the ministry shall prosper in your hands.

21^st September,2022

Tuesday, September 20, 2022

GIVE YOUR BEST TO MISSIONS

God’s work done in God’s own way do not always lack provision but he will use people. No mission can run without finance. There is always a need to be met on a mission field. If there is a fertile ground, you can sow into, it is mission field. Our idea of a mission field is a place where people are suffering and starving. This at times affect the way we give in supporting mission field.

T here is always a call to give to mission but if you must give to mission, kindly give your best. Over the years when a call is raise to bring clothes, food and other materials to be used on mission field. I have seen people packing clothes that they cannot even wear, at times missionaries have to burn some of these clothes. How will you carry rags called clothes to mission field. If you must give clothes, go to boutique or stores and buy new clothes. You are giving it to God and God deserves the best. If you cannot afford to give your best, hold it, God will raise others to do it. Mission is God’s project and he cannot abandon his work. Men may look away but God will not look away. Why must you think that a pastor in the city should be made comfortable and a missionary in the village should not have access to the same comfort and luxuries like the missionary in the village. Why must you always think that Missionaries must suffer? Comfort is relative. You can always make where you are comfortable. Paul spoke so well of the Church in Macedonia. They took great care of him and there was great results.

Whatever the state of our mission field today? The church is responsible for it. You keep complaining of that missionary that he is lazy, he complains too much, he is hard, he is adamant, he is bossy. That is what you made of him. A look into the bugdet of some churches suggest that mission is not prioritize. Mission will thrive if we prioritize it and give our best into it .

God is looking for those that will give their best to support mission . One of the reasons God made some christians rich is to finance the kingdom. Whatever you have as a child of God does not belong to you? When last did you give your best to a mission Field?

Your best is not only your money. It can be your time. When last did you visit a mission field? Your visit is an encouragement to the Missionaries working there. They are happy when you identify with them. When last did you call a missionary and encourage him on phone? When last did you text that missionary serving in a village? You have fleet of cars in your garage why must you give a missionary motorcycle and not one of those cars. A missionary deserves to ride on a jeep too. Mission is a collective efforts if we want our Missionaries to succeed on the field, we must give our best of time, money, possessions to support and encourage them.

20th September, 2022

UNDERSTANDING FOREIGN MISSIONS

Missions are God’s given assignments to his people to take message of salvation to people that have not heard of it. The command is to preach the gospel to all nations so that there will not be excuse on that day that I did not hear. There are many places in the world that is still hidden to the gospel of Christ. It becomes imperative that we should take the gospel there. We cannot be comfortable where we are and there are nations that are closed to the gospel. The gospel you are enjoying today, someone paid the price by bringing it . Some died on the way to Africa, Asia, they did not even get there, some came and died as a result of tropical diseases. The souls in the unreached parts of the world are crying for salvation on a daily basis but our ears are deafening. Foreign mission is simply taking the gospel outside your country. There are many mission boards and agencies recruiting missionaries across the world. They are ever in need of missionaries because the harvest is plenty but the labourers are few.

Foreign mission is not something you embark on because you are called to be a missionary. Not all missionaries will serve in a foreign land. Some will serve in home mission fields. Serving in home missions does not make you inferior to someone serving on foreign missions. There must be a burden for the country you are sure God is leading you into. Souls are won on the knees not on the field. You pray for the people, fast, thirst for their souls and launch out to witness to them. Hudson Taylor, missionary to china, he prayed: “ Give me China or die” . He was a cobbler, an illiterate but he was so sure that God was leading him there. He did not jump to china, the day he had promptings in his spirit. He prayed severally and prepared himself for the assignment.

A foreign missionary can either be an independent missionary or an employed staff of a mission board or agency. An independent missionary is responsible for his upkeep on the field and that of his family. He may have sponsors but he is not accountable to any organization. A staff missionary is working with a mission board, the mission board is responsible for his upkeep and gives report back to the board that enlist him. Either you choose to be independent missionary or staff missionary, you have to prepare yourself spiritually, physically, culturally, emotionally and financially. Do not wait until you get there before you start learning about their culture, dressing and food. Make a research. Understand the people you are going to. Are they educationally or intellectually sound? If they are academically sound , you know you have to develop yourself in that area so that it can enhance your access to them. Either as independent or staff missionary you have to prepare financially. If you are a staff, think of skills that you can acquire that can be converted to money while you are there. Finances can be delayed from the mission board, you should plan on how to sustain your family financially. Generally, some mission boards prefer engaging missionaries that are professional in their fields. Only a few missionaries board can financially sustain all the needs of their missionaries on the field. Almost all the missionaries that came to Africa from America , England, Canada, Italy are professionals, there are teachers, Doctors, nurses, Theologians, lawyers, business men . As they are winning souls, they are also receiving income from their secular jobs. Paul was an independent missionary accountable to the church in Jerusalem, he was a lawyer, a writer and also a tent maker. Priscilla and Aquila were tentmakers too. Luke was a Doctor. Paul was able to make great impact because he was not a burden to them. A missionary also prepare his family for the assignment. Some mission board will not send a missionary without the backing of his spouse and children. It is a collective assignment.

Finally on foreign missions, God have a way of preparing his people for any assignment. Paul was a Jew but he was born in Tarsus, Turkey the old Roman empire . This gave him the Roman Citizenship status and gave him the rare privilege and benefits to travel round the Roman empire, stayed there without being charged heavy taxes. He had a Roman name (Paul), he understood their culture, dressing and language. God knew he would become a preacher to the Gentile nation even before he was aware and orchestrated his path in that direction. If you will be a missionary to India, China, Arab, he knows what to do to ensure that you are thoroughly prepared for the assignment. God will do his own to make you fit for the assignment. You also have to prepare yourself for the assignment.

Sunday, September 18, 2022

DANGEROUS PROPHETIC ANOMALIES

Prophets are God’s gift to edify the church. The ministry of a prophet can not be overemphasized in a church. The church has benefited immensely from prophetic gifts. However there are dangerous trends in the prophetic office that we need to deviate from or else it will be a curse rather than being a blessings. The excesses of prophetic office is not just now. It has been since the first century. Paul addressed false prophets and teachers in his time. He called them out. Many wonder why Paul had to address several churches he established and addressing doctrinal issues. Some of the issues Paul addressed in these churches had become controversies in the modern church. Till today some churches will not allow a female to pastor their Churches. Some churches will not allow female to enter their Churches without head covered. There is a thin line between witchcraft and prophetic office. So many prophets are practicing sorceries and they think that they are still doing it right. A prophet is first a preacher who is deep in the word of God with a particular message for his generation. Whatever he says or do is guided or informed by the word of God. The word of God is the Spirit of God and the Spirit of God cannot go contrary to the word of God. Unfortunately the spirit of the prophet has led many prophets and their followers astray. Many of the spirit leading are contrary to the word of God. These leadings of the spirits are becoming patterns which are dangerous anomalies to the church.

These trends are numerous but notable among them is the practice of praying into water, soaps, Money, and other medium to effect healing, deliverance, and miracles. It looks normal on the surface but a deeper reflection shows that it is an anomaly that is cancerous to church growth. The scripture says the just shall live by faith. What heals is faith in God and his word not the water or any medium you prayed into. So many people have prayed on water, people used it and got their healing. That doesn’t mean that it is the water that heals but the power behind the spoken word of God. Jesus did not pray on water. He healed people based on their faith in God. Praying on the water is not the issue. As humans we believe what we see and we are likely to see that water as what heal us. It is not the water but our faith in God. Most African indigenous churches if not all practices praying on water, oil, handkerchief, soaps, oils as medium of healing. This practice originates from african traditional religion. Incantations are made on water , soap, oil, which serves as medium of healing. The scriptures teaches that healing takes place without praying on any object as medium. Everything we do as believers must be guided by the word of God. To worsen it all some of these churches sell these items to their members at a price. Spiritual bathing had no any root in the scripture. Deliverance can takes place without spiritual bathing. All you have to do is believe. The word of God is powerful and it cannot contradict itself. Praying on money before dropping it or going out to drop money as prayers is going on or as preaching is going on is not biblical. You are in the house of God not in a ifa priest house where you speak to money before dropping it. The fusion of the African Traditional practices into Christianity are majorly along prophetic lines. They will say that it is the spirit telling them to do that and yet people believe them. They believe because they did not understand the word of God. Moses did not use the rod as a magician. He used it under the direction of God. He followed instructions from the giver of the rid. The day he used the rod without the instruction of God, it cost him entrance into the promise land. The reason why many prophets will lead many people to hell is because of getting results from syncretism. The results also blindfolded the prophets, he begin to see himself as the healer, prides come in. Have you ever thought of it? Moses struck the rock with rod instead of speaking to it yet water still flows. God will glorify himself among his people but he will scold his servant at the secret place if he had not abandoned the secret place.

Bible is the standard, it is the written word of God for our walk with him in this world. Unfortunately all these anomalies in the prophetic office are usually backed with a twisted word of God to make it appealing to their audience.

Jesus was aware of these and he warned in the scripture :

Mat 7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

Mat 7:22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’

Mat 7:23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

These people are famous ministers of God who had done exploits for God. Jesus rejected them because they are doing their own will and not the will of the God that called them. Jesus did not deny that they were not his servants. He was particular about doing his will. These servants of God were using Jesus to make themselves important, twisting the word of God to suit their lifestyle. Their bellies are their gods. They are making merchandise and fame from the gospel. Spirit of the prophet is the spirit of God. The Spirit of God is the word of God. The Spirit and the Word of God is one. Whatever your spirit says must not overrule the supremacy of the word of God. Any prophetic instructions that deviate from the Word of God should be thrashed into refuse bin. The prophets are not meant to direct your life. Do not subject your life to what the prophet says. The work of a prophet in this dispensation is to affirm what God have already told you, to comfort, to encourage, warn of impending danger if we choose to live sinfully and intercede for souls.

A pastor shared a testimony of how God instructed him to start anointing service on one of the Sundays. He spoke to his member about it and he started it. He was using oil as a medium and it got to a level that people will abandon their churches on that Sunday and come in good numbers to his church. At a time God instructed him to stop using the oil during the anointing service because people are idolizing the oil as if it is the oil that is bringing about the miracles, deliverance and healing. God confirmed to him too , that same week, one of his members called him and told him that the oil is working wonders and trust the oil so much that he cannot do without it when traveling. The moment he stopped using oil at anointing service, a lot of people stopped coming for the anointing service.

The just shall live by faith and not by sight. God have no problem expressing himself through any medium but it becomes a problem when we start idolizing these things. In all the healing, deliverance, miracles Jesus did not use any medium except on an occasion where he spat on sand and used it to touch the eyes of blind man. On all other occasion he spoke the word.Speak the word, declare the word, it is the authority behind the word that will bring about healing miracle and deliverance. If you cannot sit down and study the word of God in a time like this, you will be a prey to prophets who are full of strategies, ideas and devices to rip people of their hard earned income.

Truly Our fathers in African faith notable among them , Late Apostle Babalola used water as a medium to heal but there were several occasions, healings, deliverance and miracles took place in his ministry without using any medium. God cannot be boxed. He can work in several ways. Why must you limit God to handkerchief, soaps, oils, candle, incenses, spiritual bathing and many more. All you need is faith. Faith come by hearing and hearing comes from the word of God. Pastor w.F kumuyi ministry have experienced great healings, miracles and deliverances without use of any medium. He speaks the Word of God and God backed up his word with miracle, signs and wonders. Evangelist Billy Graham simply preached John 3:16 and miracles were taking place. The word of God is powerful. The word is truth. Preach the truth, teach the truth, deliverance, miracles and healings shall follow. That is the right pattern. Every other pattern is dangerous even if it is trending and becoming popular. Stick to the word and the word will not fail you.

Abolanle Oladipupo

Saturday, September 17, 2022

THE NECESSITY OF HOME MISSIONS

Evangelism is the heartbeat of God. A living church prioritizes missions and evangelism. One of the functions of a church is evangelism. A church that is not reaching out to the unsaved will reduce to a social gathering. The key to the peace of the world has been given to church. That key is evangelism, a church that uses it well will enjoy unspeakable joy, peace and blessings. It is alarming that evangelism in churches has been reduce to programs, charities and social function. Evangelism that is not done in God’s own way will produce human results which is cancerous to the church growth.

Jesus told his disciples that:

Act 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Evangelism is a ministry of power. You are in direct combat with rulers of darkness that have sealed the hearts of men from hearing the truth that can save them. Without the power of the Holy Spirit, souls cannot be saved. How can they be saved? If they were not preached too? Only men can preach to men. This mission has been given to men and not angels. All believers are to take it upon themselves and tell others about Christ. Gospel is like a burning fire, you cannot have it and will not be burdened to tell others about Christ.

Evangelism is broad and complex term but it simply means to announce or declare the word of God to others with the purpose of saving their soul from destruction. There are different roles you can play under evangelism. Missions is under evangelism. The word mission is a task or assignment. An evangelist reach out to all, he is not bound or restricted to a particular location. A missionary is assigned to a particular place, region, or area. He do the work of an evangelist, he do the work of a pastor and ensures that the souls are not just saved but they are fed adequately with the word of God. An evangelist task is to save souls from one particular area to another. He is not restricted to a particular place. Philip was a notable evangelist in the scripture, he was at Samaria, preaching the gospel, souls were saved, but at a time he had to invite peter and John to come over and Baptized them. Missionaries are modern day Apostles, they are evangelists with a pastoral heart who are not just only interested in souls being save but passionate about nurturing and feeding the souls with the word of God so that they can be matured in faith and Christ like.

Jesus emphasized that witnessing should start from where you are. Gospel is peace. If your constituency is in peace, you will have peace of mind and rest of mind to go about your daily business, your church will grow and other neighboring states and countries will benefit from your prosperity. Three and half years of Jesus’s ministry was focused on the Jews. Even though he recorded a little success among his people but the church was built on the few that accepted him. These disciples were also instructed to start their mission from Jerusalem.

It saddens the heart that most churches in Nigeria has abandoned home mission fields. There are still some areas in the southern Nigeria that are hidden to the gospel. The problem of Nigeria is the North and it is because the church is not doing much in reaching out to the lost over there. The few churches that were in the North are built by foreign missions. It also pain the heart when you visit some churches in Kano, Kaduna, and you discovered that about 90 percent of the church members are southern Yorubas or Igbos who are residing there as a result of their businesses or jobs. No doubt there are persecution over there but believers should be able to risk their lives in telling people about Christ. Yours is to speak and Holy Spirit will do the saving. The bandits and Boko Haram threatening the existence of Nigeria could have been nipped in the bud if Christians play their part in reaching out to these people. There are missionaries from the south serving in dangerous territories in the north. There are also native missionaries right in the battle front witnessing the gospel but the support from the Southern Nigerian christians are not enough. The southern church prefer investing in foreign missions than investing in home missions in North. The missionaries in the north are abandoned and forgotten. During the Jos crises in 2002, a missionary serving in the north from the south came home empty handed. He lost everything. He was in pains, embittered, he discussed the challenges and how the southern church is doing little or nothing to assist. He warned “ if you abandon this people, they will become a national threat and the peace you think you are enjoying in the south will become a problem” . The brother went back to Jos after the crises even when his brethren did all their best to stop him because of the risk involved. The man is still there doing great exploits for the Lord.

Cowards die many times before their death. The scripture affirm in Revelation that cowards will not enter the kingdom of God. The highest paid servant of God should be a missionary serving in hinterland but a good number of them live on stipends. If you make a missionary and his family comfortable, he will not run away from his post. The church should declare emergency on home mission fields. The stability and peace of Nigeria can only be achieved if we reach out to the unreached and people we tagged as difficult. Prayer is not enough, we need to take gospel to the North, if you cannot go , make people over there comfortable so they can do the work well. Turkey, Morocco, Algeria, Egypt are areas that were occupied by first century christians but the lands were lost as a result of complacency of christians in that region. Church fathers like Tertullian spoke about it, he warned of heresies, complacencies but it all fell to deafening ears. Let us take the challenge by taking local missions serious. We are doing our best but our best is not enough. We can still do more. Each church should have a plan on how to take the unreached part of Nigeria for Christ. Churches can come together and foster resources to build up mission in the unreached areas . The interior northern part of Nigeria is still part of the unreachable areas for the gospel in the world. Charity should start from home, you can’t be taking missions to foreign countries when some local government in your countries are inaccessible to the gospel. Foreign missions is good but the crux of the matter is that your home mission should not suffer. Let home mission be in your plans and see it as a necessity.

Abolanle Oladipupo