QUICKENED BY HIS SPIRIT

QUICKENED BY HIS SPIRIT

Romans 8:11-17

To quicken is to bring to life, to make alive, to animate, to revitalize, to refresh, to stimulate, to kindle, to inspire, to resurrect, etc…

In John 6:63, Jesus said, ‘It is the Spirit that quickens (gives life), the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life’.

Jesus Christ was declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead (Romans 1:4). He was justified in the Spirit… (1 Tim. 3:16).

Thank God for the resurrection of Christ from the dead. If Christ had not risen from the dead, our preaching would have resulted in futility (1 Cor. 15:12-20).

Just as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so are we expected to walk in the newness of life, through the enabling of the Holy Spirit…
Jesus is alive forever more… He’s risen! (Rev. 1:18).

The Bible says, ‘the first Adam was made (became) a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening (life-giving) Spirit’ (1 Cor. 15:45; John 5:21).

Therefore, we have the same Spirit of faith, through whom we know that the same Spirit that raised up Christ from the dead is at work in us today…
Furthermore, He (the Holy Spirit) quickens our understanding to know that our hope in Christ is not limited to this world.
Through the Holy Spirit, we have a spiritual guarantee that at the appearing of Christ, we will partake of the better resurrection (unto eternal life) – Ephesians 1:13-14; Hebrews 11:35; Daniel 12:2.

HOW CAN I EXPERIENCE THE QUICKENING OF THE SPIRIT?

Ask, Seek and Knock! (Matt. 7:7-11; Luke 11:5-13).
We are never really persistent nor consistent in our ‘desire’ for the leading of the Holy Spirit… We tend to give-up too soon!

Embrace the Cross!
‘Jesus must increase, but I must decrease…’ (John 3:30).
Until we come to the end of ourselves, we can never see the fullness of God’s power revealed in us…His strength is glorified in weakness (1 Cor. 12:7-10).

 PASTOR NATHANIEL SADELA

        Resident  Pastor

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JESUS CHRIST: OUR PERFECT EXAMPLE

JESUS CHRIST: OUR PERFECT EXAMPLE

Bible Text: John 13:3-16

Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God; He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe [them] with the towel wherewith he was girded. Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter. Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also [my] hands and [my] head. Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash [his] feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all. For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean. So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you? Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for [so] I am. If I then, [your] Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. (KJV)

INTRODUCTION

Today being another commemoration of the triumphant entry of our Lord Jesus Christ into Jerusalem, it calls for a reflection of what Jesus lived and died for. He is our example in everything.

The bible tells us that Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith – Heb. 12:2;

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of [our] faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

He is our road map, a perfect example our faith. He epitomizes all that we should live for as Christians. His life showed us how we should live ours – 1Pet. 2:21

For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:

Today marks the beginning of what is known in Christendom as Passion Week, we need to reflect on some of those things Christ Himself had shown us by example.

SOME OF THE LESSONS FROM JESUS’ LIFE

·         *God’s kind of love – Matt. 5:44, 46, Rom. 13:8-10

·         *Being humble as Jesus Christ – Phi.2:6 – 11, James 4:10, 1Pet. 5:6

·         *Be compassionate – Col. 3:12, 1John 3:17

·         *Be persistent in God, even in the face of suffering – Heb. 2:9 – 10, 1Pet. 4:13, Rom. 8:18

·         *Maintain godly and holy life style – Rom. 14:19, Heb. 12:14

FOLLOWING JESUS FOOTSTEPS

To become like Jesus, we must be ready to follow Him and do His will through the following three (3) simple steps:

·      *  Follow Him in His word. 

·     * . By the leading and the prompting of Holy Spirit - Rom 8:9;

       But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

·     .*  By the teachings and declarations of His servants - 2Chr. 20:20b, John 2:5 ;

       And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.

AN ENCOUNTER WITH JESUS

AN ENCOUNTER WITH JESUS

John 4:1-42

An encounter with the Lord is worth far more than a lifetime of struggles. A divine encounter will bring the desired turnaround into one’s life. Divine encounter positions you for relevance in the things of God, particularly at this end-time…

Jesus moved from Judea to Galilee, but it became a necessity for Him to pass through Samaria.

After a long and tiring journey, He finally arrived at one of the cities of Samaria called Sychar, and sat on the well there (this was around noon).

Few moments later, a Samaritan woman came to the well to draw water…
And Jesus said to her, ‘Give Me a drink’…

The woman was rather astonished, wanted to know why a Jew would ask for a drink from a Samaritan (based on the rift that had existed between them for long).

Furthermore, Jesus assured her that whoever He gave the water of life would never thirst again… Consequently, the woman sincerely desired the ‘water of life’ and asked for it, so that she wouldn’t have to come to the well again.
Jesus saw her openness, sincerity and vulnerability. He decided to take the discussion to another dimension…

‘Go, call your husband and come back here’ He said to her. This suggestion opened up another chapter of her life…
The woman sharply responded, ‘I have no husband’. Furthermore, the Master dug deeper into her life, revealing her past (which might seem to haunt her)…

I believe that when God decides to open up different chapters of our lives, lines upon lines, precepts upon precepts, the healing process is about to begin!
Question: Are you ready to own up and open up to God? When God confronts you with your weaknesses and frailties, how do you respond?

However, our Lord, Jesus Christ chose not to condemn her, rather, He chose to restore her! (John 3:17).

At this stage, she could deduce that He was a Prophet. Here again, she brought up another sensitive issue, that centres on religion and worship.

Likewise today, we place more importance on ‘the house of God’ than we do on ‘the God of the house’. Religion is gradually taking the place of true worship in the church of God…
Jesus revealed to her that true worship (which is acceptable in the sight of the Father), is not a function of geographical location, but a function of the heart.

This doesn’t suggest that we should stop coming to church (Heb. 10:25), but that our coming to God’s presence shouldn’t become a routine, it must be crowned with a divine encounter! Our service unto God must proceed from the depth of our hearts. (1 Samuel 16:7; Luke 16:15).

At this stage, her heart was beginning to open up… (Psalm 119:130; Rom. 10:17).
By the time Jesus revealed Himself to her as the Messiah, she believed absolutely!

Furthermore, she left her water-pot by the well, went into the city and told everyone she came across, about Christ.
The people came to meet Jesus, believed in Him, and urged Him to stay a few more days with them…and many more believed in Him. They accepted Him as the Christ, the Saviour of the world!

Someone who already had a ‘character’ defect in the society had a life-transforming encounter with Jesus, and she eventually led many souls to Christ…

God is not a respecter of persons! He will do it for you also! You will have a life-changing encounter with Jesus! Look beyond your past, don’t let the devil use the past to intimidate you! Look unto Jesus, and receive grace to walk in the newness of life…

 PASTOR NATHANIEL SADELA

        Resident  Pastor

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