THE HEART OF PRAISE

Praise emanates from the heart. From the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks (Matt. 12:34; Luke 6:45).

Keep your heart with all diligence for out of it flow (spring forth) the issues of life (Prov. 4:23).

...For as he thinks in his heart, so he is... Proverbs 23:7

It takes a grateful and joyful heart to praise God.

Praise is a spiritual endeavor.

It is a language of the spirit, a weapon of the godly, a garment of the righteous.

God inhabits the praise of His people. Moreover, He does fearful things through praise.

We are alive to show forth God's praise. He set us aside, called and even chose us from the foundation of the world for this purpose.

Praise is a heavenly culture, which must be enforced on earth through the representatives of God's kingdom on earth.

It's a trans-generational value system and lifestyle which never fades away (Psalm 145:4).

Psalm 34 is dedicated to the encounter David had with Abimelech (Achish, the king of Gath - 1 Samuel 21:10-15). The Lord delivered him miraculously and he was indeed grateful.

Are we grateful to the Lord for the great things He had done for us?

Receive grace to praise Him! His praise will continually be in your mouth...

PST. NATHANIEL SADELA

      Resident  Pastor

for more details on pictures and proceedures of the service: check our posts on www.facebook.com/gacikeja and our tweets on www.twitter.com/gacikeja.

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MAN OF IMPACT

Genesis 30:25-30

Impact could be seen as influence, effect, lasting impression, touch or indelible mark. The essence of effective and intentional living centres on impact. 

People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care… 

Within every man lies the potential to become a father. A real father is a man of impact. 

The purpose of this message is to stir up our understanding and to quicken our memory that we have received a mandate to live impactful lives, making our lives count for eternity. 

Some of the characteristics of a man of impact include the following:

1. A man of impact is a responsible man.

He serves dutifully and purposefully. He is committed to his work and the people under his care. He is a man of accountability (Gen. 30:25-26).

He is a householder who provides for the needs of his household from his God-given treasure (Matt. 13:51-52).

2. A man of impact is a product of grace.

He enjoys the grace of God wherever he goes and in whatever he does. Furthermore, the presence of God in his life affects people around him positively (Gen. 30:27).

3. He is a follower of Christ.

His lifestyle is patterned after that of Christ. Moreover, his lifestyle commands being followed, others can see Jesus in him (1 Cor. 4:16; 11:1). 

Are you following Jesus? Is your life a true representation of Jesus to others?

Many people are truly seeking the Master, their hearts pant and hunger for Him, do you present Christ to them? (Gal. 4:19).

4. He is a man of integrity.

He is totally given to character, Biblical self-control, self-restraint and credibility. He is acceptable in the sight of God and approved of men (2 Cor. 8:21; Rom. 14:17-18).

5. He is a diligent man. 

He serves with diligence. He commits himself wholly to whatever he is doing (Prov. 6:6-9; 30:25; 10:4; 12:24, 27). 

A diligent man will never see any work as being mundane or demeaning. He handles every task given to him with dexterity. 

Furthermore, he replicates himself in others. He creates an enabling platform for other people to grow and to discover their God-given talents and purpose (1 Samuel 17:12-20).

6. He is given to study (learning).

A man of impact is a committed learner. At every stage of our lives, God will always provide learning opportunities, we must be sensitive enough to leverage on such opportunities… (Prov. 1:5; 9:9; 14:6; 2 Tim. 4:13).

Not only is he committed to learning, he also encourages others to practise it diligently (1 Tim. 4:13; 2 Tim. 2:15).

Pastor NATHANIEL SADELA

Resident  Pastor

for more details on pictures and proceedures of the service: check our posts on www.facebook.com/gacikeja and our tweets on www.twitter.com/gacikeja.

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LIVING FOR CHRIST

LIVING FOR CHRIST

Philippians 1: 19 – 30
 For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, According to my earnest expectation and [my] hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but [that] with all boldness, as always, [so] now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether [it be] by life, or by death. For to me to live [is] Christ, and to die [is] gain. But if I live in the flesh, this [is] the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: Nevertheless to abide in the flesh [is] more needful for you. And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith; That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again. Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God. For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake; Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear [to be] in me.

Introduction

The whole essence of our calling as Christians is to live for Christ, the author and finisher of our faith. We can only make our lives count when we live for Jesus Christ. Outside of Him is no life at all. Life starts with God through our Lord Jesus Christ and without Him, what man has is mere existence.  (Gen 2:7)  And the LORD God formed man [of] the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

What does it really mean then to live for Jesus?

Verse 21 in our anchor scriptures says it all. Here Apostle Paul was awaiting trial which could probably lead to death sentence in Rome and the church was praying for him to be set free. Whist Paul believed that God would hear the prayer of faith of the church; he however made them to know that in the worst scenario of being killed for Christ sake, his faith in Christ is unshaken. To live for Christ therefore means, committing your entire live to Him without thinking of alternative. It means it can only be Jesus in your life. Living for Christ means you have no other life to live than for Jesus. By extension, it then means that your entire loyalty and obedience is for no other but Jesus Christ. When you are facing a death situation just like Apostle Paul, you just want go with Him.  It means Christ must be everything to you.(2Cor. 5: 15 Amp.)

And He died for all, so that all those who live might live no longer to and for themselves, but to and for Him Who died and was raised again for their sake.

Why should you live for Christ?

1.     We all consist and exist in Christ; it is through Him that we live, move and have our being. So, the only one worth living for is Jesus Christ. Though the concept of life means different things to different people, Jesus is the originator of life and still remains the only source of life – Acts 17:28

2.     Our lives here and beyond can only be guaranteed in Jesus Christ – John 14:19

3.     Jesus Christ is the life giver, so without Him we cannot even have meaning to our own life – John 10:10 – 11

4.     It is only through Jesus Christ you can have access to God – John 14: 6

5.     Jesus used His blood to purchase us back from the kingdom of Satan and gave His life as ransom for us – John 15: 13

How can we live for Christ?

1.     Let Jesus control your heart. Your heart is the ultimate place Jesus desires to possess.  If he can have your heart, he can have your all because your heart is the seat of power – Pro. 23:26

2.     Let Him have control over all your earthly possessions. All come from Him and belong to Him

3.      Be ready to seek Him with every strength and might you have – Mark 12: 29 - 30

4.     You must daily live in the crucified Christ – Gal.2:20

5.     You must acknowledge His Lordship and show your total commitment to Him on a daily basis

6.     You must trust Him that He knows the best way for you and therefore never lead you astray

7.     Finally, you must always choose the leading of the Holy Spirit – Gal. 5:16

- Sermon By Pastor Femi Atode 

THE FORCE OF VISION

Vision is the unfolding, discovery or revelation of God’s agenda for your life. It’s the picture of the desired outcome (present or future) which God shows to His people (Amos 3:7; Genesis 18:17-19; Psalm 25:14). 

The force of vision enables you to see the invisible, hear the inaudible and do the seemingly impossible in your generation as you follow the footsteps of the Lord, because you are dancing to a different tune, and not following the crowd… (1 Cor. 2:9-10).

It is the blueprint or grand design of the colourful destiny that God had prepared for us before the foundation of the world. 

God is ever willing to give us a hint of things that will unfold now and even in the future, but are we patient and quiet enough to stay in His presence and dwell with Him? Jer. 33:3; Psalm 119:18.

May the Lord open your spiritual understanding through the light of His Word, and thereby impart deep counsels into your heart (Psalm 119:130).

What do you see? In the presence of God (while praying, worshipping, meditating and studying the Word), when you are asleep and when the Word of God is being preached/taught, what do you see? (Gen. 13:14-18; 15:1-5).

Some important things to note about vision and how they are applicable to our lives:

1. Through the force of vision, we can operate in the practical knowledge of God’s will and dwell within our God-given lane, exploring the riches therein (Ephesians 1:17-18).

2. What kept the people of old in the faith was their alignment with the heavenly vision (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, etc). Even though, the physical eyes of some of them were dim (at old age), their spiritual insight remained sharp as they could see clearly into the future and declare the mind of God (Gen. 48:8-20; Hebrews 11:21-22).

We must get inclined, enlightened and educated about the things of God. How do we guard jealously what we don’t even know about?

3. Where there is no supply of heavenly vision, people perish. Lack of vision makes people to be ungovernable, they cast off restraint, they run wild and therefore, they become spiritually vulnerable.

But he that follows God’s Word is blessed…

Proverbs 29:18

4. Vision is the heartbeat of Godly and effective leaders. God revealed the dynamics and the requirements for the building of the tabernacle in the wilderness unto Moses, and everything was carried out by the Israelites according to the details (Acts 7:44; Hebrews 8:5).

David understood in writing (through the hand of the Lord that was upon him), the plans of the temple to be built for God and he gave the comprehensive documentation of the plan to Solomon, his son (1 Chron. 28:19). 

In 1 Samuel 3, Samuel ministered as a priest under the leadership of Eli the priest. This was before the divine encounter he had with the Lord. 

All through this time, he was just burning incense (constricted to a daily routine), because the Word of the Lord was scarce in those days, revelation was scarce. The prophetic dimension of his ministry was held on, until the day of visitation…

Your vision will not die, the heavenly vision will not be frustrated, it will speak at the end, and it will come to pass, to the glory of God the Father (Hab. 2:3).

PST. NATHANIEL SADELA

      Resident  Pastor

for more details on pictures and proceedures of the service: check our posts on www.facebook.com/gacikeja and our tweets on www.twitter.com/gacikeja.

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