Church Construction 2013

May 2013 - Planting the Garden

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Jesus: The Word Made Flesh, 12/22 – 12/27, 2014

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 Jesus: The Word Made Flesh     Memory Verse: John 1:14 – “And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth”     Daily Devotional Guide: Monday: Jesus humbled himself.  Philippians 2:5-7 Tuesday: All things were made by the Word of God, Jesus.  John 1:1-15 Wednesday: Jesus came to deliver men from death.  Hebrews 2:14-15 Thursday: Jesus knows our infirmities. Hebrews 2:16-18 Friday: Jesus is the Savior. John 1:10-13 Saturday:  Jesus is the Lamb of God. John...

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Jesus: The Word Made Flesh, December 21, 2014

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 Jesus: The Word Made Flesh     Central Thought: The word became flesh to bring us into sonship with God.     Text: John 1 & 2 Reading text: 1:1-14     “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God” John 1:1.  This scripture explains the interlocking of God and His Word.  Word, in day to day usage offers a means of expression of someone’s mind or heart to another, so the Word of God, Jesus, is the express image of the Father.  At creation He, the Word, caused everything that came forth from the mouth of the Father to come into being.  When God said, “let there be light”, the spoken Word caused it to be. In the fullness of time, when what the Lord had purposed in His heart from the foundation of the world concerning man’s redemption should be manifest, the Word became flesh to buy man back from bondage of the devil.  There could be no other way man could be redeemed except by another man who is totally sinless and free from the grip of the devil.  That perfect man was the Word of God who, by partaking of the nature of man, fulfilled all of God’s just requirements for the penalty of man’s disobedience.  Being man, the word tasted death (the penalty for man’s disobedience), and made it possible for every man to believe in Him and receive God’s redemptive grace.  Today, all who place their trust in the Word made flesh are saved for eternity. The Word made flesh is the Christ, the only begotten Son of the Father.  His creative ability, exercised at creation, has not ceased.  Today, He gives life to the spiritually dead, and deliverance to all who are opposed of the devil.  Being the express image of the Father, the Word indwells those who believe in Him, and that makes their lives to glow brilliantly before the world.     Who is the word of God? It is usual to identify and introduce the personality of a being by his word or deed.  Hence, it follows that one cannot separate the person of the being from his words and deeds.  The words or sayings communicate one’s vision, philosophy, and life’s pursuits to others.  From the foregoing, it suggests that the Word of God should be the full expression of God to humanity.  The personality, attributes and works of God are fully revealed in the Word of God.  In addressing this question, therefore, our focus should be on that individual who fully reveals the Father to humanity. The opening lines of the letter to the Hebrews provide a clue: “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful Word”, Hebrews 1:3.  The foregoing passage clearly points out that the only begotten Son of God is the Word of God.  Anyone who knows the Son of God knows the Father. If we wish to assure ourselves who this son of God is, the revelation of the Holy Spirit through Simon Peter gives us this assurance.  “Simon Peter answered, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”, Matthew 16:16.  The Christ (the Anointed One) is the Son of...

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Living the Life of Faith, Part 2, 12/15 – 12/20, 2014

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Living the Life of Faith, Part 2     Memory Verse: Hebrews 11:6b – “And without faith, it is impossible to please God.”     Daily Devotional Guide: Monday: Faith overcomes fear.  Numbers 13:26-33 Tuesday: Trust in the Lord daily.  Psalm 32:8-11 Wednesday: In nothing be anxious.  Philippians 4:6-8 Thursday: Ask in faith.  James 1:5-7 Friday: Be confident in the Lord.  Hebrews 10:35-39 Saturday:  Rewards of living a life of faith.  Hebrews 11:29-30,...

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Living the Life of Faith, Part 2, December 14, 2014

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Living the Life of Faith, Part 2     Central Thought: Living a life of faith is the norm for the believer.     Text: Jeremiah 29:11; Psalm 32:8-1     In the first part of this study, we learned that Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see because God’s word says so.  We went on to examine the lives of men that demonstrated Faith in God.  How faith comes and what the scripture means by “the righteous shall live by his faith”.  Today we shall explore a few more practical aspects of living a life of faith.     How should we express faith in our general outlook to life? Numbers 13:26-33; Jeremiah 29:11; 1 John 3:1-2 Many of us judge ourselves by the world’s standards and this gives us a very poor estimate of our worth, a bleak out look to life and fear of the future.  We measure ourselves by how educated we are, our natural talents, socioeconomic backgrounds, our bank accounts and so on.  In one of the scriptures above, 10 out of the 12 spies reported purely out of a physical perspective, they saw only the obstacles on their way to possessing the promised land: Fortified cities, giants, hostile tribes and so on.  In the end they felt like grasshoppers going to confront giants; helpless, clearly out powered and hopeless and were convinced that the best option was to turn back to Egypt!  But Joshua and Caleb saw things through the eyes of faith.  They reasoned that the Lord who promised them the land was capable of taking them in if only the Lord was pleased with them and they did not walk in fear, Numbers 14:6-9. We often fall into the same error forgetting that we are children of God and that nothing is impossible to Him!  God will make us what He wants us to be.  He will make a way where there seems to be no way.  When fearful thoughts creep in, when the future seems bleak and we cannot reason out how things will go, that’s when to rest on Jeremiah 29:11.  He will bring you to an expected end!   What is the place of faith when making crucial life decisions? Psalm 32:8-11; Philippians 4:6-8; James 1:5-7 There are crucial decisions that could make or mar our lives:  what vocation or course to pursue, who to get married to, whether to go overseas, what city to settle down in.  For those in business, there can also be very challenging decisions.  In the scriptures above God clearly undertakes to guide us through life: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you”, Psalm 32:8.  God delights in showing His children step by step the ways He has chosen for them and expects us to ask in faith.  Believers should learn to seek and consult God first. The truth is that He gets glorified and gets immense pleasure when we make the right decisions and walk in His will; hence He is ever willing to help His children.  However, He expects us not to be like the horse that is ever hasty or the mule which is stubborn and...

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Living the Life of Faith, 12/8 – 12/13, 2014

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Living the Life of Faith     Memory Verse: Hebrews 2:4b – “the righteous shall live by his faith”     Daily Devotional Guide: Monday: Abraham lived by faith.  Genesis 12:1-9 Tuesday: Joseph lived by faith.  Genesis 50:22-26 Wednesday: Faith subdued kingdoms.  Hebrews 11:32-34 Thursday: Women exercised faith.  Hebrews 11:35 Friday: Other heroes of faith.  Hebrews 11:36-38 Saturday:  The righteous shall live by his faith.  Hebrews...

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Living the Life of Faith, December 7, 2014

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Living the Life of Faith     Central Thought: The believer is expected to live a life of faith.     Text: Hebrews 2:4, 11:1-6; Romans 10:17   “. . .Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. . .” Hebrews 11:1.  Living by faith is the opposite of living by sight.  Walking by the world’s wisdom involves basing our words actions and lives on information gathered by the physical senses. . . what we see, hear, touch and comprehend with our minds.  In other words we believe only what we find physical evidence for and base our lives on such information.  In contrast, living by faith is based on an inward sureness and certainty of things not due to physical evidence but our confidence in God’s word. Life Application Bible comments that “the beginning point of faith is believing in God’s character He  is who He says, and the end point is believing in God’s promises: He will do what He says. When we believe what God will fulfill His promises even when we don’t see those promises materializing yet, we demonstrate true Faith”.      1.How did the lives of the following demonstrate living by faith? Abraham, Genesis 12:1-9 Abraham lived in Ur of the Chaldeans, a great center of trade and commerce in his time.  He was called to give up his country and livelihood and go to a land that God will shoe him.  He had no idea of what the land would be like, he had never been there!  But he trusted God and obeyed.  Abraham’s life was not stressless despite the call!  Twenty five years of childlessness is enough to destroy the faith of many but Abraham persevered and in the end, he indeed is a Father of many nations! Like Abraham, God’s call upon our lives may involve giving up on our secure lives, jobs, plans, etc., for what we may not have full details of.  Are we willing to give up what we are used to, break away from the control/strings of our families and secure terrains, to embrace what God calls us to, and this without physical evidence or details of what it involves?  This is living by faith. Joseph, Genesis 50:22-26 Joseph had a dream early in his life, which he declared to his parents and brothers.  Despite betrayal by his brothers and life as a slave in Egypt, Joseph maintained a close walk with God and refused to sin against Him. Joseph’s faith in God shaped his words and actions despite the adverse and contradicting circumstances he found himself in. Eventually, he became Prime Minister of Egypt, where the Israelites settled and flourished. Before his death he made the sons of Israel swear an oath to carry his bones out of Egypt and back to Canaan.  This was based on his faith in God’s promise to his great grandfather Abraham hundreds of years earlier, Genesis 15:12-16.  This looked very unlikely at that time since Israel was welcome in Egypt and in favor with King Pharaoh.  But Joseph had faith in God’s word and was not deceived by circumstances and made plans for his bones by faith! Heroes of faith, Hebrews 11 The Old Testament is full of stories of...

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Bright Light in a Dark World, 12/1 – 12/6, 2014

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Bright Light in a Dark World     Memory Verse: John 8:12 – “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” Daily Devotional Guide: Monday: Characteristics of a dark era. Genesis 6:11-13; Jeremiah 2:19 Tuesday: Characteristics of a dark era. Galatians 5:19-21; 2 Timothy 4:10; Colossians 3:5-9 Wednesday: What happens when darkness pervades a society?  Matthew 12:24-30; John 10:10 Thursday: The functions of light. John 1:1-15 Friday: Christians as light in a dark era.  John 1:9, 8:12 Saturday:  The Christian lifestyle. Ephesians...

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Bright Light in a Dark World, November 30, 2014

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Bright Light in a Dark World       Central Thought: Jesus is the Light of the world.     Text: Philippians 2:12-16; Matthew 5:13-16; Ephesians 5:8-20; 2 Peter 1:19         This study seeks to establish the fact that Christians are bright lights in the world that appears to be in darkness.  A world that is destitute of spiritual light, Matthew 5:14, is said to be in darkness which can be described as the habitation of the devil and his agents.  The Christian is called upon to be the bright light in such a dark environment.  How to achieve that goal is the focus of this study.         What are the characteristics of darkness in the world? Genesis 6:11-13; Jeremiah 2:9; Colossians 3:5-9; Galatians 5:19-21; 2 Timothy 4:10 A dark atmosphere is one that prevents vision because of depravity of light, Exodus 10:23.  Darkness in the world is characterized by the following: In Genesis 6:11-13, the earth was corrupt and filled with violence which means there was injustice, cruelty, oppression, maltreatment and contempt for God.  It is a time where wickedness is displayed; people backslide, forsake God and lack the fear of God in their hearts.  These are manifested in fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil passions, greed, idolatry and all kinds of sin.  Other features seen include murder, rape, ungodliness, sexual immorality, anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication, lies, adultery, lasciviousness, witchcraft, hatred, avarice, strife, seditions, heresies, envy, emulations, indecency, drunkenness, etc.  Generally, works of darkness are ungodly actions. Another evidence of darkness that is prevalent in our time is where men forsake God because of the love for this present world and what it offers.  In this second letter Paul told Timothy that Demas forsook him for the love of the world, 2 Timothy 4:10. One thing is however sure, the wrath of God is upon those that partake in these acts and they shall not inherit the kingdom of God. When there is darkness, the devil operates and wants to keep people in darkness.  “The thief cometh not but for to steal, to kill and to destroy, I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly”, John 10:10. When darkness prevails, it shows that light is dim and the people that have been assigned to provide light are asleep.  In Matthew 13:24-30, Jesus told the parable of the kingdom, where the enemy which is the devil sowed tares among the good seed that were planted.  While the servants were desirous of uprooting the tares to give way for the good seed (wheat) to blossom, the Master directed them to let both grow together until harvest, when they would be separated, the tares burnt and the wheat, gathered into the barn. Men usually sleep at night and the enemy which is the devil can only sow evil seeds of darkness when men sleep, evil prospers and darkness prevails, in such a society.  Hence, Christians are to be awake, alert to their call and responsibility.  We must refuse to fall into sleep and not to allow the devil to perpetuate darkness, continue to blind the minds of men, 2 Corinthians 4:4, and keep people in bondage, Psalm 107:10. Christians are the light to brighten up the...

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Caring for One Another, 11/24 – 11/29, 2014

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Caring for One Another Memory Verse: Galatians 6:2 – “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”     Daily Devotional Guide: Monday: Please be your brother’s keeper.  Genesis 4:9-12; 1 John 2:10-12 Tuesday: Be a Good Samaritan; render the little kindness you can afford.  Luke 10:29-37 Wednesday: God repays much more than man; hence givers don’t lack.  Luke 6:38; 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 Thursday: Love ye one another.  John 15:12; Hebrews 13:11-12 Friday: God cares for all.  Matthew 6:25-34, 11:28-30 Saturday:  No one lacked among the early church.  Acts 4:34; Philippians 2:4,...

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Caring for One Another, November 23, 2014

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Caring for One Another     Central Thought: Caring for church member promotes growth and unity.     Text: Galatians 6:1-10; Acts 4:32-33     Christ’s followers were nicknamed Christians in Antioch in the early apostolic days as a result of the activities they were involved in.  The major deeds of the believers then was sharing and caring for one another such that no one lacked.  Believers today are happy to be called Christians and should be ready to do things worthy of the name. The church of the early apostles had majorly, the need for the basic necessities of life, food, shelter and clothing.  The needs of the church today are far wider in scope than that. The devil is fighting his last battle before the rapture of the saints; he is using deceit, suffering, denials of rights, frustration and delay of believer’s miracles, false teachings and lack of good things of this life, etc., to do this.  The church of today should be conscious of these facts and come up with a program of activities that are capable of building members wholesomely to withstand the strategies of the devil. The care of Church members should be all-embracing.  Thus, delayed marriages, child bearing, joblessness, illnesses suffered by church members should not only be prayed about but should attract a lot of empathy from the leaders and members of the church.     What does it mean to bear on another’s burden? Galatians 6:2; Hebrews 13:1-3; Joel 2:16-17; Matthew 25:35-40 Burden simply means load, weight or trouble.  It could also mean anything that makes one uncomfortable or disturbed.  This could cut across all aspects of human endeavors, i.e. physical, psychological or spiritual.  Anything that makes one to lack rest of mind or body is termed weight and would be very disturbing. All persons on earth irrespective of status, sex, religion, position, faith, tribe or tongue do suffer burdens some times.  If certain problems are not attended to on time, its’ possible consequences could be very grievous and unbearable to the individual and the Christian race would be adversely affected.  To bear one another’s burden therefore, refers to assisting someone to bear or carry part of the weight of their problems.  It enables the person to ease off a bit and get going in the Lord with more assurance of getting into the kingdom when the trumpet sounds.  Some clubs attract new members due to the perceived assistance they were assured of before enrolling as members. There is no doubt also that many got converted into the Christian faith as a result of some good reports of caring and sharing done by brethren.   Discuss the differences between bearing one another’s burden in verse 2 and bearing your own burden in verse 5 of Galatians 6. While the burden bearing in verse 2 refers to giving help to others, bearing of one’s burden in verse 5 refers to a call to everyone to live up to expectation and do his own assigned routine, duties or obligations expected of him from his master or as endowed not only by nature, but especially as a believer, for which he must give account of on the last day.  This includes all necessary activities or functions one needs to carry out to make one responsible. Matthew Henry’s Commentary...

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