RHAPSODY OF REALITIES;

21TH JULY , 2018 ; PASTOR CHRIS OYAKHILOME;

WHEN YOU BELIEVE, YOU RECEIVE;

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1).

To believe is to act your faith; believing is the action of faith. Faith itself is the response of the human spirit to the Word of God, and that response is evidence. When you act your faith (believe), you receive and it’s endorsed; you no longer require further evidence.

It’s like the judgment that’s given in a court of law on the basis of evidence produced. Once the judgment is passed, you don’t have to come again with further evidence; the evidence has been accepted and that’s why the judgment was made. Likewise, when you believe, you’ve judged whatever it is that you’ve believed to be true, and as a result, something happens: you receive! We don’t believe for nothing; the believer is a “haver.”

For example, the Bible says, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life…” (John 3:36). When you believed in Jesus Christ, you received eternal life: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life” (John 6:47). That’s why John said, “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life…” (1 John 5:13).

Eternal life isn’t a hope in the Sweet By-and-By; something you’re waiting on God to make happen for you; no! You got it when you believed; it’s your present-hour possession. Let’s examine Mark 11:24 in the same light; it says, “Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” It’s not when you hold what you desire in your hands or see it with your physical eyes that you know you have it; your spirit took possession at the time you prayed in faith and believed that you got it. Hallelujah!

PRAYER

Dear heavenly Father, I thank you for imparting faith into my spirit. I’m a possessor of eternal life. That life in me destroys, paralyses, and renders ineffective the works of the devil in my life, family, finances and business. The divine life of God flows through my being. Hallelujah!

FURTHER STUDY:

John 17:1-3; 1 John 5:11-12

1-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN

Acts 27:1-26 & Psalms 21-22

2-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN

Galatians 6:10-18 & Isaiah 41

RHAPSODY OF REALITIES ;

20TH JULY , 2018 ; PASTOR CHRIS OYAKHILOME;

BE THE “BLESSER” AND THE GIVER;

Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand (Philippians 2:4 MSG).

Sometimes it’s easy to think, “Since no one cares about me, I won’t care about anyone!” Don’t be that way. Be the one to remember, care for, and love others! Be the first to love. Be the blesser and the giver. The blessing you get from receiving is less, compared to that which you get from giving to others. Jesus said, “…It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).

God’s promise isn’t to the one who receives but to the one who gives. So, rather than seek attention, for example, give it instead. Give love. Demonstrate love to everyone, including those who may have offended you, and to the ungodly that have no hope. That’s how God wants you to live.

Some people only know how to enjoy attention; they only crave love from others. That’s dangerous, because when they don’t get the love and attention they seek, they could become cruel and wicked. You’re the seed of Abraham, and the seed of Abraham reaches out; he’s a blesser; he hears the cry of the needy and responds.

You’re the answer the world is looking for; you’re the one to meet other people’s needs. You may not think so about yourself, but it’s the truth. Genesis 26:4, referring to you, the real spiritual seed of Abraham, says, “…in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.” Galatians 3:29 says, “And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

You’re blessed in blessing others. Your greatness is in making others great. That’s where real joy is. It’s a higher way to live when you learn to look away from yourself and become concerned about the needs of others and be the blesser and the giver.

PRAYER

Dear heavenly Father, thank you for granting me the grace, wisdom, and strength to raise and build others, helping them discover their greatness, and limitless potentials in life. Through me, your blessings flow so bountifully to others, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

FURTHER STUDY:

Genesis 12:2; Luke 6:27-32

1-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN

Acts 26:19-32 & Psalms 19-20

2-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN

Galatians 6:1-9 & Isaiah 40

RHAPSODY OF REALITIES ;

18TH JULY , 2018 ; PASTOR CHRIS OYAKHILOME;

A GRATEFUL HEART ;

Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 5:20).

Some people don’t know the value and power of a grateful heart; therefore, they complain over everything. If they aren’t bemoaning the economic situation, they’re complaining about the pains in their bodies or about some other problem. They’re hardly ever happy, because they’re blind to all the good things happening in, and around them, for which they ought to be grateful.

There’re many who don’t appreciate or even recognise the progress they’ve made or the blessings of God in their lives. Life itself is a gift from God to enjoy every day; that you can even think that you deserve better is a blessing. So, look into your life and see that there’s a lot to be grateful for.

Perhaps you’ve learnt something new; your knowledge and understanding of God’s Word have improved; your prayer life has become richer; all these and more are important blessings to be grateful for, and excited about. The ministry and work of the Holy Spirit in your life, for example, is far greater than any physical or material blessing you could ever get. In fact, it’s what will give rise to other material blessings in your life.

True happiness in life transcends having a lot of money. There’ve been many who had a lot of money and all that money could buy, yet they were depressed, unhappy and ended up destroying themselves. In Luke 12:15, Jesus said, “…Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.”

You’re never going to be satisfied because you have so much; therefore, learn to be content and grateful for all that the Lord is to you, has made you, and made available to you. Serve Him joyfully, putting Him first in your life. Be thankful, and excited about your life in Christ: His glory and righteousness that you are, and exude, as well as His power, wisdom, and grace by which you live triumphantly every day.

PRAYER

Blessed Lord, from the depth of my heart, I’m grateful to you; you mean more than the world to me. I acknowledge your grace, mercy, wisdom and power by which I live triumphantly today, prospering in all that I do. I worship you for making my life glorious, filling me with your precious Spirit, who is to me all the advantage I need in life, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

FURTHER STUDY:

1 Thessalonians 5:18; Ephesians 5:20; 1 Chronicles 16:34

1-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN

Acts 25:13-26:1 & Psalms 11-16

2-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN

Galatians 5:13-19 & Isaiah 38

RHAPSODY OF REALITIES ;

17TH JULY , 2018 ; PASTOR CHRIS OYAKHILOME;

CHOSEN TO BE HIS WITNESS;

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth (Acts 1:8).

Have you ever thought about the fact that God chose you before you were born, to be His witness? He knew you and foreordained you to live for His glory. The Bible says, “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son…” (Romans 8:29).

God foreordained and planned that through you, He’ll bless and transform the lives of those in your world and in regions beyond. He set you apart to do His will, and to be His witness.

The Apostle Paul, understanding this, echoed the same message in Galatians 1:15-16: “But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace, To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen….” Paul’s passion and unrivalled commitment to the Gospel resulted from his knowledge and understanding that he was chosen and sent of God to turn the Gentiles from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God.

Recall his profound statement of commitment to the Gospel in 1 Corinthians 9:16: “For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!” Become aware, convinced, and challenged by the divine mandate and obligation to preach the Gospel.

As in our opening verse, the power of the Holy Spirit in your life is to make you an effective witness of Jesus Christ; a minister of reconciliation. You’ve been given the mandate to preach the Gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15), and make disciples and pupils of the nations (Matthew 28:19). Make this your focus, and experience true fulfillment in your life.

PRAYER

Thank you, blessed Lord, for the power of the Holy Spirit working in, and through me to bring salvation to others. Preaching the Gospel to those in my world and in the regions beyond is my passion and purpose for living. Today, as the Gospel is preached and taught around the world, many come to the knowledge of Christ, and into their inheritance in Him, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

FURTHER STUDY:

1 Corinthians 9:16-18; Matthew 28:19-20

1-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN

Acts 25:1-12 & Psalms 7-10

2-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN

Galatians 5:1-12 & Isaiah 37

RHAPSODY OF REALITIES ;

13TH JULY , 2018 ; PASTOR CHRIS OYAKHILOME;

A GREATER AND MORE PERFECT TABERNACLE ;

But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us (Hebrews 9:11-12).

In the Old Testament, the temple Solomon built was divided into two parts: outside was the temple courts, where the animals for sacrifices were killed. Then, there was the temple itself; the first part of it being the holy place, and only the priest could go in there then. The second part of it was the most holy place, separated from the first tabernacle with a thick curtain.

While the priest ministered in the holy place, only the high priest could go into the most holy place—the inner sanctuary—and he did that once a year. To go into the most holy place, he had to offer sacrifices to God for himself and for others; he could only go in there with the blood of an animal (Hebrews 9:6-8). Moreover, at the end of one year, that atonement would expire, and another sacrifice would be required.

Regardless of the sacrifices performed by the high priest every year, sin was never put away; the presence of God still wasn’t accessible to the people. More so, the altar where the high priest performed the sacrifices had to be sanctified with other sacrifices before the gifts were put on it, including all the utensils in the temple. In other words, the tabernacle that was supposed to be so holy and make things holy, was itself not holy enough.

Then the Bible says that Jesus, being a high priest in the order of Melchisedec came with a greater and more perfect tabernacle, and offered Himself once and for all. Hebrews 10:5 says, “… Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me.” His body was the greater and more perfect tabernacle, and through Him, the presence of God is now open to all who believe. Now we have boldness to “…enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh” (Hebrews 10:19-20).

PRAYER

Dear Father, thank you for the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus, offered once and for all, for the blotting away of sins! I acknowledge this perfect sacrifice that has brought me eternal and perfect remission of sin, and into union with you forever, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

FURTHER STUDY:

Hebrews 9:13-15; John 2:18-21; Ephesians 5:2

1-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN

Acts 21:37-22:1-21 & Job 32-35

2-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN

Galatians 3:23-29 & Isaiah 33