RHAPSODY OF REALITIES ;

27TH JUNE,2018 ; PASTOR CHRIS OYAKHILOME;

A NEW YOU;

Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin (Romans 6:6-7).

The Bible says, “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:4-6). When Jesus died, we died with Him. When He was buried, we were buried with Him. When God raised Him from the dead, we were raised together with Him. We were in Him in His death, burial, and resurrection.

Romans 4:24-25 says, “But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.” We weren’t justified because He died; we were justified because He was raised from the dead. He was raised from the dead, a new man; He was born again.

Jesus heads up the new creation. He came up with a new life and so, the Bible says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). This new creation has no past; there’s no sin in him. His resurrection gave you a brand new life. You’re not the man that sinned; that’s the “old man,” and he’s dead. Hallelujah!

A new YOU was born at the resurrection: “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4). Blessed be God!

PRAYER

Blessed Lord, thank you for the life I’ve received through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. As Christ rose from the dead, I came alive with Him; therefore, I walk in this newness of life. I reign and rule in life today as a king, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

FURTHER STUDY:

Romans 6:4-5;1 Corinthians 6:9-11

1-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN

Acts 13:1-12 & Nehemiah 7-8

2-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN

2 Corinthians 9:11-15 & Isaiah 15-16

RHAPSODY OF REALITIES SUNDAY, 15TH OCTOBER.

THE NEW BIRTH: A MUST FOR EVERY MAN.

Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again (John 3:7).

Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” All men sinned in Adam and came legally under Satan’s dominion. How did this happen? Romans 6:16 says, “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” Adam obeyed Satan and became his servant; he submitted his authority to Satan. That’s the authority Satan uses today to oppress and keep man in bondage.

To be free from Satan’s dominion, man has to be born again, and become a new creature. This new creation is made possible by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Bible calls Him the first begotten of the dead (Revelation 1:5). He’s the first to rise from spiritual death, and all those who are born again have also come out of spiritual death.

This is why we preach the Gospel, so that men may know they don’t have to be in bondage to Satan anymore. They don’t have to be cut off or alienated from the life of God. Consider the description of those who aren’t born again in Ephesians 2:12: they’re “…aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world.”

How could anyone live without God? How could anyone live in such utter darkness and blindness? Nothing could be more deplorable and hopelessly terrible! It’s the reason Jesus said, “Marvel not that I said Ye must be born again” (John 3:7). When you’re born again, you’re at once transferred from the domain of darkness into the kingdom of God’s dear Son. You’re immediately separated from death unto life, and you’ll never perish (John 3:16).

Failure, sickness, defeat, poverty and everything that’s of darkness aren’t a part of your life now that you’re born again: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

CONFESSION
I believe that God raised up Jesus from the dead, and boldly affirm the Lordship of Jesus over my life. Therefore, I’m a partaker of the divine nature, and I live the life of glory, righteousness, success, health, prosperity and victory in Christ. Hallelujah!

FURTHER STUDY:
John 3:3-7 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? 5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and [of] the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
Ephesians 2:19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
1-Year Bible Reading Plan:
1 Thessalonians 5:1-28, Isaiah 61-63
2-Year Bible Reading Plan:
John 6:1-14, 1 Kings 22

RHAPSODY OF REALITIES DAILY DEVOTIONAL

THE LIFE AND NATURE OF GOD .

Friday, September 22nd,2017

Pastor Chris Oyakhilome

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:23).*
Eternal life is the life and nature of God. It’s the transcendent life, which we have in Christ Jesus. He gave His life for us, so we could live and walk in His righteousness, glory, and grace.

But until a man is born again, he can’t have eternal life, no matter how much he tries. There’re people who are struggling to please God; they’re struggling to live right, but don’t know how to go about it. You can’t live right until you have first received the life and nature of God into your spirit.

True Christianity is fellowship with the divine; having your human life supplanted by the life and nature of God. Until you have His life in you, you can’t live it. The Lord Jesus, addressing Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, said, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again”(John 3:5-7). To be born again is to have the Christ-life imparted to your spirit, such that you come alive to God; you’re awakened to the fatherhood of God, and He takes up His abode in the quarters of your heart.

Learn more : The Gift of Fellowship

This isn’t something you struggle to attain; it happens the instant you’re born again: the life and nature of God is imparted to your spirit to enable you live right and produce fruits of righteousness. Your life becomes the manifestation of God’s goodness, glory, grace, and love when you have and are conscious of His life and nature in you.

Learn more : We bear fruits of Righteousness.

PRAYER
*Precious Father, I thank you for your great love for me, which you demonstrated in sending Jesus Christ to die for me. I affirm that Jesus Christ is the Lord of my life, and His life and nature have been imparted to my spirit. I’m awakened to the fatherhood of God, and I express the righteousness of God in my world, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

FURTHER STUDY: *||* 1 John 5:11-13 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He that hath the Son hath life; [and] he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. 13 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, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. ||

*|| 2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him [to be] sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. ||

DAILY SCRIPTURE READING
1-Year Bible Reading Plan: Galatians 6:1-18,
Isaiah 9-10
2-Year Bible Reading Plan: Luke 24:13-27,
2 Samuel 17-18

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RHAPSODY OF REALITIES DAILY DEVOTIONAL

LIFE IN THE WORD

Tuesday, August 15th . 2017

Pastor Chris

_*And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 3:15).*_

God’s Word is what you need for your spiritual growth and development. It’s what you need for a balanced life of continual victory and success that you’ve received in Christ. This is so because you were created by the Word of God, which means the Word of God is your life; it’s your source, and every living thing must be connected to its source to survive. Man’s body was made from the dust of the ground, so man has to feed on what’s cultivated from the ground to survive.

Man, however, is a spirit, and the spirit of man wasn’t made from the dust of the ground; the spirit of man came from God’s Spirit, and was created with the Word of God. You, therefore, must continually feed on God’s Word to live triumphantly in life. Acts 20:32 says, _*“And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.”*_

It’s important to note here that the scripture wasn’t referring to everyone in the world, but to God’s children. The Apostle Paul says the Word is able to build you up, because that’s where you came from; that’s your origin; you’re born of the incorruptible seed of the Word; therefore, you must remain connected to the Word to live your best.

Through the Word, you condition your life for victory every day, such that no matter the circumstances you find yourself in, you’re always triumphant. 2 Corinthians 2:14 says, _*“Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.”*_

*PRAYER*

*Dear Father, I thank you for my origin in you; I’m born of the incorruptible Word of God; therefore, I’m immune to the corrupting influences of my world, and I’m indestructible. The Word of God is working in me, producing in and through me, the result of its message, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.*

*FURTHER STUDY:* *||* *1 Peter 1:23* Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. *||*

*||* *Luke 4:4* And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. *||*

*DAILY SCRIPTURE READING*

*1-Year Bible Reading Plan:* Romans 16,
Psalms 102-103

*2-Year Bible Reading Plan:* Luke 16:13-18,
Ruth 3-4

RHAPSODY OF REALITIES DAILY DEVOTIONAL

HE’S GIVEN US HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS .

Sunday, August 13th . 2017

PASTOR CHRIS OYAKHILOME PHD

For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith (Romans 1:17).

Most religions of the world are reflective of man’s efforts to attain righteousness. Men have been seeking the righteousness of God, struggling and trying their best to become righteous. Sadly, even amongst Christians, there’re those still struggling to be righteous, thinking that if they became more righteous, God will hear their prayers.

The righteousness of God is revealed only in the Gospel, and what the message says is that He’s given us His own righteousness, because we couldn’t get or attain it by ourselves. The Gospel is good news, and what it means, in a nutshell, is that you couldn’t be righteous on your own, no matter how you tried. As a result, God had to give you His own righteousness as a gift. All you have to do is to accept His righteousness, and it’ll be imparted to your spirit and you can live accordingly.
That God has given you His own righteousness is such a liberating truth. The gifts and the calling of God are without repentance (Romans 11:29). It’s also something that can’t be improved upon, because it’s perfect, being God’s own righteousness. This means you can never be more righteous than you already are. You can stand before Him now and always, unashamed. What an amazing reality!

That’s the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Romans 3:24 says, “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” We’ve been declared righteous by His grace; we’ve been acquitted by His grace. We’ve been freed of all charges. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
Jesus took our place of sin and gave us His righteousness. We’re thus the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. We’re as righteous as Jesus is, and this is entirely God’s doing: _“To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus” (Romans 3:26). Blessed be God!

PRAYER
Thank you, dear Father, for imparting your righteousness to my spirit! I rejoice, knowing that I now stand justified in your presence. Thank you for ushering me into the transcendent life, where I reign and rule with Christ forever, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

*FURTHER STUDY:|| Isaiah 53:10-11 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put [him] to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see [his] seed, he shall prolong [his] days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. 11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, [and] shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. *||
*||Romans 5:17 For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) ||
DAILY SCRIPTURE READING
1-Year Bible Reading Plan: Romans 15:5-13,
Psalms 94-98
2-Year Bible Reading Plan: Luke 15:20-32,
Judges 21