Undiluted Gospel Updates

25/08/2022

Download "YOU IN ME" by DIVINE JOHNSON-SULEMAN

YOU IN ME - DIVINE JOHNSON SULEMAN

01/06/2020

Even when I don't see it, He's working.

11/05/2019

MY ENTREPRENEURSHIP JOURNEY

First and foremost, I am very privileged and honoured to share my business and my story with this great mind. I really count this as a great honor.

My entrepreneurship journey started when I was in secondary school. Then, the picture wasn't really clear but I knew that I found myself in a commercial department.

What brought about the real deal was when we were in SS3, that time I was the president of the business student association (B.S.A) we wanted to do our BSA Day. We planned to do a T-shirt which I collected the contract assisted by my excos then.

I realised that the profit we made after the production of this T-shirt was huge.
As a business student, I took the opportunity to advance myself and I started telling people that am into printing even though I was not sure about it.

All what am concerned with was that once I get the job I would ask my Dad for Advice because my Dad does printing Job and he is my mentor in this line..

At age 19 I started getting customers to work for. The time I entered into polytechnic I collected all the project work in my department and I used the gain I made from it to buy my course material then.

The vision became clearer that I needed to advance myself because I have already found a niche for myself and this will help me attract wealth if I pay full attention to it.

At age 20, I started working for people both offline and online. Most of the people I have worked for I haven't seen them before because of the consistency and trust, they had to pay for my work and I deliver to them without failing them.

This doesn't come in a day, I have paid the price by registering for a professional course and also offline course both free and paid one and whenever am confused or need help, i would reach out to my Coach to help and show the way to go about it.

All this has built my capacity... Now I work for people both online and offline..

I have been able to connect with people abroad and share my expertise with them.

ABOUT MY BRAND
===================
RDT MEDIA is a brand that help individual and businesses solve their problems using digital tools. We give solution to brand ambiguity. In RDT MEDIA, we are team and we share common goals and objectives.

we are into corporate branding, graphics designing, training, social media management, website designing, consultancy and others.

Our brand have worked with some companies and SMEs. Our record of quality and topnotch designs had made us got referrals and recommendations Everytime.

OPPORTUNITY YOU CAN GET FROM OUR BRAND
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contact details: [email protected]
Contact details: WhatsApp: 08160367651
Facebook: Faseyi Kehinde Raphael
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09/12/2017

Paul's rebuke of Peter at Antioch and how it affects us and the "Christian culture" today in public name calling.(Part 5). Avoiding a wasted generation.

We have looked over the past few weeks into what was at play that prompted Paul to rebuke Peter before all. Was Paul right in him doing that to Peter publicly? What motivated Paul was the fact that he saw the actions of Peter were swaying some that believed away from the right path and his purpose was to save them.

The important thing to note was there was a historical background behind his actions. Paul had gone to Jerusalem for clarifications, he had subjected himself to the leadership of the Church at Jerusalem. Peter himself stood up at the meeting in defence of what Paul was teaching and an agreement was reached.

The apostles sent letters endorsing what Paul was teaching by the hands of certain ministers in Jerusalem to Antioch confirming that they were behind the doctrine saying there was no need for circumcision in order to be saved. For Peter then to have done what he did after all that happened most importantly when he himself was not practising the things he seemed to be identifying with was what got to Paul. It was his behaviour not his teachings. If that matter was taken back to the council at Jerusalem they would have also reprimanded Peter.

Galatians 2:11-14
"But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?"

The point is doctrine is established not by the actions or behaviour of people but by what is taught as truth. Actions of men written in scripture do not necessarily mean we are to do likewise. We are to learn from their experience by comparing what they did with the truth they taught.

What the did Paul teach? He first says in 1 Timothy 5:1

"Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father; and the younger men as brethren;"

In the same context of scripture, Paul said this in 1 Tim 19-20

1 Timothy 5:19-20
"Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses. Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear."

Was Paul contradicting himself by first saying categorically "rebuke not an elder" the later on saying "them that sin rebuke before all"? The answer is No. He was speaking clearly and consistent with the teachings of Jesus. Paul simply meant if an elderly person sin, approach him first and speak to him as a father respectfully. If he is your age mate as a brother. He then went on and said before you can rebuke before all you must have the witness of two or three. What did he mean by this? It's exactly what Jesus said here

Matthew 18:15-17
"Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican."

The pattern is exactly the same. Talk to him first as a father. There must be a one on one meeting then if he continues with the behaviour take two or three people as witnesses if he persists then public rebuke is in order. Even one who was considered a heretic was to be given this due process also. I mean a heretic.

Titus 3:10 "A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject;

So when Paul was calling names in Scripture he must have admonished them at least twice before he did it. He must have had private meetings with them.

1 Timothy 1:19-20
"Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck: Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme."

These instructions were given to Timothy and Titus as governing authorities in the Churches Paul established. It wasn't what they could practise where they had no jurisdiction. Paul was very conscious about the limits of his authority and his jurisdiction.

2 Corinthians 10:14-16
"For we stretch not ourselves beyond our measure, as though we reached not unto you: for we are come as far as to you also in preaching the gospel of Christ: Not boasting of things without our measure, that is, of other men's labours; but having hope, when your faith is increased, that we shall be enlarged by you according to our rule abundantly, To preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to boast in another man's line of things made ready to our hand."

You cannot go rebuking people outside the limits of your authority. If you are dealing with people operating in their own jurisdiction and you cannot follow this procedure for you don't have the authority to do this God has a due process for actualizing his correction through you.

Calling names of people in the public square, members of the Body of Christ who are leaders is not only unscriptural, it shows a lack of understanding of spiritual things and the end of such practices is futile. It's an attempt at self-promotion that is a sheer waste of time. If you intended to damage them you will only cause growth. "to be cont'd

23/07/2017

Spiritual leaders must understand that when you sow words into people, the harvest will be seen in their lifestyle. You cannot deny the lifestyle when it begins to rare its head saying you never taught those things. You cannot ask that your sermon notes be checked to find out whether you ever "endorsed" in explicit terms such a lifestyle.

2 Corinthians 3: 2-3 "Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men: Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart."

To the casual observer, he may not see it in your notes for the outward appearance of a seed always differs from the form(the body) the plant that springs out of it but they are the same in essence, in spirit, and not in the letter.

1 Corinthians 15:37 "And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain:"

You see to the uninitiated in spiritual things, he may intellectually look through the notes and not find it in there but the words of a minister transfer spirits and not just information. If everyone who exposes themselves to certain teachings begins to act in a certain way which they did not do until they made contact with the teachings, we can safely say their new behavior is a product of the doctrines they have exposed themselves to.

Evil communication always corrupts good manners. Words change character. Doctrines are more than informative in nature they transfer spirits.

18/02/2017

Sermon: The Prayer Life of a Christian - Colossians 4

by Calvin Wittman
Scriptures: Colossians 4
Introduction

F.B. Meyer, the author of the great little book, The Secret of Guidance said, "The great tragedy of life is not unanswered prayer, but un-offered prayer."

Instead of it being something we do everyday, like breathing, eating and walking and talking, it seems to have become like that little glass covered box on the wall that says, "break in case of emergency." It is true that so very often we associate prayer with crises in our life.

I heard a story the other day of a man who encountered a bit of trouble while flying his little airplane. He called the control tower and said, "Pilot to tower, I'm 300 miles from the airport, six hundred feet above the ground, and I'm out of fuel. I am descending rapidly. Please advise. Over." "Tower to pilot," the dispatcher began, "Repeat after me: "Our Father Who art in heaven...'"

Prayer is, for the most part, an untapped resource, an unexplored continent where untold treasure remains to be unearthed. It is talked about more than anything else , and practiced less than anything else. And yet, for the believer it remains one of the greatest gift our Lord has given us outside of salvation.

In 1952, Albert Einstein was delivering a lecture on the campus of Princeton University. A doctoral student asked the famous scientist "What is there left in the world for original dissertation research?" With considerate thought and profundity Einstein replied, "Find out about prayer. Somebody must find out about prayer."

Paul was somebody who understood prayer and its power. Prayer was a part of Paul's life, and he took it for granted that it would be a part of the life of every Christian. You cannot really be a good Christian and not pray, just like you cannot have a good marriage if you don't talk to your wife. You can be a Christian and not pray, just like you can be married and not talk to your wife. But in both circumstances you will be miserable. Prayer is the pipeline of communication between God and His people, between God and those who love Him.
I. Pray with persistence

Paul begins by saying, "Devote yourselves to prayer," (NASB) or "Continue earnestly in prayer," (NKJV). In the original language it says, "continue steadfastly in prayer." The word translated, "continue steadfastly," is one word in the original language. It can be translated, "persist in, adhere firmly to, or remain devoted to or to give unremitting care to." It caries with it the idea of dedication. Of the ten times it is used in the New Testament four of them have to do with being devoted to prayer. It is a very powerful word and in this verse is given as an imperative, or a command. In other words, persistence in prayer is not an option for the Christian it is an order from the Lord Himself.

Two of the most instructive parables Jesus ever told on prayer, one in Luke 18 and the other in Luke 11, both have to do with being persistent and not giving up in prayer.

Luke 18:1 says, "Now He was telling them a parable to show them that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart."
Luke 11:9 is where we find the promise that says, "ask and it shall be given to you; seek and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened to you." Each of those verbs are in the present tense, active voice and could be translated, "keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking." Jesus does not want us to give up in prayer, He instructs us to be persistent.

Now there is a difference between a persistent prayer and a long prayer. A person who is persistent in prayer does not necessarily have to pray for a long time. Persistence means not giving up.

Some people give up easy, they quit because they say they don't feel like praying, the joy is gone, the feeling is gone. But we are not to live by our feelings but to live by the commandments of our Lord who tells us to pray without ceasing.

George Muller, known as one of the greatest prayer warriors of all times had this to say about persistence in prayer"

"It is a common temptation of Satan to make us give up the reading of the Word and prayer when our enjoyment is gone; as if it were of no use to read the scriptures when we do not enjoy them, and as if it were no use to pray when we have no spirit of prayer. The truth is that, in order to enjoy the Word, we ought to continue to read it, and the way to obtain a spirit of prayer is to continue praying. The less we read the Word of God, the less we desire to read it, and the less we pray, the less we desire to pray."

Be persistent in prayer.
II. Pray with passion

If you are persistent in something, it stands to reason that you are to be passionate about it. In fact, Paul says we should be vigilant or be watchful; it is the opposite of slothfulness. This describes passionate prayer.

Jesus was passionate about His prayer life, it was something He was always doing.

S.D. Gordon in his book, Quiet Talks on Prayer, says

How much prayer meant to Jesus! It was not only his regular habit, but his resort in every emergency, however slight or serious. When perplexed he prayed. When hard pressed by work he prayed. When hungry for fellowship he found it in prayer. He chose his associates and received his messages upon his knees. If tempted, he prayed. If criticized, he prayed. If fatigued in body or wearied in spirit, he had recourse to his one unfailing habit of prayer. Prayer brought him unmeasured power at the beginning, and kept the flow unbroken and undiminished. There was no emergency, no difficulty, no necessity, no temptation that would not yield to prayer.

And every time we see Jesus praying He was praying with passion.

In Luke 3:1 at His Baptism - while He was praying the heaven was opened. Passionate prayer opens Heaven.
In Luke 6:12 before He called His disciples - He spent the whole night in prayer. Passionate prayer gives direction.
In Luke 9:29 at His transfiguration - And while He was praying, the appearance of His face became different, and His clothing became white and gleaming. Passionate prayer enables us to experience the glory of the Father.
In John 17 in His high priestly prayer - Passionate prayer impacts the lives of others.
In Matthew 26:39 in the Garden of Gethsemane - It is only through passionate prayer that we can pour out our hearts to God.
In Luke 23:24 as He hung on the cross - a life that is lived in passionate prayer will enable us to maintain that spirit, even in the most difficult of circumstances.

Jesus always prayed with passion, because He knew Who it was He was talking to and He knew that prayer to the Father is a powerful thing and not something to take lightly and glibly.

Prayer from the heart, that's what passionate prayer is, it is prayer from the heart not just from the head.

That is how He taught us to pray, not only through His example, but specifically through His teaching Look in Matthew 6:7, in the Sermon on the Mount as Jesus instructs on prayer. It is here that we find the Lord's prayer. But just before the Lord's prayer what does He say?

"When you pray, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do."

(Jews around the world may now send prayers via fax to the Wailing Wall)

What has happened to the Lord's Prayer? People repeat it as if it were some kind of magic mantra that will bless them or move God to hear them. They are doing with it is exactly what He was instructing us not to do with it. The gentiles, when they prayed tried, through their religious repetitions, with their chants and their mantras to call forth or impress their Gods. That is not what you do when you are in a relationship.

You don't tell your wife. "I love you, oh I really love you and I just wanted to tell you today that I love you, I'm so glad that I just have this time to just say I love you. Please feed the children, please clean the house and may all go well with you." Amen

James 5:16 says, "The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much."
III. Pray with thankfulness

Paul never fails to mention it.

Ephesians 5:20 tells us that thanksgiving is the natural result of being filled with and walking under the influence of the Holy Spirit.
Philippians 4:6 tells us to be anxious for nothing but in everything we should pray, giving thanks as we make our petitions known to God.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 tells us that giving thanks at all times is God's will for us in Christ Jesus.
Colossians 3:17 says that as believers everything we say or do should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus as we give thanks to Him.
1 Timothy 4:4 - says that food and marriage are good things given to us by God and are to be received with thanksgiving and gratitude.

Expressing gratitude does several things:

It articulates dependence
It demonstrates relationship
It communicates gratitude - proper attitudes
It generates humility

IV. Pray, making intercession

Intercessory prayer is basically praying for others, it is praying for God's will to be done in the lives of other people.

Intercessory prayers characterized the prayer life of Jesus.

In Isaiah 53:12 the Bible says, He Himself bore the sins of many and, interceded for the transgressors."
Luke 22:23 Jesus tells Peter, "I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail;"
Luke 23:34 on the cross, Jesus was praying for others when He said, "Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing."
John 14:15 Jesus interceded for us, asking the Father to send the Holy Spirit
John 17:19 He prayed for us, the church, in His High Priestly prayer. Listen to the intercessory nature of this prayer, "I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom Thou has given Me . . . "
Romans 8:34 tells us that Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father, making intercession for us.
And Hebrews 7:25 says, "Hence, also, He is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them."

Jesus prayed intercessory prayers, He was ever praying for others.

Understanding the power of Prayer, Paul wanted to be sure the Colossian Christians understood what it was they were to pray for. He wanted them to pray with a specific purpose. He wanted them to pray for him, asking God to open a door so that they could speak the gospel. It was the gospel that Paul lived for, it was the preaching of the gospel that had landed Paul in prison, it was the preaching of the gospel that was ever on the forefront of Paul's mind. You see, Paul wanted God's kingdom to expand. Like Jesus, he was concerned about others, about their souls, their salvation and their sanctification.

It is instructive to note that Paul is not asking them to pray for his legal situation or that he would be released from prison. He is asking them to pray that he will have the opportunity to lead someone to Christ.

Paul wanted their prayers to be in accordance with God's will not simply after the greedy desires of someone living for this world.

Paul was always concerned with doing the will of God. How many of our prayers are directed at the expansion of His eternal kingdom rather than the expansion of our petty kingdoms? If you were able to chronicle your prayers, knowing how much time you spent praying for different things, how much of your time would be spent praying for your family, for their health, for the health and well being of your loved ones, compared to how much time you were praying for the lost who are headed to hell?

Intercessory prayer changes things.

Howard Hendricks, who for years taught at the Dallas Theological Seminary and pastored in the area shared this story. He said:

Years ago in a church in Dallas we were having trouble finding a teacher for a junior high boys class. The list of prospects had only one name -- and when they told me who it was I said, "You've got to be kidding." But I couldn't have been more wrong about that young man. He took the class and revolutionized it.

I was so impressed I invited him to my home for lunch and asked him the secret of his success. He pulled out a little black book. On each page he had a small picture of one of the boys, and under the boy's name were comments like "having trouble in arithmetic," or "comes to church against parents' wishes," or "would like to be a missionary some day, but doesn't think he has what it takes."

"I pray over those pages every day," he said, "and I can hardly wait to come to church each Sunday to see what God has been doing in their lives."

You see, when you pray for others, when you pray for God's work to be done, for His will to be accomplished, He will begin to use you and grow you in ways that will astonish those around you. Sometimes I think we do not become what God wants us to become, because we are too focused on ourselves and not on others. It is when we pray for others that we will become more like Jesus, and as we become more like Jesus God will grow us more, show us more, and use us more.

We must pray for others.

Five things that happen when we pray:
1. Prayer internalizes the burden

It deepens our ownership of the burden and our partnership with God. As we pray we begin to become aware of how God might us to answer the prayer, how He might involve us in ways we had not theretofore foreseen.
2. Prayer forces us to wait

Part of prayer is always waiting for God. God has three answers to prayers: Yes, no and wait. Yes and no are no-brainers. But wait, that is tough. John MacArthur says: "There is a tension between boldness and waiting on God's will. That tension is resolved by being persistent, yet accepting God's answer when it finally comes." Instead of getting frustrated that God is not on our schedule, prayer forces us to be on God's timetable.
3. Prayer opens our spiritual eyes

It enables us to get in touch with what God is doing and how He is doing it.

In II Kings 6 you may recall the story of when the Army of Israel was surrounded by their enemies and Elijah's servant got nervous. Verses 15-17 say

Now when the attendant of the man of God had risen early and gone out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was circling the city. And his servant said to him, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?" 16So he answered, "Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." 17Then Elisha prayed and said, "O LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see." And the LORD opened the servant's eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

Prayer opens our eyes, enabling us to see what God is doing, to see things we are blinded to without prayer. That's because prayer is communication. We speak to God, God answers us, speaking to us, showing us.
4. It aligns our heart with God's heart

Adjustment, alignment, setting our thoughts, emotions, actions.
5. Prayer enables us to move forward

Prayer engages God, enables God's people, and enlarges His kingdom. Jesus said, "without Me, you can do nothing." Once we have prayed we are ready to do anything, until we have prayed we can do nothing, but once we have prayed we can accomplish anything.

What does your prayer life look like this morning? Are you persistent in prayer? Are your prayers passionate or are they perfunctory? Are they filled with intensity and fervor or are they weak, timid and lacking faith? What about gratitude? How much time have you spent thanking God for all He has done for you? And who are you praying for? Is there anyone in your life that you are praying will get saved? Is there a burden on your heart to see God's kingdom expand, to see His will done?