BIBLE STUDY AUDIO
TEACHIINGS FOR YOUR EDIFICATION AND BRINGING YOU TO THE FULLNESS OF THE STATURE OF CHRIST
Our Bible Study audio messages can be accessed from here. These are teachings recorded in the course of our weekly serialised Bible Study meetings for your spiritual edification and development.
Besides the audio, the conclusion/summary of the message is also displayed. This notwithstanding, the full Bible Study outline can also be accessed from the link indicated at the end of the conclusion/summary.
We pray that the Holy Spirit will speak to you as you listen.
Heaven's Urgent Message: What it is & Why it is Urgent
Heaven's urgent message today, as it was in the days of old remains the same: "<em>Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.</em>" It was John the Baptist's message; it was the message the Lord gave His disciples while He was here on earth; and it is the same message that He is giving to us today. It is so urgent that He asked people to abandon some of the social functions they would consider important. He even violently converts a rebel so that the message can be taken all over the world, especially to the Gentiles. What are you doing right now that cannot be abandoned for the urgent message to be carried to your immediate vicinity, and even around the world?
Let us stop chasing after mundane things and go to God in prayer, not just for Him to send labourers into the harvest, but that He should equip and send us into His work.
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Signs Indicating the Need to Proclaim Heaven's Urgent Message
The need to proclaim the gospel is sometimes lost on us, because many a times, we do not know that it is time to urgently move to save the perishing souls. However, we have seen tonight, some of the signs that should propel us into action with respect to preaching heaven's urgent message of repentance and return to God. Some of these signs as we have seen tonight include: the muzzling of preachers; the persecution of believers; seeing people who are living in darkness and ignorance; knowing that there are still people who have not heard the gospel or who have not heeded the gospel; seeing people who are living in comfort and complacency; becoming aware that people are no longer interested in sound doctrine; when our spirit is vexed by the iniquity around us; and, when we think that it is not yet time to preach repentance.
May the Lord help us to understand the parable of the fig tree in <strong>Matthew 24:32-33</strong>. Let us go before our God, and ask for discerning hearts to know when to proclaim heaven's urgent message.
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How Do We Proclaim Heaven's Urgent Message?
Proclaiming heaven's urgent message can be as simple as A-B-C, and yet not many of us have availed ourselves of these simple means of proclaiming the message. There are essentially two major ways and means by which everyone can get involved, and these are by speech or conversation, and by signs or conduct.
With regards to speech or conversation, we have seen tonight, for instance, that each individual can take the gospel to another individual; or to his own kind; or to people who are not necessarily of his own kind. We have also seen that we can individually or as a group, take the gospel to as many people as possible through arranging love feasts, house fellowship meetings, street corner rallies, community rallies, handing out tracts, radio broadcast, television broadcast, through the internet (blogs, social network sites, etc.), and so on.
With regards to signs or conduct, we can pray for the sick and bring healing to them. Such people don't even have to be born again before we pray for their healing! We can also proclaim the good news of the kingdom by the testimony of our conduct, and the manifestation of the power of God in and through our lives and ministry.
May the Lord help us to begin to proclaim heaven's urgent message from now on in Jesus' name, Amen.
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What We Need to Proclaim Heaven's Urgent Message
All the resources we need to go and proclaim heaven's urgent message have been provided for the willing messenger. It has nothing to do with what the messenger may have, that is, eloquence, good looks, bible school attendance, wealth, education, contacts, etc. Rather, it has everything to do with heaven's resources, particularly, the Holy Spirit's gifting upon the messenger. Thus, what we need to proclaim heaven's urgent message is spiritual rather than physical (<strong>1 Samuel 2:9b</strong>)
This is the reason why God is always particular about the one chosen to give His message to be equipped with the Holy Spirit before going with the message. And even though one may be so endowed with power from on high, it does not make that individual a superhuman, for your frailties may still be apparent, yet it is for the glory of God. Indeed, the empowerment is for the conveyance of the message, as well as to make available all resources needed in the delivery thereof, and not for our personal enjoyment and glory.
Let us now go to the Lord of the harvest and ask for the enablement we need to effectively deliver His urgent message to the world around us.
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The Joys of Proclaiming Heaven's Urgent Message
O! The joys of proclaiming heaven's urgent message! The joys of a sure reward, of souls entering into the kingdom of God, of wisdom, of rescuing the perishing, of finding and saving the lost, of the Father, of a city, of the church, of the unbelievers, of the ardent disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ.
When we see the various joys that emanate from proclaiming heaven's urgent message, it is a wonder that we are not thus engaged on a daily basis. May the Lord help us to rekindle the joy of the Lord, even as we proceed to proclaim this very urgent message!
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Are You Among the Multitudes?
The fact that you are not in a crowd does not mean that you are not among the multitude. To be counted as being among the multitude, all one need do, is to exhibit the nature of the multitude (<strong>Matthew 26:31-35, 40-41, 57-58, 68-75</strong>).
(a) What is your understanding of the things of God? Or are you among the multitude? (<strong>Matthew 13:11-17</strong>)
(b) How committed are you to the Lord and to the things of God? Or are you among the throng? (<strong>Matthew 16:21-23; Philippians 2:19-20</strong>)
(c) Is the Lord committed to you? Or are you among the people? (<strong>Matthew 14:22-25</strong>)
(d) Are you of God? Or are you among the crowd? (<strong>Matthew 6:33</strong>)
Thus says the Lord, "<em>Come out from among them and be separate.</em>" (<strong>2 Corinthians 6:17</strong>).
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The Marks of a True Disciple (1)
Discipleship costs you everything. Once the Master calls, the disciple instantly heeds the call; and where He sends, he goes whatever the cost. This is why He asks those who would want to follow Him (those who want to be His disciples) to count the cost (Luke 14:25-33; 9:59-62; 2 Corinthians 11:23-33; 12:15)
Have you counted the cost of being a disciple of the Lord Jesus? If not, tonight is the night when you must count the cost, not with a view to withdrawing or backing out, but with a view to pressing forward in your quest for true discipleship with greater determination and vigour!
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The Marks of a True Disciple (2)
Besides yielding to the call of the Master, the true disciple must be yielded to the teachings of the Master. There is a difference between preaching and teaching, though both must be practiced in the church of God. Preaching is proclaiming, heralding, spreading, or publishing the good news about the kingdom of God, and is useful in bringing people into the kingdom of God. Teaching, on the other hand, involves giving instruction and training those who have been brought into the kingdom of God (through preaching), the things of righteousness. Teaching is intense and focused on building up the young believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, the things of God. It is a process and involves devoting time and energies in learning spiritual truth. Teaching is what brings the young believer to the place of spiritual maturity.
The disciple is expected to be deeper in the things of God than the multitude, and so the Master devotes time and energy with His disciples, and expects him or her to reciprocate the commitment. He or she must therefore have a teachable heart, and must not just hear the word of God, but must also put it to practice in his or her everyday life. Indeed, the disciples are the ones who are called Christians (Acts 11:26).
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Blessed Are ... (1)
The word "blessed" is something that is imputed upon the man who pleases God according to a set of divine standards, not some human interpretation of success (Joshua 1:8)! It is being in a state of the intrinsic satisfaction and contentment with what God has given to the believer as his or her lot in this life because Christ dwells in him or her. It has nothing to do with favourable circumstances but with the indwelling of the believer by God. It carries the notion of being truly and significantly well-off in the things that matter most.
The blessed of God are those: who are so eternally, not temporally; and, those who live in accordance with God's standards, not those who live by the standards of the world (Deuteronomy 28:1-14; Romans 12:2). God's blessedness focuses on the inner man—the heart or spirit of man—rather than on the outward appearance—of one's stature or status in society (1 Samuel 16:7).
As people were pouring into the arena of the Lord's ministry, He decided to set things straight by telling them that what they should be focusing on is their inward relationship with God, rather than on the outward show of religion which is at best superficial, and which cannot make those engaged in it truly happy. Tonight, the challenge for us is: "What am I looking for: the blessedness that comes from a relationship with God, or the acclamation of 'successes' by the world?"
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Blessed Are... (2)
The blessedness of a man is predicated on the presence of God in the life of that man, and not on his worldly possessions or qualifications. Indeed, if God is to be present in a man�s life he must of necessity possess the nature and character of God (godliness). In other words, who you are before God is of the greatest value than what you possess, who you profess to be, or your performance in the sphere of men.
While the grace of God brings us into the kingdom of God at no charge, it is the attributes of godliness that guarantees our remaining in the kingdom of God as we are; we are not allowed to remain so thereafter. For we must yield ourselves to the sanctifying and transforming power of the teachings of Christ and the inner workings of the Spirit of God in our lives (John 17:17; 1 Peter 1:2).
This then is the bottom line: we need to possess godly character, not just activities; and we need to exhibit Christian conduct, not just serving in the church! If a man has godly character and conducts himself as a true disciple of Jesus Christ, his activities in church and service to God is accepted and he is blessed; otherwise, he is cursed! (Genesis 4:3-5; 1 John 3:12; Matthew 12:33, 35).
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Blessed Are... (3)
We have been given a picture of Christianity that is meant to be pleasurable; yet the Lord Jesus paints a completely different picture of people who are truly blessed. The picture He paints is not of a wealthy, cheerful, and arrogant man, as being blessed. Rather, He speaks of a man who recognizes his ever dependence on God for his very existence and sustenance; a man who is humble in his disposition such that God can have His way in him; and of a man who grieves over the loss of a loved one, the loss of any sort, or over sin and the sinner in the world.
The Lord Jesus said that those who are poor in spirit (not necessarily poor in this world) are blessed, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs. This is a kingdom that has treasures that this world cannot begin to comprehend, and so the poor in spirit are indeed rich in the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom of heaven is also one that comprises of living right, enjoying the peace that no man can give, and experiencing a joy that cannot be experienced humanly. Further, the man who mourns over the loss of a loved one or over sin and the lost will always be comforted by the Spirit of Christ in this present age, even as Christ comforted those who mourned in His days on earth.
May the Lord help us to be truly poor in spirit by depending on Him completely at every point in our sojourn on earth and to mourn when we should and not think that we are "men" when we show no emotion over the loss of a loved one or in sorrowing for sin. If these will happen, we must submit to God, draw near to Him with cleansed and purified hearts, and mourn for our deviations from Him.
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Blessed Are... (4)
Once again, we see that those who are blessed according to God�s standards, are the meek and those who hunger and thirst after righteousness. A meek person is not necessarily a weak person, but a person who possesses a quiet and gentle spirit in spite of his worldly strength. He is one who has submitted himself to the will of God, accepting whatever comes to him as being of God�s doing. He is not vengeful, and is indeed long suffering, waiting for God to do what He alone can do. A man who is hungry and thirsty after righteousness is one who can only be satisfied with the establishment of God�s righteousness. Such a person cannot but cry to God for the establishment of His justice and judgment in the land. He seeks after God in all things and is not satisfied until God�s standards are established in the land or his domain.
To the meek, the Lord Jesus Christ assures the possession of the �land� which under the New Testament, is the fulfilment of all of God�s promises for the Christian here on earth including every spiritual blessing, as well as the promise, of eternal life. And to the person who desires God�s righteousness more than anything else, an assurance of satisfaction is given, meaning that indeed, such a person will be satisfied with the deeds of God.
These attributes are acquired by learning of our Lord Jesus Christ, and as we yield to the Holy Spirit in our hearts (1 Corinthians 11:1). Let us go to God in prayer, seeking the working of these attributes into our hearts.
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Blessed Are... (5)
Being merciful is a matter of the heart, for compassion comes from within the bowels of a man (Colossians 3:12). Being merciful is to be full of mercy, and it is an embodiment of God�s love and kindness as demonstrated by God�s children unto a lost and wicked generation.
From our study tonight, we have seen that mercy is essential of God, and that we (His children) must have it as an attribute in us if indeed, we have been redeemed, and are walking in a regenerated state. Being merciful requires that we exhibit (demonstrate or show) the compassion of God in us towards others; for indeed, how can the love of God be in us if we shut our bowels of mercy to our fellow men? A merciful man shows kindness even in situations that deserve judgment, by cushioning the force of judgment, and in some cases, forgiving the offender.
Among the numerous actions which reveal our regeneration into the new man which after God is holy, is showing kindness in practical terms to our fellow men, as the Lord did during His earthly sojourn: feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, providing for the poor, healing the sick, comforting those who mourn, taking care widows, forgiving the repentant and even the un forgivable, etc.
The word of caution: we can do all these and not be showing mercy if it not from a heart that is renewed by the spirit of God: for a wicked heart, will show such acts only to be seen of men , and for fame and again.
The promise of God�s mercy (which is wholesome and eternal is given to those who are merciful. They will be treated with mercy in the day that their need for mercy comes. Let us go to God in prayer for this attribute to be worked in us and to become manifest in our everyday live.
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Blessed Are... (6.1)
The significance of the heart is obvious from or study. It is the source of all that we do, and is the seat of our speech, actions, and emotions. It is also the sanctuary that God has always wanted to dwell in; and is who we really are. It is from the heart of that the issues of life spring out; and where we believe or disbelieve God. Furthermore, the heart is where God meets with us. As a mankind thinks in his heart, so is he. Thus, a man with a proud heart is said to be proud; while a man with a humble heart is referred to as a humble man.
The state of the heart is thus vitally significant, because as the heart is, so is the man. A man with a hardened heart is impenetrable, and as such not easily disposed to the word of God; a man who has an outward display of religion is one whose heart is shallow in the things of God, and waivers when God�s word which he claims to believe is tested in his life. Similarly, a man who is pre-occupied with worldly concerns and affections of various forms is a man who has no room or time for God. Only a man whose heart is pliable is receptive to the word of God and thus is productive in the things of God.
The bible tells us that the state of the heart of man from birth is very deceptive, desperately wicked and incurably bad. No matter how much a man may think he knows of himself, he cannot know himself more than God does, and he is unable to predetermine the extent he can go under any circumstance. Fortunately, for us, God has the cure for the heart, but we must first admit that we need our hearts cured (John 9:39-41).Thus we need God to show us the state of our own hearts so that we can begin to seek proper attention from Him for it (Psalm 139:23-24).
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Blessed Are... (6.2)
In Adam, all sinned, and possessed an incurably bad heart or nature. God�s desire has always been to dwell in man, and so the old nature/heart must of necessity be changed . This change takes place at the new birth. Once the new heart is introduced into an individual, he needs to be filled with the Holy Spirit as well as the word of God, in order to achieve the purpose of God for dwelling in man.
When the Holy Spirit is within us, the old the old sinful nature must be done away with; otherwise, we may creep back into sinful living. The new man who is created in the likeness of God (thus, having the mind of Christ instead the mind of Adam), remains new and fresh as he yields to the constant in-filled of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18; 1 Peter 1:2). Without this constant in-filling, the new man slips back into sin, and hardness of heart, and will unable to receive the word of God, thus making him unable to effectively display God�s life, purpose, plan, principle, precepts and so on, in his life.
It is not a new untested heart/man that God desires to carry His glory, but a new and proven heart/man (Genesis 3: 1-7). For the individual whose trust is in the Lord Jesus Christ, the holy spirit is given to help him live right and obey God�s word , and thus pass the test, when the tempter comes (Romans 8:5-9). This is the pure heart, and will dwell in him. This is the man who will see God, as they wine and dine together in God�s sanctuary: his heart! (Revelation 3:20).
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