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.
The Ways of God
There are many plans in a man’s heart, nevertheless, the Lord’s counsel—that will stand (<strong>Proverbs 19:21</strong>). When Judah rebelled against God, He sent them into exile. And even though it was God’s discipline, yet it was for their good—it made them understand that neither God nor His laws is to be taken for granted. It also enabled the land to rest for 70 years—something they did not allow while they were in the land! (<strong>Isaiah 14:24-27; 46:9-13</strong>).
If something is of God, nothing you do to the contrary shall stand (<strong>Acts 5:38-39</strong>). If God does not want to do what He should do, He then gets intercessors to intercede, then He would say, "<em>I have found an intercessor; I will not do it again!</em>" But are there any who would intercede? Are there any who love God?
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Are You Outside or Inside the Temple of God?
<strong>Matthew 25:1-13; 1 Corinthians 10:1-12</strong>
We can learn from the Parable of the Ten Virgins as well as the example of Israel in the wilderness. We must appreciate that even though it may seem that you are inside the temple, you may actually find yourself to be outside. Let us not take it for granted that we are inside the temple, when our lifestyle may be saying something else. Hence, the Bible tells us to “take heedâ€, lest we fall!
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Silver and Gold
The Church of God—Christians—need a re-orientation in the way they address the issue of silver and gold. Your wealth is not in your bank account nor is it in your ownership of houses or businesses. Your wealth is where your heart is (<strong>Matthew 6:19-21; Colossians 3:1-2; Luke 12:21, 15</strong>).
So, should we avoid silver and gold like a plague? No! What the Bible teaches is that we have contentment and not be covetous (<strong>Philippians 4:10-12</strong>)!
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Silver and Gold and the Work of God
As it turned out, what Peter had (which was given to him by God) brought deliverance for the lame man, not silver and gold! Our pursuit of riches is unscriptural (<strong>1 Timothy 6:8-12</strong>). Silver and gold for the work of God is provided for by the God of the work. Anything more is superfluous!
Each one of us has been given one gift (at the very least) from heaven—let us use such gifts to be a blessing (<strong>Romans 12:4-8; Acts 20:35</strong>). Let us learn from the Lord Jesus’ ministry (<strong>Luke 8:1-3</strong>), and when the Lord asked Peter to go catch a fish by which they paid their taxes (<strong>Matthew 17:27</strong>), he did not ask him to return to a career of fishing! Silver and gold is to be used to serve God, and not for our selfish purposes.
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Sitting at the Gate
Where are you at? Are you:
 Sitting at Jesus’ feet and learning and living?
 Sitting idly by doing nothing or meditating?
 Sitting on the fence and have not yet picked a side?
 Sitting in the seat of the scornful, mocking God? (<strong>Galatians 6:7</strong>)
 Sitting at the gate of the temple begging?
How did you get to where you are sitting?
 By choice or by force?
 Did you follow people willingly? (<strong>Proverbs 1:10-15</strong>)
 Are you there against your will or desire? Then there is deliverance for you! (<strong>John 8:31-32, 36</strong>)
You need to sit down though, but it must be to meditate on the count of following Jesus (<strong>Luke 14:25-33</strong>). Have you done this het? If not, you need to do that now!
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Rise Up and Walk
<strong>Deuteronomy 1:6-8, 19-46</strong>
The essence of God’s word—"<em>rise up and walk</em>"—at the mouth of Peter was so that the lame man could do what he could never have done otherwise. Also, you are not saved/delivered from sitting just so that you can stand; No, but so that you can serve God—worship, service, etc.
There is always the danger of returning to a sitting position if we do not engage with God to prosecute His work! Always remember that you are saved/delivered to serve, not to stand idly or return to sitting (<strong>Mark 5:15, 18-20</strong>)
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Faith in the Name of Jesus Christ
<strong>John 11:43-44; Luke 8:35</strong>
When we talk of faith in the name of Jesus Christ, we are talking of the faith of the one asking, not necessarily the faith of the recipient, which in most cases may be nigh non-existent—as in the case of praying for an unbeliever. We who believe must be assured that whatever we ask in the name of Jesus will be answered, and we must be unwavering and resolute in our faith in that regard.
And if your prayer is yet unanswered, keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking. Note that the friend who was asleep did not open the door because of friendship but because of the importunity of the friend knocking on the door. Also, remember that when we give a command—which actually is a prayer—in the name of Jesus, events are occurring behind the scenes invisible to us—heaven, earth, and hell stand at alert awaiting the Lord’s instructions, so keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking, until you get the answer you are expecting or better!
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Walking, Leaping, and Praising God
When something uncommon happens to us, which is what a miraculous occurrence is, our response cannot but be uncommon—filled with excitement, jubilation, singing, etc. Anything less will bring to question if indeed something uncommon truly occurred or whether the recipient is an ungrateful person. How we celebrate miracles have a bearing on how people see those miracles and whether it can attract them to the place where they can hear about the miracle worker—Jesus Christ!
God desires, nay, He demands our thanksgiving/praise of Him. He wants us to glorify Him at all times—whether we like what has happened or not—it is an act of faith or trust in Him on our part. (<strong>Psalm 50:7-15, 23a</strong>). Sadly, many people have not developed a grateful heart, so when things happen, we don’t know how to give thanks. Some of us don’t know what God has done and is doing for us every day—His unseen mercies; His unsolicited interventions, etc. (<strong>Psalm 34:1; 103:1-2, 3-5, 7-18</strong>)
When we remember the hymn, "<em>Count your blessings name them one by one . . .</em>" we cannot but see the goodness of God in our lives and turn in appreciation to God. It is good to walk on air with ecstatic joy and to leap for joy for His wonders in your life; it is best to praise and thank God for His deeds—those known and unknown to us!
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The Essence of Our Testimonies
Sadly, today, people have been deceived to believe that if they do not testify of God’s doings in their lives something worse would happen to them! This is not why you should testify—this is a ploy for free advertising by pastors for themselves and their church/ministry/programme.
Testimonies are principally about Christ and what He is doing in our lives, as a mark of our gratitude and appreciation for what He has done for us, as well as presenting Him to a largely illiterate world (spiritually, that is). they are not instruments for advertising a person, ministry/church or programme. When giving a testimony, if Christ is the goal, you would speak less of the pastor, church/ministry, or programme; but more and more about Jesus Christ and Him crucified!
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The Essentials of Witnessing (1)
Witnessing is more than carrying a Bible and opening and reading scripture to people who care nothing for it. Therefore, we must be prepared to tell people about Jesus in simple language which the hearer can relate to but which must include spotlighting their sinfulness and God’s provision for pardoning them and saving them from the eternal judgment in hell! This we must do with passion!
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The Essentials of Witnessing (2)
Repentance is a process which begins with conviction in the heart of the hearer, which would naturally lead such a listener to confess his sinfulness and Christ, which then should lead them to conversion. When we witness, we must understand that people will be shamed into repentance—it is the shame of our sinfulness in rejecting Christ that leads us to true repentance not to be repented of.
A truly repentant person would manifest a radical life change. Thus, the listener to our witness must be made aware that they manifest the fruit of repentance occasioned by the blotting out/cancelling of their sins and a changed life arising from times of refreshing from the presence of God—spiritual renewal and soul revival. Thus, we expect to see a new man for whom old things have passed away and all things have become new.
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The Essentials of Witnessing (3)
Witnessing is not just telling others what you know and have experienced of the goodness (salvation) of God through Jesus Christ, but it must be narrated in a way that makes the listener understand what you are trying to communicate to them. Hence, when we are witnessing to people, we must be able to use parables, illustrations, story-telling, etc. which can convey the gospel message to the uninformed.
We need to ask the Father for the gift of story-telling—one that will impact the listener and that they can relate to; one that makes the gospel message easy to understand and comprehend.
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The Potential Results of Effective Witnessing
Effective witnessing impacts listeners by:
 Challenging, confronting, confounding, and crushing, the lies, falsehood and deception they have believed for so long;
 Exposing, unravelling, and making bare false religion, wrong doctrine, deception, etc.; and,
 Opening their eyes to the blessings of faith in Christ.
With such impact, perpetrators of falsehood, lies, and deception seek to silence the witness and their testimony, which may result in threats, arrests, physical assault, incarceration, and even death to the witness. On the positive side, however, there could be souls saved as well as more opportunity to bear witness to people higher up the echelon of power and authority.
Thus, the gospel message and the messenger are always likely to be attacked when they bear witness of Christ—He is reason for the attack (<strong>John 15:18-25; Matthew 5:10-12</strong>). Having been warned, therefore, we ought to be unwavering in our witnessing and not allow fear—a weapon of Satan—have dominion over us. Hence, we must speak the truth at all times—it is a powerful witness on its own!
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The Rejected Stone
<strong>Romans 10:2-4; Hebrews 3:17—4:11</strong>
Jesus Christ is the rejected stone. It is the builders who rejected Him—those who should be building the lives of the believers in Christ. Yet for the building, He is crucial. Indeed, if we are obedient to the Lord Jesus Christ, we are invariably accepting of Him, but where we are disobedient, we reject Him.
We must, therefore, be careful not to follow in the steps of Israel of old and indeed, many false teachers and false prophets today, whose belly is their god. We must not be like the Israel in the wilderness who hardened their hearts against God and could not enter into His rest. Indeed, there is a rest for the children of God—let us be diligent to enter into that rest through faith and obedience to Christ and His word.
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Have You Been With Jesus?: What it Means
The question, “Have you been with Jesus?â€, is about whether we are having constant and consistent interaction/fellowship with the Lord, whether we are in a vibrant and ongoing personal relationship with Him, whether we have surrendered to Him in our hearts (<strong>Isaiah 66:1-2</strong>), and whether we are living the crucified/resurrected life—living by the power of the Holy Spirit (<strong>Romans 6:5-18</strong>).
Put differently, we can ask, Are you intimate with Jesus? Has He rubbed off on you? Can you be mistaken for Him (<strong>John 1:6-8</strong>)? Can or does the Lord confide in you (<strong>2 Corinthians 12:2-4; Jeremiah 23:18</strong>)? An affirmative answer to any of these questions is an indicator that we have been, and are still being with Jesus!
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