Integrity is a skill that can be learnt and developed over time.
Integrity requires constant maintenance, it can develop wings and fly away if you don’t developed it.
How do we maintain it?
True integrity is doing the right thing when nobody is watching.
Integrity is very delicate, it can be lost or compromised .
Change has been defined as an act or process through which something or someone becomes different. It means to alter, vary modify or improve something. Change implies making either an essential difference often amounting to a loss of original identity or a substitution of one thing for another.
According to George Bernard Shaw, ‘progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything’. Change is directly related to effectiveness because we live in an ever -changing world where people, businesses, technology and systems are constantly changing.
Families, communities even friends experience changes.
It has been said that ‘although there is no progress without change, not all change is progress. (John Wooden). The real change takes place in the mind. The bible says ‘as he thinks in his heart, so is he’ (Proverbs 23:7).
God is interested in constructive and progressive changes in the lives of His children, so He sends His word to challenge and inform us (Psalms 107:20). That is the reason He calls people to come out of their homes, nations, and follow Him to a land that He will show them. From Abraham to Joseph, Moses to David, even our Lord Jesus Christ, they all experienced changes in their lives.
Saul had to change to Paul the Apostle after his encounter with the Lord.
Do you see God in your changed situation or do you blame Him?
Autumn is changing to winter now, do we appreciate the fact that the elements are doing their assignments to enrich the earth. The world is made up of changes in various stages, the bible calls it times and seasons. Those who resist or obstruct changes can not go far in life!
What would you change about your life now for you to have significant progress?
TEXTS: John 2:5, Deuteronomy 28: 1-14, Chronicles 9:1-5, Romans 12: 1- 3, Joshua 3:5, 1ST Kings 13: 11-25, 1st Kings 19: 19-21.
Lesson Outlines
Obedience starts from the heart. Obedience to the voice of God in simple terms means hearing the word of God and acting on it. It implies aligning our will to God’s will; doing what God has asked us to do. It is when we completely surrender to His authority and base our decisions and our actions on His Word. To hear and obey the voice of God means that our lives must be built on a relationship with Him. We must be close enough to hear, and in love enough with Him to follow Him above all others. Jesus made this very impacting statement, one we would all do well to seriously heed: “Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice” (John 18:37). All of Christianity evolves around this. It is about a daily, living relationship with God through Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. The fact that Jesus is alive today is demonstrated by our hearing His voice to us. Jesus declared that “His sheep hear His voice” and because of that voice they know Him and follow Him (John 10:3-4, 27). Adam and Eve were accustomed to hearing the voice of God (Genesis 3:8-10). It was not until they de2cided by their actions to disobey God’s voice that things changed for the worse for them. Deterioration always sets in when we stop obeying the voice of God. Genesis 22: 1-18, Abraham so obeyed the voice of the Lord that, not only was he blessed, but his descendants also. The blessings of God can be imparted to others through our obedience. Moses had lived in the desert wilderness for 40 years. Then he experienced the voice of God through a burning bush that was to change his life forever, and the lives of the nation of 8Israel who had been bound up as slaves in the slime pits of Egypt (Exodus 3). Life changes for the better when we hear the voice of God with a commitment to doing whatever He asks us. Samuel’s life and ministry became a powerful force for good as he lived in obedience to the voice of God. The testimony the people had of him was, “All that he says surely comes to pass” (1 Samuel 9:6). You must know God’s voice to have a testimony like that.
The key to life and leadership for a Christian is in obeying the voice of the Lord. There is no substitute for this. Yet, we see Christians trying to fulfil their obligations to God by every other way than developing that relationship between the voice of God and them. When the fear of the people comes before the fear of God, we can guarantee we are going to lose out on God’s best for us. There is no way that we can be obedient to God and, at the same time, be living to please others; when we live to please God, we will find much favour. God must come first not the people. Saul had it the wrong way round (1 Samuel 15:24). His fear of the people prevented him from pleasing God to the full. Therefore, God rejected him by overthrowing his kingdom. Disobedience to the voice of God is very costly for Christians. Consider how samson ended his life through lack of Obedience (Judges 16).
DISCUSSION
No one questions the emphasis on obedience in the Old Testament. Its teaching on the matter can be summarized: “Obey and you will be blessed. Disobey and you will be cursed” (Deut. 11:26–28). Although sacrifices were important to the Israelites, the prophets continually reminded the people that “to obey is better than sacrifice” (1 Sam. 15:22). Obedience is not just an Old Covenant concept. It is an essential element of the New Covenant as well. God’s love for His people is steadfast regardless of their ability to keep His commands. However, God’s love, grace, and forgiveness do not excuse His children from obeying His Word. Jesus asked this question in Luke 6:46, “Why do you call2 me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” He addressed this question to people who openly professed Him as Lord but did not yield to His Lordship. It takes obedience to become obedient. obedience is the indispensable condition of the Spirit’s indwelling. The bible states If ye love me, keep my commandments and the Father will send you the Spirit. we cannot live an obedient Christian life in our own strength. We must live by faith in God’s promises in the Bible. By faith, we trust the Holy Spirit to enable us to obey what God wants for our lives. By faith, we learn to obey Christ and experience a life of freedom and joy. If you desire to be an obedient person and live the Christian life, then work on your faith, and focus on the Lord. “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans10:17). So, focus on Christ, know Christ, delight in Christ, meditate on Christ, get the whole Christ before you. Faith will rise because grace would be coming through it, and then obedience flows out from it.
Ezek.36.26 – 27 says “And I will give you a new heart with new and right desires, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony heart of sin and give you a new, obedient heart and I will put my Spirit in you so you will obey my laws and do whatever I command. This scripture explains that when the Holy Ghost manifest in your life it comes with the spirit of obedience. Obedience is not easy but with the help of the Holy Ghost it becomes a part of you. Every time we pass the obedience test, we change class and have a change of name. When the spirit of obedience enters you, you become bendable. It enables you obey His voice and ultimately enjoy the blessing (Eph. 2:1-3). This voice of God when acted upon in obedience releases the supernatural of God in and through our lives. The call to obedience is for our benefit. He knows what is best for us and how to grow us to be stronger people and followers of Christ. Obeying God should not be a burden but rather a joy, a way of worshipping him and growing in your faith. Ultimately, we will feel most satisfied when we are in right relationship to God which can only come through obedience.
Benefits of the spirit of obedience
DISCUSSION
The utensils used in temple worship were considered “consecrated.” In other words, they were set apart for the exclusive use of God. They were devoted to His service. Consecration is a process or practice of making something or someone sacred, dedicated and set apart for the Lord. It also means the devoting or setting apart of anything or anyone to the worship or service of God (Exodus 28:41). God is calling us to live a consecrated life unto Him as a peculiar person and a royal priesthood and He is waiting to see us exhibiting the life of consecr8ation unto Him. To be consecrated for God’s service a person must first know Jesus Christ as his or her personal Lord and Saviour. The call to personal consecration demands that one presents himself wholly to God (Lev 11:44; Romans 12:1), be willing to purge himself of all filthiness of the flesh and spirit (2 Timothy 2:21). This is made possible through absolute compliance to divine instructions given by God in his Word (Ephesians 5:26). It is God Himself who chose and called us to consecrated service; and it’s a privilege to serve God. We deserve nothing but death, but how great is the grace of God, He saved us and changed us through His grace. Jesus said: “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you” (Jn.15: 16). This verse means that we serve God because He called us to be His own and called us to the consecration of ourselves to Him.” This tells us that consecration is “unto the Lord,” and that it must be voluntary. God does not compel us to consecrate our lives to Him; instead, He says, “I beseech you.” God wants us to give our lives to Him, not because we must but because we love Him and want to serve Him. Attending church services, serving on a council, providing for a charitable cause (being religious) is not sufficient if we are not doing it out of obedience and dedication to God (1 Sam2uel 15:22). Our reasonable service means to worship the Lord, witness for him, follow the Holy Spirit wherever he leads, and do the work set before us. That is the charge. Be not conformed, but be transformed, live as a new person, render ourselves to God by all that we are, all that we have, and all that we can do. consecration is the offering up of a whole life to God. We cannot give God part of our lives and keep part of it for ourselves. This would not satisfy God, and it would not satisfy us either. All the joy and blessing in the Christian life depend upon our holding back nothing from God. Let’s remember Samson’s consecration was broken by his disobedience and lust for strange women (Judges 14:1-3, 8, 9). There are benefits of consecrating ourselves to the service of God.
DISCUSSION
The story is obviously about the importance of undeviating obedience to God and the protection this affords in our experience. A message comes through someone who is supposedly holy, a prophet with an “angel message” from God. Many so-called “prophets” today claim to bring messages from God. Tragically, many are in awe of them and tend to believe what they say which leads to ridiculous and even disastrous consequences. This is not the prophet’s fault but the recipient of the message who “lacked faith,” (1 Kings 22:22) and tests whether we believe the Scriptures to be sufficient and final or not (Deuteronomy 13:1-5). God immediately pronounced judgment against the young prophet because the man of God had disobeyed the full counsel of God, he would not be buried in the tomb of his father; this meant that he would meet a violent death along the way home (23-24). Many would argue that his disobedience was in such a tiny matter, after all had he not confronted Jeroboam, had he not obeyed 99% of what God had told him? Yet God judged him sternly. When God speaks, the matter is settled. There is never an excuse for disobeying God’s Word. Even a fellow believer, even an angel descending from heaven cannot nullify God’s Word. Paul declared that even an angel from heaven was not to be believed above the apostolic gospel word (Galatians 1:8,9).
Notice that the young prophet keeps faithfully what many would consider the important aspect of the command and yet he is judged for not keeping the entire command. We cannot divide a command into major and minor issues. Do not let anyone convince you that if you have warm feelings for God and generally do what is right that you can ignore the commands of God. Even though the old prophet had lied to him, God still held this man accountable for believing a lie that contradicted His truth. Also note that God did not strike Jeroboam or the old prophet, rather He immediately punished the man who had previously been faithful. We can see that we must take moral responsibility for our own actions regardless of how mesmerically misleading the temptation may be. Christ Jesus warned the disciples: “Take heed lest any man deceive you: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.” (Mark 13:5-6). The story could also be said to be teaching a lesson about the radical nature of spiritual obedience. The human mind generally desires spirituality to conform to the qualities of human conventions. Spiritual obedience isn’t designed to “fit in” with the conventionality of material life.
DISCUSSION
CONCLUSION
Remember, any command that God gives is important, or He would not have given it. Disobedience to any command of God, to any detail in any command, is a sin. There is nothing static, restrictive, about being obedient. It is pure freedom and fulfilment. Total obedience provides protection, healing, capacity to help others and we walk in divine reality. Elijah and Elisha are strong role models in devotion, faith, prayer, and unwavering obedience in the face of corrupt power and persecution. They show us all how to stand for God, even when we feel like we may be the last voice for Him (1Kings 19:19-21).
August Bible Study
Texts: Matthew 22: 36-40, Daniel 1: 3-7, Luke 10: 25-37,
Lesson Outlines
An effective relationship requires trust, respect, self-awareness, integrity, and open communication. As Christians our first form of relationship is knowing Christ and having eternal life. Good relationships make life enjoyable perhaps more than anything else. Even if your circumstances aren’t the best, if you have loving relationships, you can enjoy life. You can make a pile of money, but if your relationships are broken or shallow, your life will be empty. A poor man with a loving family and good friends is far richer than a ric8h man who is poor relationally.
The Bible ranks effective relationships as the most important thing in life. A Jewish religious expert asked Jesus in Matthew 22: 36, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend on the whole Law and the Prophets.”
A loving relationship with God is of first importance; but loving relationships with others is second. The Bible is all about these two important relationships. The Bible emphasizes healthy relationships so highly, it’s sad that there are so many believers who have hurting or broken relationships. Many Christian homes have been shattered by divorce. Some who stay married are unhappy. Their homes are a tense battle ground, not a loving refuge. Many Christian parents are at odds with their kids and the kids with their parents. On the church level, some bounce from church to church, leaving a trail of damaged relationships behind. I know of Christians who won’t speak to other Christians because of misunderstandings, hurt feelings, and wrongs that have taken place. Sadly, the loving families, genuine friendships, and healthy relationships that we want most out of life often elude us.
DISCUSSION
Sometimes sustaining an effective relationship isn’t easy medicine to take, because to do these, we’ve got to kill all immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (Col. 3:5). we’ve got to put aside all anger, wrath, malice, slander, abusive speech, and lying (Col. 3: 8-9) and we’ve got to put on “a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience and integrity; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other” (Col. 3: 12b -13). The reason you should do this is because God has graciously chosen and loved you. Relationship can also be sustained using The Jesus method; (he served and ate with people. He didn’t consider Himself better than anyone John 13: 4-5). The following are some ways of sustaining an effective relationship among us as Christians.
Don’t just go to church, Get involved: There is virtually no way to have a meaningful relationship, let alone get the personal nourishment you need, by simply attending the church. It’s just not God’s design (Acts 2:42-47). Friendly greetings, brief conversations, and just your presence alongside others have value, but meaningful relationships develop as you get involved in multiple aspects of church life. That might include joining a small group, serving within the church building, or even just going to or hosting social gatherings.
Maintain a loving attitude: Attitude is the combination of heart and mind. It involves both knowledge and feelings, and it’s revealed in the ways we act and speak. As you combine what you know about God’s Word and about a person, your attitude towards them should be Spirit-controlled and full of the kinds of love described in Galatians 5:16,22-26.
Pursue loving actions: Anything you are doing with or for a person within your church body should be characterized by love. But first, you must do something. Just your presence and effort to come to something shows care and love. As you’re a part of events, service opportunities, classes, Bible studies, and/or groups in your church, you’re acting in love. As you get together with people from your church outside of the church building for meals, playdates, exercise, sporting events, home improvement projects, and whatever else you might be into or need, you are pursuing loving actions. The emphasis is both on love and action. They’re nearly inseparable.
Speak loving words: Death and life are in the power of the tongue (Prov. 18:21). So, if you want to preserve and strengthen your relationship with others, speak loving words. Again, this doesn’t mean that every word that you speak will be pleasant to hear, but our words should be characterized by a loving attitude, purpose, and sincere tone. This will most certainly include words of affirmation, encouragement, and building up (Eph. 4:29). But it will also include words of correction and rebuke. Our words should evidence our love for the ones to whom we speak and the love of the One who is our guide and purpose in all things.
DISCUSSION
One of the effective ways in sustaining a good Relationship lies on our integrity. This study will broadly explain a Christian perspective to a living a life of integrity.
The word integrity is related to the mathematical term integer. An integer is a whole number. Integrity means our character is whole, not split into fractions. Integrity has been defined as being honest, having strong moral principles and non-compromise of godly principles. It has also been mentioned that integrity is the distance between your lips and your life. It is keeping to an honorable life and refusing to deceive those around you. Unfortunately, integrity is disappearing fast in our generation, men of honour are scarce. Deception is rife, and those who are easily deceived abound. Jesus said “Take heed to yourselves, that no man deceives you, for many shall come in my name and say I am Christ. In order words, it takes a thief to follow a thief. Children recognise their parents. If you lack integrity, you will follow a deceiver. Integrity protects from harm; it saves time wasting and helps to secure us from the enemy who tries to polarize us. The question we need to ask ourselves is How can we develop integrity? When we Practice openness, truth, and non-compromise of fairness. Let your yes be yes and No be No. The Yorubas will say “Bi iro ba lo ni ogun odun, ojo kan soso ni otito yi o ba”. It means a lie will not last forever, truth will always catch up with it. Don’t join them to persecute anyone over a matter that you didn’t witness and follow not a crowd to be a false witness. Honour friendship above money; money may finish, people will remain. Above all, remember that we shall all stand before the judgement seat of Christ.
How to checklist:
If we’re doing these things, we’re more likely to have integrity than when we’re not.
It’s been said that “Integrity is what a person is in the dark.” That is, they are the same whether they are in public or in private. But a person of integrity not only passes the privacy test; they will pass the peer test, as well. As we see with the example of Daniel. Daniel’s life is an example of how we can live a life of integrity in a culture that is trying to squeeze us into its Mold. These actions are not commanded; they are commended. Our task is to take the principles that Daniel lived and apply them to our own modern experiences. The way we think about God, ourselves, others, and the world determines how we live. If Nebuchadnezzar could get these young men to think like Babylonians, they would begin to live like Babylonians. The reverse was also true: The less they thought of themselves as the Lord’s people and as His servants, the less they would live like one of them. The basic principle from the life of Daniel is as follows.
DISCUSSION
CONCLUSION
I know, my God, you test the heart and are pleased with integrity.” – 1 Chronicles 29:17 (NIV). This verse says God is happy when we live a life of integrity. That God smiles when we choose to do the right thing, based on the right beliefs, at the right time. Well, certainly the actions of Daniel in our passage for today, must have made God smile.
July Bible Study
Texts: Ephesians 6: 11-17, 2 Corinthians 10: 3-5, Psalms 137
Spiritual warfare is the Christian concept of fighting against the work of supernatural evil forces. spiritual warfare is the battle for control over people’s souls. We as Christians step onto this battlefield the moment we come to faith. Spiritual warfare, unlike wars on the earth, occurs in an invisible world, although we can’t see it, it is very real. In this spiritual war, we have a personal enemy. Satan is not a metaphor. He is living, roaming, and searching for opportunities to cause you and me to fall. War is tiring, messy, uncomfortable, and inconvenient. But we have good news as we fight, on the cross Jesus disarmed Satan (Colossians 2:15), meaning believers don’t fight for victory; rather we fight from a victory that has been already won. In the many battles in the Old Testament, Israel was promised success against their enemy before they ever stepped foot on the battlefield. Yet, they still had to fight. In the same way, in Christ we are assured of our victory, yet we must stand on the battlefield ready and willing to face spiritual warfare. The battles of spiritual warfare are intense when a person decides to accept Jesus as their Savior. The enemy will attack from all angles, hoping to dissuade the person from fully giving their heart to Jesus. He will use circumstances, events, people, things and even doubt in their minds to steal their heart back to his ways. The seeds that are sown in people’s hearts will either take root on good soil, which is a heart fully surrendered to the Lord. Or they will be sown in places where the word is snatched away from them until they fall away.
The Bible teaches that three forces are battling with God for ownership of your heart: the world, the flesh, and the devil. Thankfully, God is stronger than all of them. If you have chosen to begin a personal relationship with God, then you know that you have asked Him to be in control of your life but there is a part of you that wants to take back control and continues to put up an internal fight. You might even feel like there is a battle going on inside your mind some of the time. Do you have days when you struggle to believe what the Bible says about God, or about you? These types of battles are fought in the world but involve the spiritual forces of darkness that exist in the invisible realm around us. Once we are made aware of the world’s influences and how they contrast with God’s ways, we must then learn how to operate in the world as a true follower of Christ. It is one thing to be naive to the world’s deceptions, claiming innocence by ignorance, but once the truth is revealed, we have a responsibility to obey the Lord’s directions for us. At this point, we must ask ourselves a few questions like “Is Christianity about fighting and suffering or about love and joy? Isn’t the Christian life about peace? Didn’t Jesus do it all so I would not have to? The Christian life is not passive. Jesus told us in Luke 9:23, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” Christians are not living the abundant life of love, joy, and peace because they are unaware of how to maintain and claim those promises. Jesus promised us an abundant life that starts here on earth. Until we understand the forces that are against us and are prepared to fight for what is rightfully ours, we will not be able to receive all that God has for us. Jesus Christ came to earth in the flesh. He lived a life of much suffering as He denied the desires of His flesh and the temptations of the enemy. Our flesh will suffer just like Jesus, but we can be victorious just like Jesus. The victory may not look the same as defined by the world, but nothing compares to a life that is victorious in the ways of God.
DISCUSSION:
How can I fight spiritual warfare? As Christians, we can fight spiritual warfare only through the power and leadership of the Holy Spirit of God. If we pursue a righteous lifestyle, led by the Holy Spirit, He will instruct us not only how to fight, but also how to correctly fight. The Holy Spirit will instruct us on how to use the armour of God that Paul describes in Ephesians chapter 6, and He will teach us how to effectively use the gift of prayer. the Lord Jesus demonstrated proper use of the Word. When Satan came to Jesus in the wilderness (Matthew 4 and Luke 4), Satan misused the Word in some of what he said to Jesus. But Jesus utilized the Word properly and sent the enemy packing.
The term ‘spiritual battle’ declares that we must need some spiritual weapons, and that we are led by the Holy Spirit. We must remain in contact with and surrender to the Holy Spirit. This connection is best made through intentional prayer. When the battle is long, we may feel weary, we may be tempted to give up, but these are the moments when we must remember that we don’t fight in our own strength. The weapons we fight with are not carnal weapons, and we don’t dare fight in our own strength. Our weapons are spiritual weapons, they are mighty through God, in His strength, not ours. And as we learn to tap into the strength of the Holy Spirit, enabling us to do what we otherwise couldn’t do, we will begin to see victory in our lives.
DISCUSSION:
Some people will blame every problem on Satan and his demons, while others ignore the spiritual realm altogether. Both are dangerous. Blaming everything on spiritual attack stops us from taking responsibility for our sin while refusing to believe in the possibility of spiritual attack leaves us vulnerable to Satan’s schemes. The best way to approach spiritual warfare is to find a balance between owning our mistakes and staying aware of the temptations around us.
Job is a perfect example of a spiritual conflict that was manifested in the physical form. Job was a real human being living here on earth, but the Bible gives us a clear look at what was happening concerning Job’s life in the spiritual realm. God looked upon Job as a righteous man but, because Satan wanted to prove God wrong, Job became the victim of Satan’s attacks. Job’s family, finances and home were destroyed, and his health and friends turned against him. Job experienced very real physical and circumstantial conflicts because of the conflict in the spiritual realm. Job also became the victor because of his faithfulness to God in words and actions throughout the trial. His victory was spiritual, physical, and material on earth as it is in heaven.
DISCUSSION:
Jesus, our example of faith, always emphasises the giving part of our Christian faith (John 3:16, John 10:10, Luke 6:38, and 2 Corinthians 8:9). Jesus gave His life that we may have eternal life, so there is nothing we give now that can measure to what He had to give so that we may have abundant life.
As a Christian, the true test of our faithfulness and commitment is only validated by our giving because it requires sacrifice. It becomes easier by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a gift promised by Jesus Christ and on the Day of Pentecost, the Apostles were blessed with the gift of the Holy Spirit baptism (Acts 2:4).
Giving takes various forms as recommended in the bible. We are to ensure that we do all kinds of giving so that we can be children of our Father in heaven.
God’s plans and purpose is for us to excel in every area of our lives. Many Christians believe that as long as they are spiritual and going to Heaven, giving is not mandatory.
Not giving or stinginess leads to poverty and it can lead to frustration in life (Proverbs 11:24-26). We are born to be a blessing in every area of our lives to the body of Christ.
As we start a new series on “Building Your Faith”, it would be beneficial to understand what faith is. Much like a few doctrinal concepts like love, faith is best understood by considering what it does rather than what it is. Classically, faith has often been defined by Hebrews 11:1 as: “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”. As we proceed in this lesson, may the Lord grant us an understanding of faith by the revelation of His essence. In our attempt to describe what faith does, we will consider the story in Daniel 3.
Main Text: Mark 11:22-24
Here is a summary of the narrative in Daniel 3. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon made an image of gold and demanded that all worship it. Daniel’s friends – Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego disobeyed the king by not worshipping the image because they believed in the King of Kings. The result – the three Hebrew men were thrown into the midst of a burning fiery furnace, but God rescued them. However, before this episode, they made this startling statement of faith:
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.” – Daniel 3:17-18 NKJV
Faith asks us to depend on God because He has the ability to do all things (Genesis 18:14, Jeremiah 32:27, Luke 18:27). Several stories in the Bible confirm this and we have experienced His works in our lives too. He can save (Romans 5:8). He can heal (The woman with the issue of blood, Luke 8:43-48). He can give life (Lazarus, John 11). He can take life (Ananias & Sapphira, Acts 5:1-11). He can set the captives free (Israelites, The Book of Exodus).
“God will do it” means that we can expect Him to do it. Faith in this sense, therefore, means expectation. To have faith in God for something means to expect that He will do it.
The emphasis is not on that it will happen, but that God will do it. If we are on God’s side, we can count on Him to show up when we need Him. How do we know that God will grant our request? Anytime He promises, He fulfils (Hebrews 10:23; Abraham, Genesis 15:4, Genesis 21:15).
“If God does not do it” is not a question of God’s ability and willingness, but a question of how far we are willing to believe in Him and His saving power.
If we are waiting on God for an answer to a request and it seems not to be coming forth, could it be because He has said “No”? Could it be because He has said: “Wait”? Does God ever say “No” or “Wait”?
We may not yet fully understand the whole dynamics of prayers and answers, but the Bible is very clear about how God responds to our requests.
In today’s lesson, we have looked at the meaning of faith, especially from the point of view of what it does, rather than what it is. Faith asks us to believe that God can and that He will, but it also demands that we go all the way with God even when there are ups and downs, things don’t line up, and our expectations seem not met. In the subsequent lessons in this series, we will be looking at how to build our faith. However, we should let the story of the Hebrew men serve as a challenge to us. Can we stick our necks out for the Lord? Can we sacrifice for Him when compromising situations arise?
For the past two months, we have been studying the subjects of the gifts and fruit of the Holy Spirit. In this lesson, we will be trusting God to teach us how to operate in the gifts of the Spirit and to show forth His fruit.
Main Texts: Mathew 25:14-30, Galatians 5:16-18
Mathew 25:14-30
The parable of the talents teaches us that if we do not use what God has already given us, we run the risk of losing it. We are always looking for more, but what are we doing with what we already have? God forbids that the little responsibility we have is given to someone else. When God looks into His church and sees needs, He looks around for available vessels and fills them in order to meet the needs. Why should the Holy Spirit endow us with His gifts if we are not available to use them? As the master in the parable was away for quite a while, for enough duration for the servants to do business and make good profits, only God knows how long He has been waiting on us to start doing more with what we have. The following are worthy of note:
1 Corinthians 12:27-31, 1 Corinthians 13, 1 Corinthians 14:1
Given the choice of receiving all the gifts of the Spirit and receiving the ability to love, would you go for the gifts rather than love? After Paul enumerated the gifts and even encouraged believers to earnestly desire the best, he went ahead to show a more excellent way – pursue love and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy (1 Cor 14:1).
The components of the fruit of the Spirit are not a to-do list. We grow into them as we live in the Spirit. They are traits that we develop as we continue in our walk with the Holy Spirit. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit (Gal 5:25).
The Father is looking for those who will worship Him in truth and in Spirit. The flesh accomplishes nothing, it is the Spirit that gives life. The fruit of the Spirit is not to be cultivated or attained by human effort, any more than we can attain salvation by our strength.
We walk in the Spirit when we align our lives with the Holy Spirit, letting Him take the lead and we, simply willing to follow. The more we do that, the more the fruit of the Spirit finds expression in us. Who instructs us to love? Who teaches us to refrain? Who guides us to peace? There is no formula or method that would work. The fruit is of the Holy Spirit and only Him can guide us in them.
Let us take active steps and measures. This is a call to action, it is a call to take up the responsibility for our spiritual growth and not live as one who is unwise, but as one who knows the hope of his calling and his inheritance in Christ. We are people on a journey. Though we live in this world, we do not belong in this world; our commonwealth is in heaven. Let us have the consciousness of who we are. If we live in the Spirit, let us walk in the Spirit.
Spiritual gifts are not the same as the fruit of the Spirit. Spiritual fruit is produced from within; spiritual gifts are imparted from without. Fruit relates to a Christlike character; gifts relate to Christian service. The fruit of the Spirit, especially love, should be the context for the operation of the gifts of the Spirit. Paul made it clear in 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 that spiritual gifts without spiritual fruit are worthless. Fruit is eternal, but gifts are temporal (1 Corinthians 13:8); the former is a true measure of spirituality, but the latter is not. According to bible.org:
“Spiritual gifts are not the same as natural talents. Unlike the natural abilities which everyone has from birth, spiritual gifts belong exclusively to believers in Christ. In some cases, the gifts of the Spirit coincide with natural endowments, but they transcend these natural abilities by adding a supernatural quality. Both are given by God (James 1:17), and should be developed and used according to their purpose for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31)”
Main Texts: 1 Corinthians 12:1-11, Galatians 5:22-26
In my opinion, spiritual gifts and fruits should be working together in the life of a believer. Having one without the other can make a Christian life unfruitful and hypocritical.
We will focus on Love, joy and peace in this outline (Galatians 5:22).
Love has many definitions but Romans 5:5 is our text for the love that we should have first: The love of God.
Without loving God we can’t love men. Anybody that does not love others is a hater of God.
Joy can be described as the assurance and confidence that we have concerning an issue even without evidence. Nehemiah 8:10 – the joy of the lord is our strength.
We rejoice in the Lord even if we cannot see Jesus face to face yet we rejoice in hope.
Peace – Philippians 4:6 John 14:27. Jesus said peace I leave with you, My peace I give it you not as the world gives.
Romans 14:17, Romans 5:5 – The source of this joy, peace, and love is from the Holy Spirit.
It is good to note that all the components of the fruit are described with God in them, the love of God, the Joy of the lord, the peace of God, which points to the fact that we need to abide in Him if we will be fruitful in our Christian walk.
Every believer should aspire to develop Godly character as stated in Galatian 5:22. The body of Christ is under watch by unbelievers and our character and Behaviour should reflect what we profess to the world. Every believer should seek God and cleaved to the Holy Spirit that produced the Joy, Peace, and Love.
How would a Christian know that he or she is exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit?
Like other gifts (the revelation gifts and power gifts) which we have already studied over the last three weeks. You will all agree with me that all are the manifestations of the Holy Spirit, with reference to our last lesson on “The Power Gifts of Holy Spirit“. They are not simple characters or learning abilities. They are from the Holy Spirit and they are supernatural. Each one is a visible evidence of the Holy Spirit’s presence.
There are three gifts under the vocal category: prophecy, diverse tongues, and the interpretation of tongues.
Main Text: 1 Corinthians 4:2-5
Prophecy is a vocal miracle of speech in one’s own language. It is speaking under the inspiration of God for “edification, exhortation, and comfort.” The Hebrew word for “prophecy” means “to flow forth or to spring forth.” It means to “speak for another.” It also means to be the spokesman for someone else. Literally, it means to speak for God or to be His mouthpiece.
Pastor John MacArthur (a popular preacher on many radio stations) claims that the gift of prophecy is merely the gift of being able to preach the gospel. However, to preach means to proclaim, to announce, to cry to tell. Prophecy is not simple oral ability. Many people, politicians, lawyers, and teachers have oral ability even though they have never received the Holy Spirit. There is nothing supernatural about oral ability. An oral ability can come through education and training, but prophecy only comes through the Holy Ghost. Prophecy is a supernatural gift and should not be confused with the natural ability some people have to remember and quote Scripture. Even the devil can quote Scriptures.
Sometimes there is an element of prophecy in preaching when one is anointed by the Spirit and is inspired to say things which come from the spirit rather than just from the mind, but that is only one of many ways in which prophecy is expressed. Sometimes a Spirit-filled believer may be witnessing to someone when the Lord suddenly anoints the witness to say things which he or she didn’t plan on saying. They are inspired by the Holy Spirit to say it, and it causes the person to break or to repent. That is another way the gift of prophecy is applied in our Christian walk. Prophesy always exalts Jesus as the only Savior of men (Revelations 19:10). It is for women as well as for men (1 Corinthians 11; Acts 2:15-16). It is to be “desired” (1 Corinthians 14:1). It always agrees with God’s Word.
Some have claimed that the gift of tongues is nothing more than the ability to learn foreign languages. They have claimed that this is an ability which God sometimes gives those who are preparing themselves to go into a foreign country to preach the gospel, so they can communicate with those whom they are going to witness to. However, this idea does not line up with the Word of God in 1 Corinthians 14:14 where Paul plainly states that he doesn’t know what he is saying when he speaks in tongues. Paul says his spirit (the inner man) knows, but Paul’s mind did not understand it. 1 Corinthians 14:14 says: “For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful.” This plainly rules out the ability to learn a foreign language because a person who speaks in a foreign language is both able to speak it and understand it.
Some have claimed that the gift of tongues is a childish thing which was meant only for the most immature Christians. They have claimed that the more mature Christians go on to better things and eventually cast off the gift of tongues. However, if this was the case, the Apostle Paul (a mature Christian and Apostle) would not have claimed that he spoke in tongues “MORE THAN…ALL” of the immature believers at Corinth. Paul makes this statement in 1 Corinthians 14:18 “I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all:”
The gift of tongues is a supernatural utterance in a language or languages (earthly or heavenly) which the one doing the speaking does not understand. It is a vocal miracle. It is a miracle of speech (Acts 2:4-8; Acts 10:46; Acts 19:1-6; 1 Corinthians 12-14).
The gift of tongues can be used to witness (Acts 2), to pray (1 Corinthians 14:2), to sing (1 Corinthians 14:15), to give thanks (1 Corinthians 14:16-17), and to praise the Lord (Acts 10:46). Tongues with interpretation is equal to prophecy (1 Corinthians 14:5). The gift of the Holy Spirit prays through a believer and make intercession according to the will of God causing everything to work together for Good (Romans 8:26-28).
The gift of tongues has a multitude of purposes. but I will list a few to give a general idea. Jude 20 states that the gift of tongues builds up the believer. Romans 8:26-27 teaches us that the gift of tongues allows the Holy Spirit to help us pray right or pray according to the will of God. 1 Corinthians 14:16-17: the gift of tongues helps us to “give thanks well” (when we don’t know what else to say and we still have a heart full of thanksgiving, we can pray in tongues to give thanks to God).
It is a spiritual gift of the Holy Ghost for the supernatural manifestation of the Spirit of God using one’s vocal organs, giving utterance in one’s own language, telling the meaning of the words which have been spoken. It tells the meaning of what is spoken in a supernatural language. It is a vocal miracle. Paul says that interpretation of tongues is equal to prophecy (1 Corinthians 14:15). He says this gift helps us to profit as a church (1 Corinthians 14:16). God says for us to pray for this gift if we speak with tongues (1 Corinthians 14:5), and for us all to speak with tongues (1 Corinthians 14:5 & 1 Corinthians 14:13). Paul said LET someone interpret (1 Corinthians 14: 27). There should be SOMEONE to interpret each message. It doesn’t need to be a CERTAIN one, neither should there be competition (1 Corinthians 14:27).
Interpretation of tongues is not the ability to translate languages. It is not a written word and it cannot be written. Though one without the Spirit of God can have the natural talent of translating languages, he or she will never hear or understand or translate the tongue of the spirit of God.
Because the interpretation of tongue is not a word for word translation, it may be given in first, second, or third person. Which means God can pass a message in different ways but with the same meaning.
It is not the gift of interpretation, but the interpretation of tongues. It is not, and cannot, be used if there have been no supernatural tongues spoken. It is not an interpretation of people’s, thoughts, or hard sayings, actions, riddles, dreams, or anything in the natural; but it is the interpretation of supernatural tongues. It cannot be learned at school in a million years but can be given by the Holy Spirit in a moment to any Spirit-filled person.