WITHSTANDING EVERY WIND OF DOCTRINES

                            TRETS-3FEB2017: 
WITHSTANDINGEVERYWIND OF DOCTRINES

Ephesians 4. 11 – 15; Hebrews 13. 8-9, Col. 2. 6-8

The world is changing very rapidly towards the negative at this end of time. Satan brings many thoughts cleverly into people’s minds, homes and churches to lure them from the narrow way into damnation. Variations from the scriptural truth come in a little way to the believer aiming at making him compromise God’s standard and accept the man-made belief of the age. These winds of doctrines contradict the established Christian principles and standards and therefore must be resisted and rejected at once. To be carried about with them is to allow the error to remain in our domain and becoming partakers of its damnation. Christians must "earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered to the saints" so as not to miss Heaven at last. Ironically, this can only be done if the believer (i) knows the Truth, (ii) recognizes the devil’s strategy behind the erroneous doctrines and (iii) courageously reject all their plans. We must put on the whole armor of God through prevailing prayer and vigilance so as to avoid all satanic strategies against our soul.

Recognizing the Strategies of false prophets and their doctrines. Matt. 7. 15-20, Rom. 16.17-18, 1 Tim. 4. 1-3,6,  Col. 2. 8, Phil 4.8, 2 Tim. 3.5

Recognizing error is very important and a principal factor in escaping the danger of their doctrine. Winds of doctrines are usually being perpetrated by false teachers but their doctrines originate from Satan. Therefore, they take advantage on the ignorance of unstable and unsuspecting brethren to sow their evil seeds privately (2 Cor. 2.11). Their motive is to make believers depart from the faith and take them to hell but the ignorant one may not know. To achieve this goal, the false prophets in most cases privately appeal to the physical and temporary need of the unstable soul to beguile him at the expense of his eternal destiny.  False doctrines may come in many way such as worship (2 Chron. 25. 2), or friendship (James 4.4), or courtship (Deut. 7. 3-4) or fellowship (Eph. 5.11), Partnership (2 Chron. 20. 35-37), particularly when the victim is in need of healing, power, prosperity, family or children. To recognize their error, believer must check up the fruits of such transactions and relationships whether it conforms to scriptures or not. Therefore, before going accepting any (i) Find out if it promotes holiness of life (Heb. 12.14), (ii) does it have any eternal benefit to my life, family and ministry? (1 Cor. 15.19, Rom 14.17), (iii) Can this new doctrine stand the test of time after this immediate benefit?   (Matt. 24.35)Winds of doctrines can come to anyone, but a stable and well rooted believer should be able to discern and discover whether it possesses the power of godliness and holiness in their utterances (2 Tim 3.5). They come through deception, they cause gender strive and division, they condemn the doctrine of Christ, they make merchandise of their victims, they lack the perception of holiness and righteousness, they make you deny the faith, they lead to damnation in hell. Some of the contemporary false doctrines being perpetrated around includes but not limited to some of the following: (a) Polygamist Christianity – marrying more than one wife and still defending themselves with bible (b) Some preach that resurrection or rapture is already past, (c) combining Christianity with idol worship, (iv) some preach that only 144,000 will be saved, (v) sodomy, homosexuality in the church, (vi) some preach that prosperity determines spirituality, (vii) Purgatory and temporary judgment place for sinners, and many more. Believers must know the truth and stand on the truth so they may be completely free.

Required Steps to full spiritual maturity and Steadfastness. Eph. 4. 11-13, 2 Tim. 2. 15-16, Ps. 1.1-3, Col. 2. 6-7, Rom. 12.2

The purpose for which Christ died is for believers to be strong, unmovable, and always abounding in the word and work of the Lord. We are to Study the Word regularly and meditate on it deeply, day by day and apply it to our daily life. This will make us know what God says and what He can (and cannot) do. Studying the word makes us retain its meaning in our heart but meditating on the scriptures gives us the rhema, which is the direct application to our personal lives. We must be able to understand God’s peculiarities (revealed through the scriptures) and know what can come from Him and what cannot. His is the way we can rightly divide the word of truth. For instance, Job’s response to his calamity in Job 1.21 was not rightly divided because though God actually provided for him, yet God did not bring the calamity and destruction. As you compare this with David in 2 Sam. 21.1-3, truly there was famine, yet David’s enquiry from God made the reasons known. Then he took the right decision from his knowledge of scriptures to make atonement. Believers must develop the art of communicating with God i.e. listening to God and asking directions from Him.  We must also shun profane babbling and unnecessary arguments that may hinder our spiritual commitment and growth.  We must deliberately, with determination walk in the ways of the Lord following His steps always. Avoid conformity with the world as this will choke up the power of righteousness from the heart and life of any believer. We must live a distinctive Christian life of total separation from ungodliness. Also, we must be prayerful resisting every damnable heresies from the gate of hell against our self, our family and our ministry. Furthermore, we must be ready to seek spiritual counsel from our spiritual leaders whom God had placed over us for guidance and be determined to continue steadfastly in the faith to the end.

Resisting false prophets and their wind of doctrines. 1 Peter 5. 8-9, Eph. 6. 13, Gal. 2. 4-5, Gal. 5. 1, 13, 1 Tim 1. 18-20, Gal. 2. 11-18, Proverbs 24.11, Heb 10. 35-39, Rom. 8. 35-39

Every believer must be vigilant, watching over his soul, and that of his members and converts. Having known the Truth of the scriptures, we must not allow anyone to take advantage of us, but rather reject their suggestions. As the agents of Satan are moving around with their winds of doctrines of various kinds, we must be prepared to resist them vehemently so they would not be able to perform their enterprise. Spiritual resistance require prayer and watchfulness and boldness against their strange and devilish doctrines. The scriptures command us never to give them any space in our congregation or our domain. Every friendship with anyone who is not truthful to the cardinal doctrines of the bible must be completely cut off.  Paul the Apostle was a good example withstanding some of these erroneous doctrines in his time. Even when Peter, known to be one of the pillars of the faith deviated and was to bring division among the gentile believers, Paul was bold to challenge him (Gal. 2. 11-18). Our conviction and consecration to the truth must move us to stand firmly on the unchanging word of God without any deviation irrespective of the personality bringing the error. The Lord had commanded us not to follow the changing world, but to be steadfast and stable to the end. And for those who abide to the end, He had promised great rewards in this life and in the world to come (Matt. 10.32).

THE LIFESTYLE OF AN EFFECTIVE SOUL WINNER

The Lifestyle of an Effective Soul-winner

Matthew 5:14-16;  1 Thess. 2. 7 - 12

The life of a soul winner is as important as his message. To be an effective soul winner, therefore, our lives as believers must complement the good news we bring to the people. Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ lived such a loving yet unquestionable life that everyone testified about Him as being from God (i.e without any fault or sin (Luke 23.4)). If we must win the lost to the Lord, our lifestyle must be higher in holiness and righteousness than that of the unbelievers and religious church goers in the world. The Lord Jesus Christ said “For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20). If we cannot get to the Kingdom without a higher standard of living, then we are equally disqualified from service here on earth. The Lord is expecting us as believers to radiate the glory of God with our lifestyle to the people around us so “…that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). We cannot win the lost world to the Lord if our lives are not beckon of light and a good example for them to emulate.

The Personal Life of The Soul-winner  Isaiah 6:1-7; 52:11; Acts 9:1-6,17-21; Acts 6:3; 11:19-26; Exodus 18:21; Proverbs 25:13; 1 Peter 2:9

    

The life of Isaiah as a preacher before he saw the vision of the Lord was a life given to self-opinion and self-centredness. He was a preacher but needed a divine encounter before his service could be acceptable to God. Prior to this time, he could only see woes in the lives of his countrymen and didn’t feel anything was wrong with him. He was indeed very zealous for God. He didn’t know that heaven was looking for a replacement for him until God allowed him to see what was happening in the higher spiritual realm. It was at this time that he saw his true condition and cried out to God for a personal encounter with God that brought a definite life-long transformation to his life. Paul of Tarsus was a zealous religious man with strong persecution against Christians before his encounter with the Lord on his way to Damascus. The encounter brought not only a definite change but a total change of life’s direction. Before we can represent God before man, we need a genuine experience of salvation. We must be men and women of good report. The qualities highlighted by Jethro to Moses are essential in the lives of effective soul-winners. Faithfulness in private and public is very important as well. The soul-winner must live a life of holiness, integrity, honesty, fidelity and truthfulness every day and everywhere.

The Priority of an Effective Soul-winner

     John 9:4; 4:34; Luke 19:10; 1 Corinthians 9:16-17  

The effective soul-winner like His Mentor, the Lord Jesus Christ realizes he exists for a singular purpose of leading the lost souls to the Saviour by all means. There is no sacrifice too much to give to the task and there is no place too far for him to accomplish the task of soul-winning. The Lord Jesus Christ declared His Mission Statement as “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). At another time, He told His disciples about His life’s priority which is above every other earthly need or pressure – “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work” (John 9:4). The disciples followed suit in making the work of soul-winning their lives priority. Immediately the Lord gave them the Great Commission, we are told that “And they went forth, and preached every where…” (Mark 16:20). After the death of Stephen, many of the disciples left Jerusalem to other lands - “Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word” (Acts 8:4). We should be ready to burn out like the early church who went everywhere to preach the gospel. We cannot do otherwise if we want to do the will of God and fulfill the mandate of rescuing the perishing.

The Pursuit and Preoccupation of an Effective Soul winner  Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-20; Acts 1:8; 8:4-8

The constant pursuit of an effective soul-winner is the actualization of the Great Commission. The purpose of our existence is to “shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9). Paul the apostle declared that he is alive mainly for the purpose of making Christ known to the lost world, “For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:16). Philip went to   the city of Samaria with the saving gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and caused joy in the city. Soul winners employed every opportunity to make Christ known wherever they were found. The soul-winner is committed and fully dedicated to the singular purpose of evangelism.

The admonition of the Lord Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount is crucial to our effectiveness in the business of soul-winning, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). Our lifestyle must demonstrate the message we preach if we are to be effective in our soul-winning efforts. PFA.           

THE POWER OF FOCUSED PRAYER

THE POWER OF FOCUSED PRAYER

TEXT:                                James  5. 13-18, I Kings 17:1; 18: 36-45, Luke 18. 1-8.

Our topic today is one of the most practical lessons ever known but hardly practices. Although challenges abound in this world, yet there is a master key for a true child of God to subdue them all. This is the undeniable power of focused prayer. Focused prayer is a concentrated prayer aimed at achieving specific result from the Lord. The prophets of old used this master key to lock and to unlock. A good example of such was Elijah in our text today. Jacob also used this key to open the door of supernatural realignment to the path way of divine covenant and prosperity. Esther and the Jews in Sushan used this key to bind the spirit of death over them and open the way for prosperity of the Jews.  Hannah utilized this key to open her womb and got many children. Jabez also utilized it to reverse his sorrowful life. Jesus equally gave us the example towards this through His parable of the unjust judge and the widow crying “avenge me of my adversary” (Luke 18.3). The apostles of old then caught the fire of prayer and they used it to open the prison doors for Peter against the expectation of the Jews. Surely there is power in prayer, and indeed, an awesome power in the believer’s focused prayer. If you also can use this master key this night and always, then all your predicaments shall be overturned in Jesus Name.

PRE-REQUISITES OF FERVENT PRAYER. Job 22. 22-26, James 5.15-16, Ps 66.18, Ps. 24. 4-5, James.1.6, Lk.18.1, 6-8, Phil 4.6

God wants us to know that the prayers that prevail are not just coincidence. They are borne out of personal intimate relationship with God. Realization of personal sins and true confession and repentance from them brings God’s power into our prayers; but carelessness, frivolity and pride hinders prayer. We must pray with faith without wavering  (James 1.6), with fervency and persistence (Luke 18.1, 6-8), pray with thanksgiving (Phil 4.6), our purpose of prayer must be according to God’s word and to glorify God (I Kings 18:36-37). Sometimes, you may need to add fasting with your prayer. Lastly you must also learn to pray the prayer of praise as this confirms your faith that God answer prayers.

PROMISES OF ANSWER TO THE FAITHFUL’S PRAYERS.  James 5. 13-16, Jere. 33.3, Jer. 29. 11-14, Job 22. 27-28, Ps. 50.15, Ps 91.15, Matt. 7.7, Jn 14.13-14,

“…the prayer of faith shall save the sick..The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” These are powerful promises from the Lord that assures us that if we can learn the art of consistent fervent prayer, we shall prevail over every circumstance in our life. Although some of these promises and are common, we must not be too familiar with them to overlook their value and potency. We must take hold on these promises with complete trust knowing that God is not a man that He should lie...(Num 23.19)

THE POWER OF FOCUSED PRAYER. Gen 32.24-29, Esth 4.13-16, 9. 1-5, Dan 2. 15-19, 2 Chr. 20. 1-4,

Prayer is a powerful unbreakable weapon of the believer that the enemy cannot stand, particularly when offered with a holy heart and humble spirit. The long standing problem and fear of being killed had been tormenting Jacob for twenty years, yet, all these was turned around through one night of focused prayer. Esther and the Jews in Sushan prayed and got the decree of death reversed to their favor (Esther 4.13-16, 9. 1-5), Remember, God spared your life till now so you could glorify Him in your situation. Its only when your prayer is changed from the lukewarm type to fervency that this would be achieved. Hannah, through focused prayer received one of the greatest prophets in Israel, Samuel. Prayer turned bareness to fruitfulness. Your prayer tonight can turn your affliction into jubilation.  When the enemies surround you like Elisha, you can prayerfully smite them with blindness. When the confusion looms in your life, you can pray for wisdom and direction (Dan 2. 16-19). When the enemy confederate themselves against you spiritually or physically, you can seek help of the Lord like Jehoshaphat (2 Chron. 20. 1-4) and obtain victory. Even when you seem to have lost any thing (or everything) in life, business, family or ministry, you can pray and God will make you recover all. Prayer changes Situations and moves mountains. If your life had been dominated with fear and timidity before today, be ready to pray your heart out in a focused prayer and the power that dominate your life will surely change hand. Be ready to pray until something happen. Be ready to pray until you receive the change in your situation. Be ready to pray until the showers of blessings come upon your life.