THE ERRORS OF LOT

Genesis 11:27, 12: 1-3

There are lessons to learn from different people such as learning from their failures, how to become successful and so on. We will be looking at the person of Lot in order to learn from his life so we do not make the mistakes he made.

BACKGROUND

Lot was Abraham’s nephew. From the time Abraham’s father took them from Ur of the Chaldeans to go into Canaan, Lot went with them. When Terah died before they got to the land of Canaan, Abraham had an encounter with God to move on to the land He will show him (Gen.12:1-2). You will notice that everywhere Abraham went, Lot went also. From the verse of scripture above, you can tell that they were men of means, they were not poor and it seems that Lot was in the picture of the encounter Abraham had. However, when famine hit that land, Abraham went down to Egypt. 

Note: When things become stuck, it calls for intimacy with God, more dependence on and obedience to God, instead of rationalizing it.

By Chapter 13, Lot’s place came behind the things they had acquired. This was not so at the beginning. Lot was mentioned with Abraham but now as he made progress, grounds shifted and the order changed. Somehow, Lot was down the ladder. Often, the things that didn’t matter when we took off start becoming an issue because our attention has shifted. This shifting in Lot could have been as a result of those things. You see, just as Abraham had substance and great wealth, Lot also had great substance.

In spite of the state Abraham had gotten to, he didn’t lose sight of his foundation, he was still conscious of the beginning, of the reason for his greatness. Whatever Lot had was because of the connection he had with Abraham, it wasn’t because of his own smartness or otherwise.

Note: one mistake people make is that they feel just because they were a part of something that brought about the increase, they can now “rub” shoulders with the “boss” thinking they are the same.

Abraham and Lot had become so great that the land was no longer able to contain them. However, this was no issue but the carnality of Lot made it a problem. 

Note: when you don’t interpret events correctly, satan will take advantage of them against you. The contention was between their herdsmen. Where there is strife, satan can go to any length. There is no reason justifiable enough to walk in strife. Where there’s strife, there’s every evil work. The closer the unit, the more the potential for strife to exist in it.

Lesson: Lot’s parameter for choosing was not spiritual at all. He didn’t include God who had blessed him into his decision making. Besides, if he had recognized Abraham’s headship over him, he should have deferred to

him. This is what happens when one thinks he has “arrived”. Separation was 

not the problem, the problem was how it was done. What was the basis for Lot’s choice? The physical. In his choice, he apparently left nothing for Abraham. Meanwhile, everything Lot got was as a result of Abraham in his life. Lot was greedy. It must have been that Lot somehow saw himself as equal to Abraham.

 Lesson: Never put things above relationships or persons in your life. Anytime there is a conflict, let the things go. Lot went and pitched his tent with wicked men, sinners, exceedingly unrighteous before the Lord. In all his desperation to keep the wealth he had acquired, he still couldn’t keep it. (Ps. 127:1). How can you keep in the flesh what came by the Spirit? You have to be conscious not to outgrow the seemingly little things that took you up in the first place e.g. praying, fasting, studying the word, respect for those who have gone ahead of you, no job, profession, status should cause you to outgrow certain things. Even as married couples, you don’t outgrow saying “I love you” etc. Lot felt he had come of age and could choose for himself. God kept quiet as Lot was choosing and Abraham was not moved because his confidence and trust was in God, knowing God can still reproduce everything even if he lost everything. NOTE: The greatest battle you must keep fighting is the battle to keep the faith. As long as you keep the faith you have lost nothing. Besides, all our problems spring out of our gradual disconnection from Him. Maintain that connection no matter the circumstances you find yourself. Lot wasn’t bothered about this disconnection because he was full of the things the connection brought.

 In this New Year, we must be resolute in making the decision to stay connected to God no matter what, let God be your first priority. It was not Abraham that made himself master over Lot and if Lot had recognized the authority of Abraham, automatically he was recognizing the authority of God. The bible admonishes us to submit to one another in the fear of God. On the surface, Lot was making progress in the midst of wicked and sinful people. By chapter 14, the place he was, was invaded by four (4) kings. It was Abraham that came to rescue him. In Chapter 18, God told Abraham what He had in mind. How come God didn’t tell it to Lot? It showed Lot was totally disconnected from God.

In Gen.19:1 – Interestingly, Lot didn’t lose his wealth outwardly but he was

dying on the inside.

Lesson: Don’t use the wrong parameters to measure progress. He recognized the angels when they came, it showed he was still religious and even when God showed him mercy and rescued him, he couldn’t be rescued. He lost everything that made him pitch his tent with wicked men-he lost his wealth, his wife and children. 

Note: Not having can also become a distraction; sometimes, when things are not working the way they ought to be, God suffers for it, anytime you are angry, the church suffers for it etc. King Uzziah is also another example of the errors of Lot. See 2 Chron. 26: 5,16. The major determinant in everything is your soul prospering because when your heart is right, you can’t miss God.

Four Scriptures that played out in the life of Lot.

1.  Luke 12:16-21 – Make sure that as you are getting richer, your richness towards God is also on the increase

2. Rom. 8:6 – Lot was carnally minded but Abraham minded spiritual things. To be carnally minded results in death.

3. Matt. 13: 22 – Lot allowed the things he had acquired to give him the wrong impression of who he was. Deceitfulness of riches can make you step your bounds and take responsibility you are not ordained for.

4. Matt. 16: 24 -26 – You have to be able to take up your cross, deny yourself and follow God. Lot was trying to save his life, thus he lost everything. “What shall it profit a man if he gained the world and loses his soul”?

JOIN THIS CHARIOT

JOIN THIS CHARIOT

This is a call that spells out the direction and emphasis of the work God has committed to us in the coming years, and I have a release in my spirit to use every avenue and platform to make it known. And so, I am asking you and everyone anywhere in the world to “JOIN THIS CHARIOT”. There has been a build up to this call in the last three years.

THE ENCOUNTER

The very strong dealings I have been having on this, climaxed in an encounter I had while ministering the word at AUCHI, EDO STATE, Sunday, Nov. 26 this year. The Lord clearly showed me, using the story in Genesis 19 that the world is in a global crisis and the judgement (destruction) of this earth is inevitable and we don’t have much time in our hands anymore. We are actually at the phase now where the angels told Lot to gather as many as “you can gather because we have come to destroy this place”. (Paraphrase mine) Gen.19:12-13. That’s where we are now; it’s no joke or playtime at all. “JOIN THIS CHARIOT”. We have to put out all resources, (human, financial, spiritual together) to gather as many as can be gathered before the destruction.

Our response as a Ministry had to be reviewed in the light of our mandate and vision

OUR MANDATE - To take the gospel of the kingdom to the nations and new territories under a strong APOSTOLIC GRACE charting new paths and establishing kingdom order. Mt. 24:14, Mk. 16:15-20, Mt. 28:19-20.

OUR VISION - To raise and release KINGDOM DISTINGUISHED CITIZENS. That is, men and women who will stand distinguished in all ramifications as leaders and role models in their respective areas of call/operations.

OUR RESPONSE

1.     PRAYER WATCH: We got both the instruction and strategy from the Lord to pray every day in church (Acts 2:1) through the year for one hour (12noon-1pm) with the prayer focus being

-THY KINGDOM COME,

-THY WILL BE DONE IN EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN

-LORD OF THE HARVEST, SEND FORTH LABOURERS INTO THE HARVEST

Mt. 6:10, Mt. 9:37-38, Zech.10:1

And this has been going on, preparing the nations and people (earth) for the RAIN.

“JOIN THIS CHARIOT” to pray as we hope to continue in the coming years                

2.     RAMAH – (1 Samuel 7:15-17) This is our operational base where we disciple labourers for the work, and from here we reach out to villages, cities and nations. For our work to be effective especially with the urgency, we do not just need an operational base but we need structure as well. We actually have a 2 phase project.

FIRST PHASE

-         Children’s Block: Completed

-         Administrative Block: Completed

-         Main Auditorium Block: Temporary Structure. We believe the permanent structure should be done before our 20^th Anniversary, June 2017

SECOND PHASE

-         Prayer Ground: We have the land fenced already for open air meetings

-         Prayer chalets: For personal retreats (Yet to be built)

-         Bore Hole: For the benefit of the community and us. (Yet to be done)

-         Road Construction: For the benefit of the community and us. (Yet to be done)

“JOIN THIS CHARIOT” to build , give prayerfully, willingly, sacrificially

3.     APOSTOLIC SUMMIT – Come June 1, 2017, we will be 20 years as a Ministry and the Lord would have us call for an APOSTOLIC SUMMIT, after which, it will be yearly in Sokoto. And it will also begin to hold in other cities, campuses and nations as the Lord opens the door, with GUSAU and KEBBI for a start in 2017. We intend to invite all those who have passed through this commission all over the world to this edition. Prayers have started towards the summit, every Monday 6-7pm at the Central Parish, Koko Road.

“JOIN THIS CHARIOT” – Pray, Give and Prayerfully plan to be there in Jesus’ name.

4.     VISION 20-20-20 – In fulfillment of our mandate, we intend to invade at least 20 villages, 20 cities, 20 nations in the coming years with the gospel of Jesus Christ and plant churches there and we are starting with KEBBI, GUSAU and MAIDUGURI next year 2017. VISION 20-20-20 prayer team meets every Friday 6-7pm at Central Parish, Koko Road on this.

“JOIN THIS CHARIOT” to Pray, Give and make yourself available.

5.     JOURNEY INTO GLORY

We will be starting the New Year 2017 with a 40days waiting on God in fasting, praying, studying, worship etc. with the kind of task ahead of us, this is more than necessary. We need to begin now to prayerfully prepare for the journey.

6.     MINISTERIAL WELFARE FOUNDATION

We have set up a foundation to cater for the welfare of Ministers (Full time) personal and family needs, such as, house rent, school fees, feeding, medical bills etc irrespective of their denomination. And these ministers are not necessarily and primarily ministers of Love Revival Ministries as long as they are actively involved in the propagation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is our response to help reduce the casualties in the field such as basic needs becoming a distraction to doing the work, total abandonment of the work for “greener” pastures as it were and in some cases, more adverse experiences like untimely death through protracted illness which could have been prevented, of loved ones or the ministers themselves. “Smite the shepherd, the sheep will scatter.” Matthew 26:31. We already have about two partners that have consistently partnered with us on this for two years now.

“JOIN THIS CHARIOT” to give.

7.     DISCIPLESHIP STRATEGIES

Discipling is an integral part of the gathering and the Lord is expanding the scope of the strategies He has given us for DISCIPLESHIP.

-         FORUMS: These have held monthly in Sokoto consistently over the years but we are taking it to other cities like we did years ago.  (Kebbi, Zuru, Gusau, Abuja) The Forums are for MINISTERS, BUSINESS, TEENS, SINGLES and FAMILY.

“JOIN THIS CHARIOT” to give, pray, plan and mobilize in your locality.

-         PUBLICATIONS: We intend to package our materials in books, magazines for circulation in the various fields opening up.

LOVE DIGEST- We have faithfully printed and circulated it free for years now and we intend to be more consistent and also increase the quantity.

BOOKS- Old stocks- eight (8) titles are due for reprint, while we intend to print about twenty (20) titles this 2017.

“JOIN THIS CHARIOT” to give, help circulate the materials.

As I round up, I want to thank you for patiently reading through. However, I would like to say calls like this are also a life time opportunity that rarely comes. Read and prayerfully consider where and how you come in and do so urgently and faithfully. It’s with a great sense of responsibility and urgency that I have communicated this in the fear of God.

“JOIN THIS CHARIOT” for the Lord of harvest calls for labourers (Praying, Paying and Preaching). The harvest that is ripe and plenteous must not waste and we don’t have much time.

Please be mindful of the fact that, this call is an ongoing one (LIFE MISSION), it’s till He (JESUS) comes, it’s not just for 2017 or a period of time

 Once again, “JOIN THIS CHARIOT” as we remain eternally committed to “raising and releasing KINGDOM DISTINGUISHED CITIZENS”. Praying we all finish 2016 strong and gloriously in Jesus’ name.

Maranatha!

Yours In His Service

Courage Ode

President –Love Revival Ministries Int.

Presiding Pastor-Love Family Assemblies

For how you can partner, please call;

-         08035277270

-         08056052898

-         08036209781

-         07019743749

LETTERS TO THE SEVEN CHURCHES (PART 6)

Text: Revelation 2:18-end; Revelation 3:1-end 

Scriptural References: Acts 16:14 Acts 5:11 Acts 214:27 Col. 4:3 II Pet. 1:9 II Corinth 6:1-10

The Church at Thyatira This church was known as “the corrupt church” or “the church of the evil prophetess”. It was in the city of Thyatira, which was founded by Alexander the Great. Lydia, the first convert of Paul was in this Church. God introduced Himself to this church as the one “who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet like fine brass”; fire indicating that He was coming to burn up everything that needed to be burnt (purification) and brass indicating the crushing of all the filthy things that needed to be crushed. The church was among other things, commended for its charity, service, faith, patience as we see in verse 19 of Rev. 2.

The church was accused of allowing the ministry of the false prophetess Jezebel, (who was promoting fornication and eating of things sacrificed to idols) to flourish. They were also unrepentant about their activities despite the space given to them by God to repent. In the historical era, this church shows how evil progressed in the church with idolatry practices. It relates to the Roman Catholic Church during the period of papal apostasy. In the modern era, this church represents the development of numerous modern cults that usually emphasize things and works rather than the word of God and faith in God. The advice to this church was that they should hold fast to what they already had.

The key lessons we can learn from the letter to this church are:

- We need to be careful about what we hear, see and think

- Asking ourselves certain questions such as: what do we have that we need to keep? Who are we listening to? What are we watching? What are we reading?

- Ensuring that we hold fast to the things we already have such as: our faith in God; the Word of God; His finished work on the cross.

- Not sacrificing the truth for anything and making sure that no matter the pressure, we are holding on to the word

Two things God promised this church are:

- Spiritual dominion and

- Spiritual illumination.

The Church at Sardis The name Sardis means “remnant”. The church was also known as the spiritually dead church. Coins were first introduced in Sardis and the city was one of the most flourishing at that time. Jesus introduced Himself to the church as “he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars”. As we know, seven stands for perfection. Thus, God introduced Himself as coming in His fullness because they were in a dead state. In this church, only a few people were commended for not defiling their garments. The church was accused of having no perfect work before God. In the historical era, prominent men that stood out were Martin Luther. Alongside Martin Luther were men like John Knox and John Calvin. Martin Luther left three (3) things for the church:

- Universal priesthood of believers

- The Bible as the sole authority for the Christian faith

- Justification is by faith only and not by works.

Key lessons to learn from this church:

- God always has His remnant in every church and in every church age that are standing firm for Him without compromising. That is why everybody is doing it; or the personality doing it; or it is producing result is not an excuse to compromise.

- Where there is no Holy Spirit, there is no life, there is no progress, and there is no explosion. Most of the men who stood out at that time did not have the Holy Spirit in them and that was why they could not have much influence on the people.

- This letter unlike others started with a rebuke. This means that there is no fixed pattern with God; He decides how He will act. So we must not program God. The Church was advised to be watchful; to strengthen the things which remain; and to remember what they had received and hold fast to it. Jesus warned the church that if they did not watch, He will come on them as a thief, and they shall not know what hour He will come upon them. This tells us that we should live our lives ever ready and stop living carelessly as if Christ will never return. God gave this Church the following promises or assurances:

- Promise of fellowship in glory to him that overcomes

- His name will not be blotted out from the book of life (Heavenly registration)

- His name will be confessed by Jesus to the Father (Heavenly recognition)

The Church at Philadelphia

The name Philadelphia means “brotherly love”. The church was known as the tried but faithful church; the weak but loyal church, weak in terms of political relevance. The city had a lot of Jewish population and was celebrated for its excellent wine. Jesus revealed himself as holy, (purity) true, (liberation) and “he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth” as we see in Rev. 3:7. The church was commended for the following:

- They kept His word

- They did not deny His name

- They remained faithful in opposition.

This church had no accusation, showing us again that it is possible to live holy and sin free lives without having any form of accusation from God. For the historical era, this was the period of reformation. Some prominent ministers at that time were: John Wesley, D. L. Moody… Key lessons we can learn from the letter to this church:

- It is possible to live without condemnation

- The power of love and togetherness i.e. agape love binding us together.

The assurances He gave this church are:

- An open door

- They will be kept in the hour of temptation

- Everyone that overcomes will be a pillar in the temple of God.

The Church at Laodicea The name means “people’s right” or “judgement of the people”. This means that people were in charge rather than God. The church was known as the rich poor church (rich in the eye of men but poor in the eye of God). It was also known as the lukewarm, self satisfied church boasting of her wealth, though weak, miserable and poor. As Christians, where does our boast lie? Do we boast because of what we have achieved or what we think we have acquired? Our boast must always be in Christ alone. Christ revealed Himself to this church as the one who is unchangeable; the true witness and a martyr (one who would not compromise His standard, course and belief; and is also ready to die for it). He didn’t approve of anything in this church. The church was accused of being lukewarm: neither cold nor hot. This church represents churches of these days that play down on prayer and the word of God, where the emphasis has shifted from truth to physical things.

Key Lessons we can get from this church are:

- Materialism: We must never be carried away by material or earthly things. This church was more engulfed with material possession that was why they thought they were rich when God saw them as a poor church.

- Worldliness: We must not be totally earthly conscious. We must know that our life does not end here, but there is a life after now.

- Friendship with the world. We may be living in this world, but we must not get attached to it. We must be conscious that Jesus will come back for the faithful ones.

Christ advised this church to be holy, zealous and repent. He assured the church of divine fellowship and spiritual enthronement for those who overcame. We must note that the letters to these churches ended with an appeal; “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. Thus, as Christians, we must constantly pray that Lord: “I have ears, I hear and because I hear, I overcome”. In summary, the study of the seven churches can look like a cycle. First, no love, then persecution, compromise, corruption, deadness, revival and then lukewarmness. We must watch out for this cycle and must not allow it repeat itself in our generation.

LETTERS TO THE SEVEN CHURCHES (PART 5)

 Text: Revelation 2:12-17

 Scriptural References: Rev. 2:12-17, II Pet 2:15, Jude 11, Exodus 34:12, Prov. 13:20, 1 Corinth 5:11

We all come from different backgrounds and have had different experiences in life. Every tribe or place we come from has its weaknesses and shortcomings. But God is bringing this truth to all of us at this time so that we can make necessary adjustments where we are missing it, as such, anywhere this truth hits us or our traditional beliefs; we must not take it personal. If any word comes forth that addresses any of our weaknesses or shortcomings, we must not fight it, but look at it in line with scriptures and make adjustments where necessary.

The Church at Pergamos

Address: Pergamos means marriage. It was a city which had lots of antiquities for sale. Parchment was first used in Pergamos. Parchment is a former writing material made from dried and treated sheepskin, goatskin, or other animal hide, formerly used for books and documents. A person is supposed to marry only one person. Thus, it was expected of this Church to be married to Christ alone but the church was trying to combine God and Satan together. The church is known as:

·         The compromising church

·         The heretical church

·         The incomplete church

·         The church in bad or evil surroundings.

Attribute: Jesus introduced himself as “he that hath the sharp sword with two edges” indicating the Word of God. Thus Jesus was introducing himself as the Word. He commended them for holding fast to His name despite the fact that they were dwelling where satan’s seat was.  

Approval: The following are the things the church was commended for:

·         Their steadfastness. They kept the faith despite dwelling in a place where satan had his headquarters at that time. This means no matter the kind of evil surrounding us, we can still stand steadfast in Christ.

There were martyred for the faith. Jesus even mentioned the name of Antipas who had never been mentioned before in the whole Bible. This teaches us that God is keeping record of everything we do. We should remain consistent in whatever we are doing for God even if no one is recognizing it or encouraging us, because God is watching and it is He that will bless. Even in our secular work, God is watching and even where we think our earthly boss is not treating us fairly, we must still do the job as unto God because God will always reward us and it may not necessarily be through our boss. Jacob had his wages reduced three times when he worked for Laban, but he kept doing his work consistently and at the end God blessed him greatly making him one of the wealthiest men in his time.

Accusation: God had accusations against this Church and these accusations were:

·         Tolerance of corrupt doctrines and heresies. Anything you tolerate begins to influence you. As Christians we are supposed to be the ones influencing our environment and others. But when we allow evil doctrines and corrupt practices around us, we will ultimately be the ones to be influenced negatively. Thus we must never tolerate evil around us. You cannot prevent corrupt doctrines from spreading around but we must never harbour or encourage it.

·         Embracing the doctrine of Balaam. The doctrine of Balaam can be seen in II Peter 2:15. This practice is the practice of covetousness. Balaam’s services could easily be bought. These days, many believers think they can bypass the standard God has given. The practice of getting what you want to get at all cost. Many people are ready to help God if God cannot help them. Some people are ready to get whatever they need at all cost and as a result fall as a prey to satan. Anything God cannot give you is not your own.

·         They did not take heed to stand against the doctrine of the Nicolaitans. It was a doctrine that made immorality acceptable. We are ambassadors of Christ on this earth and we must live as such. We must not allow any corrupt doctrine influence us no matter how popular that doctrine may be. As long as it is not in line with the word of God, we must stand against it.

In the Historical Era, this church was typical of the middle age Church mixing with the world. This era was known as the Constantine era. Constantine was an emperor that in a bid to motivate his troops to battle said that he had seen a sign of the cross in his dream; and in the dream he saw a writing which said “with this sign conquer”. Many times, people look for what they can use to motivate others towards achieving their own selfish goals, thus we must be careful how we allow people influence us towards a particular course of action, lest we become like the men of Ephesus who caused uproar in the days of Paul without even knowing why they were gathered there.

In the latter years of his life, Constantine created the “Edict of Tolerance”. With this, he invited all people to join the Church irrespective of the kind of lifestyle they lived. Thus people became church goers without recourse to the kind of lives they lived, thus making the church lose its power. Some of the things introduced by Constantine were:

·         Making prayers for the dead

·         Making the sign of the cross

·         The worship of saints and angels

·         The worship of Mary

·         The doctrine of purgatory.

In the modern times, Churches that fall into this category are churches that are supported by the government. There is hardly any church that earns support from the government and still retains its cutting edge.

 Key lessons to learn from this letter:

·         The word of God must remain the standard whether it is popular or not.

·         You must mind your company and the things you tolerate.

 In as much as we must not live isolated lives, we must also be careful not to be wrongly connected, because this would lead to our destruction. We must choose carefully the friends and company we keep; choose good and godly company even for our children.

·         Know your borderline. Every relationship has its boundary and most times

when we cross our boundaries, we expose ourselves to harm. We must be able to define our relationships to differentiate between those we can call close friends and interact with and those who are just people we must relate with either by virtue of our work, environment, etc.

·         We must learn how to have contact without being contaminated. This is a necessity for every Christian because we live in a corrupt world where the whole system is corrupt. We should be able to live in this evil world without allowing the evil in the world influence us.

·         We need to learn to trust in God.

Advice, Assurance and Appeal: Jesus advised the Church to repent. He warned them that if they didn’t repent, he will come quickly and will fight against them with the sword of His mouth which is the Word. In Rev 2:17, He appealed that “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches” and in the latter part of that same verse, He assured that he that “overcometh” will:

·         Be given to eat of the hidden manna

·         Be given a white stone. This was known in history to be a sign of victory.