Faith

Sunday Sermon: Do You Pray Like the Devil?

Published

7 years ago

May 27, 2018

Eric

By Bishop Isaac Idahosa

One way to clarify the meaning of a Christian act is to take note how much of the act the devil can do.

So, for example, when clarifying what it means to have saving faith, James says, “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe — and shudder!” (James 2:19). In other words, saving faith has to be more than what the demons can do. So, take note of that, and find out what it is that they can do. Never settle for a definition of “faith” that requires only what the devil can do.

The Devil-Principle

There is a principle here that is useful in numerous biblical contexts. The principle is: when you are seeking to discern the meaning of a biblical duty, ask how much of the duty the devil can perform; take note of that; and don’t equate the biblical duty with what the devil can do. Every Christian duty taught in the Bible involves more than what the devil can do.

In 1 Corinthians 12:3 Paul says, “No one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except in the Holy Spirit.” So, applying my devil-principle here, we recall that the devil has no doubt about the lordship of Jesus over the world, and over the entire demonic realm. He knows Jesus is Lord. And his demons say as much.

“Never settle for a definition of ‘faith’ that requires only what the devil himself can do.”

In Matthew 8:29, the demons cry out to Jesus, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” And in Mark 1:24, a demon says to Jesus, “Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are — the Holy One of God.” These phrases “Son of God” and “Holy One of God” clearly ascribe lordship to Jesus. This is even clearer when you see what the demons say Jesus can do: “torment us” and “destroy us.” The devil knows and admits that Jesus is stronger than he is and that the devil’s days of freedom are numbered.

The Devil Believes Jesus Is Lord

So, it’s clear that the devil can say, “Jesus is Lord.” In fact, he does say it. This is helpful in grasping Paul’s meaning in 1 Corinthians 12:3, when he says, “No one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except in the Holy Spirit.” Since the devil can say, “Jesus is Lord,” we know that the duty of saying “Jesus is Lord” is more than believing and saying that he is supremely powerful. The devil believes and says that.

The same thing is true when we stir in Romans 10:9, where Paul says, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Now we see that Christians not only confess that Jesus is Lord, but also believe in the heart that God raised him from the dead.

The Devil Believes Jesus Rose

Does the devil believe that God raised Jesus from the dead? Yes, he does. He devotes much of his energy to blinding the minds of people precisely so that they will not see “the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:4). And that glory is the glory of the crucified and risen Christ shining in the gospel. The devil knows God has raised Jesus from the dead.

So, the duty of confessing Jesus as Lord, and believing that God raised him from the dead, must mean more than what the devil confesses and believes. My point is that this devil-principle is a very helpful exegetical pointer to go deeper into the reality Paul has in mind.

Demonic Faith and Saving Faith

Romans 10:9 gives a clue to what that deeper reality is. “If you . . . believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” It’s true that the reference to confessing with the “mouth” and believing with the “heart” is taken from Deuteronomy 30:14 (“The word is . . . in your mouth and in your heart”). But what’s Paul’s point? That’s the question.

“Christians don’t just believe the same facts the devil believes. We love and embrace the truth about God.”

What Paul signals by the words “in your heart” is that you joyfully confess that Jesus is Lord and gladly embrace his resurrection as his glorious entrance into that saving lordship. We know this because Paul speaks in Romans 6:17 of being “obedient from the heart,” meaning, not begrudgingly but joyfully. And he explicitly contrasts willing something in the heart with willing it “reluctantly or under compulsion” (2 Corinthians 9:7). Which is exactly the way the devil affirms the resurrection and the lordship of Jesus — reluctantly and under compulsion.

So, back to 1 Corinthians 12:3: “No one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except in the Holy Spirit.” What Paul means is that without the transforming work of the Holy Spirit, no one can say “Jesus is Lord” with a joyful and glad embrace of the Lord Jesus as one’s supreme treasure. The devil admits his power and final victory, but he hates it. Only by the Holy Spirit can we love it. And that is what makes us Christians — not just believing the same true facts that the devil believes.

Abide in Christ

I recently paused over these words in 2 John: “Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son” (2 John 1:9). This is obviously supremely important, since not having God would result in perishing without God.

So, I pondered what “abide in the teaching of Christ” means. My eternal life hangs on this. If I don’t do it, I don’t have God. If I do it, I have “both the Father and the Son.” So, I applied my devil-principle. In what sense can the devil “abide in the teaching of Christ”? Well, he is very competent intellectually, he has a supernatural memory, and he was there when all the teachings were given. So, I assume he can “abide” in Christ’s teaching in the sense that he “remembers” them and “believes” them to be true. So this means that, when John says we must “abide in the teaching of Christ,” he means more than merely “remember it” and more than “believe it as fact.”

When the devil remembers the teaching of Jesus and believes it as fact, he hates it. He does not love the teaching of Christ. He does not cherish it or treasure it. But in the mind of Jesus and John, abiding in the teaching, or keeping the word of Jesus, flows from loving Jesus.

Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words.” (John 14:23–24)

Applying the devil-principle set me on a quest for what abiding in the teaching of Christ means in reality. It must be more than the devil can do. Indeed, it is more! It is holding fast to and treasuring and obeying because it is the teaching of the one we love above all else.

Needed Shock Treatment

My own conviction is that thousands of nominal churchgoers would be well-served if pastors asked, How is your faith different from the devil’s? How is your “abiding” in the teaching of Jesus different from the devil’s?

In fact, every believer, not just nominal ones, would do well to ask, How are my prayers different from the kind the devil would approve — or even perform? (The devil does ask God for things in Luke 22:31.) Satan has no problem with human beings praying for food and clothing and health and relational peace and financial success and good grades on tests, and so on and so forth.

“You don’t have to be born again to want food and clothing and health and success.”

The reason the devil is just fine with those prayers is that they express desires that we share with people who are not born again. You don’t have to be born again to want food and clothing and health and success. And you don’t have to be born again to ask God to provide them.

But the devil never prays or helps anyone pray, “Hallowed be your name.” Or, “Lord, cause your name to be honored, magnified, adored, revered!” The devil never prays or helps anyone pray, “Lord, advance your saving kingdom against the powers of darkness.” The devil never prays, “I am sorry for my sin. I hate it, and I confess it, and I ask you, Father, for forgiveness in Jesus’s name.”

So, we would do well to apply the exegetical devil-principle to the duty of faith, and the duty of abiding in the teaching of Christ, and the duty of prayer, and dozens of other duties.

Without such shock treatment, the nominal Christian and the worldly Christian may never wake up to the fact that they are believing, abiding and praying the way the devil does.

Faith

Opinion: Why I Believe in Celebration of Christmas Despite What I Know About the Origin

Published

3 years ago

December 24, 2021

Eric

By Rev Enitan Shogbade

So many people have reservations about the proprieties or otherwise of celebrating Christmas, especially on December 25. Some Christian denominations even see those celebrating Christmas as endorsing paganism in another form, but should Christians celebrate Christmas or not?

While there can never be a common agreement on the issue of celebrating Christmas as knowledge and understanding differ, I have decided to pen down for my friends and followers, where I stand about the issue of Christmas.

WHAT I KNOW ABOUT CHRISTMAS

1. I am aware that Jesus was not born on 25th of December.

2. That 25th of December was the day that was used to celebrate the Sun god in ancient Rome.

3. That Constantine was the Christian leader who chose the day for the celebration of the birth of Christ and that even Constantine’s conversion as a Christian was suspected to be false.

4. That the Bible did not command the celebration of Christmas and that the only thing our Lord commanded to be done in his remembrance is the observance of the Holy Communion.

5. That the Word “Christmas” did not even occur in the bible.

6. That the celebration of Christmas has been bastardized and commercialized and that it should not even been associated with a Holy and moral person like our Lord Jesus’ Christ.

7. That the Christmas season promotes sin and immortality all of which the person being celebrated opposed.

These are some of the arguments that the opponents of Christmas celebration based their opposition on and I share in their concerns BUT I STILL BELIEVE IN CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS. Why ?

WHY I BELIEVE IN CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS

1. Though Jesus was not born on 25th December, no one can say accurately when he was born. Those insinuating an October date are only being speculative. And I think it is a divine arrangement that the Godhead kept that day away from mankind because of what it may engender among those who may share the same date with him.(Imagine how those who were born on 25th of December feel compared to those of us who were not).

2. I know of friends whose parents couldn’t give the accurate date of their birth but chose a day close to when their mates were born to celebrate their birthday and still feel special on their chosen dates.

3. That 25th December was once a pagan day to celebrate a pagan god and now chosing to celebrate the King of Kings and Lord of Lords only proves the superiority of our God over idols and proves to us who believe that an idol is nothing according to scriptures 1 Cor 8: 4.

4. I celebrate on 25th because it’s been chosen by Church leaders thousands of years before our time and if it was not divine, it wouldn’t be standing and it would have fiddled out over the years.

5. There is actually no date or months that does not have pagan origin in the past. For example, history teaches that in ILE- IFE, the ancient town in old OYO KINGDOM and in current Osun State of Nigeria, every day of the year but one is used to celebrate the 365 gods of the people and this applies to so many other cultures of the world for the whole world was of paganism until God began to introduce himself to mankind through Abraham after the fall of Adam.

6. I believe in celebrating Christmas even though the bible did not command nor does it forbids such celebration because there are some things the bible leaves to our sound judgement to decide, as it’s not everything the bible dictates. For example, the bible did not ask you to brush your teeth nor did it ask you to take your bath daily but you still do.

7. I celebrate Christmas as commemoration of the birthday of the Lord Jesus Christ because i appreciate that he came into the world on a day to begin the plan of our redemption for if he was not born, he could not have died and if he did not die for us, then we will still remain sinners, condemned to hell fire.

8. I celebrate Christmas because it affords me an opportunity to Minister to the dying world about the reason for the season, as almost everyone everywhere in the world remembers the day because of its association with the person of Jesus Christ.

9. I celebrate Christmas because birthday is an occasion to celebrate the one we love and since I love Jesus and he is my Lord and my friend, I will use the day to celebrate my Lord and Friend and take the advantage of the Holidays to reflect on his mission on earth and my response to him so far.

10. On commercialization and immorality associated with the day, this is the reality of our days and a sign of the end time foretold in the bible and does not in any way invalidate the morality of the celebration but rather a condemnation of those who choose to use the day to commit sins as they celebrate the birth of one whose reason for coming is to destroy sin and be born in every heart.

11. I celebrate because i deduct from scriptures that Jesus doesn’t mind being celebrated as we see in Mark 14 : 3 – 9 & Mark 5 : 29.

12. I believe in Christmas festivity because i realized that Jesus our Lord is not against festivity or social gathering, as he himself honours such with his presence at various feast in his days. Matthew 26 : 17, Luke 5 : 29, John 4: 45, John 5: 1 & John 7 : 2- 14.

13. I believe in celebrating Christmas because it afford me an opportunity to take after Christ who took advantage of such festival to teach, preach and advance the course of the kingdom. So i also celebrate by pointing people to why he came.

14. I join other Christ minded Christians to celebrate the coming of Christ to our world because i realize that the early disciples including the Apostles do join in the celebration of the feast of their days. Acts 18 : 21.

15. I celebrate because rather than restraining me from celebrating, the bible actually encourage me to do so truthfully, rightly and responsibly – 1 Cor 5 :8 & Jude: 12.

I can continue on and on and this is even becoming a long thesis many may not be willing to read so let me stop here on my reasons for believing in the celebration of Christmas.

I have presented my reasons because the bible commanded me so to do 1 Peter 3: 15. That I give reasons for my hope and reasons for my faith in Christ and to put to rest the questions often asked by my friends from other denominations who i will now refer to this write-up henceforth.

However, lets remember the bible says, he that regards a day regards it unto the Lord and he that regards it not, does so also unto the Lord – Romans 14: 6.

It is therefore necessary that we remind ourself of the biblical injunction that we put no stumbling block on each other’s path Romans – 14: 13.

He that believes in celebration of Christmas please celebrate responsibly and he that does not believe should still be himself or herself for we are brothers and sisters in Christ irrespective of our disposition to 25th December.

For those who are like me for the above started reasons or more I say HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL. May Jesus be born in every heart that gets to read this in Jesus Name.

Again, Merry Christmas and Happy Jesus Festival.

I am your Friend in Christ and a Friend of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

Reverend Shogbade is the General Overseer of FOJIA, and writes from Lagos

Faith

MY ENCOUNTER WITH BISHOP OYEDEPO

Published

3 years ago

August 10, 2021

Admin

The Abuja based clergy and founder of Shiloh Word Chapel, Prophet Samuel revealed one of the missing links to greatness in life, in a brief chat our correspondent had with him at his Abuja office this morning.
He said many today will not fly to the height they are ordained to reach because they don’t regard the greatness in their chosen area of calling. He emphasized that God put some men and women ahead of us in life to lead us , midwife us so that we can birth the greatness God has deposited inside us. You will miss this pivotal guards if you don’t honour , respect and regard their place in your life, ministry and calling.
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He specifically relayed the visionary encounter with Bishop Oyedepo ( winners chapel) this morning. The clergy said
“Today September 10th, 2021 (Seven days to my birthday, 17th September).
I had a powerful encounter that came by way of vision in the night, in that vision ; papa ( Bishop Oyedepo) was on a dining table with me and he said samuel my son, you need a fresh oil from me and in vision, he said he needed to pour oil on me again,

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In that same vision, Papa Idahosa and Papa Adeboye and some other ministers I couldn’t really recognize too were present. Papa Idahosa was reading a big sized Bible , then Bishop Oyedepo roared in tongues; shortly, he said “ what branch of living faith church do you pastor now”,?
I responded, Papa, you have forgotten that I lead a ministry now called SHILOH WORLD CHAPEL IN ABUJA.
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He said kneel down, and he cried “wings of wisdom to make wealth and global healing rest on you in the order of Elijah and Elisha”
In that same vision, I dropped a huge seed at his feet, he looked and me and he prayed and said “kings shall seek for your counsel, souls shall flood your ministry like sand of the sea,”
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I jumped in gladness and began to give glory to God; and all the press people around were taking pictures. This same encounter happened twice between 5am to 6am today Friday September 10th 2021.
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You see, in whatever field of life you find yourself, until you have a point of reverence, you will not be revered. Your spiritual root is fundamental to how far you will fly in the journey of life, said the clergy.
@prophet_i_o_samuel

Faith

Fusion Concert: Hope David Set to Thrill Fans

Published

4 years ago

February 24, 2021

Eric

The bigesst and most colourful gospel concert that always create veritable platform for creativity and elicit tremendous infinite awesomeness as testimonies abound is set to thrill the world with the never-seen-before performances by globally acclaimed ministers.

The explosive concert is well articulated and designed to celebrate African and African-American heritage through gospel music and performances.
Fusion virtual Concert will showcase the best of gospel music and open door to creative and artistic expressions from around the globe.

Yes, as souls will be won and enriched for eternal glory, chains will be broken, lives will be transformed and many more.

Many people will be inspired/uplifted by exceptional artists Iike Joseph Benjamin of the famous TV show Green leaf, Ronke Adesokan, Wumi Abe, the McNatts and others together with the amazing Fusion Mass Choir.

Don’t miss the explosive 9th edition of Fusion Concert on February, it going to be Virtual . 27, 2021
1pm EST, 12 noon CST, 6pm WA, 5pm Uk
On Facebook live: Hope music
YouTube: pastor Hope David music tv