A CALL TO SERVE LEADERS PART 3

MEMORY VERSE: And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee. Exodus 18:21

BIBLE READING: Deuteronomy 15-18

Whenever you are faced with a decision, big or small, seek direction from God and follow it. The reason is this, not all good counsels are good in God's sight. The centurion, who was taking Paul and other prisoners to Rome, was faced with a major decision when the weather changed (Acts 27:9-14). He could either continue on the journey or abort the journey. As he wasn’t an expert in matters relating to sea travel, he turned to the captain of the ship for advice. The captain ok'd the journey and they continued. The captain's counsel was good; besides, he was the captain, an expert. Meanwhile, Paul warned them against the journey, but they didn’t listen. They ran into worse problems and lost all their wares.

Moses’ father-in-law, after observing how he carried out the task God had committed into his hands, counselled him to appoint qualified men who would bear the burden with him (Exodus 18:13-23). Each of them had to meet the following criteria: Firstly, they must fear God; secondly, they must be men of truth; and lastly, they must be men who hate dishonest gains. As a potential leader, do you fear God? Proverbs 16:6 says: “By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.” Are you honest? What premium do you place on the truth? Do you like dishonest gains? Do you cheat people? Only a few are called to be General Overseers, Senior Pastors, Presidents, Prime Ministers, Bank Chairmen, etc. However, some of us are called i.e. appointed to serve under those God has called, to help them in their assignments. Moses was the one God called to lead the children of Isreal to the promise land. However, the newly appointed leaders were called to help Moses or serve under Moses. Exodus 18:21 says: “And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee.” God knows why He has picked you and me to serve under some leaders. Whatever God has called us to do, please let us do it with all our hearts.

NOTE: If you want Him to give you more work, simply go to Him and ask for it.

QUESTION: Are you making life easy for your leaders or you are a thorn in their flesh?

twitter@BroOluwatoki

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world.

A CALL TO SERVE LEADERS PART 2

 MEMORY VERSE: And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do. Exodus 18:20

BIBLE READING: Deuteronomy 11-14

Moses’ father-in–law visited him and observed that he would sit all day judging the people, settling minor disputes, answering questions, teaching the people the statutes and law of the Lord, etc.( Exodus 18:13-23). His father-in-law counselled him to appoint qualified men, teach them the ordinances and laws, and make them rulers of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. Moses listened and did all his father-in-law advised.
There is a lot to learn from this story. Firstly, it pays to be open to criticism. No one knows it all. Nobody has a monopoly of knowledge, not even the professors at the leading universities in the world. Many of us are yet to realise our potential in Christ simply because we are not open to (constructive) criticisms. Many of us don’t like being told that we are wrong. If there is no one to tell you that you are wrong, how will you correct your mistakes? It will be difficult for anyone who rejects correction to have a breakthrough. Moses was open to criticisms. He didn’t mind being told that he could have done things better. Because Moses was opened to criticism, Jethro analysed his working methods and gave him a constructive feedback. Despite his 40 years military training in the courts of Pharaoh and 40 years at the back of the desert, there were still things Moses didn't know.

Another lesson we can learn from this story is that regardless of how close you are to God, at times, God will speak to you through people. God had been speaking to Moses all these while. On this particular occasion, He chose to spoke to him through Jethro. Please, don’t look down on anyone. Shortly before I re-dedicated my life to Christ, a friend of mine invited two ladies into my room. As we drank and they smoked "weed (marijuana)" , one of them, a non-practising Muslim, looked around my room and said, " Sam, you have a lot of books but you don't have a Bible." I bought a Bible the next day and not too long after that, I re-dedicated my life to Christ.

NOTE: Don't look down on anyone because God can speak to you through anyone.

twitter@BroOluwatoki

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world.

A CALL TO SERVE LEADERS PART 1

MEMORY VERSE: And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do. Exodus 18:20

BIBLE READING: Deuteronomy 9-10

BIBLE STUDY: Exodus 18:13-23

Jethro (Moses’ father-in–law) was visiting when he observed how Moses was carrying out the gigantic task God had put in his hands. Exodus 18:13 says: “And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people: and the people stood by Moses from the morning unto the evening.” Jethro called him aside and gave him a piece of advice. Exodus 18: 18-22 says: “Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone. Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to God-ward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God: And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do. Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens: And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee.” As advised, Moses appointed men to lead.

There are few things we can learn from this story. Firstly, right things can be done in a wrong way. Instead of appointing qualified men and training them to be leaders so that he could spend time seeking the face of God for direction, Moses did everything by himself; thereby, wasting the resources God had given to him. Many of us are guilty of this, too. At times, we go about leading sinners to Christ in the wrong way. For instance, we tell sinners to confess their sins before salvation. 1 John 1:9 says: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” The author, here, was addressing Christians, not sinners. It is the Christian, not the sinner, who is told to confess his sins. In the first place, it would be impossible for the sinner to remember them. Secondly, if we were to tell a sinner to confess his sins, we would be putting salvation on a basis of works. Salvation is not of works, but by faith. When a sinner wants to be saved, you do not tell him to get down and start working by confessing his sins. You simply point him to the Lord, Jesus Christ.

NOTE: All that a sinner has to confess is that he is a sinner and that he needs salvation. Remember, the publican cried: “God be merciful to me, a sinner ( Luke 18:13)”. He did not confess his sins. He simply admitted that he was a sinner and needed mercy.

twitter@BroOluwatoki

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world.

JESUS OUR SACRIFICE

MEMORY VERSE: For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. 2 Corinthians 5:21

BIBLE READING: Deuteronomy 9-12

In ancient Israelite sacrifices, death is not the primary focus. The killing of animals is a means to an end, not an end to a means. The animals were killed to make their flesh and blood available for special use. Today in our modern society, killing an animal is simply how it is made available for food. There are five main types of sacrifices in the Old Testament: the Burnt Offering (Leviticus 1; 6:8-13,8:18-21), Grain Offering ( Leviticus 2,6:14-23), Peace Offering ( Leviticus 3,7:11-34), Sin Offering ( Leviticus 4,5:1-13, 6:24-30), and Trespass Offering ( Leviticus 5:14-19,6:1-7).

When offering a burnt offering, the whole animal is burnt except the hide of large animals that had been skinned as part of the slaughter process (Genesis 8:20-22). The burnt offering is a way of calling on the Lord to pay attention to the needs, requests, and entreaties of His worshippers. It is also a means of expressing a worshipful response to the Lord (Leviticus 22:18-20). The grain offering is a gift, present, presents, tribute,etc., given to a deity. The peace offering signifies that all is well in the relationship between the Lord and His people. The sin offering is primarily a blood atonement offering in the sanctuary system of offering in which worshipers could receive forgiveness for their sins and deal with the degree to which they have contaminated the tabernacle. The guilt offering is offered when a person commits violation and sins unintentionally in regards to any of the holy things.

These sacrifices – burnt offering, grain offering, peace offering, sin offering, and trespass offering - are no longer in practice, but they illustrate the sacrificial work of Jesus Christ and stress the importance of a life of separation and obedience. As our burnt offering, Jesus' atonement is an acknowledgement of the sinful nature of man and it is required to renew our relationship with God. His death on the cross atoned for our sins and restored our relationship with God. The grain offering is often offered alongside a burnt offering. The burnt offering of Christ makes every other offering acceptable to God. As our peace offering, He made peace between us and the Lord. As our sin offering, He was made sin for us on the cross. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says: “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” As our trespass offering, He assumed the debt for our sins and paid for it.

NOTE: Jesus Christ was crucified to make His blood available for the atonement of our sins. Romans 3:25 says: “Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God.”

twitter@BroOluwatoki

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world.

WHOSE VOICES ARE YOU LISTENING TO?

MEMORY VERSE: There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification. 1 Corinthians 14:10

BIBLE READING: Deuteronomy 5-8

The voice you listen to will shape your life. A voice of discouragement has the ability to leave you discouraged and vice versa. One of the voices that shaped my life was the voice of my father. 'Dayo (my Yoruba name), remember the son of who you are,' he said many years ago. Thank God I listened; If I not listened, I would have ended up in prison.

There are several voices in the world. 1 Corinthians 14:10 says: 'There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification.' The one you listen to will determine the course and quality of your life. The children of Israel listened to the ten voices of doubt; as a result, they missed out on the promised rest of God and wandered in the wilderness until they died ( Numbers 13). King David listened to the voice of his lust and committed adultery with a woman. To cover the terrible thing he had done, he killed her husband. At the end, he lost three of his sons. The voice you listen to will determine whether you will succeed or fail. There are many voices in the world; however, there are only three sources: God’s s spirit, satanic spirits, and the human spirit.

The voice of the human spirit can be heard everywhere – in colleges and schools, newspapers, television, radio, music, church, etc. The voice of the human spirit is proud, thinks only of itself, ignorant of the things of God, values man’s intellect and desires over God’s will, and always seek to replace the knowledge of God with logic (Romans 1:21-23). The voice of Satan is subtle and poisonous. It is becoming more and more blatant and bold as the return of Christ nears. Satan has gone to great lengths to get his voice heard within the church. The Church is being assaulted by false leaders, prophets, brethren, music, and doctrine. Satan is deceiving countless thousands by false prophecies and miracles, and immature saints who have neither awakened nor developed their spiritual discernment are falling and taking their families and friends with them (2 Tim. 4:3-4). The voice of God (however) is the still, small voice (1 Kings 19:11-12). He also speaks through dreams, visions, prophetic utterances, through His word, and face to face. In order to know when and if God is speaking, and not a human or satanic spirit, we must remember that God always speaks in line with Scriptures. He never ever contradicts His Word! Many of us would recognize the Lord's voice and avoid deception if we would study His Word more! When we study the Word of our Shepherd, it will enable us to recognise His voice! "

QUESTION: Whose voice are you listening to? Are you giving God twenty minutes a day in prayer and study, then giving Satan and man eight hours a day through television, worldly music, and carnal entertainment? If so, then you have not sanctified yourself unto the Lord your God (set yourself apart) and you will not hear the still, small voice of God, and you may miss it in this life!

twitter@BroOluwatoki

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world.

ACCORDING TO HIS PATTERN!

MEMORY VERSE: And look that thou make them after their pattern, which was shewed thee in the mount. Exodus 25:40

BIBLE READING: Deuteronomy 1-4

What is a pattern? According to Dictionary.com (Learner's edition), a pattern is a diagram or shape that you can use as a guide when you are making something such as a model or a piece of clothing. The Most-High God is a builder. Hebrews 3:4 says: “For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God.” You can't build without Him. Psalm 127:1 says: “A Song of degrees for Solomon. Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.” You need to a pattern to build a  house. Without one, you will end up with a building that looks like an amoeba. Also, building without a pattern leads to wastage of resources. God does not build without a pattern; as such, He has a pattern for marriage, ministry, etc.

Today, we will look at His pattern for solving problems. This pattern is carefully documented in Genesis 1:1- end. There was a big problem on the earth. According to Genesis 1:2, the earth was without form and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. How did God tackle this problem? Firstly, He investigated the root cause of the problem. Why was the earth in the state it was? The earth was in the state it was because darkness had taken over. All sorts happen whenever darkness is allowed to reign. The next thing He did was introduce light to the equation. Genesis 1:3 says: “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.” He introduced light for two reasons: firstly, to banish darkness; and secondly, to understand the problem. These two things – discovering the root cause of a problem and understanding a problem – are crucial to solving any problems. Who did the Lord send to carry out these tasks? The Holy Spirit. Genesis 1:2b says: “And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” Problem solving is impossible without the Holy Spirit. He is the One who will banish darkness and help you understand the problem. From Him comes wisdom to solve tough problems.

PRAYER POINT: Wonderful Spirit of God, I invite you into the issues of my life, please do what you alone can do.

twitter@BroOluwatoki

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world.

KEYS TO HEARING FROM GOD

MEMORY VERSE: As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. Acts 13:2

BIBLE READING: Number 33-36

As children of the living God; we must be able to hear when God, our Father in heaven, speaks. I decided early in my Christian journey that I will do everything to hear when God speaks. I thank God for His kindness; today, I can humbly say that I hear from Him from time to time. God’s word brings God’s peace. Philippians 4:7 says: “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” One of the benefits of hearing from God is that His word brings about a peace of heart. The reason why many of us are worried is because we have not heard from God concerning the issues we are facing. I am not worried about my tomorrow because God told me that my tomorrow will be alright. I am at peace because the Creator of the heavens and the earth, the Controller of seasons, the One who said, “let there be light and there was light”, said that my tomorrow will be alright. It does not matter what I am going through today.

One important reason why you need to do everything to hear when God speaks is this, your ability to hear when God speaks could save your life. Many years ago, some boys from one of the Baptist Churches in Ireland planned to watch the big Ulster Tourist Trophy race. They arranged to meet up at a good vantage point, Taylors Lamp, on one of the bends in the circuit. It was a spot everyone loved so they decided to get there by 4am so as to save space. As one of the boys was dressing up on the day of the race, the Lord told him to sit at home and read his Bible. Being a young man at the time, he argued with the Lord and then, obeyed. At exactly 3pm, he had a terrible bang. He knew where the sound came from so he ran to the circuit, to Taylors Lamp, where he was supposed to be standing. The scene was one of carnage. One of the racing cars had spun off the track and seven people lay dead. Right there at Taylors Lamp, he saw the appalling sight of a man’s severed head. He looked around for his friends but could not find them. Later, he heard that his friends had moved off to another spot when he didn’t turn up. Imagine for a second that this brother was spiritually deaf, what would have happened to him and his friends.

NOTE: Acts 13:2 says: “As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said...”One of the keys to hearing from God is ministering to Him in praying and fasting. As you praise Him and worship Him regularly, He will speak to you.

twitter@BroOluwatoki

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world.