Optanomai; The Art of Aphoraō

Just before you conclude that there was a mistake in the Title, remember that English is not the only language. Let's go a little Greek today.

The first word "Optanomai" (also spelt "Optomai") is an Ancient greek word, which being translated into English basically means "to look at, behold, gaze, voluntary observation, inspection". Probably, that's the root word for most of the English "optos" (Optometry, Opticians, etc). The second word "Aphoraō" is another Ancient Greek word, which means "to turn the eyes away from other things, and fix them on something, to consider attentively". Now, you see why Greek was a shorter and better choice for a Title!

We are in a corrupt world, a world that feeds on lust and thrives on pride. No wonder the Apostle John said "...all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life..." (1st John 2:16). It's quite remarkable that he says "ALL". In other words, these principles run the world, and that's why there's no evil-free nation, because no Nation has declared Jesus as Lord. So Jesus doesn't run any Nation except the Church.

As we journey from seconds to minutes, hours, days, weeks and years in this realm of Time, We are constantly beckoned upon by the CARES of this earthly realm, even the LUSTS of this age, always seeking something from us; Our FOCUS and ATTENTION. No wonder, Jesus admonished us against it (Mark 4:19), Apostle Peter emphasized it (1 Peter 5:7), Apostle James reiterated it (James 1:14).

The Truth is, you are going to eventually give your attention to something or someone. The question is, Who? or What? I find so many people are on the sidewalk of life, riddled with questions, saddled with burdens, and manhandled by confusion, and sadly, some of them are Believers in Christ. And the logical response of these people is to FOCUS on the problem and try to solve it. Sooner or later, they discover they are on quicksand, the more they TRY to rise, the deeper into the mess they fall, dangerously stuck in life's quagmire.

Most of them soon give up and come to a fatal conclusion: "God doesn't exist", "God doesn't love me", etc. God always gets the blame, because they were taught that "Heaven helps those who help themselves". And so, they labour, so engrossed in self-effort, trying to "help" themselves, and expecting one "emissary" from Heaven to appear and support their struggle. I even hear young men who have a magnet for their trousers at the mid-line of their intergluteal cleft (their buttocks) which they call sagging, and wear a long chain dangling dangerously close to their scrotal sac, and put on shoes that look like cars, I hear them say "God, bless my hustle!" And they say it with an air of inspiration gotten from those so-called hip-hop stars whom they have as role models. Listen, If you want to struggle and hustle, don't bring God into it, He won't come, and certainly won't bless your hustle! Struggle alone! They also try to "keep it real" by saying "they came from the streets". We all came from the streets, It depends on the type of street, I grew up on streets paved with gold, I'm sorry you grew up in dust and smoke!

I perceive I should laugh now, that was a bit hot. If you are one of those young men, I TRULY love you!

Let's go on. GRACE NEVER SPONSORS STRUGGLE, IT ELIMINATES IT! Heaven doesn't help those who help themselves. Scriptures declare "...Fear not, I WILL HELP YOU." (Isaiah 41:13). Fullstop. You don't need to try to help yourself! GOD DOESN'T NEED YOUR SUPPORT, HE NEEDS YOUR CO-OPERATION. Again it says "...Not by power, nor by might, but by my Spirit..." (Zechariah 4:6). It's that simple. When you choose to help yourself, you automatically disqualify yourself from GRACE. The sacrifice of Jesus is an Eternal testimony that man CAN NEVER help himself, infact, Man didn't even have enough sense to know he needed help. The Truth is, they have DONE all they KNOW to do (self-effort), they haven't done what God SAID to do; they haven't mastered the art of Aphoraō.

The Art of Aphoraō is the key to a Constant, Dynamic and Sure change. It means to turn away from everything else, unto something. The Apostle Paul used it in Hebrews 12:2: "Looking (aphoraō) unto JESUS, the author and finisher of our faith..." In other words, no matter what is going on around, look away from EVERYTHING and EVERYONE ELSE INCLUDING YOURSELF, and look unto JESUS. 

What I'm literally telling you is this, If you desire a change in that situation, don't "optanomai" at the situation, "aphoraō" unto JESUS. It sounds too good to be True, but it is. Let me show you why with just two examples, amongst many.

First, Numbers 21:5-9.

Here is the story. The people of Israel sinned against God, and God allowed fiery serpents to attack them and bite them, and many died, others were wounded, rehearsing for death. Now, that was under the Law, God doesn't have a snake farm, where he dispatches serpents to those that sin today! Otherwise a serpent may be just be tracking you! You know what you did, right? :-) JESUS already took it ALL.

So, the people cried out to Moses, and God told Moses: 

"...Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole, and it shall come to pass, that everyone that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live" (verse 8). 

Wow! God didn't prescribe medical care or herbal remedy, He said LOOK! And make no mistake; there was medical care available in Israel! But God said, LOOK! Now, the serpent on the pole, was a depiction of Jesus on the Cross, This story was referring to the crucifixion of Jesus that fixed sin and its consequences (John 3:14). And when they looked, they were healed! (Verse 9) They didn't have to treat themselves, they just had to LOOK. The word "beheld" as used in Verse 9, is the Hebrew word "nâbaṭ", which means "to scan, to look intently at".

Second, 1st John 3:1-2.

This is the big one! Verse 2 says: "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, FOR WE SHALL SEE HIM AS HE IS"

The only reason why we will be changed is because WE SHALL SEE HIM AS HE IS. The Apostle is talking about a physical change of state, when mortality shall put on immortality, and corruption shall put on incorruption! You must understand, there is something about this JESUS, when we FOCUS on Him, everything about us SUBMITS and CONFORMS to what we see! That why even our clothes can carry the Anointing! I mean, JESUS is the SUM TOTAL of DIVINITY and DEITY. It doesn't get higher than that! He is LORD. Who or What situation could resist His Presence? 

The Bible says at His Presence, Mountains skip like rams! (Psalm 114:4)

When Moses met Him, his calendar stopped, time literally freezed, he didn't know when 40 days passed! (Exodus 24:18, 34:28)

When Prophet Jeremiah met Him, liquid fire was injected into his bones! (Jeremiah 20:9)

When Prophet Isaiah saw Him, he couldn't stand, he cried "Woe unto me, for I am undone" (Isaiah 6:1-7) 

When Apostle Paul encountered him on the way to Damascus, Paul went blind and flat on his face! (Acts 9:1-7)

When Apostle John saw Him, His eyes were as a flame of fire, in His right Hand was seven stars, His voice was as the sound of many waters, and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword. He is called FAITHFUL and TRUE, His vesture was dipped in blood and his name is The Word of God. On His Vesture and Thigh was engraved "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS".  John fell at his feet, like a dead man! (Revelation 1:15-17, 19:11-16)

HEEEYYY!! THIS JESUS! He is ALL that MATTERS!

That's why you got Born-Again. You had an encounter with the Gospel of JESUS, and as you LOOKED by listening, you were recreated! THIS JESUS! 
That's how you renew your mind; "As we LOOK, we are CHANGED..."(2 Cor. 3:18). THIS JESUS! 
That's why, when He comes again, we will have NEW BODIES, just like His own, because WE SHALL SEE HIM AS HE IS! THIS JESUS!

Pastors, Leaders, Preachers, Parents, If you want your members or your children to be like JESUS, Quit pushing them, Quit trying to beat them into shape, Quit giving them rules and regulations, SHOW THEM JESUS AS HE IS. 

Not as you think He is. 

Not as you have been told He is.

Not as society says He is.

Not as you CHOOSE to believe He is.

Show them THIS JESUS; Full of Grace and Truth, Full of Love and Compassion, Full of Authority and Ability, Full of Power. This is the Focus of this Blog.

If you are not born again, You have got to encounter THIS JESUS. He's too lovely to miss! Life begins when you meet Him. It's time to look to Him for salvation, because there is no name given among men whereby they shall be saved, neither is there salvation in any other, except the name of JESUS (Acts 4:12). You can do it right now from your heart, it's a simple prayer:

Dear Lord Jesus, I thank you for your Grace and love. I believe in your eternal sacrifice for my sins and your resurrection for my justification. With faith in my heart, I accept your Lordship of Love over my spirit, soul and body. I receive eternal life into my spirit, even the nature of righteousness. I am now a child of God, born from above. Thank you for saving me, in Jesus Name.

If you prayed this prayer, I pray for you, that you be filled with the Spirit in all fullness, and be guided by His Eternal word, even as you begin your journey of Faith.

Don't live Horizontally, Live Vertically. Master the Aphoraō.

P.S: All scriptures cited and/or quoted are all in the King James Version. Please study them for yourself, you could use several translations, and let the Spirit of God minister to you.

Yours Gracefully,

PeeJay

Christo-Centric; The Voice of Alexander!

This is NOT my write-up, these are the Anointed words of a Seasoned Teacher of Scripture, a True Friend and brother, a Man of God indeed. PLEASE, Patiently study it over and over again, and when you are done, study it again! You will be transformed; That's a promise.

His name is: Osahon ALEXANDER Idiaghe. Add him on Facebook!

IN DEFENSE OF THE GOSPEL OF GRACE

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: - Eph. 2 vs. 8

A gift is an offering given to someone without any strings attached. The character of a gift is that it is FREE. Free, meaning it has no conditions to be met before receiving it from the side of the person receiving it. If I say I have a gift for a friend and I tell him that before receiving the gift he has to do something for me first, I’ve just messed up the idea of the gift been free. Anything you do to get a gift like paying even the smallest amount of money to get it is no gift at all. That character of being FREE is what makes it a gift!

God’s gift of Salvation is far greater than the gifts human offer to themselves. Agreed, to receive a gift there must be a willingness but it is not so with the matters of Salvation. The spiritually dead man can’t desire (will) the things of God. That is the problem. The human nature by default runs from God (Rom. 3 vs. 10-18). Even the faith needed to receive the gift of Salvation supplied by Grace is also a gift from God (Rom. 12 vs. 3)

If you tell people that Jesus died for ALL the sins of humanity BUT should be very careful not to commit the “unpardonable sin”, then Jesus didn’t die for ALL sins. What you are offering people is not a gift but bondage and confusion. Well did I hear someone asking about the Jewish people Jesus had brawl with about His healings (Matt. 12 vs. 31-32)? Please study the context of that statement. If we now have peace with God through Jesus Christ and the Gospel means “GoodNews” and you are afraid not to commit the “unpardonable sin”, then you don’t understand what Jesus came to do! The only person to have committed the unpardonable sin is the DEAD without Christ! Yes! Those that entered into the eternal realm without Christ. There is no repentance in the grave. Salvation was designed for the living and hope is only valuable in this realm of time. This is why we should at all time keep praying and living a life of witnessing for The LORD. The greatest sin ever committed is the crucifying of the Son of God, yet the same Son said “Father forgive them, for they know not what they have done”(Luke 23:34).

The opening Scripture above has a lot to say about how a man is saved. Traditionally a lot of preachers are fully aware that we are saved NOT because we prayed the sinner’s prayer, neither because we attended Church nor gave to the needy but we are saved purely by God’s grace. It’s His will and desire. It has NOTHING to do with me. As a matter of fact I didn’t beg Him to save me neither did I desire His provision. Actually we were just living our lives and doing our thing not caring if He is “up there” (Rom. 3 vs. 10-12).

Scriptures say we were dead in trespasses and sins (Eph. 2 vs. 1B). The dead can’t feel, touch, smell, hear and handle spiritual realities because they are foolishness to him (1 Cor. 2 vs. 14) and God’s Salvation is a spiritual reality. This is the sad reality of our state.

Nevertheless the Gospel of Grace has so much heated the spiritual polity of the Church simply because some people believe that the Gospel of Grace is a message of “it doesn’t matter how you live your life for there is grace!” others say “it’s a message from the pit of Hell because it gives people license to sin!”, others vehemently reject it because it has punctured “their ability” as they can’t just imagine God telling them that “My Son has done it all, only believe and receive” and some somehow are found to always quote Romans 6 vs. 1 which says “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? The truth of the matter is that 70% of believers don’t even know the context why Paul asked the question. As a matter of fact it was Paul who was actually quoting what people said after listening to his message.

If people continue in sin, Grace WILL still abound! These entire messages that seem to imply that sin is greater than God and His grace are no messages at all! God is not powerless and handicapped when it is the matter of sin! Sin cannot stop God’s grace. If sin can stop God’s grace, then we are all hopeless and helpless. It takes Grace to stop sin! And not the other way round. Beliefs like “if you stop sinning then God will give you grace” and if you depart from evil then God will bless you” is not biblical! Grace is the blessing. It is what empowers us to live the life of God. 

The truth of the matter is that we don’t understand the power of the sin nature. Sin has kept man under an eternal bondage. The sin nature has its system and thought pattern, those under it can’t think outside the sin nature. It is only spiritual death that terminates it and there is a greater eternal damnation awaiting people if they are not rescued by God Himself!

There is nobody who truly understands the Gospel and its simplicity that will not also believe that the WHOLE Message of the Church is the Gospel of Grace! There is NO other Message for the Church except the Gospel of Grace. Jesus says “Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel…… (Mk. 16 vs. 15) God didn’t send some people to preach eschatology, financial prosperity, healing, the anointing, Holy Spirit, Church Growth, the prophetic and the likes. God said preach the Gospel. Brother Paul in the Book of Act spoke of himself declaring the WHOLE counsel of God (Act 20 vs. 27).

Humanity is bankrupt with the pillars of our consciences mixed in the lie of “knowing what is good and evil”; man’s moral fiber has been soiled in sin – an eternally deadly and dreaded disease without any humanistic solution. Man has advanced in science and technology, art, law, and fashion but has not been able to proffer solution to the problem of evil. Sin is a worldwide phenomenon being accepted by all and even those who chose not to call it sin. Every man born into this world through the agency of natural conception is a victim of this disease. This explains why Jesus Christ, being the only man ever born without the agency of another man is unique. Unique in the sense of mission and origin. 

When Jesus said we should preach the Gospel, He actually meant that the Gospel is the ONLY Message that saves, transforms humanity into the true picture of God. It’s a Christo-Centric Message because it centres on Christ – it’s the Message of Christ and Him Crucified – Christ being the eternal thought of the Father. The Message of Grace is not about the life, saying and times of Jesus, it’s about the PERSON of Christ. Buddhism is about the teachings of Buddha, so also all the religions of this world with their founders.

The Gospel of Grace punctures men’s pride. Ever since the fall of man, we have been trying to reach God by “doing something” like good deeds, regular worship attendance, giving, praying five times a day, fasting and many more. These activities are good but it is funny because God calls it dead works because we are trying to use it to get His approval but it can never get it because He has said “for all have sinned and come short of His glory”. That “come short” is the real problem and His holiness demands a complete glory, not half measures, not 99.9% glory but a 100% glory.  

Take a look at the word “holiness”. We have been taught that holiness means separation from sin or separated unto God but my question is this – what is God separated from? Sin? If yes, then where? In Heaven? Because there is no sin in Heaven. God’s holiness is Who He IS, it’s His character. When we talk about God’s perfection we are talking about His holiness. A lot of holiness Christians have reduced His holiness to mean just “separation from sin”. This act is sin itself! God’s holiness does not only demand that we don’t fornicate (even in thought) but that our mind MUST be in its right frame, it demands that we can’t even fall sick because falling sick means that we are coming short (of His glory). 

The Old Testament high priest can’t have bruises on his skin, fever, headache, eczema in his skin, cough and other little diseases otherwise he will die in his ministration onto The LORD. He must be spotless. Only Jesus represented this perfection. The Book of Revelation says no sickness, sin, wickedness, evil thought, anything evil which includes diseases and affliction will enter into Heaven, this is because all these things represent imperfection – this is His holiness. So to tolerate sickness and not tolerate sin, is sin itself!

Grace says God has taken care of all the troubles that sin brought in – only believe and receive by faith. The Gospel is so simple that it is extremely easy to fall from its simplicity. If you study the Book of Acts of the Apostle, you will find Paul and the other Apostles always telling the people to simply believe in Jesus.

A man is not saved by confessing but by believing in his heart – for you are declared righteous by believing in your heart (Rom. 10 vs. 10). The confession that follows is the natural response of what has happened in your heart and find out from Scriptures what it says about the righteous!

Some believe that God has already done it in eternity, so it’s now left for you to finish the race. But checking Scriptures, we discover that this position is anti-Christ. These people who make this claim believe that this “Grace Message produces laziness” because the emphasis is always on Christ and truly that is God’s target – making Christ the epicenter. Grace empowers us in the real sense. Paul did much more than the others and he credited it to God’s Grace (1 Cor. 15 vs. 10). Grace is the only antidote to the yoke and burden of religion (Matt. 11 vs. 28, Act 15 vs. 10)

It’s a normal thing to hear a lot of preaching and warning against the Message of Grace. Going through some congregations, one easily hears something like this – “be careful of those who say you can sin because there is grace”, “be careful of that message that says once saved, always saved it doesn’t matter”, “watch out for those who say God has already forgiven you your past, present and future sins” and a lot more.

There is the reality of all manner of sin in the Church BUT the Gospel of Grace is not responsible for it! Titus 2 vs. 11 – 14 says “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, (vs. 12) Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; (13) Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; (14)  Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

So the revelation of Grace is to empower us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world. Grace has empowered us to Look for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.

This same Grace teaches you that Jesus Christ gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. So it’s Grace that is purifying us, saving us, making us unique and passionate about doing good works while this same Grace is telling us that this same “good works” is not our access into Heaven or His Presence BUT by Himself!

From the above we see that we are not sanctified or purified by our sin confession neither are we redeemed by our good works – its Jesus that is doing it even without our knowing it. This is the definition of the High Priestly Ministry! The High Priest redeems us from all iniquity, and purifies unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works!

I have a question for those who say that the Grace Message gives people license to sin - who gave Adam and Eve license to sin, which “Grace Message” did Cain hear before killing Abel? What about Lamech, the fourth generation son of Cain who killed a man and told his wives Adah and Zillah that “if Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly himself shall be avenged seventy and sevenfold” – Gen. 4 vs. 23-24. “Humanly” speaking does it not appear that it was God Who has been giving people license to sin against Him? Imagine God protecting a murderer like Cain and God slaughtering a lamb to cover the nakedness of Adam and Eve! We need to know that there is a super-abundance of wickedness in humanity.

However those who vehemently preach against sin love the Church and they want the best for the Body of Christ but still I’ve discovered that many of them don’t understand the Holiness of God. God’s holiness does not demand sin confession but DEATH! I’ve studied the position these guys have taken and how they treat sin and have concluded that these guys don’t understand the holiness of God at all! Adam and Eve died when they sinned against God! His holiness totally detests sin! I have seen how some sin-hating believers vehemently detest homosexuality and lesbianism more than fornication and adultery (pause here and check your own heart if this is not true), even the presence of sin has softened our heart to some certain sins while boiling with anger over some. This act itself is SIN! God’s anger over sin doesn’t waver any day any time.

Someone once told me that these grace preachers cheapens God’s hatred for sin and I told him that it’s you guys that cheapens the Sacrifice of Calvary and grade sin. There is a consistent message about sin from Genesis to Revelation – DEATH! – not confession!

What people don’t understand about the Gospel of Grace is where to put God’s justice and still balance it in the scale of Grace and Mercy. There are some of us that are so God’s justice (judgment) conscious (with a perversion) and there are some who are so God’s love conscious (with a perversion).

How do I mean? Some actually believe that God with punish you for every sin you commit and what they actually have in mind is – “The sins you committed KNOWINGLY” but the holiness of God demands that you pay for your sins and there is no such thing as “knowingly and unknowingly”. You have to be in your right senses to commit sin! It is this kind of belief that denies what Jesus did on the Cross. I am not saying that sin doesn’t breeds death. Sin causes pain, sorrow, it destroys homes, trust, family and friendship and brings sickness (especially unforgiveness).Sin is Sin! When it comes to the issue of sin “innocence” won’t even save you. Mother Eve was deceived 1 Tim. 2 vs. 14 - but she too also collected death! This is the effect of sin and not to be taken to mean the Justice of God. The Justice of God has been satisfied by Jesus Christ – DEATH! We won’t partake of the second death – Now that is Justice served!

Again there are those who say word like “God loves me the way I am. Yes in reality God loves us the way we are, but His love is an affirming and transformational love. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Eternal Life transforms into having an outward manifestation of what is inside. It’s the laboring with birth pangs till Christ is formed in us! That is the working of LOVE! .

The truth is, if the “way you are” is not Kingdom Representation, the work of Love is to Change that outlook. Love liberates and set free! It’s not the perverted kind of God’s love that homosexuals and lesbians are declaring over the television and the internet while remaining in their perverted state.

Grace is not mercy neither is mercy the same thing as Grace. Mercy is receiving the very opposite (consequences) of what you did. If you killed you ought to pay with your life. It’s life for life. Mercy shows up NOT to overlook your sin (for mercy is not the overlooking of sin) but to give the opposite of your sin, and that is life! Remember Justice is crying and shouting that that sin be paid for and the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ is presented, thereby pacifying the claims of Justice while the guilty is declared NOT guilty! – Rom. 8 vs. 31-39. All of these are the provisions of Grace! Again Grace shows up to empower us not to continue in that path of wickedness! Now we can now walk in the newness of life.

Another area where Grace Preachers have been accused of “preaching it doesn’t matter” is the area of forgiveness. How are we forgiven? Is it through our sin confession?

From Genesis to Revelation there is no where scripture says we are saved by confession. John the Baptizer said “behold the lamb of God, which taketh away the sin (plural) of the world – Jn. 1 vs. 29. Hebrews 9 vs. 22 says ………without shedding of blood is no remission. Under the Old Covenant animals were always killed for sins. This has been very consistent from Genesis to the Cross of Jesus Christ. In Paul’s entire message he always used the past term “forgiven”. (Search it for yourself). The only guy that used “confession of sin” was John in First John chapter one and it is not enough to build a doctrine on, because a word is established in the mouth of two or three witnesses and John here is the ONLY person talking about “sin confession”. Again the Jewish people only confessed their sins once in a year on the Day of Atonement, how much more now that we are now saved through the eternal blood of God’s Son!

Yes our past, present and future sins have been dealt with and paid for. Jesus died for our sins more than two thousand years ago (past), I am in the now (present) and IF (not when) I sin against God, its His Sacrifice that will still speak for me (future). There are many unborn who will come into this earth realm who will definitely hear the Gospel and will believe and receive Him as their Lord and Saviour – that is futuristic! There is no more Sacrifice for sin anymore except to believe and accept that we are “forgiven” like Paul always used it in his epistles.

And now if anyone says “well since Christ has paid it all let me just go ahead and start sinning”, that person never truly encountered Calvary. That is the heart of stone speaking. Every born-again believer has a new heart, the heart of stone has been taken away. The born-again does not look for license to sin rather they have license to rebel against the old nature! They have a revelation of what happened on the Cross of Jesus Christ.

I am yet to meet a believer in Christ who says it doesn’t matter how they live because there is grace. Those looking for excuse for their sin are not believers. The truth is the Church has always been a mixture of all kind of people and to complicate matters we are the ones who call these people Christians simply because they are “faithful in tithes and offerings”, “they are good choristers”, “always faithful in prayer meetings” and the likes. This is not to say that believers don’t fall into sin.

The issue of righteousness is really a big deal! A lot of people have different understanding of righteousness and what it means to be righteous. Some say righteousness means to “do right” but how can you know what is right to do in the sight of God when you are a product of “evil and good”? – This is pure religion. 95% of those who define righteousness as “right doing” are the same people who do right to earn points and right standing with God. There is this air of feeling godly after performing a good act. How can your righteous deeds earn you a right-standing with God when He has declared you to have “come short of His glory”?

The Gospel reveals “the righteousness of God…….” (Rom. 1 vs. 17). The righteousness that the Law couldn’t supply. Righteousness – This is right-standing with God without our own effort. This issue of Righteousness was extensively dealt with by Paul in the Book of Romans. A proper understanding of the Gospel of Grace will settle the issue of the Finished Works of Christ like Heaven, Hell, Holiness, Righteousness, Peace and the likes. 

There are some believers who know they are born-again but are not sure of Heaven – why? - it’s because they were groomed by those who are not also sure of their Salvation, when they preach Bible themes like Salvation, Hell, Heaven, Rapture, and Sin, they put the hearers in a state of not being sure of who they have become and where they are going. But the Gospel presents security and assurance to the hearers. The believer CAN be 100% sure of where they are going!

We have heard enough of condemnation! That message of condemnation is natural! One doesn’t need to be a Christian to hear it. It’s in the office, on the street, in Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Baha’i, and all over the world, BUT the Gospel of Jesus Christ is GoodNews! The world is yet to hear it! Let’s understand it! Let us allow the Spirit unveil its beauty to us before we mistakenly become anti-Christ!

Shalom!

Osahon Alexander Idiaghe

(kingdomcomeinc1@gmail.com)

Former Things; The Concept of Dispensation

God. After God, we have the Past, Present and Future.

Adam came along, Eve followed shortly. It's quite striking that Adam didn't have a SURNAME. Even Eve didn't take up his name after she married him. Maybe because she was created a married woman! That sounds quite WONDERful! In reality though, Adam didn't have a name. The Word Adam means "Man", or "Mankind", or "Red Man". The words "Man" and "Adam" as well as the words "Woman" and "wife" were interchangeably used in Genesis chapter 2. Adam later named his wife "Eve", which means "Mother of all living".(Genesis 3:20) So, the first Adam didn't have a name, but the second and last Adam did; His name is JESUS.

Now that's not what we are discussing today, just thought to start with something interesting.

A Dispensation refers to a divine order, or period or age set by God in which He deals with man according to the revealed dimensions of that dispensation; A divine time-table or schedule. Each dispensation is distinguished by how God dealt with man. It's vital to establish at this point that the Universe and all that is in it, as well as all of creation, is NOT about man, It's solely about God. 

Several scientists who have swallowed massive proportions of Ignorance tend to say otherwise and try to mislead people into believing that man is here "all by himself" and therefore doesn't have to answer to or bother about one "Guy" in the sky called God! I shall address them in a different article.

But anyway, God created Earth FOR man, and put him in it (Psalms 24:1, 116:15). And God has NEVER left man to be all by himself, He is the God that REIGNS and RULES in the affairs of men. (Daniel 4:25, 32, Psalms 47:8). That is the Sovereignty of God.

At sundry times, God dealt with man in different dispensations. All men DID NOT and WILL NOT experience God in the same Dimension because they lived in different dispensations. It is therefore vital to KNOW the Dispensation you are living in, because for every Generation, there is a Dispensation, and in every Dispensation, there is a Dimension. Selah.
You must understand that God cannot be discovered, He's not a scientific breakthrough. You don't take a flight into outer space and then suddenly see one massive being called God! He can only be revealed; If God doesn't reveal Himself, you cannot know Him. Thank God, God did.

Most Bible scholars believe that there are seven (7) Dispensations, others say Eight (8), but whichever one it is, Your focus should be on Knowing, Understanding and Enjoying your Dispensation. These are the names of the Dispensations:

1. Innocence [Before Adam and Eve fell]                   (Genesis 1 - 3)

2. Conscience                                                                             (Genesis 3 - 8)

3. Human Government [Days of Noah]                      (Genesis 9 - 11)

4. Promise [Papa Abraham]                                             (Genesis 12 - Exodus 19)

5. Law [Mr. MOSES!]                                                              (Exodus 20 - Acts 1)

6. Grace/Church [Days of Me!]                                         (Acts 2 - Revelation 20)

7. Kingdom/Millennial Reign [I'm Kinging!]            (Revelation 20:4 - 6)

8. Eternal State                                                                        (Revelation 20 - 22)

Well. There it is. I would have loved to talk about all of them, but that will be too much for this class. However, I MUST of necessity speak about the unnecessary "tug of war" among Christian circles about the 5th and 6th Dispensations! I think it's absolutely uncalled for because it is so simple to understand.

Firstly, The LAW was not given to any other nation EXCEPT Israel, you can ask Moses! No other person/nation dead or alive, past, present or future, were asked to keep the Law apart from Israel. The Law was a Dispensation, and that dispensation is long over! Remember, a Dispensation is a Divine order set by God, and therefore if you live in the present Generation, and choose to live by a past Dispensation, YOU ARE BREAKING DIVINE ORDER! Yes! It's that serious!

It's a Divine Time-table, Attend YOUR classes! Think of it, any student that uses the time-table of the former academic session or the time-table of ex-students who have since graduated from the school, is on a High velocity and constant acceleration in the Highway of Failure! Why? Not because the time-tables are WRONG, but because they are NOT FOR HIM, They were good for the ex-students, but they are not good for him. THE LAW IS NOT GOOD FOR THE CHRISTIAN, IT IS NOT PART OF YOUR CURRICULUM, NEITHER IS IT ON YOUR TIME-TABLE, because every time-table is done according to a Curriculum. You cannot have a LAW time-table on a Curriculum of GRACE.

Now, does that mean God has changed? Well, that begs the question! Because change only exist in the realm of Time, In the realm of the Spirit, things don't CHANGE, they are SO! God is outside Time, so He CANNOT change, but His methods, His "Modus Operandi" changes from Dispensation to Dispensation. 

As a Christian, if you choose to live by the Law, you'll experience lots of failures and struggles, but if you insist, I advise you to book a flight to the Nation of Israel and SETTLE there. You can hang out in the Synagogue often, chill with the scribes and scholars of the Law, say hi to the Pharisees etc. It's gonna be fun! On second thought, there are too many rockets flying above the Israeli airspace at the moment, so stay where you are and wait for your time. Don't worry; it won't be long before you begin to "enjoy" the living conditions under the Law.

BY THE WAY: Let me use this opportunity to state that I STAND WITH ISRAEL even in the light of the recent happenings. They are God's people and a people of Promise. If you stand with God, you MUST stand with Israel and also pray for God's people all over the world especially those been persecuted and killed. I pray that the Counsel of God for Israel shall stand, and that the bloodshed stop, because Jesus loves the Arab world, even though they hate him. They hate Him because they don't know Him, but they will hear our Gospel, We are Coming!

Secondly, every generation on earth dating back to the Acts Chapter 2 belong in the Dispensation of GRACE, including the Nation of Israel. You don't debate or choose your Dispensation, it's not open for dialogue, just the same way you don't choose when you are born, or the family you are born into. Those decisions are in God's Jurisdiction ALONE. The Dispensation of Grace is unlike any other Dispensation that has ever existed, the "best" so far, because it's the ONLY Dispensation where GOD LIVES, RESIDES, and TABERNACLES IN MAN! So, quit struggling with Grace! We will preach it RADICALLY until God changes the Time-table! They accuse us of preaching Grace and giving people a "license" to sin, and that's the reason for all of the arguments and back and forth movements about the Law and Grace. I wonder why people argue about what saved them! (Ephesians 2:8). GRACE GOT YOU SAVED, NOT THE LAW, STICK WITH GRACE!

One post or even 1000 posts won't be not enough to talk about Grace, but I'll highlight a few Truths about the Dispensation of Grace that make some people and even believers accuse us of preaching heresy. You may just join them after reading this!

I won't be blunt, I'll just be sharp.

Under Grace, SIN and its children (Poverty, Sickness, and ALL types, kinds and forms of evil) have NO DOMINION over you. (Romans 6:14)

Under Grace, you are made the Righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. If you spend 25 hours out of 24 hours SWIMMING in sin, YOU ARE STILL THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD in Christ Jesus; You are just a Righteous swimmer! (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Under Grace, there is NO CONDEMNATION for you irrespective of the wrong stuff you have done, are doing, or will ever do. (Romans 8:1)

Under Grace, PEACE and TRUTH are vitally synonymous with and engaged in your life. (John 1:17, 2 Peter 1:2)

Under Grace, ABILITY is not in question and MANIFESTATION is not an option. (Philippians 4:13, Romans 8:19)

You can't "OUT-SIN" Grace, because ALL your sins, Past, Present and Future, have been PAID for. I'm talking to you! Yes, You! (Romans 5:20-21, Hebrews 9:11-12, 26-28)

The First Adam did NOT have the Life of God in him, that's why one sin could make him fall, He didn't have to sin twice! Under Grace, One sacrifice of Jesus, the Last Adam was enough to make the Life of God available to you, and no AMOUNT of sin can snuff that life out of you! If you like, BUY SIN from the market and use, The Life of God is stronger than sin, no matter the Concentration! If we must fall (because falling isn't compulsory), we fall into Grace! Hallelujah! The ONLY way to fall from Grace is to live by the LAW (Galatians 5:2, 4).

When the Law is preached, Sin is MAGNIFIED, When Grace is preached, Sin is De-MYSTIFIED. (Romans 5:20, 7:9, 25)

These Truths are the Basics of Grace, as you grow in Grace, you would know what it means to Walk with the Father, and have unrestricted access into the spiritual Corridors of Power where you collide with your angels! Then you would have no time for petty arguments on whether or not we should keep the Ten Commandments (The Big Ten)! 

And just in case you are asking: "Does that now mean that the Christian should live anyhow?" Well, that answer came a long time ago, and I think it summarizes the whole point of this write-up. Here it is:

"Yes. Live ANYHOW as the Spirit of God leads you!" (Gabriel Israel (Rev.) 2012). I couldn't have put it better!

If you are not properly schooled in Grace, you may take this as a license to sin, but the Truth is, IF YOU ARE STRUGGLING WITH SIN or a BAD HABIT IN ANY AREA OF YOUR LIFE, YOUR GRACE INTAKE IS TOO LOW IN THAT AREA (Romans 5:17, Hebrews 4:16). In other words, you haven't taken advantage of the Grace of God in that area (Galatians 2:21). Don't try to stop, you have been trying and it hasn't worked! Meditate more on the Word of His Grace (Acts 20:32), declare consistently, more than ever the Truths of the Finished works of Christ over your life, make a habit of these two things, and watch that bad habit die a natural death. It may be gradual, but it is sure because Grace eliminates ALL struggles!

Now, you've got several choices:

• Relocate to Israel and live fully by the LAW, 
• Argue and #hashtag all you want about sin, license, heresy, label us the anti-christ, call us false prophets etc. or 
• You can forget the FORMER THINGS, forget the past, and choose to live by the new and more excellent way. Make your life easy, LIVE BY GRACE.

If you are not born again, that means you don't believe in Jesus as your Lord, even though we are in the Dispensation of Grace, that Grace doesn't APPLY to you yet. You've got to believe in the Lord Jesus and make Him your Lord, because Jesus is Full of GRACE and TRUTH and is the only one that gives Grace. No religion can offer these blessings, only JESUS can. And he has. Accept Him now by saying this prayer from your heart:

Dear Father, I come to you in the Name of Jesus. Thank you for your Grace and Love. With Faith in my heart, I accept your love, and the proof of it, which is your death and resurrection. I accept your Lordship over my spirit, soul and body. I now receive Eternal life into my spirit. I am born again now; I am the Righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. Thank you for saving me. Halleluyah!

If you prayed this prayer, I decree that you are filled with the Holy Ghost right where you are, and established by the Word of His Grace, as you start this glorious journey of Faith, In the Name of Jesus!

GRACE has a name; His Name is JESUS. I didn't choose Grace, Grace chose me.

Yours TRUTHfully,

 PeeJay

Apostle J: The Biography.

It was an all-night meeting, the Master travailing in prevailing prayer. It was time to commision his Earthly Ministry. Over 12 Hours of Prayer and the Master chose 12 Apostles from among his many Disciples: Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew (a.k.a Bartho), Matthew, Thomas, James (Alphaeus), Simon (Zelotes), Judas (brother of James), and Judas Iscariot. (Luke 6:12-16)

A THOUGHT: I listed all the names as a bit of a history lesson, just to help those of you who don’t actually know the names of the 12 Apostles  . And it’s quite striking that Jesus didn’t choose a ‘Lady Apostle’! Well, He probably recalled the story of the first Adam and his escapades with Eve, and he didn’t want to take any chances! Maybe, Just Maybe…  However, Ladies, Jesus loves you!

Let’s go on.

He was an answer to prayer. He was in charge of the purse of the most successful Ministry at the time, a Treasurer in modern day description. At one time, Jesus sent them out on a Gospel Mission and Power Assignment, and He preached the Gospel, performed miracles, cast out devils, and wrought healings along with the other disciples. The rest of his exploits were not readily available at the time of writing, and are recorded in one of the Books Apostle John spoke about, but these things were written that you may know that this man was by no means, a mediocre.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Meet the Man of God, Apostle I. JUDAS.

However, Quite sadly, When his name is mentioned, preachers use him as a warning sermon to their congregation, parents use him as a moral lesson to their kids, people generally hate him, the choir do not sing his praises, and even the skeptics, gnostics and critics regard him as a ‘bad’ Bible character.

I beg to differ. Actually, I do not beg, I choose to differ; Kings don't beg. The reason(s) is simple.

Firstly, Jesus CHOSE Him! There were several choices, but Jesus not only chose him, he endorsed him! You and I are God’s choice, just the way Judas was! How could Jesus make such a mistake, if it was a mistake? Or more politely, How could Jesus make such a poor choice, if it was indeed a poor choice? Remember, He prayed for over 12 hours before he chose him.
If Jesus believed in him, I believe in him. If Jesus loved him, I do love him. If Jesus didn’t give up on him, I wouldn’t dare do so.

Secondly, Apostle Judas was NOT really responsible for the arrest of Jesus! Jesus did not need to be kissed to be betrayed or arrested, because He is the Lamb of God, the perfect sacrifice for sins. Sacrifices don’t need to be betrayed, they are already on display on the altar! And again, He came to offer his life, he didn’t need someone to assist him to do that. One of the Synoptic Gospel accounts lets us know that when the soldiers came, Jesus asked them “Whom do you seek?” They said “Jesus of Nazareth”. And He told them, “I am He”. (John 18:4-8). That’s about it! He was ready to be offered not necessarily needing an assistant kiss from this beloved Apostle Judas.

Thirdly, Judas had a character flaw, like many of the other Apostles had. Thomas struggled with unbelief, Peter was selfishly outspoken etc.  As for Apostle J, He was a thief, He stole from the Ministry’s Purse, and the devil took advantage of it. One of the Synoptic Gospels tells us that the devil entered him. (Luke 22:3). But shockingly, that wasn’t his problem! His problem wasn’t greed for money, or better put filthy lucre, his problem is the same problem that many believers have today; CONDEMNATION.

Let me show you how the devil cut short the Ministry of this great Apostle.

He loved money. He also loved Jesus. He knew Jesus was Full of Power, He could literally do anything, including save himself from his “captors”. He had escaped before, so it wouldn’t be the first time, only that this time, it would yield profit. So I believe the devil suggested to Judas, “You can kill two birds with one stone, get the money from the Chief Priests, betray Jesus, and Jesus escapes as always. You have your money, You have Jesus. Wonderful business plan! You can eat your cake, have it, and even bake another one!”

BY THE WAY: (I actually wonder how you kill two birds with one stone, I think it depends on the kind and more importantly the “geographical” location of the birds. Some birds have perfected the art of Escape, especially in the beloved African Continent, specifically towards the West.

Can I briefly Prophesy?
Eh, Eh, I’m seeing something like N.I.G.E.R.. and a flag that reflects a certain colour, I see Green, White etc. This is something like Bleck, Bleck people, I move into the Capital, and I hear Aso, Aso, Eh, Eh, beside it, I see Rock, and I see Goodluck on that Rock, This is Patience I hear, Is this a Virtue or a Person?…

When the Vision is clear, I’ll finish that prophecy. But Yes, it’s quite difficult to kill two birds with one stone in that nation, because you are not quite sure if the “birds” are “holding a meeting”!)

Anyway, Apostle J AGREED with the devil, and that’s where he missed it. He bargained with the chief priests and they finally shook hands and signed a contract worth 30 pieces of silver (Matthew 26:14-16). It was strictly business! So, Judas began to look for ways to carry out his part of the “contract”, and he finally did, by “betraying” Jesus with a kiss. Jesus was taken, tortured, and finally crucified. All the while, the Apostle J was waiting for the “Moment of Power” when Jesus will “show himself”, and he wasn’t the only one expecting Jesus to “do something!” I’m sure other disciples were too, including one of the thieves that was crucified with him.

Tick. Tock. 1 Hour. 3 Hours. 6 Hours. There was darkness, maybe Jesus didn’t want to display power in the daylight, he kept hoping. Jesus asked for Vinegar, there was another glimmer of hope, maybe he wants to turn it a healing potion, like he turned water into wine, he was waiting. Jesus cried “Eli, Eli, Lama sabachthani”, (Matthew 27:46). Now he’s speaking in tongues, Judas thought, It’s about to happen!
And then it happened, Jesus said “Father, into your hands, I commend my spirit”(Luke 23:46). He dropped his head, and gave up the ghost.
In reality, Judas wasn’t present for the Crucifixion, he already lost the hope of seeing Jesus escape as soon as Jesus was sentenced to death.

Matthew 27:3-5 helps us see why. He said “I have sinned…” The devil who inspired the whole “business plan” came back to him again through his thoughts to CONDEMN him. I can imagine the flood of evil thoughts the devil fed him with, magnifying and replaying the sin over and over again in his mind, reducing him to a vegetable, and making him believe that the only way out of the shame and horror of facing the disciples and the world was to die. The first suicide ever recorded in the Bible was a result of Condemnation, NOT a Consequence of Sin.

Again, Apostle J AGREED with the devil, and this time, It was Fatal. Judas returned the money and hung himself, He ACCEPTED CONDEMNATION. Jesus knew he would do this, and that’s why He warned him several times. (Matthew 26:23-24, Mark 14:18-21, Luke 22:21-22).
Did you know that Jesus, the one whom he betrayed, was dying to bring him salvation?! I mean Judas died before Jesus!

The Lord said this to me, while He was asking me to write this.

He said: “Judas Iscariot killed himself because of Condemnation, If he had waited for the Resurrection, He would have been Born Again!” (Thursday, July 10, 2014)

That about sums it all. Jesus nailed ALL sins (Past, Present, and Future) to his Cross, including Judas’s betrayal, Peter’s denial, Thomas's unbelief, Paul’s persecution, imprisonment, and murder of Christians, the hate and evil plots of the Chief Priests, the sins of the Roman soldiers who crucified Him, and ALL THE SINS YOU HAVE COMMITTED, ARE COMMITTING, AND WILL EVER COMMIT! ALL OF THESE WERE OVER-PAID FOR; such is the Radical Nature of His Grace. If only Apostle J could wait, and not listen to the lies of CONDEMNATION from the devil, he would have preached the Gospel with Power.

But today, you don’t have to wait! The Resurrection has happened, There is no MORE CONDEMNATION for those in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). I don’t care how dirty you may feel, or how bad whatever you did was, don’t act like Judas. Take Advantage of the Grace and Mercy FULLY and FREELY available in Christ Jesus.

And If you are not Born Again, that is, If you are not a believer in Christ Jesus and haven’t accepted His Lordship over your life, It’s time to do it. This write-up is above 1,500 words, and If you have read to this extent, It is surely a sign that JESUS wants to express His Love, His Liquid Love, a Love that flows to you. You can receive it NOW. Just say these words from your heart:

Dear Father, I come to you in the Name of Jesus. Thank you for not Condemning me, thank you for your Liquid Love. With Faith in my heart, I accept your love, and the proof of it, which is your death and resurrection. I accept your Lordship over my spirit, soul and body. I now receive Eternal life into my spirit. I am born again now. Thank you for saving me. Halleluyah!

If you prayed this prayer, I decree that you are filled with the Holy Ghost right where you are, and established by the Word, as you start this glorious journey of Faith, In the Name of Jesus!

Condemnation is more deadly than the sin itself; Ask the Apostle.

With Grace,

PeeJay.

Tags: John 18:4-8, Luke 22:21-22, Luke 22:3, Luke 23:46, Luke 6:12-16, Mark 14:18-21, Matthew 26:14-16, Matthew 26:23-24, Matthew 27:3-5, Matthew 27:46, Romans 8:1