LOVE YOUR OWN BEAUTIFUL WIFE

╔════ 🚨 💎 🚨 ════╗

*Love Your*
*"Own Beautiful Wife"*

🔹Don’t shout at your
wife when you are
talking. It really
hurts her.
*Proverbs 15:1*

🔹Do not speak evil
of her to anyone.
Your wife will become
who you call her.
*Gen. 2:19*

🔹Do not share her love
or affection with another
woman.
It is called Adultery.
*Matt. 5:28*

🔹Never compare your
wife to another woman.
If the other woman was
good for you, God would
have given her to you.
*2 Cor. 10:12*

🔹Be gentle and
accommodating. She
has sacrificed so much
to be with you.
It hurts her deeply
when you are hash
and irritating.
Be tender.
*Eph. 4:2*

🔹Hide nothing from her.
You are now one and
she’s your helpmate.
Let there be no secret
you are keeping
from her.
*Gen. 2:25*

🔹Do not make negative
comment about her
body. She risked her
life and beauty to carry
your babies. She is a
living soul not just
flesh and blood.
*Proverbs 18:22*

🔹Do not let her body
determine her worth.
Cherish and appreciate
her even till old age.
*Eph. 5:29*

🔹Never shout at her
in the public and in
private. If you have
an issue to sort with
her, do it in the privacy
of your room.
*Matt. 1:19*

🔹Thank and appreciate
her for taking good
care of you, the kids
and the house. It is
a great sacrifice she
is making.
*1 Thesso. 5:18*

🔹All women cannot
cook the same way;
appreciate your
wife’s food.
It is not easy to cook
three meals a day,
365 days a year
for several years.
*Pro. 31:14*

🔹Never place your
siblings before her.
She is your wife.
She is one with you.
She must come
before your family.
*Gen. 2:24*

🔹Invest seriously in
her spiritual growth.
Buy books, tapes and
any material that will
edify her *&* strengthen
her walk with God.
That’s the best thing
you can do for her.
*Eph. 5:26*

🔹Spend time with her
to do Bible study
and pray.
*James 5:16*

🔹Make time to play
with her and enjoy
her company.
Remember when you
are dead, she’s gonna
be by your grave but
your friends may be
too busy to attend
your funeral.
*Ecc. 9:9*

🔹Never use money
to manipulate or
control her. All your
money belongs to
her. She is a joint heir
with you of the
grace of God.
*1 Pet. 3:7*

🔹Do not expose her
weakness. You will be
exposing yourself too.
Be a shield around her.
*Eph. 5:30*

🔹Honour her parents
and be kind to her
siblings.
*SOS. 8:2*

🔹Never cease to tell
her how much you
love her all the days
of her life. Women
are never tired of
hearing that.
*Eph. 5:25*

🔹Grow to be like Jesus.
That’s the only way
you can be a good
and godly husband.
*Rom. 8:29*

*SAVE A HOME TODAY,*
*PASS IT ON*
TO ALL MEN PLEASE

LIKEWISE TO ALL WOMEN.

BELIEVE ME

Believe me, no matter what anyone thinks, God is still faithful to those who are faithful to Him. The word of God will never change. The word of God supersedes every theory or thought about your body and sexuality propounded by any human being. The Word of God is time-tested, the word of God is proven to work wonders, the Word of God put human lives with ugly sins/past into a righteous path and the word of God delivers all it promises! The one who can sort you out and make your life worth living is the word Himself {JESUS CHRIST}!

Do not let the world’s sexual permissiveness becloud your sense of reasoning. If sleeping with men for money works for others, who says it would work for you? {it is only a phenomenon, *phenomenon* works for some people but it does not work for everybody even if you observe all its rules but the word of God is a *principle* it works for everybody/anybody who aligns to its rules at any given point in time}

Do you know what your destiny/star requires to manifest? Be patient my love! Be of good courage! I perfectly understand how you feel but the earlier you surrender your soul to JESUS CHRIST the better for you! The Holy Spirit is your helper and he can move situations to submit to your needs and perplexities no matter the economic, physical, emotional, spiritual challenges. The Help of the Holy Spirit is working out things in your favor right now! {Habakkuk 1:5 "I am doing a work in your life right now that when it manifests, you will be surprised"}

{Temilolu Okeowo}

Allow Jesus Christ

Friend, Many people in this world suffer greatly. They endure much pain, abuse, rejection and loneliness, not knowing that JESUS GAVE UP HIS LIFE to give them FREEDOM and PEACE. JESUS wants to make HIMSELF REAL in your heart today {22nd November, 2017}, manifesting His transforming power— first in your spirit and then in your relationships, finances, health, vocation and all other aspects of your life.

Receive the Exchange by Faith:

Why believe in JESUS?

Because He died and was resurrected so that YOU {Put Your Name Here} could have access to the fullness of God’s abundant life in all its facets.

JESUS IS ALIVE!

Every provision He secured by His death and resurrection is available RIGHT NOW (22-11-2017) for those who receive HIM in their HEARTS and CONFESS HIM as LORD and SAVIOR of their LIVES. 1st requirement is to claim BY FAITH, HIS GREAT EXCHANGE—

Exchanging YOUR SIN for HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, YOUR DEATH for HIS LIFE, YOUR SICKNESS for HIS HEALTH and YOUR OPPRESSION for HIS FREEDOM.

This DAY MAY be the MOST IMPORTANT moment of YOUR LIFE. Allow the Giver of life the opportunity to grant you ETERNAL LIFE. If you will receive JESUS wholeheartedly, you will realize that the sole purpose of this MESSAGE is to give YOU the MOST VALUABLE GIFT a HUMAN BEING can EVER receive— a NEW LIFE in JESUS on EARTH and an EXISTENCE in the PRESENCE of GOD for ETERNITY. YOU can receive JESUS and HIS GREAT EXCHANGE by saying this prayer with sincerity and humbleness:

“Heavenly Father, I believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for ME and that HE was raised from the dead. I CONFESS that HE is MY SAVIOR and MY LORD. By faith, I claim Jesus’ great EXCHANGE— exchanging MY SIN for HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, MY DEATH for HIS LIFE, MY SICKNESS for HIS HEALTH, and MY OPPRESSION for HIS FREEDOM. Thank You that I am “BORN OF GOD,” that I have entered Your KINGDOM and that I NOW (this 22nd November, 2017) live in the fullness of Jesus’ life. Please use me to spread Your kingdom in this world, carrying Your salvation, healing, deliverance and miracles to others through the POWER OF YOUR HOLY SPIRIT in JESUS NAME. Amen!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYxKRoONrfY&t=127s

Selling Contraceptives and Abortion pills

After posting the question I got from a friend yesterday, I received so many messages via inbox asking for the reply I gave the woman. I never considered sharing it, at least not today, until last night when I saw a notification from Valerie Amanda still echoing the same thing.

"Sir I would like to hear your advice to this guy."

So, I started editing our long chat with(name and sex withheld) so that it will be clearer.

Now you have it!

The question:

"I have a questions, it has been disturbing me. I work in the pharmacy. We sale contraceptives, ranging from condom to even pills use for abortion. To a great extent, some of these drugs (and contraceptives like condoms) sell more because it is usually in high demand. I am in a dilemma, I do not like the fact that I sell what aid people to sin especially abortion pills, I feel like I am guilty too."

My edited replies:

I do not know how to respond to you. I have a feeling that you already know what to do.

You need the money to pay your bills due to the economic situation in the country, so for that, you will not want to stop work. Yet any time you give a customer an abortion pills, it breaks your heart.

I cannot provide you with a new job if I ask you to quit the job. Yet, I cannot in all sincerity tell you that selling contraceptive drugs and especially abortion pills are good either.

And again, you cannot agree to work in a pharmacy store with the knowledge of all that is involved, and your employer still pays you your due salary, yet you on your part will now begin to select what to sell or not. That is not fair to your employer if we must be sincere.

I just want you to know how complicated this situation of yours is.

So I will ask you to think about it this way:
SEE IT AS A CALLING. . .

Yes, you heard me. . . as a calling.

We all are called in different ways. Some are fighting for justice from government. Others are priests and sisters ministering to people. Some have dedicated their life to helping the poor. Some as mentors to their children.

So, maybe this is your own special calling.

I will explain.

Not all Christians get this type of heart break over administering abortion pills. To many, it is simply business. They are into buying and selling and it bothers them not what you do with what you bought.

But you are different! How, I don't know.

Now, I want you to bear this in mind, not everyone is like you. If you even refuse to sell the pills, there are countless others who will. And those desperate to get the pills will still get it. So, finally, the only good thing you may have succeeded in doing is that they did not buy it from you. But at the end, they still bought it, they still did the abortion.

You want to know explicitly what I am trying to say?

Okay!

I have a friend who was feeling exactly what you are feeling right now. In her own case, the husband is the one that owns the pharmacy store, but she is the one that does almost all the selling.

She always feels bad anytime she gives out abortion pills like Misoprostol, Mifepristone or Gemeprost. Unfortunately for her, her husband is that type of person that does not care about what the drugs do. For him, it is business and he is putting food on the table.

This my friend, anytime she is alone in the shop, she will tell any customer that comes for abortion pills that they don't have and she will watch the customers as they go to the next shop close to theirs to buy it. Because of this, herself and her husband have had countless quarrels and fights until one day she sat down and talked to herself thus: even if we stop selling abortion pills, there are three other pharmacy stores close to ours. Those times that I refused to sell, they still bought it finally. So, what is really the difference?

Then something struck her in her heart, she prayed about it for weeks. It was as though something was boiling in her heart.

She stopped fighting her husband over abortion pills, she comes into the shop with so much happiness, so much joy that is so contagious. Whenever a customers comes for abortion pills, the manner at which she will welcome the person with so much joy and smile, you will think the person came to give her a thousand dollar.

She will request that the customer come in and sit down on a chair she provided. She will enquire who really is the person taking the drug. Then she will check the blood pressure of the woman. All these with smiles. Then she will bring out the drugs. She will tell the customer the prescription. Then she will begin to make the woman to feel at home. She will somehow begin to talk about her own first pregnancy, how she wanted to take the pills and terminate it. In no time, the customer is relaxed. And surprisingly the customer starts talking about herself too. She will talk about how she got pregnant, how all that the man wanted was sex, how miserable she feels getting pregnant. How scared she is about having an abortion.

Gradually, this my friend is entering into her customers life. They are bonding. The customer who is pregnant is looking for an ear to pour her heart. She is looking for just one person who understands. Now she finds it.

My friend at this point having known the situation, will gently begin to bring other possible ideas. She will get her number. She will visit her in the house. She will provide money when need be. And this pregnant woman begins for the first time to consider keeping the baby. (Note that this my friend sees this more of a force beyond her. She never for once felt it was her power. That is why she kept praying.)

My friend has saved five children last year through this. She feels so fulfilled. There are others that ended up aborting though. . . but at least she knows their story. She understands.

Ironically, after birth, these women will not want to give out their children even when they agreed that the baby may be sent to children's home or given to someone without a child to adopt at a high price.

This is her own calling. This make her happy!
Now, my friend's solution may no be applicable to all situation and to all people who are not happy that they are selling abortion pills, but if there is one thing to learn, let it be that: Desperate times need desperate response. Difficult questions need difficult answers. Yesterday's solution may not work for today's problem. The approach may be different, but the result is one.

Jesus said, be gentle as a dove and be cleaver as the serpent. There is no time that those words of Christ are best applicable than now.

Feed that soul

Just feed that man/woman with the "Word of God", let the Holy Spirit (the Spirit of the Word) to shape them into the path/purpose he had already pre-arranged for them before the foundation of the world in Christ Jesus("Even *before the world* was made, God had *already* chosen *us* to be his through *our union with Christ*, so that we would be *holy* and *without fault before him*." Eph. 1:4, "God has made *us* what *we are*, and in *our union* with *Christ Jesus* he has created *us* for a *life of good deeds*, which he has *already prepared* for *us* to *do*." Eph. 2:10)
You need not worry about any human soul for it is the breath of the living God that makes man/woman a living being. ("Then the Lord God took some soil from the ground and formed a man out of it; he breathed life-giving breath into his nostrils and the man began to live." Gen.2:7)
That *breath* of God is the *Spirit* of *the word of God* that directs the heart of any man/woman to wherever it pleases him (" The Lord controls the mind of a king as easily as he directs the course of a stream." Proverbs 21:1) thus when you consistently feed human souls with correct teaching of God's Word then the Holy Spirit will begin to manifest his righteousness in them as he said "because God is always at work in you to make you willing and able to obey his own purpose." (Phil. 2:13)

Praying in Tongues

"Indeed, the Lord will teach this people [in a more humiliating way] By [men with] stammering lips and a foreign tongue, 12 He who said to them, “This is the place of quiet, give rest to the weary,” And, “This is the resting place,” yet they would not listen." {Isaiah 28:11-12} with *stammering lips and foreign tongue* try to collaborate with the Holy Spirit as he speaks through you in the stammering lips and foreign language whenever it comes into your mind stop holding back your tongues for the Holy Spirit to speak through you Praying in tongues releases *quietness and rest* to our weary soul/mind and body You do not need any special feeling or sensation or in the Church or in a formal prayer gathering to pray in tongues. Release it as you speak your normal language "Good-Morning, how are you?" to people around you or even talking to yourself. When we pray in tongues; we are talking to God, we are edifying ourselves we are speaking mysteries and hidden things from the spirit-realm to the physical realm we are releasing quietness and rest upon our soul/mind and body. we enter into our rest in God thus "for there remains a *rest* for those who are *people of God*" {Hebrews 4:9} The day of this rest is *today* always in the now {Hebrews 4:7} HOLY SPIRIT (olopeseda ipayimase limopotobe teremeseye itoderewa siporokeli owovoyesi Ruach Ha Kodesh imaseyi iteremadesulia) in Jesus Mighty Name. Amen.

Wisdom

The book of Wisdom in the Holy Bible,
Peruse through it, 
You will be greatly nourished
"I learned things that were well known and things that had never been known before, because Wisdom, who gave shape to everything that exists, was my teacher." (Wisdom 7:21-22)
Jesus Christ is Our Wisdom ("He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us *wisdom* from God and righteousness and sanctification and redemption" 1 Cor. 1:30)
Studying completely the whole book of Wisdom will give you some key-facts of the personality of Jesus Christ and the Trinity God who indwells, moves and lives inside our spirit, soul and body as believers *forever* thus "Jesus answered him, those who love me will keep my word and my Father will love them and *we* will come to them and make *our home* with them" (John 14:23)
It is what we *know* about God that we can manifest as *carriers of God* thus "for if there is eagerness/enthusiasm (commitment to studying God's word), gifts of God will manifest according to what one *has* not according to what one *does not have*" (2 Cor.8:12)
Let us therefore study the word of God in-order to start manifesting and behaving like God.
Our Mother Mary is the Mother of Wisdom (JESUS CHRIST)
Our Lady Seat(Carrier) of Wisdom,
Pray for us.
May the Holy Spirit ignite the desire for reading/studying/meditating on his word every second of our lives on this earth as well as the correct/genuine understanding of his words in our hearts in Jesus Name. Amen.

MELCHISEDEK AND MATURITY- HEB 5:11-63

Today’s reflection will help one to honestly assess where one is today in one’s pursuit of Christian maturity. The Scriptures are given to us to guide and lead us, and as we study today, we will find that there’re different kinds of instructions for different groups of Christians on the basis of their maturity. Some are addressed to the babes (in Greek *“Nepios”*) in Christ; others, to the maturing in Christ, and then, there’re instructions for the “fathers” or the spiritually mature in Christ. This is not determined by age. The one who’s still a babe in Christ may quote and confess God’s, but they haven’t really caught it. Is not welling out from their heart. The word has not become flesh in their life. They are controlled by the senses. They think or say “What if it doesn’t work?”, “If it is your will, heal me or do this…”, “I am feeling it now”. "Babes in Christ" are men of little spiritual growth, carnal as opposed to spiritual. They walked by the senses.
Here is a picture of people who have been professing Christ for many years. By this time, they ought to have been teachers, but they need yet to have someone teach them the very ABC's of the gospel, the word of Christ. It is a case of retarded maturity. They have been Christians for years but they still cannot help anyone else. They have nothing to say to help another who may be struggling with problems. They cannot even point someone to Christ. There is no ability to help or instruct another. They need milk, the writer says, instead of strong meat. They do not understand the "word of righteousness or skillful in the word of righteousness. They are unable to discern good from evil. They are still babes which in Greek is called ‘nepios’ (pronounced nay'-pee-os) meaning:
1) an infant, little child
2) a child that cannot speak.
3) metaphorically childish, untaught, unskilled
*CONSEQUNCES OF REMAINING A BABE*
From the above description, one can observe in the passage that age doesn’t produce maturity in faith. Another good observation from the text shows that immaturity is self-identifying. It has certain clear marks which provide a simple test that anyone can take to determine whether he belongs in this classification or not. There is so much of the riches of the Melchizedek priesthood of Christ which I will like us to know, *" he says, "which would make your starved humanity burst into bloom like buds in the spring if you could but grasp it, but you would not get it because you are so dull of hearing."* The immature loses so much, and they risk even more. There is a very grave danger threatening those who continue in this condition of prolonged immaturity.
The Bible says, *“…the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all” (Galatians 4:1) *. This simply means the one who’s spiritually immature can’t walk in his inheritance, his rights and privileges in Christ. Another translation renders it like this: “Galatians 4:1:4 - *What I am saying is that as long as an heir is underage, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. The heir is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. So also, when we were underage, we were in slavery under the elemental spiritual forces of the world” *. That is why some Christians are still under the elements of this world. Why many Christians suffers. They complain to God, “Why me”. “If it is your will”, “You are punishing God because of my sin to teach me something” They speak different vocabulary. While in our culture as disciples of Christ, we have a vocabulary, which we need to keep talking and walking in it. Peter does not walk on the water; He walk on the word.
*THE REMEDY (Hebrews 6:1-3) *
Growing up spiritually requires that we feed on God’s Word daily, Meditate ( in Hebrew “hagah” which means to moan, make a sound , ponders, utter, speak, muse) on the word ,for the Word is meat (spiritual food) indeed. 1 Peter 2:2 affirms this; it says, *“As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.”* So, keep growing in, and by the Word, and enjoy the greater glories and treasures of Christ. Let looks at the word of our master in John 15:7 *If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. * . This is not prayer. It is saying * “if you ask(in Greek “aiteo” which means “call up”) whatever you need, it will done ( in Greek “Ginomai” which means “it will be generated or created”, It shall come into being)*. Even if it is not existing, it will be generated or created.
There was a time when we lived off milk as a child, but got to a stage when we had to stop relying on only milk for nourishment. Man does not leave by bread alone but by the Word. That’s how it is with God’s Word. You start with the sincere milk (the simple truth) of the Word, but you don’t remain there; you progress to the “strong meat” of the Word. Strong meat is for those who are of full age; they’ve come to maturity in Christ (Hebrews 5:14).
Become mature in the things of the Spirit and in the Kingdom of God; that’s God’s dream for you. He said in Ephesians 4:13, *“Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge (“Epignosis”) of the Son of God, unto perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” * A true spiritual maturity is yielding oneself to be trained by the Word of God, and living above the senses. To remain a baby spiritually is to cheat oneself and not enjoy God’s best. Tell yourself today, I have to grow to maturity. Whatever it will take, I need to be at that level to dominate my world (in Greek “aion” which means “an age, a period” In other way “In my own age or period or in my own time”) and enjoy God’s best for my life. In Hebrews 11:3, We know that *“Through faith we understand that the worlds (“aion”) were framed (which is from the Greek, “katartizo.” It means to mend, to fix, to set in order, to arrange, and to fashion.) by the word (which is rendered “rhema” in Greek) of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.” *
*1 Corinthians 13:11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things*. We have to become matured and reprogrammed our mindset with the Word of God. Babes loses a lot as a Christians. He is not different from a slave. Such is under the element of the world. He is not living in God’s best. Grow in the knowledge of God and of our Lord Jesus Christ. Meditate on God’s word and personalize it. Hope to see all of us fully matured to experience extraordinary creative miracle and Gods goodness and love in the world. God needs many channels which is you and I to express Himself in a full measure to humanity. Don’t remain a BABE
Have a great day Remain bless. Amen.
Bro. Sunday Aroh.....

TOTAL CONSECRATION

Total Consecration to Jesus Christ through the Immaculate Heart of Mary:

33-days classes has started in different Catholic Parishes since Sunday 5th November through 8 December {Feast of Immaculate Conception}, 2017.

Make enquiries for the time and venue of your own parish.

Go and Learn how to grow in Grace and Knowledge of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ through genuine/sincere humility that God bestowed upon our Mother Mary!!!

This is my 17-years of being involved.

I have never regretted it

I have no doubts about who she is in her relationship to JESUS CHRIST OUR SAVIOR AND LORD!

It does not replace Jesus Christ as a Mediator with Virgin-Mary rather brings human being to accept their humanity(weakness) as a genuine way to approach GOD.

God took human flesh in order to help man appreciate his humanity which creates a need for his total/absolute dependence of God as his Creator/Savior/Help/Redeemer.

Jesus Christ taking human flesh is a way of uplifting humanity to Divinity; this he clarified in choosing to honor Mary a human being as his own mother {THE MOTHER OF GOD}.

It is not about pride, arrogance and misquoting/misinterpreting the Holy Bible rather it is the only honest path of humility to God.

The whole holy bible interprets a person, being and God; JESUS CHRIST. {John 5:39}

Our Mother Mary was privileged by God to carry Jesus Christ in her womb. {Luke 1:31-33}

She meditated on the word of God in her heart day and night

She is filled with the Holy Spirit,{Luke 1:31}

She releases the Holy Spirit in full to anybody she encounters {Elizabeth in Luke 1:41 a good example even the child in her womb} because she always carries Jesus Christ inside her being.

She teaches everyone she encounters to obey JESUS CHRIST {"Do whatever he tells you" John 2:5}

She discovers what is wrong in our relationship with God, goes to her Son Jesus Christ to tell him "Son, their wine has finished" {John 2:3} before we even discover what is wrong.

She is full of Grace; unmerited favors flows through her to those who encounter her.

It is God that honored her first {Luke 1:28}

The honor given to her is declared by the Holy Bible is continuous, nobody can stop it {Luke 1:48}.

Are you scared she is being given undue attention? She was the 1st person to be scared of such honor however God affirms that it is him{GOD} who chose to honor her that way hence it is not idolatry or replacement of the role of Jesus Christ as a mediator between God and man rather honor from God to her because she has been given the privilege to bear in her womb; JESUS CHRIST (Son of God and God himself) thus "Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God" {Luke 1:29-30}

ALL TO JESUS CHRIST!!!

THROUGH MARY OUR MOTHER!!!

PREDESTINATION

Predestination, in theology, is the doctrine that all events have been willed by God, usually with reference to the eventual fate of the individual soul. Explanations of predestination often seek to address the "paradox of free will", whereby God's omniscience seems incompatible with human free will...
"Shall we say, then, that God is unjust? Not at all. 15 For he said to Moses, “I will have mercy on anyone I wish; I will take pity on anyone I wish.” 16 So then, everything depends, not on what we humans want or do, but only on God's mercy. 17 For the scripture says to the king of Egypt, “I made you king in order to use you to show my power and to spread my fame over the whole world.” 18 So then, God has mercy on anyone he wishes, and he makes stubborn anyone he wishes.

God's Anger and Mercy

19 But one of you will say to me, “If this is so, how can God find fault with anyone? Who can resist God's will?” 20 But who are you, my friend, to talk back to God? A clay pot does not ask the man who made it, “Why did you make me like this?” 21 After all, the man who makes the pots has the right to use the clay as he wishes, and to make two pots from the same lump of clay, one for special occasions and the other for ordinary use.22 And the same is true of what God has done. He wanted to show his anger and to make his power known. But he was very patient in enduring those who were the objects of his anger, who were doomed to destruction. 23 And he also wanted to reveal his abundant glory, which was poured out on us who are the objects of his mercy, those of us whom he has prepared to receive his glory.24 For we are the people he called, not only from among the Jews but also from among the Gentiles. 25 This is what he says in the book of Hosea:“The people who were not mine I will call ‘My People.’The nation that I did not love I will call ‘My Beloved.’26 And in the very place where they were told, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called the children of the living God.”27 And Isaiah exclaims about Israel: “Even if the people of Israel are as many as the grains of sand by the sea, yet only a few of them will be saved; 28 for the Lord will quickly settle his full account with the world.” 29 It is as Isaiah had said before, “If the Lord Almighty had not left us some descendants, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been like Gomorrah.” (Romans 9:14-29).This teaching requires careful analysis with the HolySpirit guide.
Shall we say that God is unjust for some people to have husband immediately after graduation even after being promiscuos in the University while the sincere ones have nobody saying hi not to mention, I want to come and see your parents?
Shall we say that God is unjust to choose Israel only for salvation instead of the whole human race?
Shall we say God is unjust to allow the current presidency to be unleashing his mean fiasco upon Nigerians while Godly people are praying in Nigeria?
Shall we say God is unjust to allow a woman to give birth to Only one male-child and at the finish of house-manship as a medical doctor, that child dies?
We have so many questions.
To ask God if in our own human context, he said "he is just".
However, we have a clear cut confirmation that God is not *UNJUST*
Yes!!!
Let us go through details.
God decided to create man in his own image and likeness exalted mankind above angels.
Lucifer got angry and saw this as unjust while intruding into the choice of God and it made him loose his heavenly position.
If he decided to make lucifer a stone instead of angel or place him above mankind, would he complain? NO!!!
He was busy quarrelling with God's choice of priority.
We say God is unjust to us because of momentary inconveniences we face as human beings, what if God chose to make us sand; are we going to complain?
Not at all!!!
God created man and gave him, dominion over every other thing/being created before man however man did not know who he was as image of God already but yet wants to be wise like God.
Ignorance caused man to fall for the deceit of the devil.We receive the Grace for the knowledge of God's word in our lives right now in replacement for ignorance in Jesus Mighty Name. Amen.
We now know what has been freely given to us in the Holy Spirit because as believers we have the Holy Spirit inside us as individuals (1 Cor. 2:12). Predestination means God has designed all that will manifest in a human being before he was created to become it.
Yes!!!
God created us to love us and not to destroy us.
God created us to serve him and give him glory and not for us to satisfy our own needs without caring to serve him and give him glory.We belong to God for his use and not for our own personal pleasure and achievements on earth as a primary purpose above serving God first(1st) or in our carriers or ministry-anointing or social responsibilities of marrying husband/wife, giving birth to male/female child, having a particular amount of cash in our bank accounts or networth in cash and fixed assets or achieving a political position or heights or making a notorious name or famous achievements in human eyes without serving him and seeking his PRIORITY OVER our own needs/wants.All these things are good in themselves but they cannot save our souls from hell-fire and our own righteousness built outside of faith in Jesus Christ can never please God and will lead any soul to hell-fire no matter your achievements on this earth. Hence we declared God to be unjust because he did not allow us to achieve all these things at our own time.
Remember predestination means God knows all things that will happen to a man/woman before they happen.
God created man to be with him forever as the Holy Bible declared that "God walked with man in the cool of the evening in the Garden" (Genesis).So he predestined man for *an eternal and unbroken relationship.*
But lucifer came with his jealousy and sabotaged this predestined good life for man by God.Then God sort to select one Person(Jesus Christ) in One particular race (Judah) out of the whole human race existing at that time to restore the whole human family back to himself thus "God was in his son Jesus Christ reconciling men to himself and not counting our sins any more but have given us a share in this message of reconciliation" (2 Cor.5:19).
And so "God so much loves the world that he gave his only Son that whosoever believes in him shall not perish in hell-fire but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).
" Those who believe in the Son are not judged; but those who do not believe have already been judged, because they have not believed in God's only Son" (John 3:18).
This pathway then lead him to restore the whole human race to his initial purpose for man (RELATIONSHIP) in Christ Jesus.
This is what Jesus said before he achieved this reconciliation between God and man thus " Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing." (Matthew 23:37).
By predestination in view of the instruction that God gave mankind in Eden, God declared thus "On the day you shall eat of this tree (disobedience to my instruction), you shall die" (Genesis 2:17).
So, death (biological death and eternal damnation) has been prefigured as the reward for disobedience or sin upon mankind if he disobeys thus Paul declared "the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23) and he actually disobeyed through the deceit of the serpent. so anyone who commits sin in his/her heart or acts-out on sin in the external is also applying for untimely death and eternal damnation.This is what man incured upon himself and the whole lineage of mankind by disobedience yet God who predestined this rule which is secondary to his primary predestination for mankind decided to make sure the primary predestination overrides this secondary predestination caused by disobedience hence he sent his Son as a human being to die in the place of the ordinary human being so that humanity will continue to exist and his relationship with mankind will continue to exist not allowing the jealousy of the devil to OVERRIDE THIS PRIMARY PURPOSE and at the same time fulfill the law/rule/judgment he gave which is "that man must die for disobeying" (Genesis 2:17).
So Jesus Christ died as man to fulfill this law that God decreed by himself hence this confirms the very fact that God is Faithful to his Word no matter the situation.
Jesus Christ fulfilling this law can be seen in these following Scriptures "What the Law could not do, because human nature was weak, God did. He condemned sin in human nature by sending his own Son, who came with a nature like our sinful nature, to do away with sin. 4 God did this so that the righteous demands of the Law might be fully satisfied in us who live according to the Spirit, and not according to human nature." (Romans 8:3-4).
Going further "13 You were at one time spiritually dead because of your sins and because you were Gentiles without the Law. But God has now brought you to life with Christ. God forgave us all our sins; 14 he canceled the unfavorable record of our debts with its binding rules and did away with it completely by nailing it to the cross.( Colossians 2:13-14.).
This confirms the Words of St. James thus "But Mercy has triumphed over the judgement of our sins" (James 2:13).The Preface of the Holy Eucharistic Prayer puts it thus "In Love, You created man, In justice you condemned him but in Mercy you redeemed Him".
So love of God brought us into creation for a relationship as the primary purpose of God's predestination for man.
But man's sin through the deceit of satan released a secondary predestination which is condemnation.
But to confirm that his original nature is love and his primary purpose for man is superior to punishment he released his mercy.However Scriptures have it that God knew man could disobey and fall away so he has already created a remedy for mankind incase he should fall because man is man who has a weak nature thus Jesus Christ was defined as the Lamb of God who was slaughtered before the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8).Infact at Easter Virgil Mass, the Church calls it the *necessary sin of Adam*
Have you heard such statements before *the necessary sin of Adam*?
So that the Mercy of God will be REVEALED!!!
So the mercy of God comes to stop what our sinful nature deserves which is untimely biological death and eternal damnation.
Thus by his death, Jesus Christ has destroyed the death we deserved by the effects of Adam's sin upon us and our own personal sins then he replaced our deserved death with life not any type of life but a life of immortality which cannot be destroyed by devil/demons/sin again through the light of his Gospel (2 Timothy 1:10).
Also the Grace of God comes to release unto us good things we do not deserve because of the effects of Adam's sin upon us and our own personal sins which is called unmerited favors.
Thus "Grace had appeared to us...".
Something that appeared to you is what you do not work for, pray for, labor for or even imagine. A good example is the oxygen you are breathing into your nostrils right now.
Imagine that people breath in oxygen based on their prayer-request to God for oxygen, how many human beings will be alive?
Most of the things we enjoy on this earth were not our prayers or collaboration with Grace and Faith that brought them that is why need to always pray for Grace, unmerited favors from God and appreciate him for his Gracious gifts to us, our families, friends, country, business and the whole world no matter the situation we find ourselves. Because he continues to give them to us without our permission. Knowing what we need most and providing them ahead of us before we even dare to ask, imagine or think hence St. PAUL declared "the power of God at work inside us is more than we can think, pray or imagine" (Ephesians 3:20).
So as we were saying "Grace has appeared to us bringing with it Salvation and this Grace teaches us how to be holy, self-controlled and upright in this generation" (Titus 2:11-12).
Grace is what gives us ability to be holy in this generation, so Grace is not a license to be committing sin anyhow and anywhere then continue to pretend that all is well.
In the city of Sodom and Gomorrha, Lot had 3-daughters who were Virgins. Virginity here is not just I have not had sexual intercourse with a man/woman yet I masturbate, watch pornography, use my hands to be squeezing my genital organs, using sex-toys/candles/cucumber/carrots e.t.c, wearing nude and half-nude clothes, reading pornographic novels/magazines under the disguise that I am preparing how to have sex with my future husband/wife, listening and watching promiscous movies and songs both Nigerian made and foreign ones.
They were Virgins in the Spirit, Soul and Body.
In this generation, my age-mates and your age-mates as well as people facing the same sinful challenges and financial difficulties even emotional drives are living pure and unstained life so I/You have no excuse to submit to any sin at all because Grace is fully available for ME/YOU thus "THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR SIN" (John 15:22). Remember where sin is (1% ability to fornicate) there also Grace abounds much more (100% ability not to fornicate) at the same point in time (Romans 5:20) so all I/You need to do at that point is to *ask the Holy Spirit to help us to stand on the ability of Grace* and pull through such temptations without committing sin hence we should not for any reason create opportunity for temptations to ourselves or for our fellow human beings. The devil is the tempter, do not be an agent of temptation for any reason at all and do not allow anybody to tempt you either.So with Grace and Mercy clearly defined we can be assured to say that everything both what human being defined as Good or bad will surely be turned into good for me or for you through the primary predestination of God for mankind as long as we continue to maintain our faith in Christ Jesus Our Lord!!!
Hence we say " We know that in all things God works for good with those who love him, those whom he has called according to his purpose.29 Those whom God had already chosen he also set apart to become like his Son, so that the Son would be the first among many believers. 30 And so those whom God set apart, he called; and those he called, he put right with himself, and he shared his glory with them." (Romans 8:28-30).So predestination for each individual soul is *ONLY CORRECT* as long as such a person continues to maintain his faith in Christ Jesus not minding the current difficulties, sorrows and challenges bearing in mind that his predestination in Jesus Christ will surely turn it around for good at God's time.
May the Holy Spirit grow us in Grace and Faith in Jesus Name. Amen.

Solemnity of All Saints

SOLEMNITY OF ALL SAINTS: WHAT IS A SAINT? ARE THE SAINTS DEAD? CAN THEY REALLY HEAR US? WHY ASKING FOR THEIR INTERCESSION? IS IT IN THE BIBLE?

(By Chinaka Justin Mbaeri, OSJ)

Dear friends in Christ, Holy Mother Church celebrates today, the Solemnity of All Saints. A Solemnity is the highest liturgical rank of a feast in the Church calendar; examples include: Feast days of our Lord, His Blessed Mother, Saints Peter and Paul, All Saints Day, etc. All Saints Day is a special feast day in which Catholics celebrate all the Saints, known and unknown. That is, while most saints have a particular feast day in the Catholic calendar, not all of those feast days are observed.Also, we have some saints in Heaven (our brothers and sisters who led holy lives and have departed this world) who have not been canonized by the Church, and whose sainthood is known to God alone, they have no particular feast day. For this reason, the Church in her wisdom set aside a special day on November 1 to celebrate these holy men and women, remembering the outcome of their lives and imitating their faith; just as the Letter to the Hebrews commands us to do: “Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.” (Hebrews 13:7). But then, what really is a saint? Why do we venerate them, and ask for their intercession?

The word “Saint” comes from the Latin “Sanctus” and literally means "Holy." In the New Testament, the term “Saint” is broadly used to refer to all who believe in Jesus Christ and who follow His teachings. Saint Paul often addresses his epistles to "the Saints" of a particular city (see, for instance, Ephesians 1:1 and2 Corinthians 1:1). With time, it became clear that some Christians lived lives of extraordinary, or heroic, virtue, beyond that of the average Christian believer; these particular Christians were eminent examples of the moral virtues (or cardinal virtues), and they practiced the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity and exhibited the gifts of the Holy Spirit in their lives. Consequently, the word saint, previously applied to all Christian believers, became more narrowly applied to such people, with the belief that they are being rewarded in heaven, as such they were venerated after their deaths as saints, usually by the members of their local church or the Christians in the region where they had lived, because they were familiar with their good deeds; as stated above in the letter to the Hebrews (13:7). Since the word “saint” means “holy”, we can also use it to refer to the angels and other holy beings in heaven, for they are holy messengers of God set to always carry out His Will; that is why we often apply the term (saint) to them – Saint Michael, Saint Gabriel, Saint Raphael etc…Hence, if we believe that the saints are in heaven, can they really hear us? Besides, some have accused Catholics of conjuring the dead, which is a very false accusation. Let us consider the following:

The Critics of the Catholic Church often say that the Saints in heaven cannot even hear our prayers, making it useless to ask for their intercession. However, this is not true. The saints are not dead, they are alive. Jesus says that “God is NOT the God of the dead, but of the living” (Matthew 22:32). The letter to the Hebrews says that we are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses, in Hebrews 12:1. Witnesses have to be alive in order to testify on our behalf to the Supreme Judge. In Revelation 6:10, we learn that the saints in heaven know what is going on down here on earth. People who believe that being dead in the body is also dead in the soul are called atheists, not Christians. It would be sinful to conjure up a dead person, like Saul did with Samuel (1 Samuel 28:14), in order to gain hidden knowledge (Deuteronomy 18:10-12). But asking for intercession (1 Timothy 2:1) from holy people is very biblical, due to the power they have (James 5:16). Revelation 5:8 and 8:3 plainly state that the saints and angels present our prayers to God in the form of incense.

Saints pray alongside with us to Jesus as our intercessors. They do not stand "between" us and God. They only pray with us and for us to Jesus who is the MEDIATOR and the WAY. This can be seen, for example, in Revelation 5:8, where John depicts the saints in heaven offering our prayers to God under the form of "golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints." But if the saints in heaven are offering our prayers to God, then they must be aware of our prayers. They are aware of our petitions and present them to God by interceding for us.Some might argue that in this passage, the prayers being offered were not addressed to the saints in heaven, but directly to God. Yet this argument would only strengthen the fact that the angels and saints in heaven can hear our prayers; for then, the saints would be aware of our prayers even when they are not directed to them. In any case, it is clear from Revelation 5:8 that the saints in heaven do actively intercede for us. We are explicitly told by John that the incense they offer to God are the prayers of the saints. Prayers are not physical things and cannot be physically offered to God. Thus, the saints in heaven are offering our prayers to God mentally. In other words, they are interceding.

Another Scriptural passage where we see the intercessory role of the saints is in Exodus 23:20-23. Here, God said: “Behold I am sending my angel before you, to guard you on the way and bring you to the place I have prepared. Be attentive to him and obey him. Don’t rebel against, for he will not forgive your sins. My authority is within him”. In the Gospel of Matthew, we hear Jesus saying: “See that you don’t despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven look upon the face of my heavenly Father” – Matt 18:10. The phrase “look upon the face” (apart from enjoying the beatific vision) can also be referred to an act of seeking for a favour. This is similar to the expression in Psalm 123:2 – “Just as the eyes of slaves are on their masters' hand, or the eyes of a slave-girl on the hand of her mistress, so our eyes are on the Lord our God, till He shows us His mercy.” Similarly, the eyes of the angels are always on the Lord God, till He shows his favour to us His Children. This is a great act of interceding to God on our behalf. Hence, in this regard, Jesus tells us indirectly of the intercessory role of angels in heaven.

Another objection from the Critics of the Catholic Church on the intercession of saints hangs on the claim that, if the saints intercede for us as we claim, it would violate the sole mediatorship of Christ, which Paul discusses: "For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" (1 Tim. 2:5). To this, we ask them: what is He the mediator of? In Hebrews 9:15 and Hebrews 12:24, we learn that Jesus is the mediator of THE NEW COVENANT. A covenant is a contract or agreement between two or more parties. In the biblical setting, Covenant is how God has chosen to communicate to us, to redeem us, and to guarantee us eternal life in Jesus. In this covenant, God the Father and the Son made an agreement regarding the elect. This covenant was made before the universe was created, and it consisted of the Father promising to bring to the Son all whom the Father had given Him (John 6:39; 17:9, 24). Above all, let us take a look at the very words of Jesus in the last supper: “…Take this, all of you, and drink from it; this is the cup of my blood, the blood of the New and Everlasting Covenant. It will be shed for you and for all so that sins may be forgiven…” (see Mark 14:22-24; Matt 26:26-28; Luke 22:19-20; 1 Cor 11:23-25). To this effect, we come to understand better that asking the saints to Intercede for us to Jesus Christ, does not equate them to being the mediator of the New Covenant; they are 2 entirely different things. Let us consider further objections.

Another objection from the Critics of the Catholic Church is: How, then, can Mary and the saints listen to and answer thousands upon thousands of petitions made simultaneously in many different lands and in many different languages? Many of such petitions are expressed, not orally, but only mentally, silently. How can Mary and the saints, without being like God (omnipresent and omniscient) know the secrets of all hearts? Does it mean that they are also omnipresent and omniscient like God? A simple response to this is; if being in heaven were like being in the next room, then, of course, these objections would be valid. This really shows that those who make these objections possess a childish view of heaven; they have failed to understand that those in heaven are not restricted by space and time. Space and time are only qualities of this material universe. A mortal, unglorified person in the next room would indeed suffer the restrictions imposed by the way SPACE AND TIME work in our universe. However, the Saints are not in the next room, and they are not subject to the time/space limitations of this life; for time and space only makes meaning in this life and not in the life hereafter. This does NOT imply that the saints in heaven, therefore, must be omniscient, as God is; it is only by GOD’S GRACE that they can communicate with others in heaven or with us. And the argument about petitions arriving in different languages is even further off the mark. Does anyone really think that in heaven the saints are restricted to languages? After all, it is God himself who gives the gift of tongues and the interpretation of tongues. To be in heaven is to enjoy the fullness of God’s graces and benefits. Therefore, it is by God’s grace and benefits that the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the Saints are able to understand the numerous languages on earth and at the same time. Surely those Saints in Revelation understand the prayers they are shown to be offering to God.

Therefore, the Church in all her wisdom and guided by the Holy Spirit, set aside a day like this (1st of November) as the Solemnity of All Saints. It is a Holy Day of Obligation; hence, we are obliged to attend Mass; and unite our prayers with those of the Saints; asking God to grant us the graces of the Beatitudes, as seen in the Gospel (Mtt 5:1-12A), so that on the last day, we may be counted among the faithful in the company of the saints; just as we see in the First Reading (Rev 7:2-4, 9-14) "After this I had a vision of a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They stood before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands." Indeed, how wonderful is God among His Saints; come let us adore Him!

The full nature of God is possessed by the saints currently in Heaven right now thus "See what an incredible quality of love the Father has shown to us, that we would [be permitted to] be named and called and counted the children of God! And so we are! For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, we are [even here and] now children of God, and it is not yet made clear what we will be [after His coming]. We know that when *HE COMES AND IS REVEALED*, we will [as His children] be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is [in all His glory]. 3 And everyone who has this hope [confidently placed] in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure (holy, undefiled, guiltless). {1 John 3:1-3}. Hence they hear and see as God in whose presence they abide forever!!!

WATCH OUT FOR PART II OF THIS POST TOMORROW – ALL SOULS

SHALOM!