What does unity do?

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! ......................As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore. Psalm 133: 1-3 KJV

One of the things that makes people to have issues is dis-unity. As children of God we must be united, speak in one voice and move towards the same goal. The power that the other religions have over Christianity is their unity. They have a common agenda and goal and together they work to make it happen.

As Christians we must come together as one to have a common agenda. What stops all the churches from coming together to have a common worship? One that is non-denominational. As a united force, the Christian race would win over the world

What does Unity do?

1. Unity is beautiful to look at
2. Unity is a good thing
3. Unity is pleasant
4. It promotes brotherhood
5. It provides a dwelling place
6. It ensures togetherness and survival
7. It is a great assurance
8. God commands blessing in the place of unity
9. It removes failure Gen 5:6
10. Unity brings everlasting life Ps. 133: 3

Unity is needed to win and reach out to the world. As a united force the early Christians were able to reach out to the further lands and perform so much more miracles. This is what we need to fulfill the Christian mandate. 

Benefits of Fearing the Lord

His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed. Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth for ever. Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous. A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion. Psalm 112: 2-5 KJV

If you want to reign and excel in life then we must fear the Lord. As a child of God who fear Him, we do things that shows that we fear the Lord. There would be no need for your spouse to check on you because he/she knows you fear God; this is because the fear of God builds trust. The fear of the Lord ensures that we are accountable in all we do. With this attribute in our life we would not entertain evil neither would we be open to anything that is not of God. Show love to those around you irrespective of who they are or where they are. Love is not racial and tribal; with fearing the Lord we show love that transcends colour, race, age, social status.

There are benefits to fearing God.

1. His seeds shall be mighty
2. His generations shall be blessed. The blessings of God in his life shall extend to generations to come
3. Wealth and riches shall be in his house. A man that fears God will have a house that is resident 
4. Lasting grace to live a righteous life. He will enjoy living a righteous life
5. The light of God shall be on him that fear; this light shall wipe out darkness
6. Fearing God makes you gracious
7. God will give you opportunity to have compassion on people; to help people

Comfort of the Holy Ghost comes upon him that fears of the Lord. This fear over a period of time brings a multiplication upon the life of man. It would enlarge us and take us to that place that we cannot even imagine.

 What are the signs that shows we fear of the Lord?

1. Reverence for God
2. Total departure from evil
3. Love and display the love in action
4. Do good to all and always; never pay back evil with evil
5. Been addicted to prayer (not praying is a sign of pride). Prayer is a sign that we reverence God
6. Praising God in all situation and at all time is a sign we fear God
7. Worshiping God is a sign that we love God
8. We are saved and have accepted Christ as Lord and Saviour

What is the Christian’s weapon of Warfare?

Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. And all that believed were together, and had all things common; . Acts of Apostle 2:41-44

Picture source https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ivFI1-Wqmvg/maxresdefault.jpg

The life we live is in the heat of battle, we as Christians are in warfare. We all wrestle and battle for success in all areas of our life. Jacob told the Angel of God he would not let go until the Angel blessed him. The road to success is paved with sweat and hard work of the successful man. “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds” 2 Corinthians 10:4. As Children of God we are to make sacrifices and ensure that our warfare is Christ-centered.

It is very important that we increase significantly our prayer life. Spending time with God daily does wonders for the life of the believer. God seeks that we spend time with him; it is through this that the Spirit of God in us is strengthened. We need more of the Holy Spirit in our lives and ministry to ensure that our life runs smoothly.

In battle, everyone matters and all lines of battle are run smoothly. We as believers should ensure that there is proper rule of law and each soldier irrespective of rank knew where they belonged. We must be willing to live in unity with one another. The example Christ gave us was that we focus at God as our common interest. We are Christians because we love God and was saved by Christ who died and rose and now sits on the right side of God the father.  “And all that believed were together, and had all things common.” Acts 2:44

Building a strong and stable home

“And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it..... And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him....... And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him” Genesis 2 :15, 18, 20 KJV

What is the foundation of a nation? The family is the foundation of a nation.  What is the foundation of the family? The foundation of the family is the man. Love, patience, cash, life (and any other are all aids that we need in the home and in the family

When building an institution, the first thing you build is the foundation. The foundation is that which would keep the building up and from crumbling. Therefore, as a family, a nation and individuals we have to build the right foundation, so we can have a strong and stable home.

What is the foundation of the earth? The earth was built on Vision. "And God said, Let there be light: and there was light" Genesis 1 :3 KJV. It is important that before we embark and build we must first have a vision. The man must have a strong and intimate relationship with God. A knowledge of God. He must be totally under the authority of God. Homes and families crumbles because we the knowledge of God is missing.

For a marriage to be stable and succeed; the man must be ready to work hard. A lot of challenges occur because man finds it hard to work. “And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.” Genesis 2:15 KJV It is important for the man to work hard to provide for the home with the support from the wife.

Before you can make progress in life; marriages must be established for the right reasons. Why do we get married? Why did you get married? We marry for different reasons; but the bible says  "And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him" Gen. 2: 18 KJV. The right reason for marriage is as commanded by God.

Love is an aid and not a reason for marriage. You don’t marry someone because you love them; you love them because you have married them. Love is a decision and not an emotion. You decide to love them. A family must be united. “And Adam said, this is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore, shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” Genesis 2: 23-24 KJV. We must stay united and be single in our decision making. "A family that prays together, stays together". The stability of the home needs unity, just like the bunch of broom which can't be broken if they remain in the bunch.

For a family to succeed there must be discipline in the home. Everyone must have respect for one another. "Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered" 1 Pet. 3:7 KJV. The husband must have respect for himself, his wife and the children; the wife must have respect for herself, her husband and her children; and the children must respect for his parents, for himself, for his siblings and for everyone around him. It is imperative that we build a strong and stable home.

Appropriate Christian Behaviour

"But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, Behold, my master hath spared Naaman this Syrian, in not receiving at his hands that which he brought: but, as the Lord liveth, I will run after him, and take somewhat of him." 2 Kings 5:20 KJV

Coming before God, we must learn  appropriate behavior.  A lot of us see God as equal and don't behave with decorum when we come unto the presence. We fail to realize that as father and sovereign God, their is a level of appropriate behaviour expected of us as children of God. Just as we behave in he right way with our earthly fathers and mothers, we must do same with God.
Gehazi lost his place (himself and his generation) because he did not have appropriate christian behaviour and so be and his family became a family of lepers. "The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow." 2 Kings 5:27

As Christian children of the Most High God we can no longer behave as a normal person when we have given our life over to God as born again Christians. A lot of Christians don't have their mind renewed. The bible says "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God". A renewed mind behaves in an appropriate way and these appropriate behaviour is evident in

• Our thinking
• Our words
• Our Actions
• Our giving
• Our good we do to others

In been appropriate we are to prove ourselves good, our life must be acceptable before God and we must live within the perfect will of God. If you are a true man of God everyone will respect you. As a Man-of-God, worker on his house or minister we must have appropriate man of God, you never lack.

As an appropriate behaviour you never appear before a Man-of-God empty handed. It is  appropriate behaviour not to accept  every gift, so a Man-of-God has to have the spirit of discernment. It is not appropriate to go against the will of the father. The spirit of God always goes with us therefore we must be appropriate in recognition of God's spirit with us. "And he said unto him, Went not mine heart with thee, when the man turned again from his chariot to meet thee?" 2 Kings 5:26

Everything we do, think or say, we must check with God to know if it is appropriate. As a man of God the appropriate behaviour is to remain humble and we must recognize that everyone is important. As children of God who are doing God's work we must exhibit the appropriate behaviour befitting working in God's vineyard.

Do not take God for granted. Gehazi took God for granted because of his inappropriate behaviour of greed. "But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, Behold, my master hath spared Naaman this Syrian, in not receiving at his hands that which he brought: but, as the Lord liveth, I will run after him, and take somewhat of him."  This behaviour of his affected not just him but also his family and generations to come.

What is the return on Christ's Investment?

These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:

6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.

8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.  Matthew 10: 5-8 KJV

God is waiting to influence every sector of the economy and communities using you and I as a vessel to reach out to the people. The return on God's investment is to spread the gospel and as we do this everything that we lay our hands upon to do will prosper. God is set to use us as the performance measure needed to evaluate the efficiency of His investment in the life of man which He gave to us through His son Jesus Christ. How is he going to use us? He will be doing this through our adherence to his word "to go out and preach the good news". Hence, he would hold us accountable on that last day and even right from here on earth.

God is asking us today to examine our ways. We are to begin from where we are; a person at a time and to share the love of Christ and God's investment into buying the freedom of man from the clutches of sin and death.

Christ said this to his disciples and he is saying it to you today too; "And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?" Luke 12:42. If you keep quiet when you are meant to talk; we are in a dangerous zone. We must be faithful and wise to be able to lead people. We lead them to Christ through the Holy Spirit who actually does the work of the leading using us as a vessel.

We must not be caught unawares when the time of the Lord's coming arrives. We will all give account on Christ's investment upon our lives. There is no room for excuses because we would not be doing the work of God by our own power.  All the work of God we are doing is done by the power of God that works in us. God has an accountability structure.

Evangelism is an intentional decision made by every believer to speak of the goodness of God and what God has done to man and us as individuals. "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." Acts 1:8 KJV
When the power of God comes into our lives we are to be a witness and tell people about the kingdom of God; we are to witness so that our friends and people around us who live in the kingdom of men and the kingdom of the devil can be aware of God's kingdom and be renewed into it.

God is love and because of this he wants us to exemplify this love by showing God to all through the sacrifice God made through Christ Jesus. For God to get a return on this investment we as Christians must ensure that the flow and sacrifice of Christ's blood yields a profit. God is expecting us to share the good news everywhere we go, first in our immediate environment, and people we meet along the way through our journey of life; about Christ and the investment that God has made for man.

To get this job done, the spirit of the lord is available for us. "And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord;" Isaiah 11:2 KJV. As we are here God expects us to arise; and as we go about our daily living, God is expecting us to speak to people about the goodness of God. We are to be involved in the lives of the people in our lives and we are to not only speak to them but we are also to pray for them. How often do we pray for the people around us? How often do we pray for people we do not know; praying for the people who are not a member of our family?

God is still on the throne and no one can limit him. He has called and he is waiting for you. If you are ready to be accountable we must live the lifestyle of a person that has been bought at a price. Our behaviour must be Christ-like. As you go, tell people about Christ; Jesus Christ is your identity. Evangelism is not meeting a person and inviting them to your church. When the Spirit of God leads us to a child of his we are to follow the 8 - I's that ensures that each soul God leads you to is won over for Christ.

1. Interest ( show interest in the person you are speaking to)
2. Inquire about the person
3. Intercede for the person God has directed you to
4. Insight concerning the life you are speaking to
5. Instruction to engage the soul 
6. Illumination of the life of person
7. Introduce them to Jesus first and foremost and not your church
8. Invite them to your church

Evangelism must be a way of life for you. Winning souls to the kingdom of God is the Return-on-Christ's-Investment upon the life of man. As a worker in God's vineyard we must ensure that we are part of this work to yield a bountiful return.

Sin against your body?

Of all the commandments that God gave to man, the one that warns us off adultery is the only one that is a sin against your body but the rest is a sin against our fellow man. When we commit adultery we defile own own body and cut short our destiny and purpose in Life as a Christian. With sexual promiscuity we sign a covenant with our sexual partner, this covenant forms a link and bond that can only be broken through prayers and intervention from God. "Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered?" Isaiah 49:24

As Christians it is important that we believe in God; secondly we have to read, learn from and believe in the word of God. The word of God shows to us who God is and believing in the words draws us closer to God. We move from knowing of God to actually knowing who God is.

The fulfillment of God's promises to man is dependent on how well we fulfill the conditions of the promises. We as Christians owe it a duty to ourselves to read the word, find out what is in it and how it applies to us. God's word is man's user manual and it cannot be manipulated to suit our desires. Just like we would not buy a device and discard the instructions on the user manual to do things our way, the same applies to God's words.

Leviticus 20: 10-22 says that a man or woman that commits adultery (which also includes fornication) opens a door to the enemy to operate in his/her life. Adultery is a sin against our body and our own self; and we know that our body is the temple of God in which the spirit of God resides.  "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?" 1 Corinthians 6:19 KJV

Reuben went in to his father's wife and this action waited for him at the point of receiving his blessings. Genesis 49: 3-4. "Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father's bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch". Gen. 49:4 KJV. Even though his father acknowledged Reuben as the firstborn, his might, and the beginning of his strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power; he however brought to remembrance the sin of fornication he committed and did not bless him.

Proverbs 6:26 says for by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life. The act of adultery puts your career in jeopardy. Sex outside and before marriage makes the Christian meat for the enemy. Any Christian in a position of leadership that indulges in sexual promiscuity will not be a good leader. 2 Samuel 12:14 "Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die." Such a Christian leader allows the enemy to blaspheme the name of the Lord God.

Since adultery is a sin against our body and the temple of God, some problems and life challenges would rise from it. Some of the problems could be terminal; some could be eternal; while others could be for a space of time. Whatever the case the sin of adultery drags with it the rewards thereof. Some of this problems or life challenges can be seen below.

Problems that arise as a result of premarital sex

1. You have major problems on the earth Proverbs 5:4
2. It leads to diseases 
3. It's a guarantee of hell 
4. It makes you give your honours to others and your years to the cruel. Proverbs 5:9
5. Sex makes you age and look more matured than your age (you lose your youthfulness) 
6. Death without instruction Proverbs 7:7-16
7.  Indulging in sexual promiscuity means you might not make heaven 1Corinthians 6:9

The Christian Character Part 2

"Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." Mathew 16:24 KJV

A lot of us Christians take the work of God and our walk with God for granted. We seek to do things in a way that is soothing to us as individuals. God is very finicky about the life that we lead as a Christian.

The bible says that Ruben slept with his father's wife and the father heard and pretended like he didn't hear. They were still doing things together but he didn't say anything. That is how God deals with us. He waits and watches to see what we would do. Everything we have done God has seen and heard, even to the thoughts of our heart (good or bad).

When something good comes somebody's way it is not luck, or a mistake but it is God giving reward to the works of our hands. God is a God of equity and fairness and he is concerned about the life of the people who call him their own. The price of Christianity is very high and most of us live purely by grace. There is a price to be paid for everyone of our actions either good or bad.

God examines our heart all the time to see what is inside our heart. A lot of Christians do not fear the Lord, we see God as a being who is far away; who is lenient and would look the other way when we do wrong. Everywhere you look the children of God are emulating the characters that is seen in the life of non-Christians. Christ said that anyone who wants to follow him has to forsake everything that would act as a distraction and take us away from the path of righteousness.

The life of a Christian is to be one that exemplifies the life of Christ, exhibiting the characters that Christ laid down for us while he walked the earth.

Remember that God is watching. He wants to see our life, would it reflect his nature? If we are going to be Christians let us be Christians. Let us examine ourselves and see if our actions are right. Before we take that action let us ask ourselves if it would bless God and shine a path to the people around us of the goodness of the Lord.

Where does disrespect of God takes us?

"And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things." Acts 5: 5 KJV

The story in Acts 5 was as a result of people living from a common purse, helping each other grow and looking out for each other. But Ananias and Sapphira his wife, decided to also add to the common purse but held back part and told a lie. They pretended to do good not knowing that we cannot pretend before the Spirit of God. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction." Prov 1:7 KJV

Most of the problems that we have today; the sudden deaths, the lacks, poverty, is as a result of 2 things.

1. We do not fear God sufficiently
2. We lack wisdom

In the story we read in Acts 5, we see that the fear of God was lacking. They had no respect for God and so lied and decidedly mocked the holy spirit of God. They willingly lied. The property they sold was theirs and no one would have faulted them if they didn't want to share the proceeds from the sale with the brethren. This tells us that God sees our hearts and the intentions therein. 

To live in peace with man and to weather the storms of life, there is the need to fear God (have respect for God, have reverence for Him). This respect (a feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements) puts us in a place of deeper wisdom and knowledge of life in Christ. To live a life that reflects Christ what we need first is the fear of God and this fear (respect) gives birth to knowledge. 

A man who does not fear God would find it easy to live in sin. A life that does not have respect for God would not seek to please Him. As Christians (believers) we are not serious as believers and hence we are have difficulties enjoying the benefits and dividends of Christianity. If your desire is to be a Christian, be a Christian. If your desire is to enjoy life and its material things, then by all means enjoy life. 

Simply because judgement doesn't come swiftly does not mean God is not seeing and hearing. But His grace through Christ Jesus gives us the second and many other second chances. God gives us a long rope and we take it for granted, thinking God does not know. This is a lack of fear for God exhibited by man. 

If we look around we would see challenges and problems all around us. We see people in need of help or in need of a way out. One of the ways by which believers show their lack of fear of God (disrespect for God) is taking part in sexual promiscuity (immorality). The resultant effects of this level of disrespect for God opens doors to sorrows and pain; it results in challenges that we otherwise should not have experienced.

The disrespect for God through sexual immorality leads to:

1. The person looses his/her place in destiny Gen 35: 22; 49: 4. Reuben lost his place among the children of Israel because of the act of sexual impurity
2. Major family conflicts would arise
3. Confusion and crisis in the family Gen 16: 3; Prov 6:33
4. Unwanted pregnancy and strange children Gen 19
5. Spiritual covenant. Every act of sex is an act covenant with an authority over the sexual partner
6. It leads to abortions that limits progress and causes death Gen 4: 8

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. "Start with God—the first step in learning is bowing down to God; only fools thumb their noses at such wisdom and learning." Prov. 1: 7 MSG We must be willing to bow down to God, surrender to Him and giving Him the respect that he deserves. A respect for God would lead to that respect for our body and the respect for our future. It would automatically move us to separate us from anything that brings dishonour to Him that we respect and bow to.