Sapphire strokes

.’.She says they expected both congregants and local pastors at her former church to give a “tithe” of 10% of their monthly income to finance the church and its leadership in Nigeria. And that was besides what was called “first fruit” – their entire pay packet of the first month of the year‘.

Matthew 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.

THe abysmal lack of knowledge of God and his grace as portrayed by some only shows the church of God still has a long way to preach the gospel. Here is a pitiable story:Evarline Okello breaks down in tears as she tells me she is hundreds of dollars in debt, after paying a pastor to pray for her.

She lives in a tiny shack in Kibera, a vast slum in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, and can no longer provide for her four children.

Ms Okello hasn’t earned anything for months, she tells me as we talk on the telephone. So when she heard about a pastor whose prayers could make life better, she wanted to see him. He asked her for $115 (£96; 15,000 Kenyan shillings).This is known as a “seed offering”: a financial contribution to a religious leader, with a specific outcome in mind.Ms Okello borrowed the money from a friend, who took out a loan on her behalf. She had been told this pastor’s prayers were so powerful that she would see a return on her money within a week.But the miracle never came. In fact things got even worse, [/b]she says. The loan her friend took out has ballooned due to unpaid interest. She now owes more than $300, and has no idea how she’ll pay it back. Her friend has stopped talking to her, and she still has no job.”Things have become so difficult I have lost all hope,” she says..cost-of-living crisis. Food prices rose by almost 16% in the 12 months before September 2022This has increased their desire for supernatural solutions, she says, and [i]many are now willing to pay for a miracl[/i]e, even if they have to borrow the money.

“People are being told that God doesn’t want them to remain poor. So they plant a seed,” she tells me.

The Prosperity Gospel has its roots in America, where it gained momentum in the early 20th Century……

…That’s what happened to 26-year-old Dennis Opili. Feeling disheartened after over three years of looking for work, he asked a friend for help.

“He advised me that there is a church where you go and they pray for you. You give a certain offering, then they pray for you, then you can secure a job,” Mr Opili says.

When his savings ran out, he borrowed about $120 from cash apps and from friends.

“I believed in what the pastor told me, that I’ll be able to secure a job. So I didn’t have any problems with borrowing, because I thought eventually I’ll be able to pay off the money.”

But when no job appeared, Mr Opili suspected that they had tricked him.

…Luckily he has now found piecemeal work, which has enabled him to pay back part of the money, both to the loan companies and his friends.

“I still very much believe in God,” he says. “All I have to do is just be a little more careful.”

Sarah says she saw people paying for “seed money” with their credit cards in church services.

“I remember one time at the church a lady said: ‘I have been paying my tithe, and it seems like I still don’t have enough money at the end of the month.'”

The pastor’s response, Sarah says, was to tell people that giving was more important than paying their rent. And she says anyone who questioned why miracles were not happening was told: “You didn’t pray enough, you didn’t sow seed enough. You didn’t have enough faith.”
…..
But it can also appeal to those living in poverty, he says.”A church that says: ‘We know that you’re suffering, and we have a practical, attainable solution for you,’ [/b]will be more attractive than one that preaches some elusive, systemic change.”
……
I wouldn’t say that church is bad. The church is good. It is the pastors who are doing wrong. They are the ones who are asking for money.”

Suspected Fulani herdsmen killed three people and injured a dozen others on their farms in Sobe community in Owan West Local Government Area of Edo State.

Among those that were killed were a pastor and two of his workers who were working on the farm when the herders swooped on them on Saturday, March 4, 2023.

A source told journalists that the latest attack was the fifth in the series of herdsmen attacks on the Agrarian community since January, 2023, when the killer herders launched their first attack.

“The people of Sobe community in Owan West Local government area of Edo State have suffered another attack today following the renewed hostility of Fulani herdsmen in the area. They killed a pastor and two of his workers while they were working in their farm land around Eti Oseh Road, which links to Saboginda Ora,” the source said.

Effort of the Edo State Security Network to rescue the victims before they died proved abortive as the herdsmen numbering 40 open fire on the rescue team and most of them escaped with various degrees of bullet injuries.

“We call on Edo State governor led by Governor Godwin Obaseki and Edo State commissioner of police and her sister agencies to beef up security in Sobe community.

“This is the fifth time Sobe will suffer deadly attacks from Fulani herdsmen this year. Most people living in the suburbs of the community have since left their homes while most farmers have moved from the community,” the source added.

A survivor of the attack, Abel Marvelous shared photos of his injuries on Facebook and wrote;

“I am glad that I escaped the wrath of Fulani herdsmen. They almost do away with me yesterday.
God you are great
It happens 6pm yesterday Owan West l.g.a. Sobe ward 11.
They have almost finished us here,3 person where killed yesterday and 5 people seriously injured, including me and my brother.”

Isaiah 53:1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?

What is this report that men has refuse to heed? That God the son will incarnate as man and walked on the surface of this earth. What is this report?

That Christ shall come to save all who believe in him. What is this report that he will die for the sins of men, that men will be free from the shackles of sin and death. What is this report? that christ shall undo the burden of sin, break the captivity of Satan and thus offer liberty to all who come to him. What is this report? That generational sin that has wreaked havoc in families shall be broken, for christ has become a curse that all those reeling under curses shall be free. What is this report? That the blood of christ cleanse us from all kinds of sin we might have committed. What is this report? That christ came not to condemn the world, but that the world through him shall live. What is this report? that christ will translate our lives from darkness to his marvelous light. What is this report? That we are bought with a price more precious that gold. What is this report that christ has taken all from a debased and notorious family background to be part of a royal priesthood. What is this report? That our works can not save us, but his grace has saved us. What is this report? That those who die in christ shall live again. What is this report? That we have overcome the world as Christians. What is this report? That greater is He that lives in us than he that is in the world. What is this report? That in him we live, move and have our being, as captured by a noble poet.

What is this report? That we shall have eternal life!! What good news that men have turned thier back how men have preferred to go on the wide road that leads to destruction instead of the narrow part that leads to life. But we shall continue to preach, proclaim and announce this report through all available means. They have mocked us; they have despised us,but we shall not deviate from the report nor go the Demas way. We shall continue while it is day, for the night comes when no man can work. GOD HELP US.

MARANATHA!

Is it not being baptized either as a baby or even by immersion?

• Is it not how much you can quote the bible or know a lot of verses by heart?
• Is it not your winning a lot of trophies for your youth body each time you go out for debate?
• Is it not having a famous pastor as your spiritual father or mother?
• Is it not getting a degree in theology or going further?
• Is it not teaching a Sunday school or getting a job as a Christian religion teacher?
• It is not being a church leader?
• Is it not being close to the pastor?
•  And have received a lot of awards from the board of deacon?
• Surely it is keeping the house of God cleaned always for worship?
• Being a good and regular thither for the past decades?
• Having their highest monitory contribution each time, there is a need arising in the church
• Bought a car gift for your pastor during his 50^th birthday
•   Appointed head of elders to build a huge orphanage as part of the church ministry?
• Donated a parcel of land to the church?
• Sponsor the pastor’s television ministry through your organization as part of the church vision to reach the world?
• Gave a scholarship to some deserving students in the church.
• All the above is no.
• THIS IS THE ANSWER :
• Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hears my voice, and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
• Romans 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
• MARANATHA!

 Matthew 17:21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting. (all quotation is from James Version]

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

 How do you persuade God to take back what he has pronounced? After all, he has told us what comes out of his mouth shall not return until it has accomplished its mission and purpose. [life or death]. Let us read Isaiah 55:11, “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it’.

There is only one way to move God God to renege what he has ordered. To do that, put a smile on his face and a nod of approval from his Holiness [God too has emotion; God can be pleased or made angry see Genesis 6:6 “And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart”.

Matthew 3:17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. These passages show emotion.
God sent a man, a prophet to tell a certain nation and all it inhabitant that their time was up except they repent. The prophet went but, in his style of delivery, did not leave any room for repentance; He came to tell them about judgment-day, telling them when the city will be damned. Jonah 3:4-7; ; And Jonah entered into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown. So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water. Take note, it was the king who knew what to do. Prophet Jonah never told them, wonderful king. The proclamation of fasting here was to humble them. God always open His ears to those who are humble, the proud is far from GOd.

A man believe it is only Jesus who can bring solace to his aching heart concerning his dying servant, he went only to meet a stern rebuke, or so we think, from Jesus. Mathew8:1-9.

A prophet was sent to deliver the doomsday message to the house of Hezekiah that he, the head, should put his household in order for his death was already sealed.

Stepping over to NT, [New testament of the bible] we look at a classical case of how to get your way from the God who is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipotent. He who made the entire world, the only one who is alive forever , the everlasting father. A woman wanted a fix for her dying daughter, a rebuke, from the hovering hand of the devil to kill her.
She made haste to the only one that fear fears and obey his command. She brought this pathetic case to him, but his answer was the least encouraginging! But at the end she had her request met. In the above scenarios, they all had their ways. Let us use the case of the last person, the woman of Canaan, a foreigner, that has nothing to do with the Jews people, but she knew Jesus has the answer to her problem. It is human nature to look for solution to plaguing problems, the challenges that life tosses our way, and the mountains that impede our progress. We go all out for solution wherever and whenever one is available, undermining the source. That is one reason false prophets,, magicians and witch doctors are still thriving and will continue to thrive. While we look for solutions, it behooves us to know the right part like this woman:

Matthew 15:22-28 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.Six facts to note:

1.  God always responds to faith action from anybody, whether you are in the lowest step on the ladder of degeneration and disgrace, or from the highest pinnacle of your relative success.[
2. The environment or society we live might not encourage the application of our faith. The disciples wanted Jesus to tell the Canaanite to go away; [perhaps that may give them the boldness to push her away. [When we live in a country that does not practice or outrightly deny our faith,faith, the ground becomes harder and the atmosphere necessary for miracle is absent.
3. Lack of response should not stop us from persistent prayers, supplications, and asking.
4. In this year, 2023, event or circumstance may work against our faith, but we should not be moved by what we see or hear. Often the Devil uses what we see to attack our faith- base by transmitting a negative picture into our heart via our sight. The men sent out to spy the land saw, and it crumpled their faith in God. the people in the camp heard and it crumples their faith, too. We must see from the eye of faith and hear from the word of God. Jesus answered her not and the only time he answers it was a devastating one.
5. Those who refuse to be offended, who will remain focus, will always win the battles of life. Know what you want, remain humble. Remain focus and persistent in faith.
6. Worship: she worshiped the only being who is worthy of worship. Not material things, not men., but you might say, how do you men? Well, there is a place in our heart that is reserved only for the creator, the place of worship. ‘Then said Jesus unto him get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, thou shall worship the lord thy God and him only shall thou serve.’ Mathew4:10.

Happy new year!

Exodus 3:13 And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? What shall I say unto them? [KJV]

This question that Moses poised to God was a sad reality in the lives of the people that Jehovah was about to send him; a people who have lost thier true identity,a people full of despair, neither knowing thier history nor having a desire to know it. This added to thier misery and hopelessness. If only they know they would not indeed have reacted like Moses knew they would, asking about a so-called god and his name, for thier God was the only true God who was omnipotent, omniscience and omnipresent, it was because of these powerful attribute that this God was sending Moses on a mission to have them delivered so that they would come to know him and serve Him. Many today, goes to church, have a big bible, sing gleefully in the church, but do not know the God they serve. When temptation comes, they run back to the world to fetish and to thier former ways. thier coming to church seems like a modern thing to do, a king of social gathering what with the scintillating music and the atmosphere with men and women dressed up to thier nines. It is a disservice for anyone to go to church and not learn something new about a wonderful and omnipresent God of love and forgiveness. It is a shame if we do not know his will concerning our lives nor what the Lord has rout for us when he went to the cross.Let us read from the Bible, Exodus 16:4 Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove to them whether they will walk in my law, not. I always take my text from the king James. Here in this text, God almighty, the ever bearing God, the great provider came once more to the rescue of the children of Israel who always find it difficult to know the ways of this God or his immense power. They were prisoners of thier limited knowledge of who Jehovah is to them. The various gods Egypt had developed thier concept of God in the land they were slaves. As Christians, our hope and faith is built on Jesus, our lord and saviour; he is our strong foundation. See 1 Corinthians 3:11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. He can protect, provide, promote and prosper us. T grow a healthy faith that will remain unshakable during temptation. It behooves the believer to seek a church of the” WORD”, not the so-called miracle church. There, you can grow your faith from day to day. It is your faith in God that gives you victory on a daily basis. We are called as Christians to live by faith daily. See Habakkuk 2:4 Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.Romans 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. I have deliberately taken from the old and the new testament so that you may know the importance of faith in God. As you come to know this God you will stop jumping from pillar to post. When you are troubled, you will become still and know that He is God indeed.

MARANATHA!

Following viral reports of a pastor bathing church members in a basin to cleanse them of evil spirits and welcome them into the new year in order to prosper, I researched more about the so-called pastor.

My findings

I found out that the man seen in the viral video is known as Mark Mensah, CEO of Phens Multimedia, a media organization based in Ghana. He is popularly called Pastor Blinks. I also found out that the man is not even a pastor but a skit-maker who deliberately make videos mocking pastors and the Christian faith. The videos are edited and published as if it happened in real life with no hint to viewers that it’s a skit. Many people watch the videos, curse pastors, believing that what they watched actually happened.

In fact, he had in the past shared a video claiming to be a pastor and touching the private part of his members. There is also a video of him giving his so-called church members a drink from the water he used to bathe. He has also appeared in a video posing as a pastor and praying for a woman’s underwear.

Sometime ago, Prophet Osei Kumchaha called on the police to arrest Mensah for ridiculing Christianity and putting out offensive contents about pastors as if it happened in real life without providing information to viewers that it was all acted. The prophet said Mensah profits by making offensive video while portraying himself as a man of God, then post the videos on his YouTube handle (hitzGH tv) for people to click, argue and make offensive comments about Christianity while he makes cool money.

I stumbled on his YouTube page where I saw him asking people if they think the video was real or acted. He then went ahead to show how he made the video. Note, this is after he had posted an edited version of the video on Facebook and raked in millions of views from people who had thought the video was real.

Conclusion

There is nothing wrong in making skits about pastors, however there should be at least a disclaimer to warn people that such sensitive videos are not real. Making such videos to ridicule, mock, and misinform people about Christianity at a time they are celebrating Christmas is an evil act.

The videos misinform people, rile them against Christianity, make them question their religion, subject their faith to ridicule and incite the public against their beliefs.

investigation by Alexander Thandi Ubani.

my Addidum:

Thanks to Brother Ubani, indeed, there are many people out there trying to stop or put evil slant on the gospel, but the gathering at the gates will always fail, for the victory over evil has been won even before it was fought. The founder of the church has predicted Matthew 16:18b I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Matthew 24:4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.

many on social media choose to put forward controversies that do not talk about the Works of christ and the significance of his death and resurrection and the power of the Holy spirit in the life of a true believer.

I concur like Sant paul in 2 Thessalonians 3:2, And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith.

MARANATHA!

If you miss the podcast, here is the writeup.

N never you look back at the failures, setback of the previous year, you can not be in the past and the present; that is why you do not have eyes on the back of your head. Ahead, forward looking, no-matter what, is the way to win the game of life.

E energies for the now. You are in the present; how you handle it will determine your tomorrow. Stop daydreaming and wild goose-chase.

W winning mentality is a must if you want to leave the rut. Have the mindset, walk it and see it before you.

Y yield, here comes your spirituality. , you can not do without reliance on the leading of the Holy spirit. The more you yield, the more you He leads you in the way of peace of mind with contentment without resorting to strife or competing with anyone..

E exercise your body regularly. A fit body is a must if you must go far with your plans. A sick body can not guarantee a tomorrow like a fit one. You do not have to be muscular, but just strain every fibre to strengthen them.

A avoid a situation that can put your plans and plots in a spin. Do not get into a situation that can put you in a loop without a way out for a long time.

R revisit,reseve and renew. Look back at how well yo are working your plans and how well it works out. Reserve your virtues. Do not spend all energy, or strength or finance on any project. Renew your strength by taking time off before the year runs out. Go on vacation. It helps a lot, learn to appreciate your God in your secret place, meditate.

Luke 2:7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

Merry chrismas to you. This is a message of love and best wishes. It is a time to send best wishes to loved one and acquaintances and a time good enough to forgive those who have erred against us as we, too, have developed the humility to ask forgiveness from those we may have offended. This is so because the season is about love express in giving: the giving of time to children, to our old mothers we have not seen since the beginning of this year the giving of gifts to loved ones and the sending of best wishes to others. God the father, the personification of love, started this when he sent Hiis only son to the sinful for a sin solution. John 3:16 ,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. As we go about showing love in different forms, i want to tell us that the best gift we can gift today is to us. Yes, to ourself; me, i and myself. When Jesus came, he was God walking amongst us, healing, forgiving, and delivering those oppressed. He showed compassion to the downtrodden. We call Him EMMANUEL [GOD WITH US] But after post Resurrection, Jesus desires to come even closer to humankind, He wants to live within us! Hear Him in the book of Revelation 3:20, Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. This is the core of the message of Christianity; accepting the coming in of the lord to live in us and we in him. A divine experience that is difficult to explain in lay terms. There are visitors and there are visitors. There are those we recieve into our inner chambers even tell them to sit beside us in our bedroom!, and there are those we only recieve at the gate, yet both are termed visitors. Mady Christians only have Jesus at the gate; there have not allowed Him to come in at all. Today, as we celebrate, let us allowed him in, let us open up our heart and let Jesus come in and sup with us like he said.

MEERY XMAS.