THE FINISHED WORKS OF CHRIST

When he had sipped the sour wine, he said, “It is finished, my bride!” Then he bowed his head and surrendered his spirit to God.
John 19:30 TPT

John.19.28 - Jesus knew that everything was now finished, and to fulfill the Scriptures he said, "I am thirsty." 

 John.19.29 - A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips. 


 John.19.30 - When Jesus had tasted it, he said, "It is finished!" Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. .NLT

[8:16 PM, 4/21/2019] Iya Kekere: Let's start from verse 28.

Jesus knew that everything was now accomplished

But Jesus had not died so what was accomplished?

How was it all finished when He had not entered the Grave or resurrected?

The purpose of His life was death
He lived to die

His whole life was orchestrated towards His death

And Him defeating the grave.

The life He lived determined the outcome in the grave.

Jesus already won before He entered the Grave.

He knew this before He died

He had passed. He had checked all

Everything was accomplished.

All the wrath and judgement of sin was now upon Him.

He had become the target

He was set

For Him to carry this wrath, He had to be blameless

He had to die with it, as the price


Then rise as The Christ, the one who truly lived blameless

In verse 30, He goes on to say It is Finished, Bride

I like the TPT for this.

When he had sipped the sour wine, he said, “It is finished, my bride!” Then he bowed his head and surrendered his spirit to God.
John 19:30 TPT

Who is the bride?

In those days, when you marry a woman into a family, she stops belonging to her old family

She stops identifying with her old family.

It is what they share in her new family (husband's house), that now belongs to her

She is entitled to it fully

Dear bride, it is finished.
You can pack your load in
Papers have been signed fully.
It is finished

IT IS FINISHED!!!

What exactly finished?  Is it His suffering?  Or the world's suffering?  What exactly happened or transpired on the cross that led to this statement? Did Jesus do all that needed to be done? Do we have a part to play?  So many questions rising from this

To be able to answer all of these questions and know exactly what FINISHED,  we have to look at all that transpired on the cross THROUGH the eyes of God.

How did God see all of these?

What finished in His own eyes as He looked at Jesus give up His soul?


The story of the cross isn't just about Jesus dying,  it meant something to God and until we understand what it meant to God,  we will never fully understand what it does for us.

I will be dividing these works of Christ into 3 major parts as I've come to understand it over the years.

- ATONEMENT 
On the cross,  Jesus became a means of appeasement/propitiation. More like He became the appeasement itself.

I'm reminded of a phrase my pastor used to say back home in Yoruba (Ohun si ni etutu fun ese wa).  Jesus was a means of satisfying a requirement.
He satisfied perfectly the requirement for the debt we righteously owe God.

So many would say that God is a loving God and doesn't need our sorry to forgive us BUT God is more than loving,  He is a RIGHTEOUS GOD.  Righteousness ALWAYS demands a recompensation,  hence God sending His son Jesus to die as a recompense.

Now when Jesus said IT IS FINISHED,  He meant not only am I a recompense for your sins,  God is COMPLETELY appeased and satisfied.

For every time you are accused before the judge, do you know the verdict?

Not Guilty

The only way you are declared guilty is if Christ was not price enough

For the man in Christ, even when you ere, never forget this YOU ARE NOT GUILTY

It's like a package in a box.
The box standing as the package.
The box is what is being seen by all

And definitely what will be judged by all

As long as Christ paid in full, then you know the verdict

Never let the enemy call you who you are not. Never let the enemy declare you guilty, he is not the judge.

Whatever it is you have done, whatever it is you will even do in the future, the man in Christ comes out Not guilty always

Someone already became punishment for that sin.
He paid the price in full.

You can't be punished twice

There is no sin so great that was missed out on the cross

Every time the enemy accuses you, just look at him and say:.....that meins...

He will wait and get tired for that guilty pronouncement

2 people cannot be declared guilty and sentenced twice over one sin.


- REDEMPTION

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree"—
Galatians 3:13 ESV

To redeem is to buy or pay off,  to release by paying a price

This has been on my mind since morning.

Jesus, the curse

So many Christians thinking they are still bound by whatever curse it is in their families

Then when you explain, someone tells you
Ah, you don't know what my forefathers did
In my family, they die early

In my lineage, all the first girls don't give birth

Bla bla bla

Don't you understand what happened on the cross?

Don't you understand that you were bought at a price?

Those ties were cut as you died with Christ

Are you saying your family/generational curse is more potent than the blessing of Abraham?

Don't you know you now belong to the bloodline of Christ?

We will have to render the blessing of Abraham useless, the price Christ paid not enough. This is the only way any family curse will stand for the man in Christ.

The next time you hear anyone talking about this, clear them please.

Tell them whose bloodline you belong to

If a man buys a Slave from his master and pays the price in full. Is the slave entitled to 10 lashes of cane apportioned to slaves of that master?

No

Because he is not part of them anymore.

There is a thing with knowing and also killing fear.

Some of us already know these things but there is fear

Everybody in your family married after 40.

You are getting close to 30 and no man, in your mind you are thinking already, What if?

There should be no fear concerning this. No iota of doubt about where you belong to

(for game of thrones lover)

When Daenerys shouted to the unsullied to kill all the Masters in the city, they obeyed immediately.

Their former master told them to stop but they didn't listen to him. You know why? The Dragon mother paid their price already

Stop acting like Jesus is still owing debt. He paid it all

Another part to redemption,


This curse Christ released us from is not just the curse from "our village people" as many Africans would like to interprete,  rather He gave us IMMUNITY and COMPLETELY  released us from the curse of the law brought upon us all by sin.  A price was paid to give us immunity,  not to the devil but to God as demanded by His righteous government

(The sweet part is,  it is the very person man sinned against/violated that also looked for a way to clear the sins)

So yes,  we are COMPLETELY redeemed and all our sins atoned for.

Don't ever think that a curse is active in your life due to any situation.

Don't ever!

Always remember whose family you belong to

- RECONCILIATION

that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
2 Corinthians 5:19 ESV

In other words, it was through the Anointed One that God was shepherding the world, not even keeping records of their transgressions, and he has entrusted to us the ministry of opening the door of reconciliation to God.
2 Corinthians 5:19 TPT

I'd like us to take note of this phrase;  "Not counting their trespasses against them".
Not keeping records

That is one of the things Jesus finished.  God does not see iniquity in us.  When He looks at me,  He sees me as He sees Jesus

God in Christ reconciled us to Himself.  At the point of the death of Jesus,  a new relationship was opened.  God brought us back to the original plan which is to have fellowship with man

 The work of RECONCILIATION was also FINISHED on the cross.

 This simply means,  God doesn't give little or move closer to us based on how much we move closer to Him.  He doesn't meet us halfway
Or get closer as we do.

(He doesn't run away from us.
"I will never leave nor forsake you" was established in this contract)


Rather we as humans are the ones that run far from  Him,  doing things our own way,  thereby working against ALL  God has given to us by that which Christ FINISHED on the cross

So Nothing like God is far away from me as a believer.  CHRIST ALREADY PAID THE PRICE IN FULL so God cannot move away from me

IT IS FINISHED; 
He became an ATONEMENT for our sins (completely appeasing God)  thereby REDEEMING us fully from the curse of the law and RECONCILING us totally to God

It is finished

This was not a tired cry but a victory shout.
Jesus was happy saying that.

When you hear It is finished, remember He paid in full

He paid a price for the law to be shattered

For that table to be broken

He paid a full price for your freedom from self/sin

He paid a full price for God's satisfaction in you and justice

He paid a full price to render the devil utterly powerless.


This is important.
A lot of us still ascribe certain powers to the enemy. That is why when people do things, they say it is the devil. This is to mean that the power was more than them so they couldn't control themselves

Big, fat lie

The devil is powerless before you that is in Christ. Stop giving him power he doesn't have

All that Christ finished is not  based on how much we work for God or love Him. But it is only accessible to those who Believe in it. And in Him

So YES,  We are healed,  the devil is already a defeated foe,  we've been delivered (from the authority of Satan and the kingdom of darkness)

We've been redeemed so Satan (SIN)  has no dominion over us anymore

We ALL have authority over Satan. He already canceled our debt/sin (not because we are good or act right). 

He HAD Mercy on us already over 2000 years ago!

GLORY!!!

Jesus already PAID THE FULL PRICE.  All we have to do is accept and believe so we can collect receipt for that which He paid for

God wants us to see the truth and stand in the light of that which has already been done so we can go forth in power

Most times we wait on God to do something,  sorry He HAS ALREADY DONE IT

I can't wait to walk with God in Heaven and chill


But God already brought Heaven to Earth and is walking with as many that believe and accept all that Christ did

We were Reconciled: Fellowship

Emmanuel - God with Us.
Even God couldn't wait for us to come to Heaven to walk and talk with Him,  He made a way.
That's one of the things Jesus completed on the cross.  God is now with me
I can gist with Him and talk with Him

What Christ finished on the cross already says I am NOT a Sinner.  I have DOMINION over sin

Now this brings us to a very important part,  Christ DID ALL does this mean I don't have a part?

Now if I have dominion over sin and I constantly continue to sin thereby making Sin to have more power,  have I truly accepted or believed what Christ FINISHED?

Am I not indirectly saying Christ did not finish or complete well? Am I not saying He was not price enough?

Probably we need to crucify Him extra so everything can be finished

This brings us to 2 more points

THE PRESENT

THE CONTINUOUS

When we become born again,  it is our spirit that dies and gets reborn,  our body and soul remain

THE PRESENT

This is provision of Grace as an enabler, flowing from that which Christ already FINISHED

We have to deliberately put off the old behavior and God knew we can't do this on our own,  so He gave GRACE and we have to choose/accept this Grace ourselves.

God has already done all that needs to be done,  it is our response to that which He did that will determine how much we receive

We have life in full but we will never know how "full" it is if we do not live it

If you accept all,  you receive all

- God has done everything so I can do as I like❌
- I need to do a lot/work fully so God can do all for me ❌

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Ephesians 4:22‭-‬24 NIV


God already created a new self for us all.  He did that 2000 years ago.  And He has been waiting for us to put on this new self.

When we become born again,  there was a permanent change in our spirit and it is only when we reject Christ that we go back to status quo

We received an ongoing river of grace to help us be more like Him.  And this is not automatic (we are not robots).  Hence we have to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice (daily,  every moment as we live), we have to cooperate with Grace

Don't forget that is is not automatic,  so please don't beat yourself over it or see yourself as less of a Christian.  Just keep cooperating with the Grace made available,  you won't know when you will stop all.

THE FUTURE

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
Ephesians 4:11‭-‬13

This is the goal; maturity in the knowledge of God,  manifesting His spiritual completeness in us

It's a continuous process. Till we die actually, we keep growing in Him. We are to put our faith and rest in that which Christ has finished

We are to put our faith and accept the resulting River of Grace that already flows over our lives

We are to put our faith in the continual supply of this Grace until we come to the fullness of Christ

Never forget all Christ did for you. Never!

Walk in it

Live it!

SPIRITUAL VULNERABILITY AND SINCERITY

A lot of people see vulnerability as a bad thing cos when we are vulnerable we are at risk of being hurt the most. We see it as us giving allowance for people to hurt us.

But being vulnerable goes beyond this.

Vulnerability is the core of all true emotions and feelings

It is us taking the risk to expose ourselves emotionally, allowing ourselves feel truly, being willing to expose our truth, being willing to allow ourselves be seen just as we are without fear or shame of the reality of who we are

There is something about exposing our truths, usually they are shameful, scary, they are things we'd rather not open up about

A lot of us pretend to be all that we are not and this happens for so long that we live in denial of our reality.

We start thinking ourselves to be all we are not

To be vulnerable is to be exposed without wanting to cover up, holding nothing back.

Ready to face the (our) truths that confront us in this place.

It is the courage and strength to see ourselves as we really are even as we depend on God's Grace in becoming all that we've been called as

To be vulnerable is to strip ourselves, to let loose our guard.

It is in the place of vulnerability that we share our brokenness in order to display the  surpassing power and sufficiency of Christ and the gospel.

It is in this place of vulnerability that we are transformed increasingly into the likeness of Christ

Let me break it down,
To be vulnerable is to accept your weakness enough that it points us to the sufficiency of Jesus and our strength in Him - "We cannot accept strength if we do know that we are weak"

Vulnerability in itself is not what is bad, it is what we see when we are vulnerable that we usually don't like

Why are we talking about Spiritual Vulnerability and Sincerity?


It is a big part of our Christian life though most people don't know

Especially for those of us that have grown to a certain stage in our spiritual walk

We do not know how to be children anymore before God.

We can't believe that with all of our knowledge, we still did certain things so we cover up or pretend those things didn't happen

Sometimes we give excuses for those things

We forget in these moments that we actually do not have any strength to do the right thing

We forget that Christ is our sufficiency and especially in days as these, we should hold on to Him

We forget that we are open before God, nothing is hidden and He still loves us regardless.

Instead, we form hard guy, hard guy

We lose our spiritual fervor. We realize we've not been praying, though we still hear from God and get revelations whenever we study but we know there is no fellowship.

We can't just accept "a whole us" is going through this, so we pretend as if all is well

And when we speak with people, we lie about our spiritual lives too. This one comes very easy

We do not open up, Not to God, not to humans or communities we belong to

Same with when Christians make mistakes/sin

We shield ourselves

We hide in our weakness instead of baring and allowing Christ be our strength

Looking back now, I just wonder

Did I really think God wasn't aware? Like who was I deceiving?

What was I protecting or hiding?

Hebrews  4:13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

Gen 3:9 God called to the Man: "Where are you?"

10 He said, "I heard you in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked. And I hid."


11 God said, "Who told you you were naked? Did you eat from that tree I told you not to eat from?"

Not one thing is hidden from God. Not even our thoughts

Imagine going to a doctor and lying you have fibroid when it is pregnancy

Does that stop the pregnancy from growing?

If you insist from now till next year that it is fibroid, does it change the baby to blood clots

Pretending that pregnancy is fibroid  does not change the pregnancy is fibroid

Man had sinned

And the first instinct was to run into hiding.

Sin always wants to be covered.

Of course it is shameful and the enemy uses this as a tool to help us cover it well

But we are not doing is covering it, we are actually hiding in it.

Now look at God's reaction to sin from the verse we shared.

While sin is saying hide me, hide me

God is calling out, Where are you?

He really is not seeing your lust issue. He is not seeing your anger issue. He sees beyond that


Because of Christ's covering, He sees Him in you. And though He knows all that you think you are hiding, He is not focused on that. His Where are you? is not to beat you up for all you've done wrong

God is calling us to stop trying to cover our sins cos that's a failed attempt even before we start

He is calling us to Christ as our covering Garment


There is a reason Adam and Eve still hid after covering themselves with fig, the fig was not enough covering.

Even the hiding place they found did not take away the feeling of embarrassment and shame


Christ is our only hiding place

When we allow ourselves to be vulnerable. We see how our lost condition. But God confronts us with something so much better, the truth of who we are in Him


It's like me coming to Nonso that I don't have clothes. All I have to wear is rag. (Note that Nonso has bags of expensive clothes in my name). He will not shout at me for wearing rags.

He will show me the clothes that belong to me

These are your clothes, the belong to you. Put them on

He will help me put them on

I will leave better than I came, with expensive designer wears instead of the rags I came with.

I leave knowing I am much more than I thought I was

Back to Adam, If Adam's response to God's call was Sincerity, we might not be here to be honest.

Adam refused vulnerability and Sincerity and that itself is a sin problem.

When we try to cover up, pretend or make excuses for our sins, we allow ourselves wallow deeper in sin

Some of us take this to our secret place. The place of prayer, which should be the place we open up to God totally, where we hold nothing back. Like even God is not holding anything back o.

Some of us hide there too


The secret place is no place for secrets. Whoever comes to God must come with a plain heart, ready to bare it all. I don't call my friend, Precious, to meet me at a secret place only to end up telling her lies.

Does that make sense?

Is that friendship?

God knows us. He sees our darkest parts even more than we do. He understands us more than anyone else, more than we do ourselves. So what is there to hide?

If God already sees all, why do I still have to be vulnerable and sincere? Can't He just fix all without us talking or going over this?

God knowing those dark areas is not an invitation to shine His light in the darkness.

Without us opening up, His light will be meeting a shielded wall.

We have to come before Him plainly.

Judas had a stealing problem, more like not contented. Though He saw Jesus daily, that problem wasn't fixed. Of course Jesus knew Judas' problem

Judas pretended. I'm sure he acted like he really loved people and wanted to help from the purse he was keeping. He refused to admit or give that part of him up.

How can Judas, that went with other disciples to cast demons come out to say he touches the offering he is keeping?

How?

He rather kept that dark part and it consumed him

God wants us to pour our hearts to Him

This secret brought a certain kind of closeness I can't explain to my prayer life.

Am I liking a boy and I don't really like the way my thoughts are drifting? Bet I'm telling God in prayers.

You'd actually think I was talking to My girls

Sometimes I get tired of praying and I just struggle and struggle cos I must pray. I go back to God. I really can't do this on my own.

I've learnt to never be ashamed before God.

To lay it all bare.

Have you noticed this, when you discuss something secret with your friend, it redirects your relationship. It feels like it opens them to you also. Everyone starts pouring out their hearts

I've seen this play out in my prayer life. I tell God the darkest secrets I have and He shares deep secrets I'd never have known with me.

Secrets about Him
Secrets about Me.
Me in Him
My identity in Him

And I'm just there like, so this is who I am.

Like this is really who I am?.

When we open up to God sincerely, He responds by opening up to us also. We tell Him a secret, He reveals a secret (revelational truth) about Himself or our identity in Him.

Being sincere and vulnerable before God is not spiritual weakness, it comes from a place of trust and deep intimacy.

Knowing we can tell God anything and we will leave the secret place better than we came.

God wants us to be like little children with Him, wanting to share every area and aspect of our lives with Him.

 God wants us to gist with Him about everything as we do with our most intimate friends. Sweet part, He also wants to reciprocate this gesture.

In pouring out our hearts (all of it), we establish intimacy.

Make the decision to open up to God sincerely (in every area), like a baby, in loving abandonement. Be vulnerable and sincere before Him. Allow Him draw you close to Him, Lifting your burdens, covering you with a cloak of comfort and pulling you into His warm embraces.

Psalms  62:8 Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.

Our out your heart longings. Pause in His presence and just pour it all out

God is the safest place! Don't be afraid of what you will be revealing in vulnerability. He is safe

Trust Him at all times.

Allow yourself to be vulnerable at all times

Come as a child at all times (as that is what we really are)

When we refuse to be vulnerable, it is not usually fear that God is not safe. Sometimes it is pride
Some other times, it is shame. That shame of seeing ourselves as we are

But you want to know how Safe God is, He doesn't even allow us feel that shame when we come to Him.

Christ becomes our covering

He doesn't shame us or go over our mistakes 100 times

He clothes us with the Christ Garment

If you are finding it difficult to pray, speak with another Christian. Pray together with them

My friends and I do this always. Things people would never believe anyone of us can do, the day it happens, no hiding.

We come open.
We pray together
Encourage ourselves with the word.

I keep shouting accountability here, it is because it has helped me greatly.

I don't know how to hide myself o.

Here is to you all

I really do not know what you are struggling with, but I want you to know that God is a safe place. Don't be scared to be vulnerable with Him

I pray for everyone that this teaching is not just read and pass for us.
That we make efforts to do this, the enemy doesn't succeed in tricking us into hiding.

I pray that the revelational truths that hit us change our lives forever and even those that meet us.

Amen

CHURCH HURT

Church Hurt, a pain inflicted by religious institutions or better put, other members of the body of Christ.

Though we don't talk about it much, I do not think there is a church without a member that have felt hurt at some point by the church.

The difficult part about church hurt is victims coming out to speak to leaders in the church or older believers about their pain, and they meet a defensive wall.

That need to protect/defend the church (or its reputation) forgetting the church is the people in it.

The victims are even sometimes blamed for whatever happened

A lot of people have been abused (in all kind of ways) by spiritual parents/shepherds who should have been their guide.

Ranging from gossips, disappointments, scandals, lies, misunderstandings, conflicts, envy, rivalry, condemnation, loneliness, bad leadership down to Emotional, physical and even sexual abuse.

All of these in the body of Christ.

I'm so certain if we were to bring together  everyone that has stepped into a church, we'd find that every church has in one way or the other hurt at least one of the members (probably without knowing)

I myself have seen Church Hurt. I saw it while growing, though I didn't know what exactly it was called neither did I understand it (since it wasn't happening to me).
But now, it makes more sense

Sadly, I have also experienced church hurt.

I have met some who have been bruised slightly, some burned badly, so much it has affected even their faith or make them leave the church and others walking around with scars/wounds that run so deep

 The church, a place for safety, acceptance, forgiveness, finding one's self and growing in Christ, a place built on love.

Who would have imagined such a place would have elements of strife, rejection, conflicts, hatred etc?

I've spoken to people on this and I'd say it is painful for the victims when they are blamed for their hurt or the church and those involved refuse to take responsibility then sitting in the church pews watching those who have abused you teach all that is contrary to what they've done to you
 This messes with the mind sooooo much.

Especially for cases of abuse, you start wondering if the person next to you is also that way.
An "animal" pretending to be Christlike/Holy in front of people.

You might even go as far as wondering, is there really anything like Christ like?

Is it all made up?

NOW, here is one bitter truth:
We can't afford to spend time dwelling in the hurt or how the other party could have done better.
It breeds bitterness, deepens the hurt/pain, leads to unforgiveness sometimes unbelief (if not tended quickly).

All of these is not healthy for our spiritual life/growth

Another sad part, all these things you feel have no effect on whoever offended you in the church.
They are solely YOUR feelings (even if you are right about feeling hurt)

Imagine being shot by a thief on your way home, your first duty is to get help
Take care of you.
The thief doesn't feel your pain

If you are not fast about getting help, might lead to your death.
The thief is still alive, could accept Christ tomorrow and be forgiven

So, YOU first

Why is the church (members of the body of Christ) hurting people?

For those that have been through church hurt, this is one question you surely ask (maybe for closure)
Like how? Why?

Let's have it in mind that the church is the last place anyone expects to get hurt, so when it happens that pain runs very deep.

Since no one comes to the church with guards up, there is a lot of vulnerability leaving us not ready/prepared for church wounds.
So when we receive these wounds, they are seldom fully healed.

Takes a whole lot to forgive totally

Imagine being burnt not by the fire thrown by the enemy but by that within the church.

Some leave the church and sometimes even Christ

Some stay in church, but they are just there floating (neither hot nor cold), disinterested

Some also stay and pretend. They come to church, clap and dance, raise holy hands, speak in tongues but they are hurting deep

They are only still hanging around because that is what church have been to them and they can't really accept or confront that hurt/pain.
So they pretend it never happened

All of these people, struggling, becoming worn out/exhausted, robbed of the experience of enjoying true fellowship with other believers.

These people are all around us
Pierced hearts, crying deep and silent tears inside, all of these not visible to those looking

Some of us might even have caused others such pain at some point in our lives.

To victims of Church hurt, most ask WHY? in the bid to get closure.

Did I do something wrong?
How is this person doing this to me and still preaching every Sunday?
Am I really the bad person?

It goes on and on.

I will try to answer the why (generally) and I'm sure it applies for everyone regardless

Though the body of Christ is Christ's radiant bride (Rev 19: 7-8), a house for God's spirit, it is very possible that we see a contrast between the biblical descriptions/images and our own personal experience in a church

Why? The church is made up of people.

People of diverse backgrounds, age, personalities, sin struggles, convictions, cultures.

 Because of this conflict in personalities, the church is not perfect.
Rather everyone is growing into perfection

Even the early disciples had an inkling of this, so much that they wrote different letters addressing how members of the church should behave with one another

While the church is the body and bride of Christ, we shouldn't be surprised by hurt in the church.

Everyone is coming from different places, with different kind of hurt also

Some wounded more than others
Some yet to experience human love
And all they now know is the love of God, which they are actually growing in

They are also yet to grasp this love fully.

(please note that I'm not making excuses for those that might have hurt you but rather explaining where they are also coming from)

People who come from a life of constantly gossiping about others.

People whose parents always talked down on, condemned at every given opportunity and never fail to remind they are a mistake

People who though have been redeemed and saved from the old life, but sometimes still relate to the wickedness in the heart of (the old) man

These are the people we are dealing with and at a point in our lives, we are or have been these people to some others also

You've surely gossiped or condemned someone before

This brings me to our teaching from last 2 weeks.

John 15:12
Love others just as I have loved you

If there is love (just as Christ's), we won't hurt other members of His body.

Remember we said the criteria for this love is, Just as Christ

A lot of people are yet to know and embrace fully how much Christ loves them
From pastors down to members
So they can't love you rightly

A lot of people have known only a life of rejection, hurt and pain by those closest to them

Though they have come to know Christ but they are yet to let go completely of that old life

You can't give what you don't have

Hurt people Hurt people

The pastor that rejects a member of the body of Christ for sinning is yet to understand the love of Christ fully.
Christ accepts everyone just as we are, even the one condemning

The member who sexually abuses another is yet to know the love of Christ

That person that makes it their duty to see everything wrong in whatever you do, if they know the love of Christ, they'd know that He loved us even when everything was wrong.
Like not one right thing we did to deserve His love

Wherever it is the hurt is coming from, whatever form it happens, have it in mind that the person that hurt you also needs help

So to break the Whys down :

Sin, the old man, past experiences/way of life, little or no understanding of the Love of Christ


For those that'd say they were just being wicked, of course the heart of man (the old man) is desperately wicked and filled with all manner of evil

The church people, The ushers, praise team, pastors, congregation, all constitute of people from the world, imperfect people.

Take note of where everyone is coming from
And a lot of people carry extra load from their previous location to the church (sometimes they are not even aware, actually most times)

Now, any of us could be the one dishing out contents from the extra load we brought into this new place

It could be you hurting me tomorrow

Or me hurting another the day after

Always have in mind, the church is filled with broken but growing people (in different degrees and pace)

Now we've tackled the why but it necessarily doesn't make you feel better. It doesn't take the pain away or the deed

You didn't come to the body of Christ to be hurt as though you were in the world.

I know

So let's move to you

You cannot Heal if you don't forgive.

It is not possible

Let's go to the scripture, has anyone in the bible felt hurt by people they trust?

Can someone relate to your pain/how you feel?

My best friend, the one I trusted, the one who ate with me—even he has turned against me.
Psalms 41:9 ERV

David at a point felt hurt by those he trusted. Those he'd have expected to know better

This pain/hurt, Paul experienced it. That pain/hurt, even Christ experienced it.

John 13:18
"he who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me"

We do not have a high priest that is not in tune with our feelings and sufferings.

So yes, God knows exactly how we feel

First step towards letting go

Know exactly what you are feeling. Be honest about identifying this.

Remove your focus from the people that hurt you or how it happened.

Put a word to how you feel. Is it hurt, pain, disappointment, unbelief in God, rejection, sorrow, Shame, embarrassment, fear, anger?

Find out exactly how you feel, the core of your hurt.

Search scriptures relating to that which you find out.
What does the Bible say about being rejected by men, even the body of Christ?

Meditate on the scripture you find. Let it be on your mind at all time till it becomes a standard.
Your focus is now on the word, not on the people that hurt you or the pain

It's easier for God to reach you in this state and heal you

Do not be mad at God
A lot of people are angry at God cos they feel He could have stepped into the situation and stopped others from hurting them.He could have just done something.

Never forget, everyone is striving for perfection and God doesn't take the blame for what people do. The problem is people not God.

If we are angry at God, its harder to reach out to us.

Most atheists are on this table. A lot are holding something against God. Probably they expected Him to come through in a situation and He didn't.
You can feel the hurt when you speak with them.

Their only defense mechanism is concluding there is no God.

When you preach to them, they can't understand because of the anger in their hearts and pain

Leaving the church or not
This is something to pray about. Sometimes, we have to leave an abusive space to actually heal.
But have in mind, wherever you go it is still human beings you are going to meet there.

People with diverse backgrounds and culture.

That pain, it is not about the building. It is about humans, the people inside the building

Pray before you take this decision, speak to someone and of course make sure you do not leave on a bad note


Know who the enemy is
The enemy of Christ is the enemy of the body of Christ.

And this enemy is not the person sitting in the next pew
It's not the man that hurt you, preaching every Sunday with the mic.

Never forget who your real enemy is
Behind all the people hurting others, is one strategically motivating them to do so, in all manner of cun and craftiness. The devil. And I'm sure you know his agenda, his end game

He is actively seeking people to devour, and those people that hurt you?

They are just pawns in all of his schemes. They are not the enemy Never be mistaken about this

Someday soon, he will be destroyed forever. We do not wrestle against flesh and blood.

Satan will not come and steal, kill, destroy physically. He will use people, flawed and broken people to achieve his agenda.

We should always be alert to recognize all his schemes

Take it to God
A lot of us complain more about being hurt than actually praying about it.
God says to call upon him in the day of trouble.
Pain and deep hurt is a troubled heart.
Take it to God. Don't be afraid to be vulnerable before Him

Pray for the people that hurt you
This is a bit difficult but a huge Step towards forgiving. You already know they are not the enemy and are just pawns, you certainly do not want them to keep doing Satan's works without knowing.
Put them in your prayer. Pray for them

Stop looking for closure rather seek comfort in God
Closure is actually very overrated (to me)
You might get it and it will still not be satisfying, the reasons might not be enough for you.
They might sound stupid. So just rest in the arms of our loving father.
Allow Him tend to you. Allow Him comfort you and heal you

Forgive And Let Go
We've talked on forgiveness a lot of times so I won't dwell on this.
Remember forgiving doesn't justify what the person did to you.

Forgiveness is for you. You can't afford to keep swallowing poison hoping the other person will die.

Forgive and let go. Think more of letting go and less about the pain

Remember our teaching on Just as Christ? Forgive, just as Christ

To The church

A lot of us are part of the culture/people that hurt others.
It's a circle but I believe it can be stopped.

It starts with you and I.

That holiness/standard we look out for in people, pursue it. Be intentional in your relationship with others

Even if you don't understand you've hurt someone, as long as they are hurt you should reach out to them. Don't be defensive

End the circle, don't hurt people. Don't be quick to condemn or use harsh words.

Be accountable:
The church needs to stop covering up for its members or leaders that hurt others. It is part of becoming, it is a process. We should be truthful and honest in dealing with such situations.

Finally, LOVE JUST AS CHRIST

REPENTANCE

We will be talking on REPENTANCE today and our teaching will be interactive

A lot of us have heard: Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand
Some of us even use it.
What really does repentance mean to us?
A change of heart after the realization that one is wrong.

Wikipedia defines it as the process of reviewing one's actions and feeling contrition towards past, and *this is accompanied by commitment to change for the better*

I love this so much.

Repentance is not just me checking my actions to see if they align with God's word.
It is not just me feeling bad for those actions
But rather making efforts to change and being commited to this decision

Let's read Matthew 3:1-2

When it was the right time, John the Baptizer began telling people a message from God. This was out in the desert area of Judea. John said, “Change your hearts and lives, because God’s kingdom is now very near. ” 
Matthew 3:1‭-‬2 ERV 

John's message was a call to repentance.
Like I said, repentance is not being sorry about your mistakes.
It is okay to feel sorry but don't stop there

Repentance is not a feelings word but an action word.

It is a charge

A charge to make a change of  heart/direction.

Now I want to ask, Is Repentance something we must do before we come to Christ?

It's a YES and NO.
Repentance is totality of what coming to God looks like

Repentance is the first call to Christ.
First from John, Jesus, Paul and even the disciples when they were sent.

Another thing about John's message, He didn't say You are a sinner, so you must change your ways.


It says: Change your ways because the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand
Our repentance is a response to the message that the kingdom of heaven is here.

Another thing, the call to repentance is not a suggestion.
Everytime it was mentioned, it was (is) a command.

Turn away!
Stop what you are doing!
Change!

In the old testament when people repent, we see them tearing their clothes, tearing down idolatrous statues

Is Repentance only for unbelievers? Nope Everybody



Great.

The call to repentance is for everyone.
If we do not see anything wrong or a need to change, then we cannot change.

You can't turn back unless there is a Conviction you are moving the wrong way.

So if we as Christians do not constantly check ourselves, we might keep doing certain things the wrong way

So we can basically say, one of the first step to repentance is laying that sin bare, keeping it in the open.

Do we remember when Prophet Nathan came to David after he sinned?

Repentance didn't happen until that sin was brought open and acknowledged by David.

So before we can be delivered from something, we must first undeceive ourselves


You cannot stop watching porn if you do not treat it as the sin that it is

You cannot stop lying if you take it as just and it's not really a big deal

And this is why I keep hammering on Christians covering or hiding their sins.

It makes it harder to stop.

We should always check ourselves for spiritual fervor, faithfulness, alertness, love, obedience, purity and growth.

.
Our spirits should always search diligently if there is anything we need to repent of (change or turn away from doing)

God has a purpose not just for you or me as a person but for US.

And when I say us , I mean God and I, you and God

It's a partnership

And partnership calls for responsibility on our end

Call your sins in the worst possible terms, exactly how bad it is so you know why you need to stay away from them.

As Christians, we should master the art of repentance.
We should be quick to it

Don't argue or try to defend your shortcoming.

Especially when we are faced with the truth of the word of God.
This one pierces so much
Let's allow it change us
Don't run away from it

I believe Christians should focus very much on iniquities.
A lot of us feel because we don't commit fornication, steal or we are not gay, we are better

You see all those faults hidden in subtle areas of iniquities, they are worse

You see even pastors and leaders guilty of them and this is because most people don't know.

Pride, covetousness, envy, unbelief, rebellion, selfishness, overambition

All these things in their littlest form are as dangerous as the "worse sin" you can ever think of.

Some of us don't know we are proud
A whole lot of knowledgeable Christians are actually but we don't know.

Always Wanting what others have in a self seeking manner.
You see a Pastor healing the sick and you want to heal too, not because of the sick o but also because of how that will make you feel or people revere you

These little little things, are Big.

They shouldn't be overlooked

We should acknowledge them as what they are

Repentance is not to focus on sin or kill ourselves over it

When you notice and acknowledge, what is next?

Repentance

And making a conscious effort to change

Yes, you make changes.

But on our own, we will struggle
So here we are back to God

Fix your gaze upon Him, see Him in the beauty of His Holiness
When you gaze long enough, you See your true reflection in God

You see all what He has called you to be in Him

When we fix our gaze on God, we see God's unconditional acceptance of us. We see His wish, dedication and commitment in making us just like Him.

Then our lives start reflecting all that we see gazing upon Him

*The Call to repentance is the call to fix our Gaze upon God*

To be conscious of how He sees us, of His Grace, His changing power and love

Let us pray.
Thank you Father for your word.
We pray that you reveal to us those subtle areas we need to repent and change from.

Help us to keep our gaze fixed on you always
To be conscious of your Grace.

Amen

JUST AS CHRIST

Sometime in January, my phone got bad so I was offline for about a month. I still continued with the daily bible reading/schedule personally.

On the 23rd of January, we read Galatians 5.

I read mine personally. I got to verse 6 and it felt like something struck me. I checked so many translations on my laptop that day. I was on this one verse for over 5 hours.

Something changed in me.That particular verse gave birth to today's teaching. I'm hoping that it changes something in you also as I share all the Holy Spirit gave me

Please I'd like us to pay attention and allow the word do its thing

Galatians 5:6

*If you are a follower of Christ Jesus, it makes no difference whether you are circumcised or not. All that matters is your faith that makes you love others.*

Galatians 5:6 CEV

*All that matters is your faith that makes you love others*

*So if a man belongs to Christ Jesus, it does not matter if He is circumcised or not. He must show by His love that He believes*

. Gal 5:6 WE

Nothing else matters.

Not your speaking in tongues

Not your praying 20 hours daily.

Nothing else matters except your Faith that is expressed in love

What matters is your faith that makes you love others

Let me break the verse down. Your circumcision or not, what matters is faith, the one that works through love.

Whose Love? GOD'S LOVE. What matters is your faith that is shown through GOD'S LOVE FOR YOU.

So our faith works in reliance on God's love for us. But it doesn't stop there, it produces love in us

When the love of God hits us, the only way we can respond is in love

So now, what matters is Faith that is shown in the way we love others (which is only possible by first receiving God's love).

Faith in God is not expressed by how much we participate in religious activities, how much we minister, how much we adhere to a set of rules, or the law. Faith in God is seen in the way we love

A perfect example for this is Christ. We see His belief and Faith in the Father expressed in His love for us

To express our devotion to God, it is not entirely about what we say or believe or the church we attend.

It is demonstrated in our LOVE LIFESTYLE

The basis for Christian life/behavior is the Love of Jesus (the love of God)

As circumcision was to the men under the old covenant so is faith expressing itself through love is to the new covenant. Any Faith that is not shown in love is dead, dead faith. It is useless.

Needless

A waste of your time and deceiving of yourself. A perfect example of this is Jesus

Let's read John 13:33-35

*John  13:33 Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you.  13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.  13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.*_

At this point, we see Jesus telling the disciples He is leaving them.

Let me translate to my understanding

*I'm going somewhere you can't really come with me. Everyone knows you people identify with me. You've been following me up and down. But you see, I'm going and where I am going, you can't follow the way you've been doing. So here is the new way I want you to identify with me: LOVE ONE ANOTHER JUST AS I HAVE LOVED YOU*

Jesus made this statement right after he talked about Judas betraying him and this is so significant for me.

Right after a knowledge of  betrayal, a charge to love

Jesus did something that has never been done before, an emotional one for me cos this is the foundation of Word Alive also.

He created a group identified by one thing: LOVE

So many associations in the world, some people wear black beret, white dress all through. People identifying in different ways : skin color (black students association), uniform, common interests, tattoos, piercings etc

But Jesus gave something unique to the church, to those that were to be identified with Him. He created a body whose identifying factor is LOVE

And nothing else matters

Not the skin color

Not the dressing

Not the beret

LOVE IS THE IDENTIFYING FACTOR.

"So it's no more, I'm a Christian, I attend CCC"

"I'm a Christian and Oh, I love JUST AS CHRIST"

You see what Jesus was saying to them: Though I just spoke of one of you betraying me, Love is still our identity

The same way I extended love to you Peter even after you refused to believe and almost sank, love others.

The same way I (will) run to you hug you Peter even after denying me thrice in a few hours, not shouting "I told you so", that same way, Love others.

The same way I picked you up Remi even though you kept falling every minute, that same way, Love others

What binds us to Christ is our love. It is our identity.Christ gave a NEW Model: LOVE

God is love, and anyone who doesn't love others has never known him.*

1 John 4:8 CEV

Love is the evidence of my belief. If I tell you that I believe, then my love is the witness. My lifestyle of love shows that I'm truly of the faith.This was how Christ identified with God.

Love is the confirmation that my proclamation of faith is real

If we claim to be in the light and hate someone, we are still in the dark. But if we love others, we are in the light, and we don't cause problems for them.

1 John 2:9‭-‬10 CEV

Let's open 1 Peter 4:8

Above all, constantly echo God’s intense love for one another, for love will be a canopy over a multitude of sins.

TPT

Most important of all, you must sincerely love each other, because love wipes away many sins.

1 Peter 4:8 CEV

Love will be a canopy

A covering.In love, there is forgiveness for sins, without number. Like endless forgiveness of sins

There are some people that are so difficult to love.They do things to hurt us always. Getting on our nerves

And we just want them out of our space. But here is what we've called to do; Love them

We've not been called to just love, we've been called to Love the way Christ Loved, the way God loves

In your lives you must think and act like Christ Jesus.

Philippians 2:5 NCV

In your relationship with others, have the same  mindset as Christ

You've not been called to Love people out of reverence or respect for them or based on what they do, we've been called to Love others based on how Christ loves me and them

Samson is a very nice and helpful person to me, but I'm not supposed to love Samson because he is good to me

I've been called to Love Samson because Christ loves me. The day Samson stops being nice and helpful, I will still love him. Because my love for him was never about him but about Jesus.

“If you love me, you will obey my commands.

John 14:15 NCV

Do you love Jesus?

If you say you truly love me, you will keep my commands. If you truly love Jesus, then you will keep His commands. You've been empowered to

Now what is this command you are keeping?

“This is my command: Love each other as I have loved you.

John 15:12 NCV

AS much as

This is My commandment: that you love one another [just] as I have loved you.

John 15:12 AMPC

The standard is Christ, the way He loves us

How has Christ Loved you?

This is a question I want you to write down answers to.

Write down every way you've felt Christ's love especially in times you messed up.

Then extend that love to others when they mess up

MY PRIMARY DUTY IN LOVING OTHERS JUST AS CHRIST

1. CARE: I'm to care for others just as Christ cares for me, regardless of them deserving it or not.

2. ACCEPT:

 Romans 15:7

You will bring God glory when you accept and welcome one another as partners, just as the Anointed One has fully accepted you and received you as his partner. TPT

Accept and welcome others. Christ accepted us with all of our faults. Don't push people away because they are not living a Christ like life yet. There was a time you were there but Christ accepted you still. It is the person you are accepting, not their sins

Jesus accepted you with all your guilt, imperfections, mistakes. He accepted you completely.

He showed you His love regardless.

Accept others

3. BEAR WITH OTHERS

Some people will frustrate you after accepting them. You will almost regret accepting them.

They will keep making the same mistakes over and over and it will be irritating.

But remember, Jesus was patient with you also.

There was a time you kept going back to you sin and He bore with you

Bear with others just as Christ did with you

4. CARRY THE BURDENS OF OTHERS (Just as Christ):

When we go through things, God comes through for us. He stays with us through it all. Our burdens become His.

We should do same for other believers and even unbelievers 

Carry their burdens.

Most of us Christians are quick to help fellow believers but care less about outsiders.

Jesus didn't do that

Even if those people keep hurting you, carry their burdens as Christ did yours.

5. FORGIVE (Just as Christ)

No matter how many times they repeat the same mistake, Forgive them just as Christ forgave you while you were also doing the same thing over and over.

Remember that time you will ask for forgiveness and do the exact same thing again?

Like you never really meant it. You were just asking forgiveness for the sake of it?

God knew but He still forgave you. He didn't cancel you.

Now do same for others.

Forgive them even when they are not apologetic just as Christ did you.

6. SUBMIT (Just as Christ)

Submit to others out of reverence that Christ submitted Himself to us all on the cross for our sins.

That Sacrifice is the inspiration and standard for us towards others

Submit to others even when they are proud and try to ride you or think you are a fool for submitting.

Jesus submitted till death and some people still take Him for granted.

So submit even when you are taken for granted (this is how Christ Loved)

7. ENCOURAGE(Just as Christ) 

Let your words lift and encourage others. When we fall, we look to God for words that will lift us up.When we are sick or in trouble we got ourselves into, we pray to God to send word.We feel so relieved when we get a word of encouragement.We should do same to others.

Stop doing *I told you so* everytime

Jesus did not do *I told you so* to you.

Use your words to lift and not condemn

8. RESTORE (Just as Christ)

When people make mistakes, help them get back on their feet. Even if you are at the receiving end.

Even if they do not care that you are hurt

Even if they are not Acknowledging their fault.

Help restore them just as Christ did you, regardless of their countenance

These things are difficult of course.

And the only way you can give this kind of love is if you have received /experienced God's kind of love

How can you accept others when you don't feel accepted?

I'm praying for everyone reading this, that you come to know God's love in a way you've never before

Till it becomes a standard for your living and relationship with others.The only thing that counts is our faith expressed through love

How do you love?

Is it exactly as Christ as loved you?

The freedom we have in Christ is to serve others in love. This love we've been called to is Extreme. I made a note of everyone I needed to love more (those that know how to get on my nerves).

 I reached out and for some it felt like they were still trying to hurt me.

 But I've been called to a standard so high: putting every other person above me because that's what Jesus did for me. 

And it doesn't matter if they like me back or not. I've been called to be a servant to all men, just as Christ was.

 Every Christian has been called to this standard. Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Paul knew what he was doing here because some people don't deserve my submission.

But Christ submitted regardless, up till death

Now imagine a world where people actually identify Christians by their love.

Where you see people love so much as Christ and you ask, are you a Christian?

Imagine a world where everyone is envious of how we followers of Christ Love (even though they don't really like us)

Imagine a world where even atheists will prefer to hire Christians

Where people will prefer to be our neighbours, colleagues, friends, all because of How we love

That is the world Christ wants us to live.

And it starts with you and I

*Love others JUST AS Christ loves (loved) you*

We can care without letting them draw us into sin/ their sinful acts if the other person is a sinner

I'd always thought of of this and here's my theology: Love is basic and Christ compels us to love but association is a choice. Like say I have a colleague or neighbor who is plain silly and is always involved with immoral things. We can show love to them without association. We just keep praying.

That's what I've always thought but I'm now encouraged to do more. To act the love out daily

The love of Christ. It is what compels us to

On our own, we can't love

But you see the love of Christ, it enables us

Remember Vampire diaries, the vampires look in the eyes of their victim and make them do things they will not do normally

That compelling is what the love of Christ helps us to do.

Let us pray

Thank you for your word Lord.

We pray that your love abounds in us and we are able to live this word that you have shared with us.

If there be anyone around us difficult to love, step in and help us.

Everyone of us will be known by the way we love.

This will be our identification as your followers going forward and it will draw men to you.

We spread your love everywhere.

Amen