Author Archives: howap
SEASON: GLORY DAYS!
THEME: MANIFESTING THE GLORY OF GOD
SUB-THEME: THE TIME HAS COME FOR ALL PROPHECIES THE LORD HAS GIVEN TO US TO BE FULFILLED.’
TITLE: WHEN GOD MAKES A PROMISE, HE FUlFILLS IT.
TEXT: Isaiah 45:1-5 (NIV)
This is what the LORD says to His anointed, Cyrus whose right hand I take hold of to subdue nations before him and strip kings of their armor to open doors before him so that gates will not be shut I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron.
I will give you the hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel who summons you by name.
For the sake of Jacob my servant, of Israel my chosen, I summon you by name and bestow on you a title of honor, though you do not acknowledge me.
I am the LORD and there is no other; I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me.
When God speaks, He surely fulfills what He says.
Isaiah, the Prophet prophesied about Cyrus the king before he was born. He mentioned his name, his title and what he would do.
God already set him apart to fulfill His purpose.
In Jeremiah 1:5a
Says, Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born, I set you apart;
It is the same with the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. His birth and His Title were announced by the same Prophet. Isaiah 7:14, 9:6-7. You and I, God knew us before we were born. Before we were conceived in our mothers wombs He had set us apart to fulfill His promises.
God has set us to subdue nations and strip kings of their armor to open doors so that gates can not be shut. To bring deliverance to those who are still bound by the devil because the devil is known as the prince of this World.
God is going to put resources into our hands, into the Church so that His work can go on.
God is going to give the church the wealth, the riches stored in the dark places by the devil.
It was God Himself who named Cyrus and appointed him king before he was even born.
This happened around two hundred years ago before even Cyrus’s parents were born.
This King is the type of Christ. Why , because God chose him to release his people from captivity. The children of Israel were taken into captivity by king Nebuchadnezzar in the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah because of their disobedience to God. So they stayed in captivity for 70 years that was the time God had allocated for their punishment. After the 70 years God raised king Cyrus the gentile to release His people although this King didn’t know God.
Cyrus had a particular anointing from God for His work.
Anointed comes from the Hebrew word: משׁיח mâshîyach usually a consecrated person. *The figurative use of this word ( *chriō, Greek* ) has reference strictly to the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the individual (Luke 4:18; Acts 4:27; Acts 10:38 ). In this sense it is God who anoints (Heb 1:9; 2 Corinthians 1:21 ). The thought is to appoint, or qualify for a special dignity, function or privilege.
To be anointed therefore, means to be filled with the Holy Spirit. God filled Cyrus with His Spirit to accomplish the work He had assigned to him.
The first fulfillment of this prophesy came in the book of Daniel 5. When the armies of Medes and Persia under king Cyrus conquered the city of Babylon, When Beleshazzar was king of Babylon.
God opened doors for Cyrus and gates for him so that he may liberate God’s people. It’s God Himself who opened the door for Cyrus to take over Babylon.
Remember, King Beleshazzar was having a party with his concubines and using the articles which were brought from God’s temple from Jerusalem when Nebuchadnezzar his father raided Jerusalem and destroyed the temple and took the Israelites into captivity.
After king Cyrus conquest, he released the Israelites and allowed them to go back to Jerusalem.
And the other part of the prophesy of rebuilding the Temple was fulfilled in Ezra 1:1-3
In the first year of Cyrus king of of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, the prophet, the LORD moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm also put in writing.
This is what Cyrus king of Persia says; ” The LORD the God of Heaven has given me all the Kingdoms of the earth and he has given me to rebuild the temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah (see Isaiah 45:1-5)
Any of his people among you may go up to Jerusalem in Judah and rebuild the temple of the LORD, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem and may their God be with them.
God used this King who didn’t even know him to release his people and rebuild his temple. But before He did that he first anointed him, strengthen him, gave him all the Kingdoms of the earth so that he may have enough resources, wealth and riches to accomplish his work.
Friends, before we were conceived, before we were born God knew us. He set us apart for His work, for a time as this to manifest His Glory on the earth.
He has anointed us with His Holy Spirit just as He anointed Jesus. Acts 10:38 records how Jesus was anointed, “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with power and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil because God was with him.(NIV)”
If God used Cyrus who didn’t know Him, how much more will God use us, who believe in Him?
Friends, I believe this is our time to see God fulfill each and every promise He has given to each one of us, to our families, to our church, and to our nation.
Cyrus was a type of Christ whom God made Victorious over other kings and to liberate His people.
When Jesus ascended, He led captivity, captive, took the captives who made others captives and opened away for those who were bound. Ephesians 4:8a.
So in these Glory Days God is going to use us just as He used Cyrus, To set captives free, to restore broken relationships, to heal the sick, to deliver the oppressed, to bring salvation to the lost. We shall be called repairers of broken walls and Restore hope to those who have lost hope.
The LORD said, He will go before Cyrus. So the LORD is going ahead of us, to level every mountain, mountain of lack, mountain of sickness and disease. Every addiction, demonic attacks, bad dreams, oppression from the enemy, He will break down the gates of bronze and cut through the bars of iron. Every force of resistance, every situation that has proved to be immovable the LORD is moving it today and He is giving us Victory over that situation just like He gave it to king Cyrus.
No opposition will stand before us Just like Cyrus.
No opposition stood before our Lord Jesus and He has given us authority to over come all the power of the enemy. This is clearly recorded in Luke 10:19.
The LORD is giving us the wealth and riches hidden in secret places kept by the enemy just like how king Cyrus had access to the wealth and riches of the nations God gave him Hidden treasures.
These wealth and riches the LORD is giving us for the work of His Kingdom. God is directing the wealth of the heathen to the church for His work.
In these last days, the LORD is going to manifest His Glory through us and every one is going to wonder and they will come to know Him. Even those heathen, those who worship idols like king Cyrus will come to know Our God.
Friends, I know God has given each one of us promises. Promises concerning your self, family, church, and nation. I would like to encourage you to not give up but to press on until you see God fulfill all His promises.
Just as the writer of Psalms 119:38, we are praying these two weeks, Lord, “Fulfill your promise to your servant, so that you may be feared.”
When God fulfills His promises, His Name will be feared all over the earth. He fulfilled His Promise by sending Jesus Christ to die for us.
God is ready to perform what he promises. He is watching to perform his word which he has given to us. Jeremiah 1:12 The LORD said to me, you have seen correctly, for I’m watching to see that My Word is fulfilled. The Lord is watching what he has promised to perform it. It is the moment God is beginning to perform what he has promised you. The Lord has started to perform what he has promised unto me. He is watching and is starting to perform what he has promised unto us.
The LORD is watching to see every Word of His being fulfilled.
I Encourage all of us to join in these 14 days of prayer and fasting with expectants hearts . Expecting everything God promised to us to be fulfilled. It is a moment to watch God fulfilling His promises upon us.
UNDERSTANDING GRACE AND FAITH.
When God called Abraham, in theology this is called election. It so happened that the family of Abraham through Isaac became known as “the people” (Ha’am). They were later known as the children of Israel, the chosen ones. The only inclusive ones. All the other tribes were known as (גּוים , Gōyim) the infidels, gentiles, from Arabic Kāfirكافر).
For us to understand the Grace well, we must understand the two Hebrew words that interpret people, “העם Ha’am and גּוים , Gōyim”.
The word (עם , ‛ām ) is the term commonly used for the people of God. When the scriptures uses the word “Ha’am” (the people) it always means the children of Israel, the chosen ones, the inclusive ones, the holy Nation.
גּוים , Gōyim is much more frequently “heathen,” and often still, “nation,” which latter is the usual rendering in the Revised Version (British and American), but it is commonly used for non-Israelitish people, and thus corresponds to the meaning of Gentiles.” They were regarded as unclean, with whom it was unlawful to have any friendly intercourse. They were the enemies of God and His people, to whom the knowledge of God was denied unless they became proselytes, and even then they could not, as in ancient times, be admitted to full fellowship. Jews were forbidden to counsel them, and if they asked about Divine things they were to be cursed. All children born of mixed marriages were bastards. Something of this is reflected in the New Testament (John 18:28; Acts 10:27-28; Acts 11:3 ). The Acts 10:27-28, “While talking with him, Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people. He said to them: “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean.” This separation affected even the Jews believers who never understood the Grace. This was clearly seen when Peter went to preach to the gentiles under the guidance and supernatural connection of the Holy Spirit. When Peter came back, instead of the Jews believers celebrating with Peter for the salvation of the gentiles. They were so furious and angry with him as to why Peter who is a Jew went and mixed with the gentiles and worst of all, he eat together with them. Listen to this record in Acts, The Acts 11:1-3, “The apostles and the believers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him and said, “You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them.”
If you see how the worship in the old temple was, the kāfirs or gentiles were locked out_ they were only allowed to end in the gentile court. You could not be allowed to enter the inner courtyard. There was an area where the gentiles could end because they were not the People. This was clearly seen in the design of the temple. There was an area known as The Court of the Gentiles.
The Court of the Gentiles was the outermost courtyard and the only area of the temple where non-Jews were allowed. As its name implies, the Court of the Gentiles was accessible to Gentiles, foreigners, and those who were considered impure. There, worshippers could mill about, exchange money, and even buy animals for sacrifices. It was from the Court of the Gentiles that Jesus, on two occasions (John 2:11–12; Matthew 21:17–23), drove out the money changers, declaring, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers” (Matthew 21:13).
Non-Jews (Gōyim) were allowed to enter the Court of the Gentiles, but they were forbidden to go any farther than the outer court. The inner temple courtyards were enclosed by a balustrade, and at the entrances to it notices were posted in both Greek and Latin, warning foreigners and uncircumcised persons that crossing into one of the other courtyards was punishable by death. “Warning Inscriptions,”. Two complete tablets written in Greek have been found that read: Μηθένα ἀλλογενῆ εἰσπορεύεσθαι ἐντὸς τοῦ περὶ τὸ ἱερὸν τρυφάκτου καὶ περιβόλου (Mēthena allogenē eisporeuesthai entos tou peri to hieron tryphaktou kai peribolou). Ὅς δἄν ληφθῇ (Hos dan lēphthē), ἑαυτῶι αἴτιος ἔσται διὰ τὸ ἐξακολουθεῖν θάνατον (heautōi aitios estai dia to exakolouthein thanaton, “No alien may enter within the balustrade around the sanctuary and the enclosure. Whoever is caught, on himself shall he put blame for the death which will ensue” This was how serious the separation was between “the people” and the “heathens or gentiles_ the kaphirs in Arabic)
Thanks be to God, the door opened called the “grace” that gave all people access to the restricted areas, not just to the temple made with human hands but the heavenly temple.
Oh yes, one of the beautiful writings in the Bible for the Gentiles that you must read word by word and line by line and put into remembrance is Ephesians 2:11-22
[11]Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by human hands-
[12]remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
[13]But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
[14]For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall,
[15]by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace,
[16]and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity.
[17]And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near;
[18]for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father.
[19]So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household,
[20]having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone,
[21]in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord,
[22]in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.
We were separated from the Commonwealth of Israel.
The Grace is the door that God opened for the Goyim to enter into the hall that “the people” enclosed into. The grace opened for us the door of Mercy for the salvation which we did not deserve because we were separated from God, excluded from the common wealth of Israel, and aliens.
When we enter through the door of grace, we become also “the people.” In out text in Ephesians 2:19 clearly shows this, “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household,”
Listen to this Glorious text in Titus 2:11-12 “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. ItIt teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age. Glory to God”.
The door for us all has been open. The doors is called the grace. HalleluYah! No more exclusiveness! All people can be saved now by Faith in Jesus. This door welcomes every style of sinner that you ever list into salvation. The door is open. Every sinner can access it now. Please go tell all sinners, that the door is opened for them all.
And the door (grace) is our tutor. The door “the grace” teaches us to say, No to ungodliness. No to worldly passions. The door teaches us to live self-controlled lives. The door teaches us to live godly lives in this present age. The door does not graft us into devils as some ignorantly teach. It is not the door that has been opened for us to begin living lawless lives.
And we enter through this grace door by faith. That is what Paul says in Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
What are you waiting for, to enter the door? Enter through the door now! Believe in Jesus now. If you have not given your life to Jesus Christ, do it now.
Just join with me in this prayer “Lord, I know I’m a sinner, but I thank You for Your Son, Jesus, who died on the cross for my sins and rose on the third day thereby opening the door of salvation for me, so that my sins can be forgiven and I can be with You forever. Thank You for loving me and opening the door of salvation for me. I’m ready to follow You and give my life to You. Please help me along the way and allow me to know You better each day. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.”
A woman in the Lens or Light of Scriptures
A woman in the Lens or Light of Scriptures
A Woman in light of scriptures not in the light of feminists and women empowerment.
A woman as God intended her to be, not what culture has viewed women to be.
I don’t believe in what is being marketed as women empowerment, because woman in the light of the Holy Scriptures are already empowered. But the enemy has placed some woman into the cage of inferiority, which has caused women to be deceived into thinking that they are the no bodies. The enemy brought deception into the mind of Women into thinking that they are inferior than men, then when he succeeded in this deception, he therefore came back with the old thing make it appear like it is a new thing, but in a upside down format called “women empowerment or feminism.”
Remember the devil’s tricks have not changed. He rides on our ignorance, then rules. In the temptation of Eve, Satan turned the truth upside down. God made man (male and female) in his image after his own likeness. But it was in this same truth that Satan turned upside down. Satan triumphed on Eve’s ignorance of her position and place in God. He said, “God knew that when you eat this tree you will become like him.” On otherwise Satan deceives Eve that, you know what Eve, “God has not made you like Him,” yet they were already made like God. And when even believed this lie, she lost it.
Today, the devil has come up with this same old trick, deceiving women into thinking that they are inferior, no bodies and so forth. And as majority of women embraced the lie, Satan comes with what appears like something new. He says, look here women, you are no bodies, and so inferior from men, we need to empower you. And some women have ignorantly believed this second lie. This is deception, it is a total lie.
Women do not need any empowerment from any world agency, because they are empowered already. Women only need to see themselves in the light of scriptures. They need to see in all scriptures what the Bible says they are. They need to discover their position and mandate in scriptures. The devil has just brained washed some women and many societies into thinking they are no bodies, then comes with counterfeits of feminism. The counterfeits appear like the truth, but not at all.
But as we see through scriptures, are women inferior?
Let’s answer this question with adequate scriptures.
We commence with the foundational truth in Genesis.
Genesis 1:26-28
[26]Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
[27]God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
[28]God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
God made man, “male and female” and called them Adam. Hebrew word: אדם ‘âdâm; human beings, male and female, man. According to the Bible, both men and women are called man.
Genesis 5:1-2
[1]This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day when God created man, He made him in the likeness of God.
[2]He created them male and female, and He blessed them and named them Man in the day when they were created.
Chapter 1:28 says, God blessed them (men and women), and said to them (women and men), be fruitful and multiply (women and men are the ones that multiply, men don’t multiply by themselves), and fill the earth (men and women), and subdue it (women and men); and rule over (women and men are to rule over)…
This foundational truth has nothing to do with women empowerment, because the women God has empowered men and women for Dominion, leadership, ruler ship etc. These verses make clear that God’s original intent for man and woman was they be co-regents (rulers together) over the renewed Creation. This means that an equality of position and authority was God’s intent. They were to rule together.
It is not these satanic agencies that are empowering women, because God already empowered women. These agencies are just using deception. Now when you as a woman embraces these lies of Women empowerment, instead of exploring your God given potential in the light of scriptures, you become confused wasting time and begin competing with men. Feminists teach women how to make domestic violence. Could you find any feminist who is enjoying marriage. Never, because when they are so called empowered, they begin to fight for positions. Feminists don’t help, in any case, they only help in breaking the institution of marriage and society.
Secondly, when God created a woman, where did he get the bone he used for creating a woman. Did he get the born from the leg of man, or head or back? All of you know that the bone was got from the side of Adam.
Genesis 2:21
[21]So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place.
If God had got the bone from the head of Adam, women would be above men. And if God had got the bone from the leg of Adam, then women would be below men. And had it been that God picked the bone from the back of Adam, then women would be behind men.
But thank God, he picked the bone from the side of Adam, the rib, so women would be joint rulers, joint leaders with men because that was God’s dream for them to be rulers together, Genesis 1:26,28.
In prophet Micah the Lord reminds Israel that when he brought them out of Egypt, the people that he sent for this purpose were Moses, Aaron and Miriam.
Micah 6:4
[4]”Indeed, I brought you up from the land of Egypt And ransomed you from the house of slavery, And I sent before you Moses, Aaron and Miriam.
Miriam is mentioned right along with Moses and Aaron as one of the trinity that delivered and led the Israelites out of Egyptian slavery. This illustrates the authoritative, highly influential leadership role she exercised
A woman in light of scriptures Genesis 1:26-28 (Joint rulers, joint governors, joint everything with man.
Proverbs 31:10-29, TLB.
A woman in the light of scriptures is, an entrepreneur, a business owner, a manager, landowner and housing estates, does business at the international levels,
[13] She finds wool and flax and busily spins it (Owns a textile factory)
[14]She buys imported foods brought by ship from distant ports. (Procurement manager, Marketing, sales manager, operations manager, and project manager. Supply Chain Management. __An international Business Woman)
[15]She gets up before dawn to prepare breakfast for her household and plans the day’s work for her servant girls. (Servant leader)
[16]She goes out to inspect a field and buys it; with her own hands she plants a vineyard. (Strategic management, Marketing Management. Operation Management, Human Resource, Planning and development)
[18]and watches for bargains. She works far into the night! (Negotiator and bargainer)
She sews for the poor and generously helps those in need. (Founding A donor Agency)
[21]She has no fear of winter for her household, for she has made warm clothes for all of them. (Disaster and preparedness minister)
[22]She also upholsters with finest tapestry; her own clothing is beautifully made—a purple gown of pure linen. (A royal lady)
[23]Her husband is well known, for he sits in the council chamber with the other civic leaders. (An Influential woman)
[24]She makes belted linen garments to sell to the merchants. (Owning a mega manufacturing industry)
[25]She is a woman of strength and dignity and has no fear of old age. (minister of ethics and integrity)
[26]When she speaks, her words are wise (Processor, or philosopher), and kindness is the rule for everything she says.
[27]She watches carefully all that goes on throughout her household and is never lazy. (Business Management and Administration)
[28]Her children stand and bless her; so does her husband. He praises her with these words: (A woman of praise)
A woman in light of scriptures is termed as THE VIRTUOUS WOMAN OF PROVERBS 31
Proverbs 31. It describes her as:
- Diligent, Skilled Crafts Person
Verses 13,19,22 — a diligent, skilled (thus trained and educated) crafts person. - Landowner And Business Woman
Verses 16,23 — a landowner and successful business woman. - Benefactor Of The Poor And Needy
Verse 20 — A philanthropist (one who gives away money) and benefactor of the poor and needy. Thus she controlled considerable sums of money necessary for these activities. - Wisdom And Opinion Respected
Verse 26 — Her wisdom and opinion is sought and respected.
Psalms 68:11
[11]The Lord gives the command; The women who proclaim the good tidings are a great host.
The word COMPANY is translated from the Hebrew word tsaba. Strong’s Concordance says it is feminine in gender and means “a mass of women organized for warfare [an army].”
The verse then is rightly translated, “The Lord gave the word: great was the mass of women organized for warfare that published if. “
What follows is written in defense of this special force of women. The object of this section, then, is two fold: (1) to release women to find their rightful place in God’s work, so they can fulfill their ministries for His glory; and (2) to change the attitude of male church leaders so they encourage women to fulfill their God-given calling
This is what a woman in the light of scriptures is like as opposed to a woman in satanic feminism. This is a woman as God intended her to be.
The objects of which the HOWAP is established are;
a) To seek to win the lost to Christ through evangelism and the preaching of the gospel. We Reach nations through preaching uncompromised Word of God.
b) To glorify God in accordance with His Word, our Statement Of Faith, and the Constitution of House of Worship & Prayer Assemblies by promoting the worship of our God, edifying believers, teaching the whole council of God, administering the ordinances and biblical discipline.
c) To carry out church planting with Major emphasis of planting churches in major urban centers, towns and cities. Establishing other local churches of like-faith and doctrine.
d) To Defend the faith and maintaining a good testimony for Christ in our community by godliness and good works.
e) To minister love, hope and forgiveness to all people, conducting healing and deliverance thereby through the power of the Holy Spirit, the bondage of Satan over people’s lives is broken.
f) To Reach the disadvantaged, the sick, prisoners, schools and institutions, prostitutes, through outreach with some scholastic materials that God blesses us with.
g) To Disciple, train and send believers to reach the world for Christ.
h) To Ordain and license men to the Gospel ministry; carrying on a vigorous missionary program locally and around the world.
i) To offer biblical instruction, counsel and training that focuses on awakening man’s original leadership mandate on the earth in as far as dominating his daily circumstances in accordance with his Makers will, through foundational training, in-depth class teachings, loyalty to God’s and the national constitution, target seminars and conferences.
j) To train and mould disciples into God-fearing leaders within their various workplaces in society in order that they too might disciple and/or mentor others in their various disciplines or domains in like manner, based on biblical truths.
k) To train disciples from various communities and leadership sectors in focusing on individual and group productivity schemes that elevate their mind sets, eradicate ignorance and rampant poverty levels, health awareness, and to awaken their minds to the wisdom that enables one to become more sensitive to discerning between what is more godly rather than wicked practices in our society.
l) To engage in the production and dissemination of teaching and training study materials through audio-visual media establishment and other digitally available platforms based on biblical foundations and instruction for mankind.
m) To deal in all relevant goods and services used in the business of and/or commonly supplied in connection with education, training, scholastic materials, audio-visual tools and equipment plus any media assembly installations needed in the effective dissemination of information for educative purposes.
n) To extend financial assistance, mentorship, advisory, counselling, and consultancy services to all spiritually moral and productive persons in our society.
o) To act as custodian trustee or manager of any property or fund for the organization.
p) To borrow any moneys required for the purposes of the organization upon such terms and on such securities as may be determined, provided that no interest bearing loans shall be raised by the organisation for the purpose of establishing and operating all or any of its non-profit making schools or departments.
q) To invest the moneys of the organization not immediately required, upon such securities or otherwise in such manner as may from time to time be determined by the executive council.
r) To strengthen Christian leaders, including pastors through training, seminars and conferences thereby enabling them to attain a more effective Christian ministry.
s) To establish schools and organization courses and refresher courses for spreading the Bible truths.
t) To assist national churches in their evangelistic programmes as they present the gospel of the kingdom of heaven in culturally appropriate media, and to challenge them to reach the unreached with the compassion of government systems of the heavenly country.
u) To assist communities and individuals within them to attain a measure of permanent emancipation from the poverty, disease and ignorance, through the provision of training opportunities in appropriate skills and technology.
v) To run a bible correspondence course to improve the discipleship quality among the church congregations and institutions in the community and the nation at large.
w) To carry out the organization’s work on the basis of biblical principles.
x) To raise funds so that all the objectives are met to enable stakeholders mutually benefit as a group or individually where possible. To lobby for support materially and financially both at local and international levels for the association to achieve its objectives.
y) Sharing information amongst members through seminars, conferences, workshops, exhibitions or any means deemed appropriate for the purpose.
z) To carry out all the above mentioned objects or any of them or in any possible combination and do such other things as are incidental or conducive to the attainment of any object of the organization, especially those that highlight the existence of several government programs, within their respective departments, sectors and agencies for the overall prosperity of the citizenry.
The Ministration Of The Holy Spirit.
The Ministration Of The Holy Spirit.
- Prayer and learning to listen to the Holy Spirit.
- Learning to Obey the voice of the Holy Spirit
- Activation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Prayer and learning to listen to the Holy Spirit.
Listening to the Holy Spirit is the State of being able to receive word (instruction, guidance and direction from the Holy Spirit). Being still and waiting in the presence of God is one of the avenues of receiving from the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit can speak to you when you are still and silent in His presence. You can also receive instructions, guidance and direction while you are praying.
Being still and silent__ that is being quiet and not speaking a word. The Holy Spirit can speak to your spirit when you are quite. The Holy Spirit can also speak to you audibly in a conversational voice just like man is speaking to you.
Note: One of the reasons why most of us are not able to hear from the Holy Spirit or receive from the Holy Spirit is because we do not create time of receiving from Him. Why? Because we and so busy to be busy for God and we live in a noisy world and we are not able to easily create a still environment. There are so many voices around us that we can not recognize which voice is speaking yet Jesus says, my sheep hear my voice.
“The door keeper opens the door for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought all his own sheep out, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they recognize his voice. But you refuse to believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” John 10:3-4, 26-27 (NET).
If we get familiar with Jesus, then we can be able to hear and recognize His voice. In the like manner, when we get familiar with the Holy Spirit, then we can hear and recognize His voice anytime anywhere he speaks to us. The Holy Spirit most times is speaking but because we are not familiar with him, we can’t recognize His voice. Take for example, if you are not familiar with me and my voice, and I happen to speak on radio as you tune on your Radio and find that I have already finished introducing my self. While you listen to me, you will be asking, but who is that person speaking. You can not be able to recognize my voice because you are not familiar with my voice. But if you know me, and are familiar with my voice, any time you tune your radio and hear me speak, then you can tell, oh that is Wilson speaking.
In the same manner, I pray we get to know the Holy Spirit more and we get familiar with His Voice, that whenever He speaks to us we can be able to hear and recognize Him speaking.
Jesus says, his sheep hear his voice, and they know it, and recognize it. So if we do not hear, know and recognize His voice, whose sheep are we then?
How many times have we hindered the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives by trying to use our own strength, abilities, skills, wisdom and experiences while neglecting to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit, our helper. The struggles we have had in ministry is on trying to work for God while trusting on our own abilities, skills and experiences. Some times we see what looks like solutions that can help us solve things, but they can be wrong ways. The scripture says, “
Proverbs 14:12
There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.
And by doing this, we delay the involvement of the Holy Spirit in helping us. Until we come to the helplessness and realization that our abilities are not helping us, the Holy Spirit will watch us struggle. We need to cultivate the atmosphere of being able to listen to the directing and guiding voice of the Holy Spirit in our ministry and daily lives. When we learn to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit, we are able to witness a mighty move of the Lord and ministry will not be much of a struggle. We struggle because we do not know what, how, and when, where. But when we hear the guiding voice of the Holy Spirit in our endeavors, we see ease in ministry. When we try to depend on our human abilities to do work of ministry, it is just a waste of time. Instead, we get frustrated over situations.
Learning to Obey the voice of the Holy Spirit
Hearing and receiving from the Holy Spirit is even more easier than to obey what He tells us to do because this one requires action. For example the Holy Spirit can clearly ask you to give a certain amount of money to where or to whom he shall instruct you and yet that is the same money you have planned for something else. Will you obey and give the money or you will keep it?
Secondly the Holy Spirit can ask you to give out your land to a specific individual or person. Will you give or not.
The Holy Spirit can ask you to go and preach where there is war, will you go or not.
Obeying the Holy Spirit some times is just against human logic. It may appear like foolishness, that is why there are few people who real obey the Holy Spirit. Obedience to the Holy Spirit is not easy, it costs. But if you are to be used by God and are willing to please God, then you must be able to pay the cost.
Some times it can cost your reputation, because some times in obeying the Holy Spirit people around you can view you as one who has lost His mind. Some times it costs you your relationships.
Sometimes in obeying the Holy Spirit it may seem to be contrary to the Word of God but you just have to obey. At the end of the day, what matters is what God has told you to do not what people will say.
For example, When God told Abraham to sacrifice his Son, it seemed so contrary to the Word of God, because God does not allow human sacrifice.
Another example is when God asked Isaiah to walk naked for three years, it real seemed contrary to the Word of God.
Another example we can still see is when God asked Ezekiel to eat human dung, it seemed contrary to the word of God.
God asked Elijah to be fed by Ravens, yet God had told the Israelites not to even touch Ravens because they were unclean.
God asked Hosea to marry the prostitute and in the Law, servants of God (the priests) were not supposed to marry prostitutes and divorced women.
So will you obey God when He askes you to do what seems contrary to His Word?
Note: You do not need any witness to speak to you in order to obey the Word that God has spoken or asked you to do).
Limitations to hearing and recei6from the Holy Spirit.
Human logic. Logic does not apply in the things of God
Common sense. Common sense does not agree with the Word of God. It is not a general rule that things happen like that. Spiritual things can not be understood by a carnal mind_ common sense.
Take the example of Moses, when he was told to speak to the rock he instead hit the rock because common sense had helped him develop his simple formula of hitting the rock just as God had instructed him earlier and water came out of the rock.
Numbers 20:8,10-11
[8]“Get Aaron’s rod; then you and Aaron must summon the people. As they watch, speak to that rock over there and tell it to pour out its water! You will give them water from a rock, enough for all the people and all their cattle!”
[10]then Moses and Aaron summoned the people to come and gather at the rock; and he said to them, “Listen, you rebels! Must we bring you water from this rock?”
[11]Then Moses lifted the rod and struck the rock twice, and water gushed out; and the people and their cattle drank.
Moses is told to speak to the rock and was given the words to say. He was told to speak to rock saying, “You rock, pour out your water.” But he did not hear the instruction, instead the word he spoke was, “Listen, you rebels! Must we bring you water from this rock?”. Next Moses was told to speak to the rock, but because he had developed his formula which he built on his first success in Exodus 17:5-6 of striking the rock, instead of speaking to the rock, “Moses lifted the rod and struck the rock twice.”
In this first case Moses obeyed, because the Lord had told him to strike the rock.
Exodus 17:(5-6) Then Jehovah said to Moses, “Take the elders of Israel with you and lead the people out to Mount Horeb. I will meet you there at the rock. Strike it with your rod—the same one you struck the Nile with—and water will come pouring out, enough for everyone!” Moses did as he was told, and the water gushed out!.
In the first case Moses was told to strike the rock which he obeyed. But he made that a formula of getting water out of the rock. He puts now trust in his staff instead of God. That is why in the second case when God told him to speak to the rock, he remembers the formula of the staff and strikes the rock. Forgetting that God had changed the approach. We must be sensitive to understand where the Spirit of God is moving and we move in that direction, if not we shall turn to formulas.
Being used of God is not formula. In order for the Holy Spirit to use you, it is not formula, it is sensitivity to the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit. If you fail to get sensitive to the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit, you are in trouble. I repeat, it is not Formula, but sensitivity.
This prayer is the prayer of deliverance from formulas when you reach in a place or handling a situation.
“Holy Spirit, what do you want done here. And how do you want it done.
Holy Spirit, what do you want done in this situation. And how do you want it done.”
There are many examples that we can see on being sensitive to the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit. The best of all examples is how Jesus was sensitive to the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Jesus was not about formula, it was about sensitivity! And this is what made him a successful minister.
In John 5:30 Jesus says, “I can do nothing on my own initiative. Just as I hear, I judge, and my judgement is just, because I do not seek my own will, but the will of the One who sent me.” NET.
Jesus handles the same situation in different people using different approaches.
The first situation was blindness.
In the first case, he healed the blind person by spitting on the eyes of the blind man and then touching his eyes, Mark 8:22-25. Because that was the instruction he heard that time from the Father.
In the second case of blindness, he spits on the ground, makes mud and smears on the eyes of the blind man, then sends him to wash in the pool and the blind man’s eyes were opened, John 9:6-7.
In the third case, he touched their eyes and the blind men’s eyes were healed and they began seeing, Matthew 9:27-30. In this second case, the instruction was different from what he heard from the first case. It was sensitivity not formula. So he says, whatsoever I hear my Father say, so I do. So what he heard is what he did.
The second case that Jesus handled using different approaches is leprosy. Because he received or heard different instructions from the Father but handling the same problem.
When the leper came to Jesus in the crowd, he said to Jesus, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean”. He stretched out his hand and touched him saying, “I am willing. Be clean!” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. Matthew 8:2-3.
Then in the second case, when ten lepers came to him, he changed the approach, telling them to go the priests and be examined and while they were walking they got cleansed of leprosy. Luke 17:11-14. He gave them that instruction, because that was what he heard from the Father.
Moses failed because he was not sensitive to the Orders and instructions from above. God does not use or repeat the same thing in handling the same situation. When the children of Israel were crossing the water bodies, during Moses and Joshua’s times, God used different methods. During Moses’s time, it was lifting up the staff, but during Joshua’s time, it was stepping in the water.
Learn to be sensitive to the Voice and guidance of the Holy Spirit in your Christian walk, and in your Christian service. Remember, It is not Formula but sensitivity to the Holy Spirit.
A big picture puzzle with 1000s of different pieces
The Bible is like a big picture puzzle with 1000s of different pieces placed in different places which must be placed rightly to where they are supposed to be in order to get the right picture in the puzzle.
You don’t have to remove some pieces from the puzzle and be able to come up with a complete picture in the puzzle. In order for you to come up with the picture in the puzzle, then you must let each piece fit where it belongs or supposed to be.
Try removing Genesis from the whole Bible, if you will be able to see what went wrong between man and God (the cause of sin) and God’s plan of redemption.
So you have to study each portion of scripture with the light of the whole bible. You can’t isolate verses from the Scriptures and still expect to remain with the right meaning of the text in light of the whole bible, just like you would pick some pieces out of many pieces which form the big picture puzzle and expect to understand the picture in the puzzle. You must put the pieces where they belong in the puzzle so that you can be able to come up with the right picture.
You can not go isolating verses from their connection/ context and expect to come up with the right understanding and meaning of the scriptures.
_John Wilson Okurut_
Power Beyond Belief
“ And say to the people, ‘Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, and you will eat meat, for you have wept in the hearing of the LORD, saying, “Who will give us meat to eat, for life was good for us in Egypt?” Therefore the LORD will give you meat, and you will eat. You will eat, not just one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days, but a whole month, until it comes out your nostrils and makes you sick, because you have despised the LORD who is among you and have wept before him, saying, “Why did we ever come out of Egypt?”’” Moses said, “The people around me are 600,000 on foot; but you say, ‘I will give them meat, that they may eat for a whole month.’ Would they have enough if the flocks and herds were slaughtered for them? If all the fish of the sea were caught for them, would they have enough?” And the LORD said to Moses, “Is the LORD’s hand shortened? Now you will see whether my word to you will come true or not!” Numbers 11:18-23
In this text of Scriptures, God tells Moses of what he was going to do, but this was beyond the faith of Moses to believe God for such powerful miracles.
Moses had drawn the boundaries beyond which he thought God was not able to do.
When he heard of the miracle that God was planning to do, he couldn’t believe it himself.
He says, God you just don’t know what you are talking about. Look, let me show you the facts of the whole matter, “There are 600,000 men alone besides all the women and children.
Where’s all the meat coming from? Even if all the flocks and herds were butchered, would that be enough? Even if all the fish in the sea were caught, would that be enough?. And Lord do you know many kilograms of meat these people can mean to eat in a day. Of course some of them are even gluttons.
Moses was not believing because the promise was beyond Moses’s faith to believe.
God never argued with Moses trying to convince him to believe. There was no explanation that could convince Moses, because the matter was beyond his faith to believe. This was what God had to say to Moses; Moses we do not need to argue over this matter, but you will see to believe, “Has my arm lost its power? Now you will see whether or not my word comes true!”
May the Lord, work a work in your life which is beyond your possiblity thinking. Beyond your faith. May the Lord do a miracle in your life that is beyond your capacity to believe, beyond your possiblity thinking and asking.
You might have drawn certain lines of limitations in some areas of your life for God’s help to reach. But let God provide for you beyond your faith to believe him.
Moses had drawn certain limits to God’s provision. But God provided what was beyond Moses’s drawn limits.
BIBLICAL RE-FOCUS ON GIVING
THEME: BIBLICAL RE-FOCUS ON GIVING
Tittle: The Joy of Giving.
Do you find joy when you give or pain?
Do you give to God joyfully and cheerfully or painfully and grudgingly?
What kind of giving does God esteem and blesses?
God blesses cheerful and joyful giving. 2 Corinthians 9:7 Let each one [give] as he has made up his own mind and purposed in his heart, not reluctantly or sorrowfully or under compulsion, for God loves (He takes pleasure in, prizes above other things, and is unwilling to abandon or to do without) a cheerful (joyous, “prompt to do it”) giver whose heart is in his giving
God does not value forced giving. If you know within yourself that whenever you give, your heart follows your gift or money, it is better never to give and first work in your heart than giving when your heart is not okay. Some of us when we give a shilling, that is when you begin saying statements like, “ But where does this money go? These servants of God are just eating my money .” I repeat, it is better never to give than giving grudgingly!
Giving must bring joy to the giver not sorrow!
1 Chronicles 29:9 Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they offered willingly to the LORD: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy. (KJV)
What kind of giving does God desire and demand from each one of us?
Though God demands an offering from us, yet He does not force you and I to offer to him. God is not interested in receiving forced offerings. God does not manipulate us to give, He wants us to give Willingly not by force.
His command to Moses was this, ” Speak unto the children of Israel, that they BRING ME AN OFFERING. (under which attitude of the heart): OF EVERY MAN THAT GIVES WILLINGLY WITH HIS HEART- YOU SHALL TAKE MY OFFERING” Exodus 25:2 .
God demands an offering from you but he wants you to give it willingly not forcefully.
The LORD spoke to Moses: “ Tell the Israelites to take an offering for me; from every person motivated by a willing heart you are to receive my offering. This is the offering you are to accept from them: gold, silver, bronze, blue, purple, scarlet, fine linen, goat’s hair, ram skins dyed red, fine leather, acacia wood, oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for fragrant incense, onyx stones, and other gems to be set in the ephod and in the breastpiece. Let them make for me a sanctuary, so that I may live among them. According to all that I am showing you – the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings – you must make it exactly so. Exodus 25:1-9 (NET)
Moses assembled the whole community of the Israelites and said to them, “These are the things that the LORD has commanded you to do. Moses spoke to the whole community of the Israelites, “This is the word that the LORD has commanded: ‘ Take an offering for the LORD. Let everyone who has a willing heart bring an offering to the LORD: gold, silver, bronze, The Israelites brought a freewill offering to the LORD, every man and woman whose heart was willing to bring materials for all the work that the LORD through Moses had commanded them to do. Exodus 5:1, 4-5, 29 (NET).
Giving is an issue of the heart, not just how much you have or how much you can give. And based on the standard of God, no one is exempted from giving, no matter how poor you are or how rich you are. Look at this poor lady who gave out of her whole living, did Jesus ask her to take back her money because it was little? Not at all. This shows you how serious God is as far as willful giving is concern.
Look at the children of Israel, they would have had the better reasons of not giving for the work of God_ setting the tent of meeting. First, they had just come out of Egyptian slavery. Secondly they were not financially stable, and yet God asked them to give towards setting the tent of meeting in the above text of scripture. God knew they were financially not stable, yet God asked them to give. They were still in the desert; on other words, they were still financially struggling, nowhere to sleep_they had not yet built their own houses, they had not yet reached the promised land, but God esteemed the building of His tent of meeting first.
In the same manner, I ask you friends whose hearts are willing to give towards the purchase of the tent meeting for House of Worship & Prayer Assemblies (HOWAP). We are purchasing a tent and some members whose hearts are willing have contributed and now we have 1,477,000/=. We are purchasing a hundred seater tent, with a hard material, and the service providers asked for 3,700,000/=. Now we have a balance of 2,223,000/=, this is the money we are asking you friends to give with willing hearts towards the purchase of the church Tent. God bless you as you give.
The giving of the children of Israel (those ex-slaves then at the time when God spoke to Moses) was beyond measure. They gave beyond what was required in their poor condition. They gave much to an extent that the builders had to tell people to stop giving toward the tent project. That is what we also do as House of Worship Prayer
Assemblies. When we ask people to give towards a specific activity; like now for our tent, and the contribution is reached for that activity, we tell them to stop contributing towards that item until we shall start something different which requires a joint giving of the saints of God.
“They took from Moses all the offerings that the Israelites had brought for the work of constructing the Sanctuary. The people kept on bringing in their freewill offerings, morning after morning. All the artisans who were at work making everything involved in constructing the Sanctuary came, one after another, to Moses, saying, “The people are bringing more than enough for doing this work that GOD has commanded us to do!” So Moses sent out orders through the camp: “Men! Women! No more offerings for the building of the Sanctuary!” The people were ordered to stop bringing offerings! There was plenty of material for all the work to be done. Enough and more than enough. (Exodus 36:3-7) (The message).”
*_John Wilson Okurut_*
*_Pastor, House of Worship & Prayer_*
THEME: BIBLICAL RE-FOCUS ON GIVING
Tittle: The Joy of Giving.
Do you find joy when you give or pain?
Do you give to God joyfully and cheerfully or painfully and grudgingly?
What kind of giving does God esteem and blesses?
God blesses cheerful and joyful giving. 2 Corinthians 9:7 Let each one [give] as he has made up his own mind and purposed in his heart, not reluctantly or sorrowfully or under compulsion, for God loves (He takes pleasure in, prizes above other things, and is unwilling to abandon or to do without) a cheerful (joyous, “prompt to do it”) giver whose heart is in his giving
God does not value forced giving. If you know within yourself that whenever you give, your heart follows your gift or money, it is better never to give and first work in your heart than giving when your heart is not okay. Some of us when we give a shilling, that is when you begin saying statements like, “ But where does this money go? These servants of God are just eating my money .” I repeat, it is better never to give than giving grudgingly!
Giving must bring joy to the giver not sorrow!
1 Chronicles 29:9 Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they offered willingly to the LORD: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy. (KJV)
What kind of giving does God desire and demand from each one of us?
Though God demands an offering from us, yet He does not force you and I to offer to him. God is not interested in receiving forced offerings. God does not manipulate us to give, He wants us to give Willingly not by force.
His command to Moses was this, ” Speak unto the children of Israel, that they BRING ME AN OFFERING. (under which attitude of the heart): OF EVERY MAN THAT GIVES WILLINGLY WITH HIS HEART- YOU SHALL TAKE MY OFFERING” Exodus 25:2 .
God demands an offering from you but he wants you to give it willingly not forcefully.
The LORD spoke to Moses: “ Tell the Israelites to take an offering for me; from every person motivated by a willing heart you are to receive my offering. This is the offering you are to accept from them: gold, silver, bronze, blue, purple, scarlet, fine linen, goat’s hair, ram skins dyed red, fine leather, acacia wood, oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for fragrant incense, onyx stones, and other gems to be set in the ephod and in the breastpiece. Let them make for me a sanctuary, so that I may live among them. According to all that I am showing you – the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings – you must make it exactly so. Exodus 25:1-9 (NET)
Moses assembled the whole community of the Israelites and said to them, “These are the things that the LORD has commanded you to do. Moses spoke to the whole community of the Israelites, “This is the word that the LORD has commanded: ‘ Take an offering for the LORD. Let everyone who has a willing heart bring an offering to the LORD: gold, silver, bronze, The Israelites brought a freewill offering to the LORD, every man and woman whose heart was willing to bring materials for all the work that the LORD through Moses had commanded them to do. Exodus 5:1, 4-5, 29 (NET).
Giving is an issue of the heart, not just how much you have or how much you can give. And based on the standard of God, no one is exempted from giving, no matter how poor you are or how rich you are. Look at this poor lady who gave out of her whole living, did Jesus ask her to take back her money because it was little? Not at all. This shows you how serious God is as far as willful giving is concern.
Look at the children of Israel, they would have had the better reasons of not giving for the work of God_ setting the tent of meeting. First, they had just come out of Egyptian slavery. Secondly they were not financially stable, and yet God asked them to give towards setting the tent of meeting in the above text of scripture. God knew they were financially not stable, yet God asked them to give. They were still in the desert; on other words, they were still financially struggling, nowhere to sleep_they had not yet built their own houses, they had not yet reached the promised land, but God esteemed the building of His tent of meeting first.
The giving of the children of Israel (those ex-slaves then at the time when God spoke to Moses) was beyond measure. They gave beyond what was required in their poor condition. They gave much to an extent that the builders had to tell people to stop giving toward the tent project. That is what we also do as House of Worship Prayer
Assemblies. When we ask people to give towards a specific activity; like now for our tent, and the contribution is reached for that activity, we tell them to stop contributing towards that item until we shall start something different which requires a joint giving of the saints of God.
“They took from Moses all the offerings that the Israelites had brought for the work of constructing the Sanctuary. The people kept on bringing in their freewill offerings, morning after morning. All the artisans who were at work making everything involved in constructing the Sanctuary came, one after another, to Moses, saying, “The people are bringing more than enough for doing this work that GOD has commanded us to do!” So Moses sent out orders through the camp: “Men! Women! No more offerings for the building of the Sanctuary!” The people were ordered to stop bringing offerings! There was plenty of material for all the work to be done. Enough and more than enough. (Exodus 36:3-7) (The message).”
_John Wilson Okurut_
Pastor, House of Worship & Prayer_