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THE MESSAGE NOW

Vol. 1, No. 25 – Monday, 26th December, 2016

(Mat.1, Isaiah.9:6-7, 12:1-6, Acts.2:42-47)

LIKE THE EARLY CHURCH, WHAT REALLY DOES CHRISTMAS MEAN TO THE CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN?

A very warm welcome to every one on this last Monday in 2016. Additionally, I say merry Christmas and happy boxing day to us all. You and I shall live to see many more of these days in the abundance of Christ’s spiritual and material blessings in Jesus name.

In this last edition of our weekly magazine: The Message Now in 2016, the search light focuses on Christmas.

There have been a number of arguments, counter-arguments, questions and counter-questions about the historical start of Christmas. Was Christ (the Son of God) born on the 25^th day of December? How and why in the first place was this date arrived at? Are there dates suggested by scholars for the birth of the Lord? Should any of these dates and historical jagons matter in any instance at all?

Be prepared now dearly beloved because the lengthy historical accounts copied below will most likely be unfascinating to you. But there is nevertheless an obvious purpose. So, enlarge your reading appetite and read through to the end.

The earliest known Christian festivals were attempts to celebrate Jewish holidays, especially Passover, according to the local calendar. Modern scholars refer to such holidays as “Quartodecmials” because Passover is dated as 14 Nisan on the Jewish calendar. All the major events of the life of the Lord Jesus were celebrated in this festival, including his conception, birth, and passion.

In the Greek-speaking areas of the Roman Empire, the Macedonian calendar was used. In these areas, the Quartodecimal was celebrated on April 6. In Latin-speaking areas, the Quartodecimal was March 25. The significance of the Quartodecimal declined after 165, when Pope Soter moved celebration of the Resurrection to a Sunday, thereby creating Easter. This put celebration of the passion on Good Friday, and thus moved it away from the Quartodecimal.

The Christian ecclesiastical calendar contains many remnants of pre-Christian festivals. Although the dating as December 25 predates pagan influence, the later development of Christmas as a festival includes elements of the Roman feast of the Saturnalia and the birthday of Mithra as described in the Roman cult of Mithraism.

The question at this point is, how was the choice of December 25 date arrived at?

In the 3rd century, the date of the birth of the Lord Jesus was the subject of both great interest and great uncertainty. Around AD 200, Clement of Alexandria wrote:

‘There are those who have determined not only the year of our Lord’s birth, but also the day; and they say that it took place in the 28th year of Augustus, and in the 25th day of [the Egyptian month] Pachon [May 20] … And treating of His Passion, with very great accuracy, some say that it took place in the 16th year of Tiberius, on the 25th of Phamenoth [March 21]; and others on the 25th of Pharmuthi [April 21] and others say that on the 19th of Pharmuthi [April 15] the Savior suffered. Further, others say that He was born on the 24th or 25th of Pharmuthi [April 20 or 21]’.

In other writings of this time, May 20, April 18 or 19, March 25, January 2, November 17, and November 20 are all suggested. Various factors contributed to the selection of December 25 as a date of celebration: it was the date of the winter solstice on the Roman calendar; it was about nine months after March 25, the date of the vernal equinox and a date linked to the conception of the lord Jesus; and it was the date of a Roman pagan festival in honor of the Sun god known as Sol Invictus.

What is Solstice in connection with the December 25 date? December 25 was the date of the winter solstice on the Roman calendar. It is strongly believed by some that the Lord Jesus chose to be born on the shortest day of the year for symbolic reasons, according to an early sermon by Augustine: “Hence it is that He was born on the day which is the shortest in our earthly reckoning and from which subsequent days begin to increase in length. He, therefore, who bent low and lifted us up chose the shortest day, yet the one whence light begins to increase.”

Linking the Lord Jesus to the Sun was supported by various Biblical passages. For instance, the Lord was considered to be (and indeed is) the “Sun of righteousness” prophesied by Malachi see (Mal.4:2). John also describes him as “the light of the world” (see Jn.8:12).

Such solar symbolism could support more than one date of birth. An anonymous work known as De Pascha Computus linked the idea that creation began at the spring equinox, on March 25, with the conception or birth (the word nascor can mean either) of the Lord Jesus on March 28, the day of the creation of the sun in the Genesis account. One translation reads: “O the splendid and divine providence of the Lord, that on that day, the very day, on which the sun was made, the 28 March, a Wednesday, Christ should be born. For this reason Malachi the prophet, speaking about him to the people, fittingly said, ‘Unto you shall the sun of righteousness arise, and healing is in his wings.'”

In the 17th century, Isaac Newton argued that the date of Christmas was selected to correspond with the solstice.

According to Steven Hijmans of the University of Alberta, “It is cosmic symbolism … which inspired the Church leadership in Rome to elect the southern solstice, December 25, as the birthday of Christ, and the northern solstice as that of John the Baptist, supplemented by the equinoxes as their respective dates of conception.”

A number of other views suggest the birth of the Lord. In this connection, the Calculation Hypothesis plays a prominent role.

The Calculation hypothesis suggests that an earlier holiday held on March 25 became associated with the Incarnation. Modern scholars refer to this feast as the Quartodecimal. Christmas was then calculated as nine months later. The Calculation hypothesis was proposed by French writer, Louis Duchesne in 1889.

In modern times, March 25 is celebrated as Annunciation. This holiday was created in the seventh century and was assigned to a date that is nine months before Christmas, in addition to being the traditional date of the equinox. It is unrelated to the Quartodecimal, which had been forgotten by this time.

Early Christians celebrated the life of the Lord Jesus on a date considered equivalent to 14 Nisan (Passover) on the local calendar. Because Passover was held on the 14th day of the month, this feast is referred to as the Quartodecimal. All the major events of Christ’s life, especially the passion, were celebrated on this date. In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul the Apostle mentions Passover, presumably celebrated according to the local calendar in Corinth.

Tertullian (A.D. 220), who lived in Latin-speaking North Africa, gives the date of celebration as March 25. In the East, which used the Macedonian calendar, the date of celebration was April 6th. The date of the passion was then moved to Good Friday in A.D. 165 when Pope Soter created Easter by reassigning the Resurrection to a Sunday.

According to the Calculation hypothesis, celebration of the quartodecimal continued in some areas and the feast became associated with Incarnation. While Christmas was nine months after March 25, Epiphany (January 6) was nine months after April 6th. Both Christmas and Epiphany have been widely celebrated as Christ’s date of birth. The Armenian Church continues to celebrate the birth of Jesus on Epiphany.

The Calculation hypothesis is considered academically to be “a thoroughly viable hypothesis”, though not certain. It was a traditional Jewish belief that great men lived a whole number of years, without fractions, so that the Lord Jesus was considered to have been conceived on March 25, as he died on March 25, which was calculated to have coincided with 14 Nisan.

A passage in Commentary on the Prophet Daniel by Hippolytus of Rome identifies December 25 as the date of the nativity. This passage is generally considered a late interpellation. The manuscript includes another passage, one that is more likely to be authentic, that gives the passion as March 25.

In A.D. 221, Sextus Julius Africanus (c. 160 – c. 240) gave March 25 as the day of creation and of the conception of the Lord Jesus in his universal history. This conclusion was argued based on March 25 as the date of the spring equinox. As this implies a birth in December, it is sometimes claimed to be the earliest identification of December 25 as the nativity. However, Africanus was not such an influential writer that it is likely he determined the date of Christmas. Why?

To start with, He wrote in Greek, and Christmas seems to have originated in a Latin-speaking area.

The tractate De solstitia et aequinoctia conceptionis et nativitatis Domini nostri Iesu Christi et Iohannis Baptistae, falsely attributed to John Chrysostom, also argued that the Lord Jesus was conceived and crucified on the same day of the year and calculated this as March 25.

This anonymous tract also states: “But Our Lord, too, is born in the month of December … the eight before the calends of January [25 December] …, But they call it the ‘Birthday of the Unconquered’. Who indeed is so unconquered as Our Lord…? Or, if they say that it is the birthday of the Sun, He is the Sun of Justice.”

Several other theorists and theories lay claim to the exactness of the time the Lord was born. One of such theories is the history of religions’ hypothesis. A handful of others include: the Aurelian’s dedication theory, the introduction of feast theory, etc. But do any of these theories and theorists with their ensuing arguments, counterarguments, questions and counter-question really matter afterall? Is it not sufficient that a Saviour was sent by God to redeem us? Agreed, the memory of the season of Christmas is such that is laden with joy. For the Christian, is this joy limited to a date in the year?

In my view, Christmas means the eternal celebration of the life and unequal service performed and still being performed by Christ. If Christmas is the unending celebration of Christ (as I strongly hold), or synonymous with the birth of the Lord (as myriads do accept) and is a season of joy (to all), then every day of the year is Christmas for the one who has accepted the Lord Jesus as His personal Lord and Saviour and who believes in His life, passion and service. Why?

The Holy Scriptures in Acts.2:47 reads: ‘Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord Added to the church daily such as should be saved’.

Please understand the spiritual connection in the foregoing Scripture. The early church were tenaciously active in soul-winning and evangelism. In return, the Lord added to the church. But there was a secret behind the early church’s success and the support they got from the Lord.

It was a church with a joyful heart of praise. Consistent praise to God out of a joyful heart triggers the most impossible and the most incredible to become a most astounding, miraculous reality. So then, one indispensable companion we must not fail to partner with throughout our Christian journey and indeed throughout 2017 is joyful heart in the Holy Ghost. In doing so, let every moment in 2017 be your Christmas moment. Why?

If for any reason, joyful moments automatically command and attract the presence of God. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin reminds that: ‘Joy is the infallible sign of the presence of God’. How so true? And why not? To a most considerable extent, the battle ground from the enemy in 2017 will have its venue in the thoughts and in the dreams of so many. As such, it is a year that the mind must be fully busy, richly occupied by the word of God and be constantly filled with unwavering joy.

In one of today’s texts, the prophet Isaiah in chapter 12:2-3 resoundingly proclaimed: ‘Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; He is also is become my salvation. Therefore, with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation’.

Understand this, the prophet was expressing the mind of the Eternal One on joyfulness which is one of the most potent weapons for receiving the blessings of God. Fortunately, joyfulness is not only designed by God to attract divine blessings, it equally paves the way for others to be blessed because of its contagious character.

Thus it is a connecting stream which draws and refills every other in its path and company. As Lailah Gifty Akita opined in Pearls of Wisdom: Get Mind, ‘A joyful heart is an endless flowing stream’. Unfortunately, Joyfulness is oftentimes a matter of choice. In the new year therefore, I implore every one to choose a daily company with joy. You and I will be most blessed and others around us. With this, the chain of Christmas moments continues without an end.

Hymn: Hark Herald The Angel Sing

Pray Now:

1. Give the Lord quality praise that you have never offered to Him any time before now.

2. Worship the Lord all over again.

3. Ask for grace to continually praise Him.

4. O God my father and the Saviour of my soul, let my season of celebration begin in earnest.

5. O God, with faith in you, I confess that my season of unlimited joy has begun, let it know no end, in the name of Jesus.

6. O sun and moon throughout 2017, you shall not hinder me but continually release favour to me.

7. In the name of Jesus, my greatest dream so far shall be fulfilled in 2017.

8. I speak to you, you year 2017, you shall not be as every other year I have experienced.

9. As the Lord lives and His Spirit lives, year 2017 shall be my best year so far.

10. I decree in the name of Jesus, I shall fly high over and above all obstacles in the new year.

Pastor Mike

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THE MESSAGE NOW

Vol. 1, No.24-Monday,19th December, 2016

(Gen. 13:14-15,Heb 12:2,Phil 3:13-14)

FARSIGHT IS THE INDISPENSABLE KEY TO THE NEXT LEVEL

The age-old but trite stance posits that:’necessity  is the mother of invention’. The foregoing stance encompasses two closely connected  interpretations in effect and logic. Logically(disregarding the chronological  rule of placing the former before the latter), l strongly hold the  opinion that necessity is in the end an aftermath response to an unforeseen exigency or emergency. In effect  then, necessity as a response to a sudden and unforeseen event is curative not preventive.

The problem  with the necessity stance and indeed, the curative  character  of necessity  as a pilot response  which begets innovation  is that:

(1)the  application  of the doctrine  of necessity in the wider sense to any situation more often than not never presents a perfect solution  to the situation.

(2)Although  necessity   or necessary response to a given incident (say an emotional tragedy) may provide considerable temporary  relief, it can never extinguish the scar or the resulting irreparable damage caused. And

(3)As laudable as necessity or necessary response as temporary solution is, it can only attain it’s relevance before the eyes of the unprepared.

In distinction from the necessity stance however,  the is a more trite stance. This, l call the doctrine or the  power of farsight. Farsight ful projection is the master-key to unlocking the impossible  and the blickest future. It is the surest solution  waiting in the wings before the advent of any problems.

Thus farsight is preventive  not curative. It is the preparatory prevention which renders the cure unnecessary. What does this mean? Every  future before the prepared individual  is a bright one.

As Williams S. Burroughs reminds:’ the best way to keep something from happening is to see it ahead of time and you can’t see it if you refuse  to face  the possibility’. Tempered  to today’s message, what  the Lord is bidding is obvious. The year 2016 is gone and irretrievably gone. For most men, it has been a year of seeking medicine after death not before.

The act and the art of seeking  cure after harm whilst prevention was readily available aforetime is an act and art of the unprepared. Unpreparedness is the sole soul of the desireless, the myopic and the non-achievers.

Jim Butcher aptly summarised this character of the unprepared in his book,’Changes(The  Dresden Files’).He contended that :’ one can have only as much preparation  as he has foresight’. Hmmm! Mr Butcher cannot be more apt. If any man will ascend the ladder of greatness, and not just ascend, but also remain at the top, he must be consistently  inventive in thoughts, be adventurously  fearless in risk-taking, be dynamically prayerful(Eph 6:18)and of course, be farsightful.

The Holy Scriptures in Genesis13 verses 14 and15 is most  instructive  in this connection. It reads:’and the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him:lift up now thine eyes and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward,and eastward,and westward, for all the land which though seest, to thee will l give it and to thy seed  forever’.

There are three lessons of utmost interest  in these two verses. One lesson is the promise of God which never fails irrespective  of the delay, the manipulations and the craftiness caused by evil men and Satan.

Next is the invitation  extended to Abram  by God. God invited the farsightful mind’s eye of Abram to ‘look’ as far as he could see. Do you ask why? Every man will journey in the realm of success  only as far as his inventive mind can foresee and far see into the future.

The other lesson is that divine condition(s) will often  preceed heavenly promises. How? The promise of God to Abram remained in spiritual coma/limbo until Lot was separated from Abram. Again, the question  arises:why?

The answer is not far fetched. You can never get to the next level except  some men and certain attitudes are cut off. The only role some men are there in your life to play is noise and distraction. Until they  are detached, you cannot  hear God nor see far ahead.

King Uzziah in lsaiah  chapter 6 was a vision polluter to the prophet of God. lsaiah was blurredly impaired from farsight with the presence of King Uzziah. Men who run your time or waste  it, men who prevent you from engaging in quality  fellowship with  God or men who engage  you in profitless discussions, are  never worthy of your association. Whatever attitude or company that does not add value to one’s life is a known enemy of your next level.

The greatest danger  about necessity-oriented-curative-result is its partnership with painstaking struggle. Because, even the most effective cure through  even the most fervent prayer  and fasting may seldom hit the rocks of impossibility. Whereas farsightedness through effective praying and consistent  quality fellowship with God will simply diffuse all troubles even ahead of time.

The gains of consistent quality fellowship  with  the Lord are limitless. Through it, revelations  are gained about the future. It prepares us by giving us secrets of our heavenly Father  and exposes to us the evil agenda of the evil one.

In Sum, dearly beloved, preparation for tomorrow  began before today. So, man is already running  late having not begun yesterday. But man can yet join the farsightful team today because it is not too late. Afterall, it is better  late than never.

Necessity ls Ameliorating Curatively By Cushioning The Effect Of The Seen And The Unforeseen Allowed To Exist, But Farsight  Is More Gainful Preventively By Forestalling The  Seen And The Unforeseen That Would Have Existed.

Awake now for the day is fast breaking. It is time to pray.

Hymnn: l’m Pressing On The Upward Way

Pray now:

1.O God, in your tender mercy and loving-kindness, give me the joy of fellowship ping with you.

2.O year 2017,you shall be onto me  as the Lord God has desired and planned you for me.

3.Every hidden and revealed  agenda of the wicked designed for 2017 against me, be frustrated.

4.Every power and  evil patterns  renewing themselves in my life month after month and year after year, be terminated by the blood of Jesus

5.You hands of the wicked constantly wiping my destiny-helpers, be roasted by the fire of God.

6.O blood of Jesus, preserve my salvation through 2017.

7.ln 2017,my relationship and fellowship with  the Lord shall be at its best so far.

8.l prophesy in the name of the Lord God of hosts, every family represented in Express lmage Glory Ministries and  indeed the body of Christ  in general shall experience  unusual peace and uncommon  favour in 2017, in the name of Jesus. As the Lord lives and His Spirit lives, there shall be no carry – over of any evil into the new year. It written:’ l will decree  a thing, and it shall be established  unto me: and the light shall shine across my way’. Therefore, in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth l decree no tragedies between 2nd and the 29th of January  2017 and indeed throughout year 2017, shall come your way, in the name  of Jesus.

Pastor Mike

 

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THE MESSAGE NOW

Vol. 1, No. 23 – Monday, 12th December, 2016

(Mal.2:2, Lk.17:11-19, Acts.12:23, Phil.4:14-19, 2 Tim.3:2)

THE EVER THANKFUL WILL FOREVER HAVE THEIR TANKS OF BLESSINGS FULL

If there is any appreciation for the English language, then it is for its adaptation through time and for its vast development from it original West-Germanic/Anglo-Frisian ethimological dialect in the 5th Century. In the last 7 decades, the English lexicon undoubtedly has become the fastest growing in terms of its vocabulary advancement. Of course, for a number of other positive reasons, it is now the most widely spoken language on the planet. Additionally, one particular reason stands out as being specifically responsible for the wider usage of the English language.

The academe of English-language-developing scholars have, in response to growing trends, solved most problems of the English language (especially in terms of its usage) by coining (among other things) new words from virtually all other principal languages currently in existence.

However, as commendable as the laudable effort of these academe of scholars have been, especially in fanning the fire of progress for the language into full fervour and positive furnace, three key English words have been on the back-foot in terms of their usage for so long.

The words: (1) SORRY – in admittance of a wrong, etc, (2) PLEASE – as an expression of apology, humility and genuine penitence, and (3) THANKS – in appreciation for a kind gesture, are in more modern times, lexicons that are so hardly expressed or, as a matter of continued action, have become anathema in usage by most men.

The shock and the sad part of it all is that expressing these three words costs no man nothing. In my view, I conclude that the inability of man to say: sorry, please or thanks where necessary is no shock but simply the inability of man to understand the ways and purposes of the Almighty.

These purposes of the Almighty follows a two-phased, but closely linked equations. Equation one is: no one walks into another man’s life by accident. No!!! God determines who walks into anyone’s life. It is always a divine coincidence for a divine purpose, irrespective of what Satan might also intend.

Equation two is: whilst God determines who walks into our path, on the contrary, man is the determiner of who he lets go or whom he lets stay. Unfortunately, some have let go off their angels at unawares sometimes through share attitude of ingratitude. I should point out very strongly then that the choice of letting go off an individual is a divine one not human. As such, humanity usurps the role of divinity when it acts unilaterally in this respect.

The question is: why? Because among every ‘twelve’ who will come our way, only God knows the eligible ‘Simon Peter’ who though fell to temptation but yet stood firm or the ineligible ‘Judas Iscariot’ who will fall never to rise again.

Have I sounded so far to be so vague or abstract? The point is, it is right time to demonstrate godly attitude of appreciation to our destiny-helpers. Why? Because, in life, no one individual can by himself alone accomplish his divine mandate. This means that in God’s own humanity structure, there is and will always be the need of one by and for another. In this connection, gratitude and a number of other positive attitudes are key.

Besides, the godly attitude of appreciating the effort of others is perhaps the greatest relationship lubricant fostering unity and enhancing progress. For instance, the initial idea which gave rise to the vision of this magazine: The Message Now was simply a quote demanded from me by my amiable Resident Pastor, Pastor Israel Adenrele Ebo, popularly known as Baba.

Agreed, the Spirit of the Lord in me has expanded the quote demanded by my Resident Pastor then to a weekly magazine, but nevertheless, I am eternally grateful to him. Pastor Ebo’s unparalleled support is divinely ordained. As such, it can be equated with none.

Baba’s consistency, sticklership to time, improvision of innovative ideas, financial support, are all most staggering. As an ordained minister in the temple of the Lord known as Express Image Glory Ministries, he contributes exceptionally to spiritual grace and growth.

His life-changing, soul-enriching messages at every meeting are so well-thought out and very well-thought through. As such, they confirm his spiritual indepth knowledge and preparedness for service.

Baba, the Almighty God who is the founder and driver of Express Image Glory Ministries says: ‘weldone, keep pushing on’. The Pastor joins our heavenly father to say: a big thanks to you Sir. My most wonderful workers and lovely members of the Ministry all say: many thanks Sir. May you live long in happiness, in good health and in great wealth, to continue to serve the Lord in our lives.

Dearly beloved, are not words of appreciation the greatest doze and catalyst for initiating and further fertilizing hard work and eventual success? So then, I must admit that the most proficient dictions are certainly insufficient to express my most profound appreciation to my god-sent, excellent partners in Ministry (that is, my beautiful workers).

My heart leaps in unexplainable, passionate joy when the thoughts of Sister Blessing Oluwatoyin Olusheye, sister Mercy Oghenedoro Akinsheye, sister Margaret (Joy) Oforishe and my research assistant sister Helen Olaitan Olanpejo flashes through me. Sister Titilola Aluko (the Head of prayer squad), sister Tega, sister Adetutu, sister Mary Oluwatoyin Balogun (Treasurer and Head of account), sister Victoria, sister Amarachi (the untiring evangelist), sister Mosunmola Murtala, sister Toro, brother Olumide and brother Wole, are all women and men given to passionate service in the vineyard of the Lord.

What is most amazing about these array of stars mentioned above is resilience, uncomplaining commitment, financial support, sacrificial and selfless service, obedience and great attention to detail.

To you all, the Lord is sitting on the Great Altar watching your labour. You shall be rewarded bountifully. The entire Pastorate says: many thanks again and again. The Lord shall give you all a special life-gift in this season, in Jesus name. The God of glory shall take you all to heights not yet attained in Him and in secular life.

To the Lord’s Shekina-Glory-Choir, what shall I say? Are you aware that your ministration is always inspiring to my soul? This, of course always charges me up. I am grateful. The mighty God of Jacob richly bless you, Amen. My prayer squad in Ministry are our backbone. You will never know a better yesterday. The Lord mightily strengthen your spiritual hands. Many thanks. Sisters Mercy Akinsheye and Toyin Balogun are our most responsible and most resourceful administrator and accountant who have exceptionally/ judiciously co-ordinated and managed the Ministry and its finances dutifully and honestly. The Lord bless you both.

To you the wonderful people and commendable members of Express Image Glory Ministries, wonderful thanks to you. Your holding the fort with us encourages us, keeps us strong and consistently in motion.

My God who called me (first in 2004, repeated that same call thrice in 2008, then in the midst of the worst torture and affliction in 2011 re-echoed that call, and spoke severally to me and a number of others from 2009 to 2013), shall bless you richly. His grace and mercy shall not cease from your lives, in Jesus name.

Of many philosophies, sensational writings and endless geneaologies, there is certainly an end in the very end. But the chain and effect of worthy appreciation forever lingers on. Even after our eventual ascendancy into heaven, gratitude to the Most High for releasing His only begotten Son, to Christ for His uncommon and eternal sacrifice, to the Holy Ghost for guiding and guarding us through life to heaven and to the ‘cloud of christian witnesses’ (alive or already in glory) for all sorts of support, will yet continue.

Appreciation is an access route. It is the swiftest key to unlocking the impossible. The price of appreciation is neither existing within living memory nor ever within the annals of man. The worth and quantum of it can neither be measured in monetary terms nor be purchased by any legal tender of the worthiest value.

Therefore, whosoever is given to the cheerful appreciation of the least of the effort of others:
(1) Will go safely, go smoothly and get far;
(2) Shows how much he/she values relationships;
(3) Genuinely demonstrates to all the true state of his/her heart;
(4) Exhibits and duplicates grace and ‘brings forth works meet for repentance’ (Mat.3:8); and
(5) Honours God and shall himself be elevated by God (Ps.50:23, 1 Sam.2:30).

I implore all therefore to be committed to acts of gratitude. Because, whilst gratitude beget greater gratitude; on the contrary, ingratitude is one surest magnetic force or medium for inviting divine curse (Mal.2:1-3). In precision, the ingratitude of one kind gesture is undoubtedly the badluck of another with time.

Are you grateful even for the least good extended to you? Check up with a sincere heart. Perhaps the reason for that chain-down in that bus-stop of life where you currently find yourself is simply because of the failure to appreciate God and man for the best done or yet to be done, and even for the worst done to you. Why?

All things have a purpose before God. The men who hurt you (including men of God) are all for a purpose. They may be tools in the hands of God for pruning you in order to make you better. Believe me we are where we are today because of the contributions of men (good or evil) to our lives before today and even yet now.

In the end, our response to men’s treatment will determine our future. Let your response be praise and gratitude to God even for the worst treatment not bitterness. There are numerous ways of expressing gratitude to God.
Commitment to daily or at worst weekly evangelism is an expression of gratitude. Such service expresses to God how so much grateful we are for his saving grace by the invitation extending from us to others struggling in the mire of sin.

Are you grateful? Have you been thankful to God and men? Are you daily sending to God sweet-smelling-savour of service cheerfully and dutifully carried out? Please, continue without stopping dearly beloved.

Do not empty your tank of blessings with the obnoxious weapon of ingratitude. Be thankful always from your heart. The Lord Jesus more often than not began his prayers to the Most High with thanksgiving. Let us all be like Him. As year 2016 failed to turn out as you desired and planned it to be? Never mind my brother, my sister. The sun will yet shine again. And no matter what happens, your dry bones shall rise again.

Be thankful. Your blissful tank is filling up again. So, be at peace.

Hymn: To God Be The Glory

Pray now:

1. O God, I repent of every attitude of ingratitude.

2. O God, invest in me the grace to praise you until my heart becomes your praise sanctuary.

3. O god, pour your raw judgment upon every power and person attacking my life and destiny through the use of my name.

4. O God, by the power of your Spirit, set your face against any one and every power attacking Express Image Glory Ministries through its name and through any other medium.

5. O God, by your strength, frustrate the tokens of marine witchcraft, users of 6 & 7 books of Moses, occultic powers, stargazers, astral forces and powers, evil pastors/prophets and evil prayers working or about to start working against my life, family and ministry.

6. See to it that you evangelise today, richly praise the Lord and send good wishes to men.

Pastor Mike

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THE MESSAGE NOW

Vol. 1, No. 22 – Monday, 5th December, 2016

(Eccl.9:11, Eph.5:15-16, Gen.47:8-9, Joel.2:25)

TAKING CHANCES ON TIME: THE INVALUABILITY OF TIME AND THE PROBLEM OF MAN

The Oxford Learner’s Dictionary defines time as: ……. ‘the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole’. It further defines it as: ‘what is measured in minutes, hours and days, etc.’

If there is any attribute of time subtly espoused by the foregoing definition, then that basic and surest attribute of time is constancy or consistency.

Time is the most constant, the most consistent, the most available and the most unfailing friend to man because it has never in history been on holiday when needed. Time always arrives right on time to meet with man. But man has always failed time either slightly or not even meeting it atall. This failure of man is probably the greatest curse of this generation.

Imagine what our world would have been if all or 75% of target-times have been met. A year (except a leap year) contains 365 days, 12 months, 52 weeks, 8760 hours, 525,600 minutes, and 31,536, 000 seconds.

If opportunity attends the path of man at the expiry of every 1,000 (one thousand) minutes per year, then in one year, man has been face to face with opportunity for a period of approximately 526 times. Unarguably, 526 times of opportunities is in excess of 365 days which make up a year.

Perhaps some minds’ argument might be that it is practically impossible  for opportunities to be that prevailent or common. Then I contend sharply that such is the argument arising from less desiring, less ambitious and less inventive minds.

I argue further that as a matter of fact, creating and pursuing opportunities even where there is least or prospect of none is the delight of foresightful minds.

Alternatively, to passifysceptics, let the argument-bar be raised to 10,000 (ten thousand) minutes per opportunity. Even with such height, the result will yet be astonishingly high, being 52.56 or approximately 53 times per annum.

Further, opportunities are pearly-golden in nature; scarce for the uncreative and unoriginal thinker but easily accessible to and harnessed by the thoughtful, the productive and the insightful. As such, because of their pearly-golden character, opportunities require swift grabbing and effective using.

For the inventive and productive thinker, one golden opportunity reproduces a number of others. This means that 53 times of opportunity within one year is so high because of the replenishing effect of every single opportunity.

If therefore, the proximity and accessibility of opportunities to man is that high, why are most men still the same?

The answer is by no means existing in probability but in uncontestable aptness. How? If most men are not missing opportunity by reason of their continuing attitudes of failing time, then those opportunities (whether 526 or 53) within any year were all or largely misused by most men. This too, only happens when man fails to realize that time is a golden chance that must be swiftly taken.

The point being underscored here is a succinct one: making good use of time and the least chance otherwise known as opportunity has an unending, positive multiplier effect on life as a whole.

How much time has man got that even the least of it should be wasted? Charles Darwin once opined, ‘a man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life’. Are you shocked at Darwin’s unquestionable conclusion?

Time is of priceless essence and of unquantifiable and unqualifiable value that possession of echelons of wisdom, incomparable intelligence, or even the possession of all wealth and power will yet not compare with its power and overriding interests and influence.

Thus failing to pray when needed, convoluting times of evangelism with the times to be in personal communion with God, postponing a day’s assignment for the next, depriving time of its rightful attention and importance all conduce to make man a poor manager of time (and indeed) a waster. With time, such a man will eventually become a permanent enemy of time.

Do you have a prayer altar and/or prayer time(s) – place and moments of meeting with the Great king? Other religions certainly do with theirs. So, why not you?

Time and chance (be it the chance of opportunities or otherwise) most times are like fast-moving streams. Once they bid you bye, they seldom or never return again. Time and chance are life’s gift meant only for the eagerly-awaiting and the swiftly-prepared not for the lilylevered or the indolent.

No wonder, the Apostle Paul enjoins in one of today’s texts: ‘See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil’.

I conclude therefore that:

• There is no amount of most potent prayer or most powerful enchantment that can hasten or extend any time determined by the Almighty.

• When God makes a promise to man without attaching a defined time for the fulfillment of that promise, it is the height of folly for that man to insert his own time. Such a man is a companion of worry and unnecessary disappointment.

• Do not measure your success today by the greater success of another. It is probably their own time now not yours yet.

• Whosoever is a poor manager of time will neither maintain success nor manage money effectively. And, I do hope that you know that apart from the Spirit of the Lord, money remains the sole lubricant of modern and contemporary times making its acceleration roll with effortless ease.

• The coincident chance of contact of opportunity(s) with man is in itself an opportunity because of its rarity often factored by time.

• He who fails time for no just cause will fail anything and disappoint anyone and everyone.

Apparently, the gear is now set in motion for 2017 – the year of winners. You may wish to ask yourself a most honest question. What opportunities were misused or not taken by you in 2016 due to poor management of time?

You must sincerely answer this question because the incoming year, 2017 is a year of arduous adherence to time and earnest prayer put into earnest action. Otherwise, you would spend 2017 laying petulant complaints at the doorstep of time for being too short.

For the indolent Christian, relying on God’s mercy is always the anthem. God’s mercy is good and indeed the best. But is that the reason for failing to play our part? For every indolent Christian who has a penchant for failing times and opportunities, hear the instructive counsel of the Preacher in Ecclesiastes 9:11.

It reads: ‘I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet the bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill, but time and chance happeneth to them all’.

Dearly beloved, did you see the reference to the phrase, ‘but time and chance happeneth to them all’? Hmmm! Even the wisest man that ever lived (King Solomon) recognized the place of time and chance. How about you and me?

Never fail to take your chance when it comes. Football matches are won or lost by teams on the basis of taking or failing to take chances. So also is the game of life. To every chance, there is a time allotted. Chances are like the breezy wind sweeping past at certain periods. Be prepared with your kite before the period. So that at the spur of that moment, your kite can fly highest.

Fail to criticise the shortness of time. For no matter what scientists and meteorologist claim about the lengthiness or shortness of a day or time, there is indeed no too short or too long a time to catch opportunities or hatch ideas into reality if we have been prepared ahead of time.

Indeed, as Jean de La Bruyere sharply argues: ‘those who make the worst use of their time are the first to complain of its brevity’. How so true!!!

I am about to run out of time with my old assignment. The new is already beckoning. No time to spare. How about you? Busy doing nothing?

If all assignments have been completed and nothing left to be done at the moment, then rise up and commune with your Maker. Alternatively, get your pen and paper ready, sit down and think your good thoughts through on that paper.

Great and deep thinkers always have a common but equally uncommon seat at the top. We shall meet there.

Hymn: Sweet Hour Of Prayer

Pray now:

1. I repent o Lord for wasting times and opportunities.

2. O God, I decree, that which I failed to accomplish in the last ten years, I shall accomplish them within the next ten months, in Jesus name.

3. O God, give me grace and strength to use my times and opportunities dutifully and meaningfully.

4. O God, give me special joy and sense of fulfillment for my work and the things I do.

5. Every power manipulating opportunities out of my hands, be cut off in the name of Jesus.

Pastor Mike