Sunday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net
C
alvary is the place where a Christian’s life source was incepted. It is a Place to set your mind on as a Christian. When you remember Calvary, You can then recall all the works of salvation by Christ for you. But Christians are no longer conscious of what happened in Calvary, how Jesus was beaten, wounded, mocked, shamed and was finally crucified just for the salvation of you and I. If we look in the world today, we can say Christians are more but Christ-like people are very few. Why am I saying this? If you say you are a follower of Christ, I believe your thoughts and doings should be more about Him, but today we seem to forget so quickly about our saviour, what he went through for us on the way to Calvary. We only remember a little the moment we watch the video or sing it in songs; the next minute we forget and continue with our normal everyday activities. If only we can go back to Calvary, if only we can open our heart to understand and receive what transpired at Calvary for You and I, that Jesus Christ was beaten like a common criminal, that he was wounded, long sharp thorns were pushed into his skull, he was mocked, Shamed for the crime (sin) he did not commit, he carried the weight of our sins on his shoulder, he fell, got up and carried it again, he did not give up on us because he loved us, and he went all the way to Calvary And was crucified. Luke 23:33. Says, “And when they were come to the place which is called Calvary, there they crucified him. After Jesus had meet the devil, he collected the key of life and death from the devil and Jesus then said to his children, IT IS FINISHED, which means the work of salvation for us has been accomplished and there comes the victory of all who believe in God. John 3: 16 states, “For God so love the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that who so ever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. Jesus came and died so that all those that say they are Christ-like may have eternal life. I used the word Christ-like because Christians are the worst people on earth today, the Bible tells us in Matthew; 5: 20, for I say unto you, that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. Most of you have once of twice come across this verse in the Bible but you still do not show concern, because God unlike the devil will not destroy you immediately, he still gives a chance for repentance because he went through so much for you, I even hear some Christian say, “I am not among those that killed Jesus.” I want you to know that Jesus died for you so that every time that you commit a sin, you are crucifying Jesus the second time because every crime you commit shows that the blood he shed was not enough for you, that you need more. How do you think he feels whenever you make the devil to rejoice over Him by committing a sin? How do you think he feels to see the people he suffered and died for increasing the kingdom of satan instead of his? He went into hell, collected the key of life and death so that we might have eternal life and said unto us “it is finished”, but we don’t believe it is finished, we don’t believe in what he offered us, we choose death and reject the life he has given because of the short moment of pleasure. Paul says in Galatians 2: 20-21, “I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ liveth in me, and the life which I knew live in the flesh, I live by faith in the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God for if righteousness comes
Praise & Worship 45
Sunday June 2, 2013
Way back to Calvary, by Apostle Utibe-Abasi General Overseer of Rock of Salvation Ministries, Iju, Lagos, Apostle Emmanuel Utibe-Abasi, enjoins Christians to retrace their steps and return to the pristine Christian values as a way of pleasing Christ Jesus who shed his blood to remit their sins. Excerpts:
Utibe-Abasi
by the law then Christ is dead in vain. Paul said, “the life we now live in the flesh, He lived by faith in the son of God, who loved Him and gave himself for Him. He accepted and realised that greatest love that Christ showed to him and tried not to frustrate it by living the holy life. He did not allow the suffering and death of Christ to mean vain in his life, he never forgot about Calvary, that is why he lived a life of no disappointment to that man that so loved him unconditionally. Paul was of Flesh and Blood like us, he strived to be righteous. Today, our everyday’s activities frustrate God, we prove his death in our lives to be vain, we forget about him and choose to live our own way, instead of embracing Christ, we embrace wickedness and strife. My children, let your heart return to Calvary, if your heart is in Calvary, your first Christian life experience will be brotherly love. We live in sorrow because of what we use our hand to do, I know as followers of Christ, we will face tribulation but it can only be for a short while; God is admonishing us to go back to Calvary if we want, a good life. Our hands that we lift up in praising God are supposed to be holy, but we pollute them because of the wickedness we accumulate in our heart. Ephe. 5: 12 says, “For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. Most of the things we do in
secret is unspeakable, you live a life of deceit. You appear as light before people but inwardly, you are an enemy of progress, you are jealous of your brother or neighbours, you don’t want to see the success of people’s children. You need to go back to Calvary. Remember those two sinners at Calvary, one repented and received eternal life, while the other remain hardened and died in his wickedness, which do you choose to emulate? I will advise you choose to repent, don’t die in your wickedness. The word of God says in Ezekiel 33: 11, “Unto them, saith the Lord God. I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked but that the wicked turn of his way and live. Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways for why will ye die? O house of Israel? Repent, instead of backstabbing your brothers, bless and pray for Him, learn and practice love, let brotherly love continue, be not forgetful to entertain strangers for thereby some have entertained angels unaware. Remember them that are in bonds as bound with them, and them which suffer adversity as being yourselves also in the body. (Heb. 13; 1-3). God is instructing you to show love to everyone because you don’t know when your blessing will come knocking, don’t rejoice when your neighbour is in problems, some will say “serves him right”, pray for your enemies, don’t only love those that will love you back the Bible says entertain angels, show love to that wicked person,
that particular one you feel is your greatest enemy, show him/her love, that person that hates you to death, show love, Matt. 5: 46 says. For if you love them which love you, what reward have you? Do not even the sinners the same? Why I am particular about love is because God is Love, if you want to be a child of God you must practice Love. In a gathering where there is love, that gathering can never fall. If we can show love to one another, do away with judging, condemning and being trabalistic the world would have been a better place. 1cor. 13: 8 says; Love never faileth; but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail, whether there be tongues, they shall cease, whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. Verse 13 says, “And now abideth faith, hope and love. These three; but the greatest of these is Love. Everything shall pass away, whether you are poor or rich, have the power to oppress or be oppressed, it shall all pass away but only your good works shall remain, which is Love. When I was a soldier, one of my commanders tore his cloth to bind up the wound of a wounded soldier as a result of a serious battle. But I am now telling you that the love of Jesus for man is more and greater than that of the commander. He died for you, Jesus poured out his blood as a balm of healing to our injuries and instead of using his blood as the commander to bind our wounds, his flesh was used instead. A Christian whose heart has gone back to Calvary must experience a stream of eternal life flowing from the cross, seeking for a channel to pass through. Will you make yourself available for the flow of the stream of eternal life? Christian, will you open your heart so that you can have a total experience of God’s salvation? 2 Cor. 5: 17 says, “Therefore is any man be in Christ he is a new creature, old things are passed away, behold all things are become new. Let your life become new today, put away all flesh, hatred, anger, bitterness, strife, jealousy, malice, backbiting, sauciness, idolatry, and return back to Calvary, for in Calvary there is no sin, healing, deliverance, miracle, testimony, salvation and redemption, etc. I say, back to Calvary, let your heart visit Calvary today and you will live to tell the goodness of the Lord. Are you an elderly person? I want you to look into your life today and ask yourself, “What is that thing that I have crucified? What is the self sacrifice I have made to gain Christ as Paul did’’ he said “I am crucified with Christ”. Paul made a self sacrifice, he went to Calvary and crucified that one thing that he loved so much, his flesh (his earthly desire) for the love of Christ. I also went to Calvary and crucified that one thing that gives me pleasure (my flesh) for the love of Christ. That’s why the Holy Ghost came with the message THE WOUND THAT DESTROYETH THE WORLD. Are you still licking that wound? Forsake it and return to Calvary today and have a nail on the love of Christ. For what shall it profit a man to gain the world and lose his soul. I say thank you, to all, my callers and those that sent messages for your support and encouragement.