Looking unto Jesus 09-09-1999

★ MY SERMON NOTES

@ Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN)

(Now Church of Christ in Nations)

Headquarters Compound Church

Youth Week

9th September, 1999

SERMON

* Speaker: [no data]

* Topic: Looking unto Jesus

* Text: Hebrews 12:1-15

* The secret to spiritual vitality is looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith

* Jesus also ran the race of faith though He faced many obstacles

* There is a prize at the end of the road

* When winning a race, the direction of your face matters a lot

→ An athlete must be a focused person

★ Psalm 57

* One who must draw vitality from God MUST be focused

→ NOTE: Everything you look at affects you

* A man who is not looking 'up' cannot get anything from there

★ James 1:6 → "But he must ask in faith, without any doubts, for the one who has doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind."

* The reason why many who were ordained for greatness did not get there is because they did not fix their eyes on the goal

★ James 1:5-7

→ A person who is unstable will never recieve anything from God

* Many Christians are indecisive and unstable in their ways

* God gives His blessings only to those who are not unstable and careless

* Physical things are ordered from the spiritual realm - if you are unstable in your spiritual life, it will manifest in the physical things that can be seen

* No human being is a reference point for our Christian living

→ You should only conform to the image of Jesus

* No human being is indispensable and you cannot fulfil God's desires until your eyes are fixed and focused on Jesus - when He becomes your reference point

* Instability is a major disqualification for a man who wants to walk with God

* The pleasures of this life have the potential to make you unstable

→ The best things in life might not be God's will for you

* The whole duty of man is to fear God

→(Ecclesiastes 12:13)

★ Psalm 73

→ When you consider the prosperity of the wicked (of the world) you'll slip away

* Every advantage in life has disadvantages

* A man that lives in godless pleasure now is actually living in death

* Even if you attain your heart's dreams while here on earth, you still have eternity to face

* You may be happy, but without Jesus, you cannot find true joy (which is a fruit of the spirit)

* Men who do not have God cannot sing in the midst of calamity

Tips for Ministration (Bro. Emmanuel Mabitine) 07-09-1999

★ MY SERMON NOTES

@ Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN)

(Now, Church of Christ in Nations)

Hwolshe, Gigiring - Jos

Plateau State

7th September, 1999

 

Youth Band Rehearsals

EXHORTATION

* Speaker: Bro. Emmanuel Mabitine (Band Leader)

* Topic: Tips for Ministration

 

1. Pray before and after every ministration

2. Don't let the commendation (or lack of it) from the audience determine your joy

3. Do not over concentrate on the instruments and forget about who you are ministering to

4. Pay close attention to your heart (place it under God's guide)

5. As you minister, believe God for Something definite

6. Learn to pray for your audience

7. When you don't like a song, you will never flow in it - avoid that kind of habit. Sing every song with the whole of your heart

8. See every performance as an opportunity to minister

9. Forget about the pressures and concentrate on God

10. Be disciplined

11. Do not negatively pre-condition your mind before a ministration

12. Know why you are on stage!

→ It is not how popular you are, but what matters is your remaining on stage - You can stand before a King but will you remain before the King?

The Costly Assumption (Bro. Emmanuel Damen) 03-09-1999

★ MY SERMON NOTES
@ Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN)
(now, Church of Christ in Nations)
Hwolshe, Gigiring - Jos,
Plateau State, Nigeria
3rd September, 1999

Youth Fellowship Night Vigil

SERMON
* Speaker: Bro. Emmanuel Damen
* Topic: The Costly Assumption
* Text: Luke 2:41-52

 

* Today, people are busy worshipping religion instead of God
→ they erroneously assume that they are serving God, but they are in fact serving something else. This is a costly assumption!

 

* Jesus Christ does not 'appear' at mere religious activities. He is more interested in having a relationship with you! 
→ Many people who profess to be 'Christians' have no personal relationship with Jesus, but instead, they are busy being religious

 

★ John 14:23 → "Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word. Then my Father will love him, and we will go to him and make our home within him."

 

* Christianity is a reality, not a mere assumption.
→ Christianity is not a religion - it is a real relationship with Jesus

★ Ezekiel 22:30 → "I sought for a man among them to build the wall and stand in the breach in my presence on behalf of the land so that it won’t be destroyed, but I found no one."

 

★ 1 Kings 12:1-16

 

* Joseph and Mary were not sensitive enough to notice Jesus’ absence on their journey back home from Jerusalem
- Are you sensitive to the presence of Jesus in your life? Has he left you?

 

* The Lord has left many 'Christians' yet they do not realise that fact. They still continue their religious activities, oblivious of Jesus' absence (Just like Samson in Judges 16:20)

 

★ Galatians 3:2 → " I want to learn only one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by doing the actions of the Law or by believing what you heard?"