★ MY SERMON NOTES
@ Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN)
Area 1, Garki-Abuja
→ Mens' Fellowship Day
22nd March, 2015
SERMON
* Topic: Men Growing in Christ
* Speaker: Evangelist Bedima Gonzwak
* Theme: Growing Up in Christ
* Sub-Theme: Intentional Growth
* Service Leader: Mr. Danlami Jelka
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| Evangelist Bedima Gonzwak |
★ Text: Ephesians 5:18-20
* It is impossible for anyone to grow without the enablement of the Spirit of God
* You must understand the role of the Holy Spirit in spiritual growth
* You must understand the Holy Spirit and His role the Church today
* Anyone who is drunk with wine is controlled by wine and anyone filled with the Spirit of God is controlled by the Spirit
* You cannot be controlled by the Spirit of God and be controlled by sin at the same time
* You cannot afford to allow yourself to be ruled by any ungodly influence as a believer in Jesus Christ
→ You are destined for dominion, not oppression
* There are people who are controlled by gold (money and the things money can buy) not by the Spirit of God
* NOTE: On earth, people exalt gold and place it above themselves, but in Heaven, the Streets are made of gold and are trampled underfoot
* The deliverance you need in your life is so that 'gold' will be under your feet and God will be in control of your life
* The Holy spirit has not only come to give you help in times of need, but to be in charge (to take full control) of your life
* The Church in Ephesus was one of the most powerful and efficient churches in the Testament (Acts 19).
→ They evangelized the whole of Asia for Christ and there were manifestations of the power of God. But Paul encouraged them to be filed with the Holy Spirit
★ Revelations 4:5 →"And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God."
* The Seven torches/lamps of fire burning before the throne of God are the 7 (seven) dimensions of the Spirit of God
* The 7 (seven) dimensions of the Spirit of God are listed in Isaiah 11:1-2 and they include:
1. Wisdom
2. Understanding
3. Counsel
4. Might
5. Knowledge
6. The fear of the Lord
7. Judgement
* NOTE: The 24 Spiritual gifts revealed in the Scriptures can be compressed into these 7 (seven) dimensions if the Spirit of God
* NOTE: Jesus delighted in the fear of the Lord
→ But, the Nigerian Church to a large extent delights in the manifestation of power (prophesies & miracles)
* It is an abomination for us as believers to take delight in anything that Jesus is not delighted in.
* The fear of the Lord is the empowerment that will take you to heaven
* When you fear the Lord, you will not only know the Holy Spirit as a gift, but as a person!
* The usage of the gifts of the Holy Spirit are given to believers in Jesus Christ for the promotion of the fear of the Lord in our lives
1. Faith
2. Hope
3. Love (fear of the Lord)
★ Matthew 7:21 →"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven."
* In the kingdom of God, there are things that are 'major' and some that are 'minor'.
→ The devil is well aware of this fact and he would prefer you to major on the minors
→ there are people that operate in spiritual gifts with great effects and impact, but are not recognized by God
* Many Christians 'major' in great spiritual gifts, but are lacking in godly character
→ God looks at your character
* The fear of the Lord will:
(a) deliver you from living in sin
(b) deliver Nigeria from corruption and other vices
(c) help you to live in obedience to God consistently
* How to know that you are filled with the Spirit of God (Ephesians 5:18)
1. You will have a 'singing heart' regardless of what you experience in life
2. You will always give thanks to God
→ Thanksgiving delivers you from grumbling
3. You will always submit to lawful authority
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* Many Christians are not sure of making it to heaven because they have allowed sin to thrive in their lives
* As a Christian, you must be serious about dealing with the issue of sin and removing every trace of it from your life
* Don't allow sin to take you down ...
→ deal with it (before it deals with you)
★ MISSION CHARGE
★ MISSION CHARGE
"Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall . . . the only man who never make mistakes is the man who never does anything"
→ Anonymous
★ QUOTES
"I shall pass through this life but once. Any good therefore that I can do, or any kindness. Let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it for I shall never pass this way again"
→ Etienne de Grellet
Picture credit: Mr. Gideon Bewas
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