Monday, 29 May 2000

What is a Holy Marriage? (Rev. Silas Yako) 29-04-2000

MY SERMON NOTES
@ Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN)
(Now Church of Christ in Nations)
Hwolshe, Gigiring - Jos
29th April, 2000

☆☆Wedding Solemnization between:
Mr. Patrick Mancha & Theresa Mancha

SERMON
* Speaker: Rev. Silas Yako
* Topic: What is a Holy Marriage?

* A holy marriage is one entered with wisdom

* Wisdom is the adhesive element that preserves the marriage union

* A holy marriage is one that the husband and wife are filled with the spirit of God

* If we allow God's Spirit to fill us, there will be peace in the home

* The one who gets drunk is under the dictates and influence of alchohol

* Taking care of the family is very important; He who does not live up to this responsibility is worse than an infidel & has denied the faith

* Problems arise in the home when couples do not obey God's Word and they allow themselves to be controlled by other strange spirits/influences (apart from God's Spirit)

* Grumbling, complaining and strife are signs of a 'Spirit of God- less' life

* Submit yourselves to one another; share ideas; help each other; humble yourselves; and tolerate each other

* Wives, obey your husbands - The husband is the head of the house
→ Husbands are God's servants (Priests)
→ The Bible emphasises this obedience

* Some women are wiser, richer and stronger than their husbands, but it does not hinder obedience & reverence

* Husbands must love their wives as Christ loves the Church . . . He who loves his wife loves himself . . . for this (reason) they left their parents to stick to each other

* Love can be demonstrated and also verbalized - this strengthens the bond of unity (among the couple)

* The way a wife comports herself reflects the husband's love for her

* A man who beats his wife is likened to a mad man
→ She is his body (only a mad man beats himself)
→ He is not fit to be called a 'man'

* A man must separate from his father and mother and stick to his wife

* There are many people who dislike a true union of love than those who like and support it

* Be careful as regards the kind of advice or counsel you receive about marriage

* Many men love their cars more than their wives and family

* Living holy lives is supreme

* You cannot deal with the issues of marriage with your bare hands - let bygone be bygone

Sunday, 7 May 2000

The Purpose in our Problems and Human Limitations 07-05-2000

MY SERMON NOTES
@ Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN)
(Now Church of Christ in Nations)
Hwolshe, Gigiring - Jos
7th May, 2000

SERMON
* Speaker: [no data]
* Topic: The Purpose in our Problems and Human Limitations

* Jesus says you must take up your cross if you must follow Him (Matthew 16:24)

* Jesus is not against pleasure, but afflictions MUST come our way

* When Jesus called the 12 disciples and the first believers to follow Him, He did not pretend it was going to be easy

2 Corinthians 4:7-10 (Paul's testimony)

* Paul admitted that he was fragile, but God in his infinite mercy keeps him strong

* God has an incredible plan for each one of us

* Satan was not making it easy for Paul, because he was effective for Christ
2 Corinthians 11:23b → " . . . in labours more abundantly, in prisons more abundantly, in stripes above measure, in deaths often."

* God may call us to suffer something. It's humanly meaningless to us

" My life is full of weaving
From God and me;
I cannot choose the colours . . ."

* Our human limitation brings some benefits. He uses such situations to bring glory to Himself

1. The reminders of Christ's suffering for us
* Christ suffered because our sins were on Him
* Satan tries to isolate us in our affliction and make us feel that no one cares - BUT GOD KNOWS

2. Our weaknesses Keep us from self-sufficiency
* Sometimes when you are doing all right, you tend to forget Christ and don't depend on Him for anything
* It doesn't take God a moment to tell us how vulnerable we are
* In our weaknesses, He makes and shows Himself strong


* When God humbles you through suffering, you should learn to appreciate him and TRUST HIM

3. Our suffering causes us to look beyond this brief life
* When we see the tragedy and suffering around us, we long for a better life beyond

4. Suffering proves our faith to others
* God doesn't promise us to always be healthy, or wealthy as many hold claim
Romans 8:35-39 → Suffering should not separate us from God
* In the end, God takes the glory - even in the sight of those that keenly observe us
* Satan tries to make us concentrate on some specific problems we face and in fact, the glory and His light is blurred out in that process
* We must demonstrate our faith as God's children, and that it is vital

5. Suffering gives God the opportunity to demonstrate His power and omnipotence
Philippians 4:13 →"I can do all things through him a who strengthens me."
* When God asks you to do something, He also gives you the power (and grace) to accomplish it
* When you depend on God, He proves His power and honours his words

☆ Refer to the story of Gideon in Judges Chapters 6 - 8

* It is not by power, but by God's Spirit

* When God asks you to do something and you know you naturally can't do it, praise Him because he will demonstrate His power

* The more you admit your need of Him, the more He releases His power through you

Thursday, 4 May 2000

Berom Outreach Ministries (Bro. lstifanus Gyang) 04-05-2000

MY SERMON NOTES
@ Berom Outreach Ministries (BOM)
4th May, 2000

Exhortation
* Speaker: Bro. lstifanus Gyang
* Text: Ecclesiastes 7:7 → "Surely extortion makes the wise man foolish; and a bribe destroys the understanding."


* You must be the one to work out your own portion

* You have what it takes to get the kind of portion you have

* The portion you desire shall be yours

Sunday, 30 April 2000

Seek the Lord (Rev. Silas Yako) 30-04-2000

MY SERMON NOTES
@ Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN)
(Now Church of Christ in Nations)
Hwolshe, Gigiring - Jos
30th April, 2000

MUSIC CONCERT by Mrs. Ann Sunwar
* Theme: Seek The Lord

EXHORTATION
* Speaker: Rev. Silas Yako
* Topic: Seek the Lord
* Text: Isaiah 55:6 → "Seek the LORD while he may be found; call you on him while he is near."

* Many Christians are suffering from 'religious inoculation' - they have built in immunity against having a real experience with God

* Now is the right time to seek God and find salvation; tomorrow might be too late

* The youngest candles shine the longest.
→ The Lord has put something in you that seeks expression

* Prayer: "This generation will not pass away unless the world knows that the calling of the Lord is upon me."

Three things that will make you fail in Life:
1. Partial sanctification
2. Unconscious decadence and detoriation
3. Compromising God's standards

Living a life of Abundance in Christ (Rev. David Fakolade) 30th April, 2000

MY SERMON NOTES
@ Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN)
(Now Church of Christ in Nations)
Hwolshe, Gigiring - Jos
30th April, 2000

COCIN Week

SERMON
* Speaker: Rev. David Fakolade
* Topic: Living a life of Abundance in Christ

* One who does not deposit anything in his bank account cannot derive interest on it
→ You need to abide by the rules of the bank

* The Lord will bless you only if you obey Him

* Jesus has come to give not life, not just an ordinary life, but abundant life

→ God can make ways for you where hope is lost

* To have abundant life means having an ample quantity of it; spending out of plentiful
→ You have to sow a seed before you can reap out of it

* The Lord has invested much on you and He wants you to remember your home above

* You can't live a complete life if you don't know Him

* Living a positive and perfect life in Christ is living in abundance
→ Only those who know Him will recognize His voice
→ Those who recoqnize His voice are those who yield to His demands

* Many people want God's blessings on their work, but they do not Want to give

* All you do, you do for yourself

* God has blessed you so that you can be a blessing to other people

* Living a life of service (Romans 12:1) is to live a life of abundance

* You cannot live a life of service when you are dead. This is your opportunity

* Alive to serve and not to be served - Jesus served till calvary, when He laid down His life for us. Jesus was obedient and He expects us to do the same

* Many people think that they do not need God because they "have everything that they want."

Romans 1:1 →"From: Paul, a servant of Jesus the Messiah, called to be an apostle and set apart for God’s gospeI."

→ Dedicate your life to live sanctified for His service, separated from sin unto service

* You may be identified with Christ by name, but you'll not have true fellowship because of sin

* Many 'Christians' are moving with Him without achieving anything

Ephesians 5:18 → "Stop getting drunk with wine, which leads to wild living, but keep on being filled with the Spirit."

* Living a Spirit-filled life with power to witness and to withstand persecution is living an abundant life

* Take your mind back to when you first believed in Jesus . . .

1 Peter 3:18"For the Messiah also suffered for sins once for all, an innocent person for the guilty, so that he could bring you to God. He was put to death in a mortal body but was brought to life by the Spirit."

→ Living a matured Christian life is living in abundance

* In simple obedience, surrender yourself to God and ask Him to fill you up

John 12:25 → "He who loves his life loses a it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to eternal life."

* You can live an abundant life in Christ if only you:
→ Set apart your life for Him;
→ Make yourself ready for His Service;
→ Surrender yourself to Him; and
→ Obey His Words

Tuesday, 4 April 2000

Seeking the Paths of Honor (Bro. Gideon) 04-11-2000

* MY SERMON NOTES
@ KADUNA POLYTECHNIC (KADPOLY) CHRISTIAN ALUMNI FELLOWSHIP
ANNUAL CONVENTION
4th November, 2000

SERMON
Speaker: Bro. Gideon (NIFES Leader)
Topic: Seeking the Paths of Honour
Theme: Where Is The God Of Elijah?
 
* The 'Elijahs of God' are found in the Bible – the portrait of men of God is found in Scripture

* Elijah walked honorably with God

* It is possible for you to stand out and distinguish yourself as a believer

* It does not take a majority to bring about change – it takes God’s move

* You and God means a lot in making a difference

* Elijah took the initiative to seek the path of honour

* You’ve got to be honest in everything you do – especially in your dealings with your family

* Because Elijah was there in Israel, he revealed God’s glory

* The path of honour is an unknown path

* Many people want honour but do not want to pay the price for it

* The path of honour is a very costly path

* The life of simplicity is something we should thank God for

* Today, there are many people (including Christians) that have many honourable titles, but they are dishonourable in their ways (character deficiency)
 
  - We are cleansed by the Word of Jesus, not by our own efforts  

* Just make up your mind to be different in your own little way

* The test of effective Christian discipleship is to be able to stand for Christ

* Discipleship is God’s standard for all believers at all times in all places, regardless of wherever they find themselves

* Elijah is an epitome of a loner for God. He simply lived for God

* When you live for God, you do not have to go pursuing miracles – they will come pursuing you

* Elijah was ruthless but when it comes to hearing God, he was careful
 
* It is possible to move heaven on your own, alone!

* You can decide to make maximum impact for God – God is not partial (if you seek Him, you will find him)

* We cannot make speaking in tongues and casting out demons a mark of spirituality

* There is no such thing as ‘super-believers’

* Elijah spent a lot of time in prayer

 

* Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. He was give birth in pain. He did not rely on the prayer of his mother

* Jabez cried out to God, he wanted to change his identity

* Jabez was a man of noble prayer

* Materialism has eaten deep into the Church

* When you make God’s business you business, he will make your business His business

* When God blesses you, ask him to make you a blessing

* Jabez was a man who relied on God to redefine his destiny

* Don’t let Satan use the Church to crush the anointed

 
Discerning the Times


* Elijah was a man just like us – he understood God’s mind before he prophesied

* Prayer is the hidden centre point on which our Christian faith revolves

* Prayer changes destinies of persons and nations

* Always create time to pray – it’s our spiritual centre of gravity

* Prayer life of a Christian should not be one directional              

 

 

 

Wednesday, 19 January 2000

Leadership of the Holy Spirit (Justice Daniel Longji) 19-01-2000

MY SERMON NOTES
@ Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN )
(now Church of Christ in Nations)
Gigiring, Hwolshe, Jos,
Plateau State, Nigeria
19th January, 2000

YOUTH FELLOWSHIP

* Speaker: Justice Daniel Longji
* Topic: Leadership of the Holy Spirit

* The greatest need you will have is the Holy Spirit

* Anyone who has Christ has the Holy Spirit

Luke 11:13 →"So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who keep asking him!”

* When you have the Holy Spirit, you have everything

* With the Holy Spirit, you can be anywhere and yet serve God

Acts 5:3-4 →" Peter asked, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart so that you should lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back some of the money you got for the land? As long as it remained unsold, wasn’t it your own? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? So how could you have thought of doing what you did? You didn’t lie only to men, but also to God!”

* NOTE: The Holy Spirit is God

* It is a mystery that God manifests in three (3) persons.
→ Many do not believe this!

2 Corinthians 13:14 →"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen."

* God gives us His grace in Jesus

* God himself is love

* The Holy Spirit grants us fellowship with God

John 16:13-14 →" Yet when the Spirit of Truth comes, he’ll guide you into all truth. He won’t speak on his own accord, but he’ll speak whatever he hears and will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you."

* Without the Spirit of God, you cannot know God

* It is the responsibility of the Holy Spirit to reveal Jesus (God) to you

HOW DOES THE HOLY SPIRIT LEAD?
NOTE: The primary assignment of the Holy Spirit is to LEAD you; of Jesus is to SAVE you, and of God the Father to LOVE you!

John 14:26 →"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything that I have told you."

1. HE REVEALS
* He does this through the Scriptures

* Head knowledge is different from heart knowledge

* Every moment you should desire that the Holy Spirit should reveal Jesus and God to you

2. HE SPEAKS
* He speaks the things of God to us

* Sometimes we hear His voice audibly, sometimes in the heart

* If the Holy Spirit must lead you, He must reveal Jesus to you

3. HE TEACHES God's Word

Leadership of the Holy Spirit (Justice Daniel Longji) 19-01-2000

MY SERMON NOTES
@ Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN)
(now Church of Christ in Nations)
Gigiring, Hwolshe, Jos,
Plateau State, Nigeria
19th January, 2000

YOUTH FELLOWSHIP

* Speaker: Justice Daniel Longji
* Topic: Leadership of the Holy Spirit

* The greatest need you will have is that of the Holy Spirit

* Anyone who has Christ has the Holy Spirit

Luke 11:13 →"So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who keep asking him!”

* When you have the Holy Spirit, you have everything

* With the Holy Spirit, you can be anywhere and yet serve God

Acts 5:3-4 →" Peter asked, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart so that you should lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back some of the money you got for the land? As long as it remained unsold, wasn’t it your own? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? So how could you have thought of doing what you did? You didn’t lie only to men, but also to God!”

* NOTE: The Holy Spirit is God

* It is a mystery that God manifests Himself in three (3) persons.
→ Many do not believe this!

2 Corinthians 13:14 →"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen."

* God gives us His grace in Jesus

* God himself is love

* The Holy Spirit Grants us fellowship with God

John 16:13-14 →" Yet when the Spirit of Truth comes, he’ll guide you into all truth. He won’t speak on his own accord, but he’ll speak whatever he hears and will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you."

* Without the Spirit of God, you cannot know God

* It is the responsibility of the Holy Spirit to reveal Jesus (God) to you

HOW DOES THE HOLY SPIRIT LEAD?
NOTE: The primary assignment of the Holy Spirit is to LEAD you;
→ The primary assignment of Jesus is to SAVE you, and
→ The primary assignment of God the Father to LOVE you!

John 14:26 →"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything that I have told you."

1. HE REVEALS
* He does this through the Scriptures

* Head knowledge is different from heart knowledge

* Every moment you should desire that the Holy Spirit should reveal Jesus and God to you

2. HE SPEAKS
* He speaks the things of God to us

* Sometimes we hear His voice audibly, sometimes in the heart

* If the Holy Spirit must lead you, He must reveal Jesus to you

3. HE TEACHES God's Word

Sunday, 9 January 2000

An Excellent Vision for this Millienium (Rev. Gyang Moses Chuwang) 09-01-2000

★ MY SERMON NOTES
@ Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN )
(now Church of Christ in Nations)
Gigiring, Hwolshe, Jos,
Plateau State, Nigeria
9th January, 2000

SERMON
* Speaker: Rev. Gyang Moses Chuwang
* Topic: An Excellent Vision for this Millienium

* A vision is an unusual discernment or foresight

* Not every person sees unusual things, except men of vision

* Vision is the ability to see something ahead as already accomplished

* Vision can be linked with faith

* When you have a vision, you'll have a conviction

* When you have a vision, you'll meet with enemies and oppossers

* But when you are working in God's vision, it will be good

Proverbs 29:18 →"Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he."

* People do not prosper because of lack of vision. People do not excell in their marriage, businesses, academics, etc because of lack of vision

* When you have a vision, you have direction. When you don't have a vision, you cannot be regarded as an 'exceller'

* You must ask God for vision - it gives you stability & balance.
→ With a good God-ordained vision, you will not be shaken by trouble and uncertain times

* When you don't have a vision, you will always live in fear

* Vision enhances your creativity

* When a man has vision, he will think of how to achieve it and seek the resources

* NOTE: You will possess your confession

* When you have vision, you will have motivation to see things come to pass - There is nothing that is impossible to achieve

* Just like Nehemiah (in the Bible), you can build the fallen walls of your life, home, study, christian life, etc

* When you have a vision, it gives you a generous spirit

* A person without vision is extravagant and wastes time on things that are not important

* Stingy people don't want to give and they become jealous When another person gives

* If you fail to take risks, risks will take you!

* Only people of vision are generous

* When you have vision, it will help you to discipline yourself

* Vision helps you to live in perpetuity!
→ Your vision has the potential to outlive you

* It is better to have a vision and not achieve it at the set time than the one who will not dare have any

* NOTE: God created you to be wholishic

★ How do you develop your Vision?
* God has given his children a gift, a talent and a ministry (to be a soul-winner and a discipler)

* Your number one (1) vision should be your spiritual vision, without this, other visions you'II have are vain.

* NOTE: God wants you to be perfect, holy and give Him glory

* God has kept you for a purpose So that you will fulfil His vision for your life - to be pure, holy and blameless

Psalm 24:2 →"For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods."

* If everything belongs to God, then God has already 'given' us all that we need in life!

* God's work can be promoted by your resources
→ You can't give what you don't have

* Vision must be accomplished by a plan of action for definite execution

* God says that all that we lay our hands to do shall be prosperous (see: Deuteronomy 28:8
→ Set for yourself a realistic physical vision, also have a mental, intellectual vision

* No one was created to become a dummy in life 
→ God destined you to excel

* When you have a vision, you will achieve great things
→ If you seek God's face, there will be no reason why you will fail

* Even if you fail 20 times, say to yourself "I have learnt 20 ways of not doing it right" and try again  

* No one was born to know everything but you can know at least something and you can excel in that which you know

* You have to set a vision that is social. Friends are made not born. Making friends should be part of your vision: sharing, caring and loving
→ Be generous and caring
→ Don't think you are everything
→ Get involved with people and socialize

* NOTE: You need people, just like they need you too

* Your vision should be to qlorify God in the end or in the process

Points to note in setting your vision:
1. Set your vision prayerfully

2. Set your vision with the standard of God's Word.
* It has to agree with God's Word. It must not contradict it.

3. Spend time and meditate on your vision (Joshua 1:8)
→ Some people set vision, but they don't spend quality time to develop it.

* Joy is not found in the abundance of what you have, but in God's grace

* Having a wonderful vision without exercising it is useless

* If you Want to be a high achiever, you must have an excellent vision that touches every aspect of your life

→ In order to have a clear vision, you must have a supernatural touch from Jesus

Things you must Consider:
1. Ask yourself: "what do I understand as my primary purpose in life?"

2. Create a strong mental picture of the situation you want to be your reality in the future by faith

3. State your long-range goals and your short-range goals

4. Identify your immediate goals
→ Break them down into months & days

5. Pick one of the goals and decide what you want to act upon
→ Note the ways you are progressing
→ Note the challenges, if any
→ It is important to write them down

6. Be willing to change or modify your vision in accordance with God's will as time goes on

Thursday, 7 October 1999

The Spirit to Rescue (Bro. Joel Bibot) 07-10-1999

MY SERMON NOTES
@ RESCUE TEAM
Hwolshe, Gigiring - Jos
Plateau State, Nigeria
7th October, 1999

* Topic: The Spirit to Rescue
* Speaker: Bro. Joel Bibot

Three (3) Types of Spirits:  
1. The Spirit of God
→ This Spirit is Omnipresent, omnipotent, etc.  

2. The Spirit Beings (angels and demons)
→ Each of them keeps to his domain and operates there

3. The human Spirit
→ The spirit of man cannot do anything unless he is under the control of the Spirit of God or the devil

* To 'rescue' is to deliver someone from a particular force that is above him

* For you to set someone free, you have to be above that particular force that is keeping that person in bondage  

* The spirit to rescue is the motivator, the zeal, the power to move and set someone free

* Souls are being captured by the devil and they need to be set free

* Those who are free from the control of Satan have the mandate to set the captives free


* Most of the souls (in bondage) do not have any knowledge that they are in bondage

* As a leader, launch into what you are meant to do so as to avoid mistakes

* Be very careful before making any decision or a vow

* Allow the counsel and wisdom of God to guide you
→ Do not rely on your own understanding or human perception as you embark on evangelism, deliverance or prayer for those under the captivity of Satan
 
*NOTE: The act of rescuing is a spiritual (and sometimes physical) battle

* The act of rescuing is not a difficult task, but there are tactics and techniques that must be employed
→ You are not to be in a hurry to rescue.
→ You are not to delay unnecessarily, else the person dies
→ Decisions must be taken with prayers and strong conviction

To Rescue:
1. You need to have Jesus

2. You need the Spirit of the Lord to guide you

3. Rescue the soul(s) at the right time at the right place

Thursday, 9 September 1999

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

* 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

→ 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

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