“Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism
into death: that like Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the
Father, even so we also should walk in the newness of life” Rm.6:4
Divine Favour greetings family, I welcome you to this great month of
March which the Lord has graciously named for us: Our Month of Newness of life.
As I meditated on this word of the month, it occurred to me that this may not
be popular with many but this is what God wants.
Some years ago, I was sharing the visions and strategies the Lord has
given me for running the ministry with a Bishop who I was drawn to through His
book that I read. He listened intently and when I finished speaking, he
responded by telling me that I had chosen the hard way but that this is what
God wants. The fact that this is what God wants encourages me to go along that
line more than any kind of motivator even though over time I have found what
that Bishop said to be the truth.
Therefore in this month of March, I believe God wants all His children
to make up their minds whether they want to prepare for the Lord’s return as
His spotless bride without spot or wrinkle or they would rather be like the
five foolish virgins of Matthew 25.
Sadly, an objective look at those professing to be followers of the
Lord Jesus Christ today would disclose to us that some have even degenerated
from being foolish to becoming the harlot of Revelation 17 and her daughters.
This month God is calling his Church to true repentance and faith. His
return is imminent and His desire is to meet a glorious bride without spot or
wrinkle. A look at our text scripture reveals to us that when we identify with
the Lord Jesus Christ through baptism into His body, we thereby subscribe to
die to the flesh and live in newness of life. We learn from 2Cor.5:17 that if anyone is in Jesus
Christ, He is a new creation; old things are passed away and all things are
become new. This is why Apostle Paul tells us in our text scripture that we
should walk in the newness of life. The question is what is the newness of
life? When Jesus came during His earthly ministry, He told us. In the book of
John 15:1-16 while instructing His disciples on becoming all that the father
wants them to be, He told them that if they abide in Him they would bear much
fruit. Also, Apostle Paul teaches in Rm.7:4 that the purpose of our redemption
is so that we would bear fruit to the father.
Further, from what the Lord taught in John 15 referred to above, we can
draw the following truths:
1. Jesus Christ is the true vine analogy.
2. The father is the Gardener or vine dresser.
3. We are the branches of the vine.
4. If we fail to bear fruit, the father would
cut us off from the vine.
5. If we bear fruit, the father will prune us
so that we may bear much fruit. I must warn you that this would be a tough
process for you but it is the best.
6. We cannot bear fruit except we abide in the
vine because we have to depend on the sap from the vine to survive.
7. When we abide in the vine, we would bear
much fruit.
8. If we abide in Him and His word abides in
us, we shall ask what we will and He will give it to us.
9. We did not choose the Lord, He chose us and
ordained us to bear much fruit so that whatever we ask the father, He may give
it to us.
A look at the above truths would disclose to us that the way to
actually seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness is a commitment to fruit
bearing. We know we are bearing fruit when our life style reflects the heart
and character of the Lord Jesus Christ. The more like Jesus Christ we are in
all our conduct, the more fruitful we really are. For ministers, your fruitfulness
is not in the size of your congregation but in your quality of life and that of
the members of the congregation you lead. When the Lord looks down from heaven,
does He see a glorious Church without spot or wrinkle or he sees light and
darkness coexisting in people? No wonder apostle Paul teaches that the people
he has fed through the gospel are the proof of his apostleship in Christ. For
the family, the Children reflect the apostleship of the parents over them and
therefore show proof of fruitfulness or non-fruitfulness to the extent that
they are like Christ Jesus.
Therefore this month, much as I will like to teach along these lines, I
am still open to the Holy Spirit for any flexibility He may want me to
demonstrate to do my work properly. So God willing, we shall be looking at God’s method of bearing fruit in His
kingdom.
Meanwhile, someone is reading this blog that is yet to make a true
commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ and you are saying even though I have been
going to Church, I cannot truly say I have lived like the Lord Jesus Christ;
please I want to start doing so today. If that is you, I have good news for
you; you can start right away by saying the following prayer out loud in faith
and you will commence your journey through true repentance:
Heavenly Father,
Have mercy on me a sinner. Today, I believe that Jesus
died for me and you raised Him from the dead for my Justification. I therefore
declare that Jesus Christ is my Saviour and Lord and from today, I renounce the
fatherhood of Satan plus his unfruitful works of darkness and embrace Jesus
Christ as my Saviour and Lord. Thank you for this father in Jesus’ name! Amen.
Congratulations! For more information and resources that
would help you grow in this new life, please visit our website at www.kingdomheirsministries.org and our
blogs at www.flourishinggirl.blogspot.com
and follow us on twitter at alero_nanna and on face book on www.facebook.com/flourishinggirl www.facebook.com/khmii2015; www.facebook.com/thewellbeingcenter.
Or www.facebook.com/kingdomjointheirsfamily
email: jointheirsfamily@gmail.com.
