OUR STANDPOINT

"To enlarge the Kingdom territories of our Lord here on earth, we must be committed to practical Christianity. This is the whole essence of our teaching, preaching, giving, caring and praying. With all these in place, there will be peace and glorious turnaround in our world."
-Gabriel S. Adeyemo 2016

Characteristics of Acceptable Prayer

1. It proceeds from sincere heart. God wants our prayer to be sincere and fervent.  Heb 10:22, 1Tim1:5, 2Cor.8:8; Eph.6:24; Josh.24:14, 2Cor.1:12,2:17;

2. It comes out of faith. Mark 11:24; Jam 5:15; 2Chro 20:20; Isa 7:9, Heb 2:4; Matt 9:29,17:20, Luke 17:6, Acts 14:22,16:5; Rom1:17,10:6,17;  2Cor 5:7.

3. It is bone out of hunger for God’s kingdom to be established here on earth. Isaiah 6:1-6,7; Matt. 5:3-6; Rom 10:1-4; Phil1:9-11; Eph 1:16-23

4. Another vital characteristic of acceptable prayer is humble spirit. 1Pet 5:6; Pro 3:34; 2kings 22:19; 2Chro 7:14; 12:7,  12; Psalm 10:17 ,29:23; Matt 18:4,23:12, Luke 18:14, James 4:6.

5. The fifth characteristic is importunity. We must take prayer as a matter of urgency. Pray without ceasing and start now.

We pray fervently and with deep concern about lost souls and the dark world in general. Luke 18:1-5; Matt 7:7;

We see how Jacob wrestled with God all might till he was blessed. Gen 32:24-25. John Kmox said, “Give me Scotland or I die”. 

6. Another characteristic is a loving heart. Mutual Communication on a regular basis is a product of close relationship in Love. John 15:13, 14-15.

Prayer is more than saying the right words. It goes beyond the physical demonstrations that have characterized our prayers today. Prayer involves the right attitude within and without before the Lord.

Anyone coming to the presence of God in prayer must be conscious of the mercy of God to deal with his or her inadequacies. Our inadequacies and sinfulness are dealt with through the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

We must reciprocate His Love for us.

To love God is to hunger and desire His will to be rooted in our lives and world. 

We desire his Word and grace to confront the World’s challenges. Psalm 42:1; 1John 5:3; Matt 22:36-37; John 14:15;

“No one should be satisfied with a mediocre, barely-get-along kind of life.” Love for God results in obeying the Word of God. We must make in commitment to be responsive to the will of God as commanded in his Word and impress upon our heart by the Holy Spirit.

Practical Christianity in the 21st Century

A living faith manifests itself in good works. Billy Graham said, “We are justified before God by faith and we are justified before men by works”. The world justifies the Christian by his life. Our Lord subscribed to this standard of judgment when He said, “By their fruits you shall know them” Matt. 7:20.

 Practical Christianity manifests in every facet of life beginning with personal growth in daily walk with the Lord. Growth is an essential component of living organism. It is used for spiritual, physical and mental life. It is expected that everything that carries life must change form. Such object must increase in size, height and value. If you engage in anything and you don’t see any sign of changes in form then it is either you are in the wrong endeavour or that thing is lifeless. Every believer and more especially church worker should grow. 

Bill Bright once said, "The study of the Word of God and the practice of prayer are vitally important for spiritual growth. We may miss a day without feeding on the Word of God or praying and not feel any apparent ill effects in our lives, but if we continue this practice, we will lose the power to live the victorious Christian life." The Bible is a record of growth from one family, to a nation and now nations all over the world.  Israel nation is described as a shoot planted of God but through unfaithfulness refused to grow.  Isaiah 60:21  “I had planted you like a choice vine of sound and reliable stock. How then did you turn against me into a corrupt, wild vine?” When they returned to the Lord, the Lord said when Israel returned seeking forgiveness: “I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like a lily. Like a cedar of Lebanon he will send down his roots; his young shoots will grow. His splendor will be like an olive tree, his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon. Men will dwell again in his shade. He will flourish like the corn. He will blossom like a vine” Hos 14:5–7 

A Christian is sometimes portrayed as one who is “like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither” Psalms 1:3. The picture is of a tree that is fruitful because it has strong roots and is well watered. An effective worker is well rooted in the Word of God; growing and yielding fruit in the kingdom services.  The same ideas are found in Psalm 92:12–15 and Jeremiah 17:7ff. The illustration used in these passages is that there is strength and fruitfulness in the spiritual realm only by trusting God, delighting in the law of the Lord and living rightly.

These images show God’s sovereignty and power to revive, but at the same time they show human responsibility to respond positively to God.  

Moving Forward: Fulfilling Divine Purpose

 Reverend and Pastor G. S. Adeyemo
Senior Pastor, Christ Baptist Church
Alimosho Lagos Ng

There is nothing sweeter than moving forward in life. Such a life is driven by purpose with diligence. Success is associated with turnaround for better. Therefore, let no one says, I'm satisfied with where I am.” Until you achieve your best form, keep moving. No retreat, no surrender is a popular saying that you must not ignore. 

In order to fulfill divine agenda for your life, you must know that you have to keep moving in the right direction. You must determine to be making progress in life. Hence you must understand what it takes to experience a turnaround in life.   

You must have a particular thing to celebrate at every point in life. If you have negative happenings in your life, then you must desire a turnaround. It is not enough to keep dwelling on the past unpleasant experiences recounting the overwhelming inadequacies in your life. It is time to take another look at life and see the better future. Hear what God says, “Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.” You must have a focus on the kind of future of your dream. 

Hellen Keller was a woman born deaf and blind yet, she teaches us a lesson saying, “Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see a shadow."

In order to experience a glorious turnaround, you need to answer the question below:

 What Do I Stand To Achieve?

“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3: 14

As you wake up daily, one question you must answer is, "What do I stand to achieve today? Not only for the day, has the same gone for your entire life. When you are thinking of marriage, career, or about embarking on a journey, take a moment to ask yourself, what informs such enterprise? Call it a vision, target or goal; you must know what you are aiming at right from the start of any undertaking in order to move to the next level. Michel de Montaigne says, "The great and glorious masterpiece of man is to know how to live to purpose." Getting things turnaround is fulfilling. Your purpose is your goal otherwise known as achievement.

 Many people think life is all about luck. They say, “What will be will be.” The Holy Scripture says, “Do not be deceived, "Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he reap" 

Focus your interest on what you want to achieve rather than

what you have done. Apostle Paul said, "Brethren, I count not myself to  have apprehended: but this one thing  I do,  forgetting those things which are behind,  and reaching forth unto those things which  are before, I press toward the mark for  the prize of the high calling of God in Christ  Jesus." Philippians 3: 13, 14. This is what could constructively drive your passion. Whenever you want to achieve something, keep your eyes open, concentrate and make sure you know exactly what it is you want. No one can hit their target with their eyes closed. (Paulo Coelho, ‘The Devil and Miss Prym’)

 A very vital question that can drive our will and passion to the original intention is, “What do I stand to achieve?”

 Do you want to be an achiever? Do you desire success and celebration? Set a goal. Focus on what you want to hold on to. Be it spiritual, physical, emotional or academic; you need to see the ending from the beginning. 

 We all ought to want to be champions in our Christian life. Today, let us think about what it takes to be a champion in the Christian life.

Tom Landry, former coach of the Dallas Cowboys, was once asked by a reporter, what makes a champion?   He went on to say: Success is not accidental. We learn how to achieve. He listed four short steps it takes to be a champion in the field of sports. These are: 1. Faith:  believing you can win. 2. Training: the Cowboys work out 4 times a week. They lift millions of pounds of iron each session. They run many miles to win. 3. Goals: all winning teams set goals. 4. You must possess the will to reach the goal you set for yourself. This is probably the most important quality of all champions. (www.sermoncentral.com)

If what you are doing now is not getting you closer to the future of your dream, then you need a turnaround. The Lord shall bless you as you diligently fill in the blanks below in Jesus’ name  

God Can Be Trusted

In 2Thesalonians 3: 1-3, it is obvious that God can be trusted in terms of his promises and covenant.  “God is faithful,” He can be counted on the stand by His Word. Paul reminds the people in Thessalonica that God “will stablish you and keep you from evil.” The word “stablish” has the idea of “ making stable, placing firmly, setting fast.” It means that God will “strengthen them and cause them to become constant in their lives and confirmed in their mind.” everything needed to be stable in life shall be given to the people of God. It shall be given to you.

You must trust him for your miracle and do those terms of the covenant. Offer him a unique offering as Noah, Abraham, David and Jesus did. You shall be richly blessed in Jesus name. 

Many people believe ember months as we call the last four months of every year are dangerous. But i can assure you of the mercy of God to go through without any regret. The blood of Jesus Christ is a token of covenant of peace, life and prosperity. You are secured by the blood of Jesus. No evil will come near you in Jesus name.

You Are God's Instrument

The purpose of God remains the same from generation to generations. It is for the man he created in his own image to “Be fruitful and increase in number, full the earth and subdue it; Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” Genesis 1:28. Hence, whatsoever will constitute impediment shall surely be cast out before the man. We must be ready to play our parts in the enlargement of our territories.

The truth about you as a child of God is that you are God's vehicle to fulfilling His desires for the world. He chose to share certain nature with you and me for His own pleasure. When you fail to realize this truth, Satan will easily capitalize on your ignorance and deprive you of that pleasure. Whatever plan or goal you draw up for yourself must be seen in the light of the Word and will of God.