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Friday, August 20, 2010
Episode 4 :: Question 1 on the Christian's Calling
7:43 PM | Posted by
St. Burnish
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| Pastor Chris Oyakhilome |
Introduction: Hello, I’d like to welcome you to today’s webcast in which I will try to answer some of your questions. We are getting a lot of beautiful responses from around the world, and I appreciate that. And just in case we don’t take your question today, you can check our blog and get involved and I’m sure that somehow, someone will respond to it and before long, I’ll get on it myself. Today, I have several questions.
Question 1 – Mamello (Canada): Dear Pastor Chris, I would like to know sir, what is a call to a Christian? Can we say one is called to be an intercessor? I understand that Ephesians 4:11 talks about ministry gifts and 1 Corinthians 14, the gifts of the Holy Spirit; so for the call, what is it, and what am I supposed to do if I have that call? Thank you, dear Pastor.
Answer 1: Well, you said, "what is a call to a Christian?" Firstly, it is important for us to understand that there are two kinds of callings that the Bible refers to. The first one is the general calling and every one of us is called in Christ Jesus. Now, I want to read that to you from the Bible. I’d like for you to turn to Romans 1, from verse 7; Paul is writing here to the Roman Christians, every Christian in the Church of Rome, now Rome at the time. And it says, “To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. [Romans 1:7]” To all that be in Rome - every one of the Christians there was called to be a saint. So, we are all called to be saints. That’s the first one. I’ll read another one to you in 1 Corinthians 1:2: “Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, [every one in the church] to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:” So we are all called to be saints. Now, that’s a general calling for all Christians. We are all called of God, called to be saints, called to be his children, born of him. And then, in 1 Peter 5:10: “But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus [You see that? He has called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus], after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” So, those scriptures help us to understand that we are all called to God’s glory - called to be saints.
But then, the second kind of calling is for individual ministers, individuals in the Lord. And an example is given to us from the Old Testament into the new. From verse 9 into 10 of Hebrews 5, “And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec. [Hebrews 5:9-10]” And then verse 4, “And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.” So Aaron in the Old Testament was called of God and then Jesus Christ, called of God. So, the calling here has to do with individuals. And then you come also to Paul’s declaration and reference to himself in Romans 1 and you will find it in several of his epistles how he opens it. From verse 1, “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, [He didn’t say called to be a saint now because we are all called to be a saints, so he says called to be an apostle], separated unto the gospel of God. [Romans 1:1]” In 1 Corinthians 1:1, it says, “Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,” He didn’t say Sosthenes called also here. But he says, He [Paul], was called to be an apostle, and he was with Sosthenes our brother, he didn’t say our apostle. So you notice there that there are different kinds of callings - the general calling and then the specific calling.
Now, you have a question, “Can one say that he is called to be an intercessor?” Well, the intercessory ministry is for every believer. Every Christian is called to be an intercessor, because the intercessory ministry is in our office as priests; we are priests of God, and we are all called to intercede for other people. Now, there will be certain Christians who will take that more seriously than others, not necessarily because there is an office of an intercessor because we all have that office. We are all called into that office, and it’s the office of priesthood. So, every Christian should be an intercessor. But, like in everything, it’s just like evangelism. We are all called to be soul-winners, but some are going to take that responsibility more seriously than others. It’s the same way. So, we can’t say some people are called into soul-winning; we are all soul-winners. Now that’s different from the ministry of an evangelist. An evangelist is a preacher, and a soul-winner may not be a preacher, but he wins souls. It’s got nothing to do with preaching [announcing]. You talk to someone; you may not preach, you might teach, you might explain - explain the gospel, live by example, and lead people to Christ [reconcile others to Christ] and that is the ministry of every Christian. But, some will do it more seriously than others - the same thing with intercession. So, because of that, there are those who say that they are called into the office of an intercessor, but there is no such thing in the Bible; it belongs to every one of us. Every one of us has that responsibility to intercede.
Now the other part of your question is “What am I supposed to do if I have that call?” You answer it. If God calls you, you’d know; you’d hear it. You’ll hear it in your spirit. You answer it, and do what he has called you to do. Thank you!
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Episode 3 :: Prayer/Words of Knowledge
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| Pastor Chris Oyakhilome |
Prayer: I want to pray for you now; you’re ready? I believe God’s Spirit is God’s answer. No matter what you are asking God for, no matter what it is you need or desire of Him, His Spirit will touch you now and grant your heart’s desire and meet you at the point of your need.
Father, in the Name of the Lord Jesus, I pray for everyone who is under the influence of this programme right now, I pray that you touch their sick bodies and make them well. I command sickness to depart from them in Jesus’ Name; I pray that they be healed from the crown of their heads to the soles of their feet. Yes, be healed in Jesus’ Name; be healed in your body, be healed in your bones, be cleansed in your blood in the Name of Jesus! Yes, be healed; be made every whit whole. I pray for your financial need [yes], receive a miracle - receive that which you’ve asked God for right now in Jesus’ mighty Name. I pray that you will come out of debt…that your needs be supplied by the power of the Spirit of God, in Jesus’ mighty name. Yes, be healed…yes be touched. Be cleansed [yes], be made whole in Jesus’ name.
Words of Knowledge: Someone with a problem at the back of the neck has just been healed; the Spirit of God just touched you. You had a terrible pain that has been there for a while and you’ve just felt something snap and you’re free. I break the power of the devil over your body in Jesus’ mighty name. Someone has just been healed; you had problems with your eyes somewhere just above your eyebrows you had a problem, and you’ve just been healed. You’ve just been healed. Migraine headaches have been healed, thank you Lord Jesus! There is a bone dislocation, someone with the bone dislocation - a lady with a bone dislocation has just been healed. Yes, you are healed in Jesus’ mighty name. I see someone else with a dislocation also, it’s a problem with the knee, and you’ve just been healed. A young man with a problem in the knee has just been healed. The power of the Spirit of God just surged through your being and healed you. Yes, you are free in the Name of Jesus. The back pain has just been healed; the Spirit of God just touched you. Yes, receive healing right now. The Word of God has gone out for your healing, thank you Lord. What a miracle!
Thank you Lord, thank God for touching you, thank God for healing you, thank Him for making you whole, thank Him for the miracle. You are healed! Praise God! Let us know what the Lord has done for you; send us an email, send your testimonies in, so glad to hear from you. I will see you again next week. God bless you.
Watch full episode 1 video here: Part 1 and Part 2!
Episode 3 [Part 2] :: Question 5 on the Rapture
Question 5 - Pastor Austen Narda (Nigeria): Pastor Sir, thank you for this opportunity to ask you questions. Does the day of the lord come as a thief in the night to the new creation?
Answer 5: No, it doesn’t. In 1 Thessalonians 5, there are only two places in the Bible that refers to the coming of the Lord as coming as a thief in the night, so I’ll read to you from 1 Thessalonians which is the first one, chapter 5:1-4: “But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, [not when we shall say] peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.” Ain’t that wonderful? “Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.” [1 Thessalonians 5:5] Glory to God! That’s wonderful! Well, well I think that we will stop here for now and get to do some more next week.
Watch the full episode 3 [June 9, 2009] part 2 video here!
Answer 5: No, it doesn’t. In 1 Thessalonians 5, there are only two places in the Bible that refers to the coming of the Lord as coming as a thief in the night, so I’ll read to you from 1 Thessalonians which is the first one, chapter 5:1-4: “But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, [not when we shall say] peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.” Ain’t that wonderful? “Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.” [1 Thessalonians 5:5] Glory to God! That’s wonderful! Well, well I think that we will stop here for now and get to do some more next week.
Watch the full episode 3 [June 9, 2009] part 2 video here!
Episode 3 [Part 2] :: Question 4 on the Importance of Speaking in Tongues
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| Pastor Chris Oyakhilome |
Question 4- Cindy (Nigeria): As a Christian, why is speaking in tongues so important? Why must all Christians have it?
Answer 4: Yeah, 1 Corinthians 14:4: “He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself” Wouldn’t you like to edify yourself? Anyone who speaks in tongues edifies himself, that means he builds himself…builds himself like an edifice. He charges himself like a battery [see?] So you don’t wear out or run out of power, because always you have this self building process in your spirit. Now if you would also read in that 1 Corinthians 14, I want to read something to you there from verse 14 “For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth but my understanding is unfruitful”. See, when we pray in an unknown tongue, it’s our spirit that’s praying. It says “...my understanding is unfruitful” [1 Corinthians 14:14], which means it’s not through my mind; it’s through my spirit.
In other words when you pray in tongues, you activate your spirit. How would you like to do that? Every Christian ought to do that; every Christian should want to get blessed. Every Christian should like to activate his spirit, should like to pray from his spirit. When you pray in your own language, you are praying in your understanding, because you understand what you are saying, see that? Now, it says [quotes 1 Corinthians 14:14] He says “I don’t understand what I am saying”; then in verse 15 “What is it then? [so, what am I going to do?] I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also...” [1 Corinthians 14:15] You see, praying with the spirit is more important than praying with your understanding. So, he says I will pray with the spirit first, I will pray with the understanding also; it is that with the understanding that is the also, you notice that? So, praying in your own language or in your native tongue is less important than praying in the spirit. Now I go on, “What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.” Paul was an exceptional leader in the Christian church. Now, I want you to listen to what he said about speaking in tongues, “I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all:” [1 Corinthians 14:18] Can you imagine that? He said “I speak with tongues more than ye all”; he was talking to the church in Corinth where there was an abundant supply of the gift of the Spirit. Every Christian should want to pray in tongues; it’s very, very important because of what it does for you. If you don’t do it, you lose all that, you miss all the benefits...why would you? Alright, I’ll just take a few other questions here.
Watch the full episode 3 [part 2] video here!
Episode 3 [Part 2] :: Question 3 on the Old Testament
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| Pastor Chris Oyakhilome |
Question 3- Brian Angels (Ghana): Dear Pastor Chris, God bless you for the wonderful work you are doing. Pastor, there are times that I hear that certain laws in the Old Testament have been cancelled by Jesus Christ in the New Testament. So why is it that preachers still take stories from the Old Testament? Did Jesus cancel the law of clean and unclean food? How about first fruit and so on?
Answer 3: Yeah, very, very interesting indeed. You said at times, you hear certain laws in the Old Testament have been cancelled by Jesus. No, not certain laws but all the laws have really been cancelled by Jesus Christ. We read earlier that love is the fulfilling of the law [see?] All of those commandments, now with walking in love, you fulfil them. But beyond that, in Ephesians 2:14-15 “For he is our peace [he is talking about Jesus Christ], who hath made both one [both meaning Jews and Gentile], and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished [notice in verse 15] in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain [that means out of the two] one new man, so making peace;” So, He’s abolished through His death [in His flesh it says] the enmity. He says: “...even the law of commandments contained in ordinances” [Ephesians 2:15] so the law of commandments contained in ordinances has been abolished. He’s done it; so, He has abolished all of them - that’s what He did - not some of them but all of them. He fulfilled them and abolished them; that’s what the Bible says.
Hebrews chapter 7 is another scripture that gives us an interesting light on this [in verse 12]. You know that Jesus has become our High Priest, and He was not made a Priest in the order of Aaron or the Levitical priesthood. He was made a Priest in the order of Melchizedek and now that means an eternal priesthood; so, there is a new priesthood, not the priesthood that they had in the Old Testament but a new priesthood of Jesus Christ. So, Jesus is our High Priest. Now, the importance of that is now what I want to read to you in verse 12: “For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.” So, if Jesus Chris has become our high priest, He is not the High Priest of the law. He has a new law. See, the Bible says, “if you change the Priesthood, you must change the law” and since the priesthood has been changed and Jesus Christ has become our High Priest, the law has been changed as well. That’s why Jesus said, “A new law I give to you, a new commandment I give to you that you love one another” [John 13:34], so love has replaced all of that in the Old Testament.
You said, “There are times when I hear that certain laws in the Old Testament have been cancelled by Jesus Christ in the New Testament. So why is that preachers still take stories from the Old Testament?” Because of this - Romans 15:4: “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope”, which means those things that were written in the Old Testament were written for our learning. So, we can learn from them. That’s what it is talking about. We can learn from those things; that’s why preachers still preach from the Old Testament.
Now you said “Did Jesus cancel the law of clean and unclean fruit?” Yeah, Roman 14:14: “I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean.” So, nothing is unclean of itself anymore. The ceremonial uncleanness of certain foods are all cancelled. But now, he says anybody who says something is unclean, to him it is unclean. So it’s up to you. That’s what it is saying. You choose what is clean for you or unclean for you, not because God said so [because], that law has been abolished.
How about first fruit? First fruit didn’t come because of the law; first fruit came before the law. If you go into Genesis, the Bible tells us from the very beginning how that Cain and Abel were to bring their firstlings unto God (firstlings - that means first fruits in terms of animals) [Genesis 4:3-5]. So, that’s what they did; it was revealed first. In fact, it was revealed before tithing. So it wasn’t of the law. It was only put in the law, because it was something that was an act of faith that was revealed in the scriptures. So, Jesus didn’t cancel it because He only abolished the law and first fruit was not of the law. It was included in the law.
Watch full episode 3 [June 9, 2009] part 2 video here!
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