THE BIBLE AND THE GREAT COMMISSION

PROF. BEN ONYEUKWU (REV.)

NCE(Eng.) ND/HD (Journalism); BA (Hons) MA, PhD.

Call: +2348037346939  E-mail: professorbenonyeukwu@yahoo.com

THE BIBLE AND THE GREAT COMMISSION

Devotional Text: Matt. 28:19-20

Introduction:

By way of definition, the Great Commission is that solemn directive of Jesus Christ to His church, to evangelize the world, (Matt. 28:19-20). And, “evangelism”, which is the preaching of the Good news of the Salvation of Jesus Christ to the whole world, is the supreme task of the church, which the New Testament church pursued vigorously in the three methods, namely, the personal method, (Act. 20:20), the Mass method, (Acts 2:38-42), and the Epistolary Media Method, which indicates that the Electronic Media, that is an advantage in today’s evangelism, was absent in that era.

The message of the Great Commission is strictly the message of the kingdom of God, that calls for repentance, which John the Baptist (Matt. 3:1-2), Jesus (Matt. 4:17), Peter (Acts 2:38) and other apostles preached. But, today, the message has grossly been compromised by the modern preacher who seek their own, and not the things of the Kingdom of Heaven. Thus, the need to return to basis.

GENERAL REMARKS

(1)     The Great Commission is a task designed by the Lord to reach the whole world

 with the gospel of salvation, (Matt. 28:19).        

(2)     The Great commission strictly carries the message of the kingdom of God

that calls people to repentance, (Matt. 10:7).

(3)     The Great commission is the assignment of every member

of the church, and not just the clergy or the professional preacher, (Acts 20:20)

(4)     The Great commission in the early church was carried out in three methods; namely; the personal

(Acts 20:20), Mass Luke 9:11-14; Acts 2:38-420 and the (epistolary) media methods, (see 2 Cor. 2:9; 7:12; I John 1:5).

THE GREAT COMMISSION AND THE SALVATION OF THE PEOPLE

The Great Commission is primarily designed to save people from sins and trespasses, which are the damning tools of Satan and his dark kingdom against humanity, and this implies that any gospel preaching that is devoid of the power of salvation is not a gospel at all (Rom. 1:16); and so, cannot be associated with the Great Commission of Jesus Christ. For, every message of the Great Commission, which is the message of the kingdom, takes cognizance of the fact that, “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God”. (Rom 3:23), and therefore, need(s) to repent (Acts 3:19), as it stresses the solemn truth that, Jesus alone can save, (Acts 4:12). Based on the foregoing, this lesson restates that the message of the Great Commission of Jesus Christ

(i)                   holds that all is affected by sin (Rom 3:23), and need(s) to repent (Acts 3:19);

(ii)                 calls on the people to believe on the Lord Jesus christ in order to be saved (Acts 16:31)

(iii)                affirms that salvation cannot be found in no other person, but Jesus Christ, (Acts 4:12. 

THE GREAT COMMISSION AND THE REVIVAL OF THE CHURCH

The Great Commission is a commission to preach (Matt. 28:19) and teach (vs. 20). And, preaching, by this commission, aims at bringing people to Christ and church, while teaching focuses on establishing them in the faith, as well as keeping them alive in the spirit or reawakening (or reviving) them when there is need. This requires the collaboration of the Holy Spirit, since He is the only one that makes for effective evangelism and revival, (Acts 1:8). Therefore, let it be noted that evangelism, which is the propagation of the Goodnews of Jesus Christ, and revival, which focusers on renewing interest in faith or religion, are two dimensions of the Great Commission, and so, the Gospel Preacher should not play down on any of them, if the church must grow and remain alive in the Spirit. In line with the aforestated, this lesson posits that the Great Commission is revival messages seeks to:

(i)                   restore the church to her first love, (Rev. 2:1-5);

(ii)                 strengthen those things that are ready to die, (Rev. 3:1-3)’

(iii)                draw attention to eternal values, instead of earthly ones, (vs. 14-19).

THE GREAT COMMISSION AND CHURCH PLANTING

The teaching ministry in the Great Commission readily put forth the concept of church planting (Matt. 28:20), and Jesus had earlier noted that He would build His church, and that the gates if hell would not prevail against it, (Matt. 16:18). To this end, also, He gave some apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the Body of Christ, (Eph. 4:11-12), which is the church and the church, by way of simple definition, are those called out from the world to be saints, (I Cor. 1:2). This makes the church the gathering of the saints and not that of sinners. Therefore, in church planting, the Great Commission requires ;

(i)                   the conversion of souls (Matt. 18:3), instead of calling the self righteous (Rom. 10:1-4), to church;

(ii)                 that the church goes for the sinners who need repentance, instead of going

for those already converted, to steal them out of their denomination,(Luke 15:7);

(iii)                teaching the converted the precepts of the kingdom of God; instead of leaving them

 without the principles of eternal life, (Matt. 28:20; Col. 3:1-6).

In conclusion, this lesson portrays the Great Commission as a means of real conversion for the kingdom of Heaven, as it rules out all forms of materialistic preaching that occupy the minds and hearts of the people with earthly values, instead of giving them the opportunity for the salvation of their souls. The lesson, also, indicates that in church planting, the body of saints be raised, instead of building up the congregation of miserable sinners, whose hope is only in this life, (I Cor. 15:19).  PLEASE, DO THE RIGHT THING!   

THE BIBLE AND YOUR COVENANT WITH GOD

PROF. BEN ONYEUKWU (REV.)

NCE(Eng.) ND/HD (Journalism); BA (Hons) MA, PhD.

Call: +2348037346939  E-mail: professorbenonyeukwu@yahoo.com

THE BIBLE AND YOUR COVENANT WITH GOD

Devotional Text: Psalm 89:2-34

Introduction:

According to Fartex’s Free Dictionary of the English Language, “a covenant is a mutual agreement of two or more persons or parties, or one of the stipulations in such an agreement”. Also, according to the E.U English Dictionary, covenant could equally mean, “an agreement to do or not do a particular thing”. From the cited definitions one notices that covenant involves not just an individual, but individuals or group(s) and goes with stipulations or terms of the covenant, which are basically the dos and don’ts.

Covenant could be between humans, that is, between a person and another person, like the case of David and Jonathan, (I Sam 18:3), and could be between human and Divine, that is, between a person or group and God, like between Israel and God, (Ex. 24:8) or between David and God, (Psalm 89:33). And, for the subject under review, the focus is on personal covenant between an individual and his God, which David is cited in the text as a case study.

GENERAL REMARKS

(1)     Covenant brings two individuals or group(s) together for a mutual relationship, (I Sam 18:1-3).

(2)     God makes covenant with people by putting His laws in their hearts and minds, (Heb 10:16).

(3)     Covenant is based on certain terms of agreement, (Ex. 24:7).

(4)     God is always faithful to His covenant(s) with people, (Psalm 89:34).

COVENANT AND BLOOD

For the purpose of clarity, not every covenant is established by blood, but most of them are by blood, thus, we talk of “Blood Covenant”. The Scripture shows that Israel’s covenant with God is that of blood, (Ex. 24:5-7), which is also common in that part of the world, (See Zech 9:11). In fact, when blood is involved in covenant, something more than the ordinary is involved, and since, there is life in blood (Lev. 17:11) one may infer that blood gives life to covenant, and by implication, when one breaks a blood covenant, one breaks its life, and this, in turn, could be life threatening, and accounts for the reason why some have been affected mentally or in other areas of health. To this end, the believer should be informed that with the Everlasting Blood Covenant of Jesus Christ now in place (Heb. 13:L20-21). 

(i)                   human or animal blood covenant is no longer fashionable, (vs. 20);

(ii)                 marriage engagement or business partnership informed by human or animal blood

(iii)                 covenant is henceforth, a violation of the code of the everlasting covenant, (vs. 20)

(iv)                every good work in covenant relationship is now achieved through the Blood, (vs. 20-21).

COVENANT AND STIPULATIONS

Covenant stipulations are the agreeable terms of a covenant. Every covenant is based on certain terms, which this lesson has already referred to as the dos and don’ts (of a covenant). Israel has a compendium of such terms in their covenant with God, which they pledged to obey (Ex. 24:7), but violated with devastating consequences, (Jer. 11:10-11). This implies that terms of covenant are conditional, be it, between human and human or between God and human, and so, when there is a violation of terms from any side, withdrawal of pledges and services from the betrayed party become inevitable. Thus, the Lord decided to bring evil upon Israel for violating the terms of their covenant, instead of protecting them, (vs. 10-11). Based on the foregoing, therefore, the believer is urged to realize that;

(i)                   he needs to yield totally to the Lord for the implanting of His Laws in his heart and minds,

as well as empower him to live by them, (Heb. 8:10-11);

(ii)                 By so doing, the believer obtains mercy for the sins and unrighteousness of the past, (vs. 12);   

(iii)                without the Lord, no one can keep the terms of Divine covenant, (see John 15:5).

THE BELIEVER AND HIS PERSONAL COVENANT WITH GOD

The redemption of the believer automatically ushers him unto the Blood Covenant of Christ, for the remission of sins (Matt. 26:28), which makes him an integral part of His Body, as well as be at peace with God, (Col. 1:18-20). But, the foregoing, notwithstanding, the believer needs to come into a personal covenant with the Lord, which inspires his consecration and specific objectives in the house of God. Like Jacob, in his vow (Gen. 28:20-22), the believer should come up before the Lord in prayer with certain duties and consecration he wishes to devote himself to, for the sake of His Kingdom, as he, in turn, engages the Lord into performing certain duties for him. In this connection, it becomes advisable that every believer learns to enter into personal covenant with the Lord to:

(i)       worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24), as he asks Him to become the supplier of his needs, (Phil. 4:19);

(ii)     keep himself from idols (I John 5:20), as he asks Him to fight his battles, (Deu. 20:4);

(iii)    always allow Him do His will in his life (Matt. 26:29), as he asks Him to lead him to green pasture, (Psalm 23:2).

In conclusion, the text of this lesson shows David as a man of personal covenant with the Lord, and pictures God’s faithfulness in the deal. The lesson, also shows that animal blood was often used in the Mosaic era, for covenant, as it cites that the sledding of the Blood of Jesus Christ on the cross of cavalry nullifies the use of animal blood in covenant, as well as stresses the consequences of not keeping to the terms of covenant, and finally suggests the need and ways the believer could enter into personal covenant with the Lord. PLEASE, COVENANT WITH GOD TODAY!

THE BIBLE AND CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE

PROF. BEN ONYEUKWU (REV.)

NCE(Eng.) ND/HD (Journalism); BA (Hons) MA, PhD.

Call: +2348037346939  E-mail: professorbenonyeukwu@yahoo.com

THE BIBLE AND CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE

Devotional Text: Hebrews 13:4

Introduction:

The Christian concept of marriage, biblically, holds that, it is the coming together of a male and a female individuals to live together as husband and wife (Gen. 2:18; 21:24), and by this, the idea of gay marriage, which God forbids (Lev. 20:13) is ruled out. From the Scripture cited above, it becomes obvious that marriage is God’s institution, and that, “monogamy”, that is, single marriage, or marriage with but one person, husband or wife, at the same time, as opposed to “polygamy”, which means having a plurality of wives or husbands at the same, is the Christian mode of marriage, which holds sway until the death of a partner, (See Romans 7:2-3).

GENERAL REMARKS

(1)     Marriage is God’s institution, (Gen. 2:21-24).

(2)     Marriage is first and foremost for companionship, (vs 18).

(3)     Marriage is designed by God to be monogamous, (vs. 24).

(4)     Marriage requires intimacy between the man and woman, (vs 24)

THE JEWISH CULTURE AND CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE

Christianity is an offshoot of Judaism, which is the religion of the Jews, from which their religious cultural life revolves, in line with the laws of Moses, and this, of course has great influence on the Christian faith and marriage. For instance, some Christians consider the decisions that prompted Isaac (Gen. 24) and Jacob (Gen 29) to marry from their cultural home, as a way of life to be adopted by Christians, whereby discouraging inter-ethnic marriage among Christians. But, this ought not to be so, as what matters in Christian marriage is not the denomination or ethnicity of a suitor or bride, but, the oneness of faith in Christ. Therefore, Christians in marriage proposals should learn to consider the suitability or otherwise of the faith of the person(s) they intend to marriage, as well as take informed biblical decisions. To this end, this lesson posits that on no account should a Christian;

(i)       marry an unbeliever, considering the word of God in (2 Cor. 6:14-15);

(ii)     with born again experience marry otherwise, considering (vs 16) of the already cited Scripture, and (Amos 3:3).

(iii)    Who is one in Spirit with the Lord marry one who is immoral, considering what the Bible says in (I Cor. 6:16-17).

THE NEW TESTAMENT CONCEPT OF MARRIAGE

Here, this lesson posits first that the New Testament message does not forbid marriage, and so, any doctrine that forbids it, including compulsory priestly celibacy, is not of God, but of the Anti-Christ, (See I Tim. 4:1-3). In fact, the New Testament Scripture encourages marriage, but condemns immorality, (Heb. 13:4). And, even on the account of the death of a spouse, it advises that young widows or widowers should remarry, instead of becoming promiscuous (I Cor. 7:3-9), as it equally, encourages the unmarried (vs. 8) and virgin (vs. 36) to marry. Also, in the New Testament, the concept of monogamy in marriage is adduced for both the clergy (I Tim. 3:2) and the laity (Matt. 18:4-5). In this connection, therefore, this lesson further posits that the New Testament Scripture:

(i)                   is not against marriage, but says it should be honoured, (Heb. 13:4);

(ii)                 kicks against the doctrine that forbid marriage, (I Tim. 4:1-3)

(iii)                recommends monogamy as a form of marriage for the clergy, (I Tim. 3:2) and laity, (Matt. 19:4-5).

CHRISTIAN PRINCIPLES OF MARRIAGE

Every committed and true believer is aware that God is holy (I Peter 1:15-16), and His institutions are sanctified for holy purposes (Ex. 30:22-28).  And, marriage is not an exception. Thus, the Scripture remarks that, “marriage should be honoured by all, and marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer, and all the sexually immoral, (Heb. 13:4). This demand for Holy attitude in marriage is expected to begin from the onset, that is, from the period of dating to encouragement, via consummation. Mary, the mother of Jesus displayed this sacredness in the days of her pledge to marry Joseph, and so, stands out as a shinning example of the chastity of the Christians marriage, (see Luke 1:26-38). It is true that sometimes a believer, unlike Mary, may have lost her natural virginity, however, such a believer should be informed that, as one genuinely repents and surrenders to the Lord, one acquires a spiritual virginity, and in the sight of God, such a believer, by her new status, is seen as a part of the new creation (see 2 Cor. 5:17) and therefore, should no longer defile herself. In line with the aforestated, this lesson, equally posits that;

(I)                  pre-marital sex is not permitted in Christian marriage, (Luke 1:34);

(II)                infidelity is a taboo in Christian marriage, (Heb. 13:4);

(III)              sexuality in Christian marriage is exclusively the right of the married couple, (I Cor. 7:1-5).

In conclusion, this lesson serves as a guide that would help the believer in choosing a life partner. Though, not exhaustive, it can really be of help to any sincere seeker of the true part to Christian marriage. The lesson, also, can offer some measure of help to the Christian couple who wish to be true to the word of God in marriage. Be it as it may, the believer should finally understand that the hallmark of Christian marriage are love and submission, (Eph. 5:22-27). PLEASE, GET THEM!