The bi-annual London Festival of Life , Europe's largest gathering of Christians, will take place today , Friday 27th November .
The event will be hosted , as usual, by the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God , Pastor E.A. Adeboye.
At least 14,000 people from over 70 churches are expected to attend.
Festival Theme is "LET GOD ARISE ! "
Venue : Excel Exhibition Centre, Victoria Docklands, London E16 1XL.
Time : 8.30 p.m to 5.30 a.m

Having Done All , Stand ! (1 )

And Jesus said unto him , No man , having put his hand to the plough , and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God. Luke 9:62 .
A day after our front hedge was trimmed, I noticed that a small branch in it which had been cut had not been removed from the hedge. It was still fresh and green then , and it blended with the hedge . Only with a closer look would anyone have noticed that the branch was no longer a part of the hedge.
I made a mental note to remove the branch and any other dead branches and leaves which remained there.
I forgot to do this until a week later when the branch caught my eye again.
This time ,it was no longer green and fresh ; but dark brown and completely dried up.
Although it was still hanging on the hedge ,it was out of place there, bearing no resemblance to our beautiful , trim ,flower hedge.But not too long before then, it was alive and vibrant; an intergral part of the hedge.
Now, it had no business being among the other branches.
It had to go ,into the trash can or better still ,into the fire.
Now the just shall live by faith; but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
Hebrews 10:38.

The Church is the Body of Christ made of the Believers.
This is the Vine and the Branches,( John 15:1-27) as I shared in my previous blog, "Abide in the Vine".
When there are little foxes in the Vine , they disturb and spoil the branches.
These strangers in the vine cause a shaking and a tearing down of the weak branches in the vine by playing, fighting, running up and down, in and out amongst the branches. They build dens inside the Vine , like uninvited squatters.
What makes some branches remain strong while others succumb to the onslaught of the enemy?
Firstly , we need to know who we are in Christ and how equipped we are to survive the fury of the enemy.
God has given us his Son , his Spirit and everything thing we would ever need to remain successful and to complete the Faith Race.
We have a role to play in the matter. We cannot sit back and believe that "his grace would abound" and then fold our arms and do nothing.
"Abiding and standing in Christ" goes further and deeper than being an active leader or active member of a church or “playing church”. It means being grafted into the True Vine and remaining firmly attached to the Body of Christ, the Church.
To become a part of the Vine, a person must be born-again and to remain a part of the Vine , a person must remain born again , for as long as he or she is a living soul.
Being born again is about accepting "Lordship"; that means consenting to REMAIN IN the relationship where Jesus Christ is YOUR PERSONAL Lord and Saviour.
It means recognising the presence and the indispensable ministry of the Holy Spirit in your life.
The Holy Spirit is the strength of the Believer .
He is our Staying Power which enables our steadfastness in the Faith.
The Word is our shield against the enemy and the Holy Spirit speaks to us through the Word. So get the Holy Spirit and you get the Word .
Then when you do and speak the Word, you are firmly secured in the Vine.

Foxes , which spoil the vine , manifest their destructions in diverse ways.
To remain rooted in the Vine , the Christian and the Church should recognise these"strangers" and uproot them before they cause havoc in peoples' lives.
The enemy is desperately seeking whom to devour. He can use anybody or anything or situation in our lives to launch attacks to weaken and derail our resolve to stand in the Faith .
People who are very close to us , such as a our families , husbands, wives ,children, friends and colleagues could be used as the enemy's willing tools against us.
Given half the chance, Satan would use a Believer to wage war against himself!
Some people are the enemy of their own souls by the making self-defeatist decisions and entering destructive liaisons and relationships; even after they had professed to be born again .

To stand firm in the Faith , the following destructive snares must be avoided:
*A shabby or non-existent prayer-life. Failure to spend time reading and studying the Holy Bible, regularly . This life-style results in a disconnection from the Holy Spirit .
*Harbouring doubts concerning our salvation and deliverance .
* Pride
*Discouragement and impatience due to unanswered prayers regarding long -term afflictions and unrealised aspirations.
* "Going back to Egypt" or looking back at our former lives and lusting after “the flesh-pots of Egypt”.Exodus 16:3
*Unwillingness to pay the cost of commitment to the Lord Jesus by not forsaking the "world". 1 John 2:15 -17 .
* Sitting on the fence ; double-mindedness. James 1:5-8
* Envying unrighteous people and emulating the life-styles of the unsaved .
*Blatant disobedience of the Word of God and the leading of the Holy Spirit; especially in the area of close associations with unbelievers and marriage to non Christians. 2 Corinthians 6:14-18.

A backslider or reprobate is one falls into sin and quits the race. He remains down and out.
Some backsliders and reprobates even remain in the church and continue to operate as Christians ; deceiving themselves!Galatians4:9
But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition ; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul. Hebrews 10:39.
It is not the wish of God to tempt us and make us become weary and discouraged .
The enemy of our souls does that.
If and when we fall , we must GET UP, shake off the dust from us and continue the Race! Never, ever give up. Never quit !
" Lay not wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; spoil not his resting place:
For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief". Proverbs 24:15:16.
We have a Friend and Advocate ;the Holy Spirit, who is ever-ready to assist us.
Faithful is our God who has called us into his marvelous light.
The Three-in-one God is on our side . The hosts of heaven are cheering us on as we race towards the finishing line.
We shall complete the race , gloriously. Amen.

* There is the church and there is the Church. The two co-exist as one.
In "Having Done All Stand (2),I will share why we cannot exist as Christians in isolation and why we should stand as members of the Body of Christ, till the very end. .

The Insanity Plea

Recently, I witnessed an accused person leaving court with an acquittal from a charge of causing GBH (Grievous Bodily Harm).
I was in court on a different official matter. I felt sad for both the accused person and the victims of his crime.
As I glanced at the family and friends of the victim , huddled together, heads bowed, my heart sank.
Their faces clearly showed their pain , bitterness and disgust at the outcome of months of court appearances.
The victim survived the vicious attack , but with disabilities for life.
He sat in a wheel chair speechless and looked very shocked.
I could only imagine how those people felt ; especially when the accused walked free; with a swagger and with a broad grin, like that of the cat that got the cream!
He walked free amidst cheers and back slapping for him from his supporters!
The accused person was acquitted by reason of insanity.
He was "free", sort of ; free to be taken away to a secured unit. Escorted by social workers and securities operatives who whisked him away, quickly, from the scene.
He had his day in court and the laws of the land had found him unfit to be held culpable for his actions. So be it.
Apart from the legal considerations, it is morally wrong and unfair to convict an insane person of crimes committed by him or her during the period he/she is adjudged "Criminally Insane ".
But where do we draw the line? Who qualifies for the Insanity Plea?
There are numerous cases of people committing murder or causing GBH because the culprit felt the victim had shown him "disrespect".
In another of such cases of GBH, this person who had committed similar offences twice before, re-offended. Since he was registered as suffering from "Severe Clinical Depression", he had been let off the previous charges and placed on a course of treatment and rehabilitation.
However, this time around,things were not that easy for him.
He had to be placed in a far-away secure unit, for his own good. With a complete change of identity !
The reason being that after weeks in hospital, his victim survived the stabbing by a hair-breadth and identified him!
This latest victim had two brothers who themselves were suspected to have undiagnosed serious mental problems. They had been on observation by the authorities for months for severe antisocial behaviour patterns ,even before their brother was stabbed.
They have vowed revenge. Nobody in their neighbour hood who knew what they were capable of doing ,disbelieved them!
If the brothers succeed in carrying out their threat and they are charged to court, what would their pleas be? "Insanity" or "Disrespect"?

Someone said every human being suffers, usually unnoticed ,brief mental derailment of about five minutes , daily.
Wouldn't it be just , simply wonderful to be able to exploit our perceived insane moments ? To do all those evil things which we would love to do ; but for the law and fear of reprisals which restrain us? Then plead insanity after being caught!
I mean, the list is endless. We could, all, decide to have a field day with this "Insanity" thing.
Every one knows someone who they would like to encircle that person's throat with their hands and squeeze hard.
Or we could decide to pay "courtesy visits" to the shops filled with all those luxury goods and gadgets which have caught our fancy.
We could take our pick of all the goods on offer and make our exit, quietly, with the loot!
And just in case , any overzealous store detective apprehends us at the store exit, just look at him , grin sweetly and plead insanity!
There was a case of a man who pleaded insanity when caught pants down with another woman , by his wife!

The Insanity Plea is not for persons with violent and ungovernable tempers or persons who have no regard for law and order,or for peaceful co-existence with others.
It is not for those who have no qualms about breaking the law but they think they are too "posh for prison"!

After every crime,the lives of both the culprits and the victims are shattered. Nobody is ever "free" or remains the same after shedding human blood , stealing or hurting people's feelings.
The freedom which can be gotten by a plea of insanity is only for those who , of a truth , are incapable of being aware of their actions.
If ignorance is bliss, then the schizophrenic mind is, indeed, seated on a throne in Cuckooland, completely oblivious and at peace in his world.
Pretenders to this "throne" plead feigned "insanity" in order to escape conviction.
They could escape conviction; many of them have done so , through the services of brilliant defence teams and by faulty judgments but they are never free because , for the rest of their lives , they have murdered their own sleep.
"...the VOICE of thy brother's blood crieth to me from the ground.
And now thou art cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand"; Genesis 4: 10,11.

Abide In The Vine

When we accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour ,we become a part of the Body of Christ with the ability to be Christ-like .
In John 15: 1-17, Jesus likens Himself to the Vine and the Believers as the branches which bear the fruit of the vine .
He states here that the branches would bear fruits , as long as they remain attached to Him, the Vine . If they are cut or broken off from the Vine , their life-source , they wither,they die and become of no value but as twigs for the fire.
"I am the vine ye are the branches. He that abideth in me and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me you can do nothing". John 15: 5.
This is similar to a river and its rivulets or tributaries. Dam the flow of water from the river into its tributaries and they dry up.
A dried-up river ceases to bear life and is unable to give sustenance to anyone.
The worldly value system says: “Nothing goes for anything”. If you are a “nobody” and you bring nothing into a deal; then your receive nothing .
No one would , knowingly, invest in a transaction with someone who has NOTHING of equal or even greater value to offer in return to complete their own side of the deal.
But not so with our merciful God, who gave and gives generously and unconditionally.
"He that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things ?" Romans 8 :32
The branches have nothing and are nothing without the Vine. Yet, they remain robust, sturdy and full of life when they abide in the Vine because they receive tender care from the Father, the Husbandman.
Everything the branches would ever need are found in the Vine.
"Blessed be the Lord, who daily loaded us with benefits, even the God of our salvation." Psalm 68:19.

Thousands of people become born-again, daily , world-wide. The will of God is that every one of them would remain in the Faith , grow to maturity and bear fruits meet for the New Life.
However , while some Christians remain steadfast in the Faith for decades and for life , some others ,become "detached " from the Vine ,they give it up and quit!
What makes the difference between the Faithful and the Unfaithful?
Why are there quitters and losers and then Finishers and Winners in the race of the Kingdom Life?
It would be irresponsible and unfair to give the new-comer to the Faith the impression that once you are saved , then everything in life becomes "honky dory"; that is, easy and smooth-sailing just by believing and confessing that it is so!
Satan doesn't give up the fight to weaken and derail Christians.
Sometimes, the Faith Run does become tough and many who are in the Faith today , almost gave up , at a point in their lives.
But glory be to God that when the going gets tough , the strong gets going!
There are devices of the enemy which he uses to attack the branches , to weaken them and to separate them from the Vine.
The Bible calls these Satanic tools and agents "little foxes that spoil the vine" (Songs of Solomon 2:15)
These Satanic agents are very destructive. They are are not supposed to be among the branches but they are present all the same .
They " nibble" at the branches , gradually , until they destroy them and effect total detachment of some of the branches from the Vine.
However , Satan cannot do much damage in the life of the Believer; unless he or she gives room to the enemy to operate freely. Quitters are losers. They never win.
"And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work , and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom : to whom be glory forever and ever ". 2 Timothy 4 :18.

In my next blog , "Having Done All, Stand !", I shall write on these weapons of the enemy and how to overcome them.
* I have written "Complete In Him " and "Abide In The Vine " as Bible tracts.
They are available , FREE , in major translations.

The Countdown to Christmas Begins !

Christmas Lights on Regents Street ,London.


Oxford Street - A glittering Sight!

I saw my first Christmas lights and decorations for the year, three weeks ago( mid October) on my neighbourhood High Street Gifts Store.
As I went round the store, I heard one of the shoppers asking Imran , a non Christian why he had decided to display Christmas items so soon. He answered that he loved Christmas and was , always,excited by the season! Moreover , his suppliers had sent him Christmas catalogues since August.
He sent his order then and received the stock Christmas stock in September.
I have heard some comments, about "the commercialization of Christmas" . Indeed.
Same week, while driving around the West End, I saw that many large stores like Lillywhite in Piccadilly, Selfridges and M&S in Oxford Street and many others had put up spectacular decorations , as usual. And, of course,all the shops were well stocked for the Big Christmas Shopping Season.
In their usual style, shoppers from all over England and from outside the country have been thronging the Shops all over London in their millions. Very exciting!
Economic Recession? What Recession? No signs of that , at all.
Last night's Christmas lighting-up events were simply way-out GRANDIOSE!
The traditional annual Christmas lights in Regents Street, Oxford Street and St. Paul's Cathedral were switched on simultaneously; signally the beginning of the annual Countdown to Christmas.
The lights are a sight to behold ! Very Beautiful! They were switched on by film stars - Jim Carrey, Colin Firth and Bob Hoskins and Robin Wright Penn in the different venues, respectively.
These Christmas lights will also be lit in almost all the streets in the city and they will stay lit until the 12th of January, next year, when the Christmas season ends, officially.

Oxford Street lit up for Christmas.

 

The London Community Choir and Star Opera singer , Andrea Bocelli from Italy, led 14,000 Londoners to sing carols at the St Paul's Cathedral lights venue.
The turnout at and the grandeur of these events yesterday, have surpassed similar events in recent years in London.
The organisers of these events have done a marvelous job, every year and as usual, this year, they spared no expense, at all, to produce a befitting array of colourful lights to honour the King of Kings.
May God, touch and richly bless the designers of these beautiful glittering lights extravaganza! May all the participants and organisers of these glorious Christmas events experience the Grace of God unto the Salvation of their souls . Amen.
Other famous venues whose Lights will be lit during the weeks ahead and which will be equally exciting to watch are:
Carnaby Street and its 12 surrounding streets on November 10th. The theme for the lights there this year, will be Love, Joy, Hope and and Peace.
As from November 19th, Bond Street and its surroundings will be transformed into a glittering Winter Wonderland ,complete with snow, fir trees and reindeers ; with fireworks! On the day, donations will be taken for the Great Ormond Street Hospital.
Then the famous Putney Christmas Market in Church Square will be lit up on November 27th while the exciting Enchanted Woodland in Syon House Park will sparkle delightfully as from November 20th.
The usual complaints about global warming carry no weight because London and other U.K.cities are always lit up and sparkling with millions of lights every night, all year round, anyway.
The special recognition and high regard given to Christmas, world-wide,makes this Great Season one which billions of people look forward to.
As for talk about Commercialisation and Christless Christmas ;what is all that?
Which one is the "ChristFULL" Christmas? The cheap and dull one?
In the U.K., Christmas celebrations totally eclipse,put in the shade; all other events from mid October to mid January ,the following year.
Who else on earth could command so much world-wide recognition and respect that the countdown to his birthday celebration starts two months before the D-DAY?
Who else but Jesus Christ , the Son of God and the King of Kings !
No wonder, the Three Magi went shopping for gifts fit for THE King and they started their journey of thousands of miles to Bethlehem at least six months, BEFORE Jesus Christ was born ; to present the special gifts to him personally!
They recognised that the birth of the God-man on earth deserved special celebrations.
No honour is too early or too much for my King. So let the festivities begin!
May the Glory , Peace and Joy which comes with Christmas fill the whole Earth . Amen!
Here is wishing you a Merry Christmas !

Complete In Him

For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power. Colossians 2:9- 10.
Assumptions abound about how to "identify" a "complete and true Christian".
There are diverse good-intentioned counsels and preachings , about how to live "a full and sanctified Christian life" and numerous man-made doctrines and criteria for measuring the Believer's "level" in his/her walk with God.
These criteria include how you talk , look or even walk! How many times you pray, how long and how loud your prayers are; what you wear: how long your skirts and sleeves are, how high your necklines are and how much or how often you give to the poor and your church records. Even, where you work, who your friends are and your marital status are considered in the "holiness and sanctification" package.
You flout even one of these "laws" and you are deemed "unacceptable" to God (and to man!).
No wonder, some people are very careful to look stone-faced, sad, pious, respectable, humble and very gentle in their manner and speech, especially in public.
All in the bid to impress their fellow men and to be "completely acceptable" to God.

The new convert is often confused and burdened with this load of "dos and don'ts" in some churches. This demand for "holiness by appearance and works" tend to contradict the message of the Bible which says:
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God;
Not of works, lest any man should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9
There are NO contradiction or confusion in the Holy Bible . What causes confusion and contradictions is the human attempts at manipulating the Word of God.
Inadvertently, man tries to shift the focus from God to himself, as "Saviour"; by attempting and failing to set up his own system of righteousness and holiness.
The Eternal Truth is that Man did not and does not have the ability to take away his own sins or another man's sins.
Thieves ,whores and other deviants are often advised to "get a job" or "get married as soon as possible! Do this, do that!".
But does that solve the underlining Spiritual Problem ,which is refusal to submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ?
The futility and foolishness of trying to solve spiritual problems with carnal solutions are evident around us!
Getting a job or becoming rich would not stop a person who has a spiritual problem from being a thief or a prostitute or both.
Why would someone with valid credit cards and store cards and a wallet stuffed with hundreds of pounds be caught again and again, shoplifting ridiculous items like a tie or a pair of panty hose costing £4.99 only?
When a multi-millionaire is appointed into a government office , one would assume that he/she would not be tempted to embezzle huge sums of public funds. But is this the reality?
Why are some educated and talented men and women engaged in prostitution,even while in full-time, well-paying jobs?
In all human societies, marriage is desirable . Sadly, there is proof that getting married for some people ,has not brought the desired cure for promiscuity and sexual depravity; nor is it a guarantee for maintaining a life of holiness.
Despite all the edifying marriage seminars, preachings, teachings ,books and DVDs on marriage, the situation in some marriages are scandalous. Many married men and women engage in extra-marital affairs.
What or who, except the conviction of the Holy Spirit, can transform a heart where big and small lies and evil schemes are fabricated, non-stop?
Many youths from decent Christian homes have become "Children of Sorrow" and thorns in the flesh of their parents!
Why do people hate and murder people,just for the fun of it?
Why have physical punishments and imprisonment not deterred habitual offenders?
The answer is that until we, as individuals, surrender our whole lives to Christ, and until we have a PERSONAL relationship ( not a church or group relationship) with him trusting in his righteousness, not in ours, we would not get it right.

We have to get this truth in all its ramifications, into our mind and soul:
Salvation , by faith , is complete. It is an unmerited gift given by the grace of the merciful God .
There is NOTHING ELSE for us to do or for anyone to do on our behalf to add our salvation. God's word says that "It is Finished!" and it is finished indeed.
"And of his fullness have all we received ,and grace for grace.
For the law was given by Moses , but truth and grace came by Jesus Christ" . John 1:16 .
If our salvation depended on our own efforts and "good works", then the life, death and resurrection of Christ would be meaningless.
Then there would be no difference between the Christian and the Unbeliever who believes that his or her salvation depends on some "judgement by scale" which weighs a person's "good and holy" deeds against their "evil" deeds to determine whether they are "qualified" or not to enter Heaven!
In spite of God's word that Salvation is by grace and NOT by works (Romans 11:6,and Ephesians 2:7), mankind have decided to "help" God by making salvation " MORE complete"!
Sadly, to complicate and confuse issues further for a new-comer in church, some Christians have brought in "old wives tales", man-made doctrines and their local customs and traditions into the church , upholding them as Bible doctrines!
A lot of time is expended and wasted in hair-splitting arguments and numerous scriptures are quoted to support these unChristian doctrines and teachings!
The Bible counsels that we should beware of the tricks of our adversary , the Devil, which shift our focus from Christ and which make us depend on our own righteousness.
" Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men,after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ."Colossians 2:7-8
Look unto Jesus , who began a good work in us and he is able to accomplish it.
In moments of confusion , when we are being bombarded with diverse "dos" and "don'ts", remember that we do not stand by our strength alone. We have power divine living in us . Do not be bewildered or swayed by diverse doctrines of men.
Believe God and believe his word that you are loved and you are accepted by God BECAUSE of Jesus Christ.
When God looks at us , he doesn't see our filthy righteousness but he sees Christ in us , our hope of Glory.
The fullness of the Godhead which dwells in Christ we have received by faith . Christ dwells in us , expressing through us , making us complete in Him.
Jesus lives in and transforms the Christian inside out; perfecting all that concerns us.
Daily , we should appreciate this truth and rejoice in it; not be burdened by our guilt, doubts or failed attempts to be "holy"!
" I have been crucified with Christ; and I no longer live ; but Christ lives in me.
The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God ; who loved me and gave himself for me ". Galatians 2 : 20 .


*Shall we continue in sin that grace should abound ? And continue in sin because God has said "It is Finished" ? God forbid...! Romans 6:1-4
In my next blog, Abide In Him , I have written on how to stand firm in the Faith; even in the face of diverse discouragement and challenges.