Category: Uncategorized

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

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1 Peter 5:6-7 “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” – NIV

God is the creator of time and He has put in place a time for everything that needs to be done in this world. Peter was addressing the elders and the youth, urging them all to be submissive to one another in humility. The youth may be tempted to run ahead of their God appointed time for lifting. The elders may be a hindrance to the rising of the youth. He then advises that we cast our cares upon God because He cares.

These are some of the things that make people run ahead of God’s time. Ambition is good, but can drive one to go ahead of God’s timing. Anxiety over things not working out as we would expect, God delaying or seeming to fail to answer our prayers drives people to take matters in their own hands to find solutions. Yet there is a due time for whatever God purposed to happen. Discerning that due time is key. And when it comes, things will flow. He makes everything beautiful in it’s time.

Its God’s mighty hand that lifts us up. Nothing and none can stand against it. Our part is to humble ourselves under that hand. It may not be easy or comfortable as this hand does its work to mold and shape us into what God desires us to be. The lifting comes only after the hand has done its work satisfactorily. Will you corporate with God’s hand working on you?

Ecclesiastes 3:1,11 “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven…He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”

Shalom children of God

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

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1 John 1:5-7 Now the message that we have heard from his Son and announce is this: God is light, and there is no darkness at all in him. If, then, we say that we have fellowship with him, yet at the same time live in the darkness, we are lying both in our words and in our actions. But if we live in the light — just as he is in the light — then we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from every sin.” – GNB

John compares living in the light and darkness. Light represents truth, honesty and right. God being light, is the epitome of truth and transparency at it’s best. Darkness represents lies, dishonesty and thus sin. Whoever lives in darkness is living by lies, dishonesty and in sin. God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. There is no sin in God.

Just as light and darkness cannot live together, so lies and truth cannot fellowship. Yet John notes that there are those who claim to be in the light (God) and yet live in darkness (lies). He says we are lying if we do so. This lie comes about when we refuse to acknowledge sin by denying, ignoring, downplaying and not confessing it. This hinders fellowship with God and with one another. Whatever fellowship we hold with one another in this way is hypocrisy!

So many are living in pretense by not dealing with sin through confession to God and to each other. Genuine fellowship can only happen in the light. As long as hidden evil motives and concealed sin reigns in the heart, John says we lie both with our words and actions. We claim to live in the light yet walking in darkness! Let the Holy Spirit search the genuineness of our hearts before God. Let’s leave darkness and truly walk in the light with God. He calls us to walk in the light for genuine fellowship.

1 John 1:8-10 “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and there is no truth in us. But if we confess our sins to God, he will keep his promise and do what is right: he will forgive us our sins and purify us from all our wrongdoing. If we say that we have not sinned, we make God out to be a liar, and his word is not in us.”

Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

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1 John 2:9-11 “Those who say that they are in the light, yet hate their brothers and sisters, are in the darkness to this very hour. Those who love their brothers and sisters live in the light, and so there is nothing in them that will cause someone else to sin. But those who hate their brothers and sisters are in the darkness; they walk in it and do not know where they are going, because the darkness has made them blind.” – GNB

John continues to compare light and darkness. He now gives a clear sign to show what what walking in love or darkness is: love and hatred. Those in Christ should be characterized by love in all they do, think or say. Because Jesus is the light of the world, those in Him and submitted to His Lordship, must be characterized by love. To whom is this love directed? To their brothers and sisters, to people.

Some say they love God but hate their brothers and sisters. To them, John says they are still in darkness upto now. If Satan is behind the darkness, and is the source of hatred, those who hate others are still in the grip of Satan even if they claim to be in Christ. Those who hate are still blind and walk about in darkness, not knowing where they are going. As love is the true mark of light, hate is the true mark of darkness.

John adds that those who love and are walking in the light have nothing in them that stumbles others to sin. Their lives are a source of inspiration and a blessing, not a stumbling block hindering the growth of others. They do good wherever they are as Jesus went everywhere blessing those He came by and who encountered Him (Acts 10:38). What signs do you manifest; of light or darkness? Everyone in Christ is (expected to be) the light of the world just as Christ is the light of the world. Avoid the deception of thinking you are in the light and yet living in darkness through hatred. Let love prevail.

1 John 4:11-12 “Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”

Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

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1 John 2:3-6 “We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.” – NIV

Many people confess knowing God even if they don’t believe in Him, let alone choosing to obey Him. Even those who believe in Him struggle with obedience especially where God’s commands contradict their desires. John clarifies what knowing God is, and ties it to obedience to His commands. He uses practical situations of what people normally say and seeks to clarify to such claimers what the truth is, that you can only say you know God personally if you are living in obedience to Him.

John further links knowing God with love for Him. One cannot obey God from their hearts if they don’t truly love Him. This knowledge of God comes through personal relationship with Him. That is how He reveals Himself to those who live in love and obedience to Him. Anything else apart from this is living a life of a lie.

Let’s examine ourselves. Do our confessions of knowing God match with our obedience to Him? This is a choice we make daily amidst the many things that seek to divert and make us compromise our relationship with God. And what God asks us to do in obedience to Him, is not too difficult to do. Even when we find it hard in our human abilities, He readily gives us strength to obey His commands. He needs our willing commitment.

Philippians 2:13 “for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”

1 John 5:3 “In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome”

Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

Hebrews 11:24-26 “By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.” – NIV

Moses was so privileged, one could say, to have been adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter as her son after picking him from the water. That entitled him to the best of everything in the then most powerful kingdom in the world. But Egypt was a heathen idolatrous kingdom in which other gods were worshiped and alot of sin against God Most High was committed. Despite all those privileges and sensual gratification, Moses deep within wasn’t satisfied because his God was not honoured. He decided to join and suffer with his people than remain and enjoy temporary pleasures of sin in the palace. He opted for the eternal.

Sin offers temporary enjoyment. But the victims don’t normally think about the bitter sting of its consequences to themselves, their families and generations to come, into eternity. Yes, you may enjoy that moment as you cheat on your spouse, as you plan that deal to steal, to bring down or even kill others so that you take the plunder or win favours, as you hide in those dark corners doing some mischief. You may even emerge as heros from a ‘successful’ mission, having left others mourning and totally devastated, because of the harm you dealt on them.

Government/organisational/community programs under your jurisdiction could be grumbling because you diverted and enriched yourself with the funds, and millions of would-be beneficieries continue to suffer – as you watch them!  And you give all sorts of excuses and doctored reports to justify your evil. Please turn away from evil and come to God. It would be good to always remember what the wise man Solomon said about the effects of temporary enjoyment of evil:

“Stolen water is sweet; food eaten in secret is delicious!” But little do they know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of the grave.” Proverbs 9:17-18.

Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

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John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” – NIV

A story is told of some artists who were asked to paint a picture of peace. One painted an animal comfortably resting in its hide out atop very calm, secure and quiet snow capped mountains, apparently free from all harm. Another painted a little bird resting in its nest, built on a tree branch which extended over a roaring waterfalls. The later won the contest. The idea was that peace is not the absence of trouble, but within it.

We all want peace. Whether we are conscious or not, all the things we do and pursue, are intended to ultimately bring us peace of mind. But many times even after doing and acquiring them, we realize peace has eluded us, and yet those who don’t have even a fraction of them, look peaceful. Each one of us has a picture of what we call peace. There are things in our environment that we wish to work out in a certain way so that we have peace. But the fact is, our world may never settle from all the troubles and turmoil to give us that tranquility necessary for peace of mind.

True peace is primarily in the mind, not in the external environment. Even if the waterfalls and storms of life roar day and night, we can have peace of mind. Only Jesus, the Prince of Peace, can give such peace which defies the ever present troubles of this life, to those who seek Him. He gives it not as the world gives. You can rest in God amidst the troubles of this broken evil world, feeding us with bad news every day. Put your hope in Him. He will rest your heart and mind in Himself.

Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Psalm 46:1-3 “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam  and the mountains quake with their surging.”

Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

Joel 2:12-13 “Even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” Rend your heart  and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.” – NIV

Prophet Joel’s key message in his book was that disaster was coming upon the land and people needed to repent of their sins and return to the Lord. The people had forsaken the Lord and turned to idols. The leaders and priests alike had drifted away from God’s ways to the extent that judgement was inevitable. But He gave them warning and opportunity to avert God’s judgement by returning to God through whole hearted repentance and brokenness.

To return implies you left or forsook something or someone and you need to get back to them. Human hearts are very susceptible to drifting away from God to other things, including the cares and pleasures of this life. Many have backsliden from the faith, forsaken God and His ways. They have loved the world and its evil ways, the easy broad way instead of following the narrow path to life. To all such people, the call to return to God comes.

God set conditions for the return that He accepts. These are; returning with one’s whole heart, in humble and broken hearts, and coming back to Him. External hypocritical actions of repentance which are not from the heart are not recognized by God. In response to whole hearted return, He promises to heal and restore in compassion and love. God, the searcher of mens hearts knows each one of us. You too know the state of your relationship with God. Have you drifted away in some way from Him? Come back to God. He is willing to recieve you back to Himself.

Isaiah 55:7 “Let the wicked forsake their ways  and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.”

Revelation 2:5 “Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.”

Shalom children of God.

As goes the world…

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

Romans 12:1-2 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” – NIV

Paul sought to remind the believers in Rome that the new sacrificial system required the offering of ourselves as sacrifices which are still alive. The old system required animal sacrifices for worship. In Christ, we are out of the world system and into God’s kingdom. The believer then is no longer to conform to the pattern of the world under it’s god the devil and it’s way of doing things because he no longer belongs to it.

Although we still live in the world, the Bible teaches that we do not belong to it. One sign of of a deteriorating relationship with God is going back and becoming part of the evil worldly system, and enjoying it. The backsliden believer does everything as the world does. As the world goes, so does he. There is no difference between them and a none believer in thought, word and deed.

Paul urged that the believer be transformed by the renewal of his mind so as to test and know God’s will to guide living to please God. This transformation is from the worldly system into godly thinking. When the church, individually and corporately, reflects more of the world and copying its ways, than reflect Christ and His kingdom principles, something has gone wrong. Returning to God through repentance needs to be emphasized.

1 John 2:15-17 “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.”

Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

A form of godliness, denying it’s power

2 Timothy 3:5 “…Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” – KJV

Paul enumerated the several characteristics of the evils of the end times. Among these is people having a semblance of religion and godliness and yet ironically denying the power of the gospel to transform them. This is a state in which people have self styled godliness, talking about God, but the fruit of their lives clearly contradicts their claims. It was the same thing Joshua told Israelites who said they would obey God and yet continuing in idolatry (Josh 24:19-24).

God’s power saves the sinner, transforms from a worldly evil mindset, and enables us to live godly lives pleasing to God. But this power of the Holy Spirit works with our willing submission, humility and obedience to God. To have a form of godliness and yet deny the transforming power of the Holy Spirit which enables us to live godly lives is a contradiction. It can only imply having a form of self created godliness in which God is not at the centre. Such redefine, qualify and justify their ways before God like the Pharisee praying in the temple as he justified himself before God, confident in his own righteousness (Luke 18:9-14).

Today we see so much of this. Many no longer have the fear of God which hates evil (Prov 8:13). They claim to be godly and at the same time living in obvious evil, and yet comfortable with it! This is another sign that they have drifted from away from the God they claim to serve. May God, the searcher of mens hearts, search us. May we also examine ourselves in light of our godliness claims against what actually manifests in our lives. And where we have fallen short, let’s return to God in repentance.

Proverbs 14:14 “The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways: and a good man [shall be satisfied] from himself.”

Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

Rituals without Relationship (31/1/2022)

Matthew 23:23 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices– mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law– justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.” – NIV

Jesus was addressing the teachers of the law and the Pharisees. It was one of those hard talks in which the Lord rebuked the hypocrisy of the religious folks of the day. He spoke seven woes. The one in the scripture above related to how their religion had gravitated to mere rituals without a relationship with God. They were now more focused on performance of outward activities of their religion(more to be seen by men), but had ignored what the God they claimed to serve valued most. Religious outwardly, but without a living relationship with God! Jesus called them hypocrites.

A lot of times, as we go through routine activities supposed to enhance our devotion to God, we end up doing them as a tradition but the spirit is lost. We pray, fast, read the bible, attend church and participate in other religious activities, dress, talk and generally look devout, but the heart has lost connection with God. When this happens, we are into rituals without a relationship with God. God wants us to relate intimately with Him beyond the usual rituals of our routine religious activities. He looks into the state of the heart, and that is what reflects our true standing with Him.

What is your current state with God? Many claim to be in right standing with God just because they attend church, are active members in a particular religious sect, adhere to the requirements of their faith, pray, give thithe and offertory, support the needy, do good, etc. But their hearts are not right with God. It’s fine to do some of these, but not neglect the true state of your heart with God. Get back to loving God with all your heart.

Isaiah 29:13 “The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.”

Shalom children of God.