Category: Uncategorized

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

Psalm 34:19-20 “The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all; he protects all his bones,  not one of them will be broken._” – NIV The psalmist acknowledged in his meditations that there can be many troubles for the righteous. There is the devil, the god of the evil system of the world, whose mission is to steal, kill and destroy. He will stir up trouble and cause much havoc in people’s lives and relationships. These result in lost relationships, joy and peace. People get wounded, hate, and fight each other, find no sense of meaning and purpose in their lives. Some resort to dangerous lifestyles to ease inner pain.Many have had series of devastating occurrences one after another. Life has not been a straight smooth line, but rough, crooked and sometimes very uncertain. Society is full of problems caused by poverty, sickness and disease, wars and destruction, crime and violence, and death. Because of this, many get disappointed, feel pain, cry out, lose hope. Even with acquisition of things comes its fears and troubles. Life seems a gamble. Many are wounded within.Thank God this grim picture of our lives and society is not the end of the story. Out of all the troubles and challenges we may face, the bible teaches that God rescues us out of them all. Jesus warned His disciples that they would have trouble in this world, but encouraged them not to let their hearts be troubled. We may still experience pain, sorrow, dilemmas and trials of various kinds. But victory is certain in Christ. Let’s hang in there. _John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”__Acts 14:22 “…strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said.”_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

Hebrews 12:15 “See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.”_ – NIV There are many people living with bottled up anger, unforgiveness, depression, feelings of injustice, rejection, and all related evils as a result of the circumstances they went through in life. They may ignore, or assume to have outgrown it, only to erupt at the slightest provocation along the way in life. The scripture above points to bitterness being a cause for trouble and defiling many. It can lead to ungodly behaviours and falling from grace. As previously noted, the disappointments and hurts of life are bound to come. As long as we are with people in this broken and fallen world, we shall always likely be hurt, consciously or not. Jesus said things that cause offence will always come (Luke 17:1-4). The hurts and disappointments, if not properly dealt with, create deep wounds/offences in the heart and soul. People may appear happy externally, and yet hurting deeply within. Such inner wounds are even more dangerous than physical wounds. They eat up the person from within.Additional signs of these wounds include aggression, outbursts of anger, irritability, hardened hearts, resignation and withdrawals, vengeance, depression, mental challenges, antisocial behaviours, lack of peace, and tendency towards violence. We usually assess people according such outward behaviours, but don’t ask why they do what they do. We would do well to find out as much as possible the hidden wounds in them and seek to help. _Colossians 3:8 “But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.”_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

Isaiah 43:18-19 “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness  and streams in the wasteland.”_ – NIV Israel sinned against God, and He handed them over to their enemies who devastated their land and many died. God promised restoration to them despite a very dark past. He was going to do a new thing. Theirs was to forget the past, and look forward to it.Some of the things that eat up people internally are the past messes, failures and pains. So many have been held hostage by their past. The devil who enjoys accusing always uses it as a key weapon of condemnation. Some of our past is so horrible and painful that you wish it could be erased out of existence. Good or bad, the past is gone. We cannot change it. We can only learn the lessons and move on.Whether through your own messes or as a victim of what others did to you, bring the burden of your past to God. Come as you are, hiding nothing and surrender it to Him. Let Him take that burden off you and set you free. God calls us not to remember or dwell on the past. The more we dwell on it, the more we lose focus of the future blessings and fail to enjoy the present. In Christ, God can bring life out of death, hope out of despair, and glory out of shame. Behold the new thing God is doing, and move along with it. Paul did._1 Timothy 1:12-14 “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.”_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.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

Matthew 18:21-35 “Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times…”_ – NIV Jesus was teaching about those who sin against us and the approach to restoring them to fellowship. Then Peter wonders how many times one who sins can be forgiven. Many today would ask the same question regarding those who hurt us over and over again. He suggested seven times, but Jesus said not seven, but seventy seven times, implying offer forgiveness always. Jesus attached our forgiveness of others to our own forgiveness by God. He noted that if we don’t forgive, neither will God forgive us (v.35).As earlier noted, we are constantly hurt by people intentionally or not. Out of some of our own failures, we regret what we have done. All these haunt a person within. Not only are we to leave the past behind us, but also forgive from the heart those who have sinned against us. We should also forgive ourselves. Unforgiveness creates room for anger, resentment, bitterness, revenge, hatred, and demonic influences. It steals our joy, peace, and enjoyment of life. It keeps inner wounds of the soul fresh and painful. When we forgive, we release the matters to God, gain our joy and peace and begin to heal internally. Unforgiveness is a huge baggage to carry. It primarily affects the victims, keeps them in bondage, and retards meaningful growth and progress. No one keeps in unforgiveness and at the same time remains peaceful and happy. Release yourself and others to God. James says our healing comes from confessing our faults one to another and praying for each other. Paul adds that we ought to forgive as the Lord forgave us – unconditionally. Leave vengeance to God. _James 5:16 “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”__Colossians 3:13 “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”_Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

Familiarisation and Contempt of God!

Malachi 1:6-7 “A son honors his father, and a slave his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?” says the Lord Almighty. “It is you priests who show contempt for my name. “But you ask, ‘How have we shown contempt for your name?’ “By offering defiled food on my altar. “But you ask, ‘How have we defiled you?’ “By saying that the Lord’s table is contemptible.” – NIV

Prophet Malachi was rebuking the unprecedented levels of dishonor that the people had shown to God. God used day to day examples of a son honouring the father and a servant honouring his master. But to God Almighty who deserved all the honour from His people, even the priests had led the way in disrespecting Him. And God asks, ‘Where is the honour due to me as your God and Master?’ This contempt of God manifested through defiling the altar with animals not worth for sacrifice; the blind and lame.

It has been said familiarisation breeds contempt. To familiarise someone is to take them unseriously, despise them, ignore them, disobey with ease and have no priority for them. This happens when God’s people seem to treat God like their equal, dont take His commands seriously, disobey and ignore Him, don’t tremble at His words and take His corrections, rebukes and warnings lightly. There is no reverent fear of God in their hearts any more. Like Samson, they engage in willful sin and think God will always be there for them despite their stubbornness! (Judges 16:20).

Even today, some of those who profess God’s name show utmost disrespect to His holy name without remorse! Some treat God like their servant whom they can just order around to do whatever they want Him to do! Even with full knowledge of God’s word, will and instruction, they easily disobey to defend and protect their egos and selfish interests. They steal, murder, hate, abuse and pull others down, use the altar to manipulate and destroy others, even while calling on the name of God! May God heal us from this! While there is opportunity, let’s repent and return to God!

Exodus 20:7 “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.”

Jeremiah 5:22-23 Should you not fear me?” declares the Lord. “Should you not tremble in my presence? I made the sand a boundary for the sea, an everlasting barrier it cannot cross. The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail;  they may roar, but they cannot cross it. But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts; they have turned aside and gone away.”

Shalom children of God.

By pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

Psa 27:13-14 “[I had fainted], unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.”_ – KJV This psalm of David partly expresses what we go through in life and how thoughts of quiting are real. David says that he had reached the end of himself, lost strength and hope of living. But what kept him going was that there was still the goodness of God he would experience despite raging battles from his enemies. He now encourages others to wait in hope on the Lord for strength. It takes courage to keep going even when all seems hopeless and death appears real. Hope is the expectation of something good or better ahead. It implies a troublesome present state. In whom and in what things we place our hope matters alot. Sometimes what we hope in to make our lives better fails us. The Bible teaches that anything else we place our hope and faith in apart from God, may fail. Even well meaning people who truly care about us may fail because they are limited. It is only hope in God that we can call a living hope since it will not fail. It is sure.Because of the many battles and challenges of life, many have lost hope and resigned themselves to whatever happens. I encourage that you look to God Who never fails those who trust in Him. Like David, believe to see the goodness of God in the land of the living. With God, there is still light at the end of a current dark tunnel. You can still rise up again, wounded and battered as you may be. You can still smile again. You can still have joy and peace again. It’s well with you in God. _Psalm 25:3 No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame, but shame will come on those  who are treacherous without cause.”__1 Peter 1:3-4 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you…”_Shalom children of God.

By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo

I know and have these things…

Revelation 3:15-17 “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.” – NIV

They felt they had arrived. They told themselves that they were now rich and wealthy and didn’t need anything anymore. They lost their thirst and hunger after God and saw no need to seek Him. But in God’s eyes, they were wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked! Because of that, the church in Laodicea became detestably lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, to their Master who would best spit them out unless they repented of this attitude. They developed the attitude of the rich young fool in Jesus’ parable who thought material wealth was everything (Luke 12:18-21).

A clear sign that one is retrogressing rather than progress is to think they now know and have it all and despise or refuse to learn. They criticise others, seeing how he is better than them, and settle for what they already have and in the process, lose even the little they had got. Their pride blinds them to anything new God is doing, ideally cutting them off a living relationship with God. They dwell on, and boast about their past glory and achievements with no new experiences with God. Now blind!

How often the experienced, older, knowledgeable, famous fall into this trap! Escape comes from the realisation that no one knows everything alone. God is ever doing new and better things. We can never exhaust His vast treasures, however great revelations you have so far acquired. Acknowledging this in humility always keeps us at the feet of Jesus, going deeper as we learn from Him Who is meek and lowly in heart. It also gives the right attitude of love and respect, never despising others. May God help us!

Isaiah 43:18-19 “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”

Shalom children of God.