THE SPIRIT OF REVELATION

Jesus stayed with His disciples for about 3 years. In that time He related with them as teacher and would later call them friends.
Peter came to love Jesus so much that in the end he swears that he could die for Him.
So strong was Peter's love for Jesus that he was willing to defend Jesus with the sword.
I never saw this until recently, though. Peter Loved Jesus as a brother and not as Lord.

Follow through with me and I will show you. You remember when  Jesus rebuked Peter with the infamous, "get thee behind me..."? Peter was trying to protect 'the man', Jesus and he so got in the way of 'the Lord', Jesus. When He looked at Jesus he saw Him as a brother and would have done anything for the 'man'.
But he did not see Jesus as Lord and even when he finally did (see Jesus as the Christ) he still did not understand.

Matthew 16:16 Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
 How could he understand? He was not yet filled with the Spirit and the things of God are spiritually discerned.

1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know [them,] because they are spiritually discerned.
He couldn't get the clear picture of who Jesus was until he was filled with the Spirit. This is because the Holy Spirit only can reveal Jesus.
You see, God performed the greatest of miracles before Israel in Egypt and in the wilderness but they still rebelled and hardened their hearts. How could they do such a thing with all the miracles they saw? I will tell you how.
Israel saw the miracles with the eyes of the flesh. Their eyes saw the deliverance but their hearts did not perceive the liberation. Therefore their bodies were out of bondage but their hearts remained enslaved. You see,  it is only the Holy Spirit who can decode to the heart what the eyes are seeing or what the ears are hearing.
Without the Holy Spirit nothing you see God do for you or in you will ever really transform you. However, when the Holy Spirit tells your heart who Jesus or the Father is and What they have done for you, that there is the game changer.  It is called a Revelation.
Hearing or seeing without revelation is like listening to a foreign language. You can hear it loud and clear but you can't understand any of it or its significance. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Revelation. At the baptism of Jesus He descended on Him as a dove to 'reveal' him to the world, although that revelation served John the Baptist more than the rest.

Look at this scripture to help you understand.
John 21:15-17 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?" "Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my lambs." Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep." The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my sheep.
Jesus asked Peter 3 times,  "Do you love me..?" Each time Peter answered in the affirmative until the third time he got offended.
I looked up the Greek version of it and I was amazed.
The first two times Jesus asked about agape (the love of God) and Peter answered about philia (the love of friends/ brotherly love)
Jesus asked Peter, "Do you [agape] me?" To say, "Do you love me as your God/Lord?  Each time Peter replied, "You know I [philia] you." To say, "You know I love you like a brother."
Jesus was indeed like a brother to Peter but with revelation Peter could have known that Jesus was more than a brother.  He could have seen the Lordship of Jesus. When you see with your eyes you see okay but when you see by the Spirit you see deeper and right.
He is the Spirit of Revelation. His work is to reveal God and Jesus to you that you may know Him as He is. His work also is to reveal the God in you to the world.
Embrace Him today; the Spirit of Revelation.

THE STILL SMALL VOICE

The church has gotten so used to shouting that they don't hear anyone who doesn't shout.
Unfortunately,  God often speaks with a still small voice. The church therefore doesn't hear God anymore.  They only hear the preachers.
In times of crisis they don't run to God,  they run to pastors. In times of joy they don't give glory to God.  They glorify the priests.  After all,  it wasn't God they heard when they cried.

When a pastor preaches without shouting they sleep in church. When the preacher shouts all are attentive.
Welcome to the 21st century,  where we have MP3s, DVDs, I pods,  I pads,  home theatres at home, woofers in our vehicles,  earphones and blue tooth players in our ears;  all designed to drown the still small voice.
Welcome to the technology age;  where the media speaks louder than your own conscience. What you saw on TV,  read in the Internet or heard on radio speaks to you more than the still small voice of your conscience.
Unfortunately,  more people are depressed by what they heard than anything else. People slip into depression because of what the doctor said,  what their spouse said, what their 'friends' said,  what the news said: all because we have been listening wrong.
Rather than read the Good News of life and resurrection,  we prefer to turn on our Tvs and watch news of murders and deaths.
Rather than read the Good News of salvation and hope of glory, we prefer to watch the news of disaster,  calamity and hopelessness.
Instead of worshipping God we have devised a way of solving that nagging urge in our spirits. We carry worship songs in our phones and cars to do the worshipping for us finding false security in the good feeling we get when the songs are playing. It is as good as worshipping,  we say to ourselves,  only we don't actually worship God. Mostly we don't turn on the music player so we can worship but so we escape the silence. In so doing we drown every urge that God puts in our spirits to talk to Him.
If you want to make a congregation say Amen,  shout. If you want them to keep coming for more,  make them shout.  What will happen to the still small voice when the atmosphere is flooded with noise of loudspeakers,  car alarms, blaring car horns, ambulance, police and fire engine sirens?
The prisons of the world have discovered a more effective way to torture information out of suspects and criminals. The old methods of physical torture making people scream are no longer yielding.  Solitary confinement is more sure. The silence will drive the toughest of criminals nuts.
Nobody wants silence. We have gotten addicted to noise.  It doesn't matter what your wife/husband says to you, provided he/ she doesn't give you the silent treatment.
Meanwhile we have lost sight of the things that matter. Instead of listening to what God is saying we are busy shouting Amen. Instead of listening to the cries of our children we are busy listening to the sub woofers. Instead of listening to the desires of our spouses we are busy listening to the gossip of other people's spouses in soap operas.
No one takes a moment of silence in prayer and meditation to hear God. No! We prefer God to hear what we have to say than to hear what God has to say.
Nobody testifies in church anymore what God says to them. How can we when we are busy telling everyone what we told God?
Five arms of the church there are;  Evangelists,  Pastors,  Teachers,  Apostles and Prophets. The first four are alive and kicking but the fifth is in the ICU.
The prophet has no work.  How can he unless he hears God? So am I saying that the other four should speak without hearing God? Of course not! But see, they can speak based on what God has already said in His Word.  The prophet; however,  must hear God daily.  You cannot prophesy what God did in Egypt in the time of Moses.  You have to hear that which God is  saying today!
The prophetic voice is the voice of God. I fear that that voice is no longer loud enough (a problem we can easily solve by being silent enough)
When was the last time you heard the chirping of the birds or the crow of the cock? It's just not quiet enough. If we will not hear the cries of our own families how shall we hear the cry of the world.  People who go to bed hungry.  People who go to the grave in sin.
So shout friend,  shout at the top of your voice.  Shout hallelujah.  Shout Amen.  Shout at your wife.  Shout at your husband.  Shout at your children. Shout at the entire world. But don't forget to observe silence for just ten minutes.
It might shock you what you have been missing in all this noise.

Isaiah 30:15 For thus says the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel:  " In returning and rest you shall be saved; In quietness and confidence shall be your strength." But you would not,

CHRISTIANITY IS NOT A RELIGION

When you enumerate the religions of the world, dis-include Christianity.
I know it sounds outrageous because all your life you have been taught that it was.

Religion basically has to do with the teachings of the founder of that belief system. These teachings outlive the founder and continue to thrive long after the founder is dead.
In fact, when Buddha was about to die, his students asked him how he would like them to remember him and he told them not to bother about remembering him. He told them it is enough to remember his teachings.

Islam thrives long after the death of Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) because if you follow his teachings you can be a good Muslim.
But not Christianity!!!
If Jesus had not resurrected, Christianity would have been buried with Him.

A dead Buddha doesn't affect Buddhism.
A dead Muhammed ( Peace be upon him) doesn't shake Islam.
But a dead Jesus sure does affect Christianity.

If you follow the teachings of Jesus Christ,  it will not make you a Christian.
Jesus did not say, "I will show you the way! " No! He said, " I am the way! "

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
As long as the world has existed, no one else has had the guts to make such an outrageous claim.

He did not say, "follow my teachings". No! He said, "carry your cross and follow me"

Lu 14:27 "And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.

Jesus was audacious enough to claim not only to know the door but also to claim that He is that door.

John 10:9 "I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.

 So as you can see, Christianity is not about following the teachings of the Christ. It is about following the Christ. Indeed, there are those who are caught up in what is known widely as the Christian 'Religion' (I put that in quotes intentionally) but no religion can save man including the Christian 'religion'

In fact the Bible says that there is only one name under heaven by which man can be saved. That name is not Christianity but Jesus Christ.

Ac 4:12 "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

Religion has to do with man's futile attempts at reaching and pleasing God. Every Religion has a set of ethics which when fulfilled will ensure eternal bliss. But Christianity is the only way that tells man that there is nothing he can do that will be good enough before a perfect God.
So as to say, while religions show people how to get to God, in Christianity God is looking for man!!!
The religions of the world tell you how to please God but Christianity tells you that God loved you while you were yet a sinner.
Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Furthermore, it is stated that our righteousness cannot come close to pleasing God.

Isaiah 64:6 ¶ But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags;

While the God depicted in the world religions will only be pleased with you after you obey some teachings, the Christian God loves you already. He is not waiting for you to do some righteous things so that He can accept you. He is waiting for you to see the righteous acts He has done and accept Him.

in other words, Religion is man's way of finding God but Christianity is God's way of finding man,

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
  17 "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

Religions' gift to man is a set of teachings by which they can become better people and have hope in the hereafter. Christianity's gift to man is Jesus Christ, the hope of all glory for in Him we live and move and have our being,

Col 1:27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Ac 17:28 "for in Him we live and move and have our being,

If you check for similarities in the religions of the world, Christianity will stand out, so much that it will cease to be a religion.
No religion offers any salvation for man.
No religious man or leader ever died for a guilty man let alone a guilty world.
No religious man or leader was ever religious enough to rise from the dead!
They all claimed to show us the way yet only one claimed to be the way!

I dare say Christianity is not a religion. And further, I am without a religion. I am not following the teachings of Jesus Christ. I am following the teacher; Jesus Christ. 

Shopping For A Spouse

"I do!"
Those two words form the longest sentence in the English vocabulary. Quite frankly, it is a life sentence. If you are not married, you probably have a list of golden traits you desire to see in the person you get married to before you say "I do!" You obviously don't want to commit yourself for life to someone with undesirable qualities.
Well I'd hate to burst your bubble but... You remember that happy couple who recently came from their honeymoon? How happy they seemed as they testified of how great marriage life is? Well it was not an entirely true testimony! They exaggerated. Truth be told, marriage is great! I am not married but I know God wouldn't author anything that is not good. That is how I know that it is a good thing.

I have always been painfully honest. Some like that about me and some choose to give me a pretty wide social berth for that trait. I don't know how to call a spade a big spoon? I am offended by the very thought that one would call it so. I have often-times tried to call the toilets wash-rooms and conveniences while seeking direction but I find that most people just don't understand me so I resort to calling them as they are, "toilets!" Well, everybody knows where the toilets are when you call them that way!
So allow me to state the issues as they are without too many decorations. Regardless of how clean a toilet is, no one will eat from there. There is no perfect marriage! The Bible itself says that he who gets married will have many troubles.

New International Version
But if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this. 1 Corinthians 7:28

So what are those troubles? It is only after you get married that you realise how the phrase, "love is blind" conned you. Marriage is a real eye-opener. It helps you see all those annoying habits of the guy/girl who just a few days ago seemed so perfect. What, with the wedding preparations you start seeing his/her anger side but you dismiss it as the stress of preparations. In marriage the curtains drop and they never go up again. Be very careful when you unveil her, you may not like what you see.
Married people will tell you how great marriage is. It is like they attend some training where they are all taught how to say the same thing. I call it the marriage motto, “Oh it's great! Sure we have our challenges but it's great!" Boy, you wish they elaborated on those challenges. It is the small foxes that spoil the vine
Song of Solomon 2:15NKJV
Catch us the foxes,
The little foxes that spoil the vines,
For our vines have tender grapes.


You see, small things like pressing the toothpaste from the centre of the tube, leaving the toilet seat up, the hair that gets stuck in the comb, the little white spots in the mirror, locking the door, the remote control, the volume of prayer and so on and so forth can really spoil the vine. But they don't tell you that they suffer from the disease of leaving socks in the living room until you sign the little dotted lines on the marriage certificate. In fact, as you say you do, you have no idea what you are doing. It is much later that you ask yourself, "What did I do?"

So naturally, it goes without saying that you would have a list of qualifications, the size of the Bible, before you say those two words that trap you for life.
Now, as you move along you realise that very few can meet ten out of your million desired traits and you start lowering your expectations as the clock ticks and your mates keep getting married. Of course you meet them in the shopping mall and they look so happy (for the cameras) and you wonder why you can't find a nice guy/girl like them.

The problem isn't in making the list! The problem is how you do the shopping! Most people will take the list and start checking and crossing out the traits as they check out. That is the first category that hosts the vast majority. The second category will start praying for a guy/girl that fits the traits.
There is a third option that most people are not even aware of. It is exactly why I wrote this article. To tell you the third option.
You see, you are created in the image and likeness of the creator. That means you can create! You can create a guy/girl that fits your description of a spouse. How? I am glad you asked.

A model prayer for spouse looks more or less like this, " Dear Lord I pray that you will give me a God-fearing, caring, loving, understanding, intelligent, handsome blah blah blah..." Then after the prayer you sit out on the  lawn and start comparing the guys with the list and discover...
The handsome aren't caring, the caring aren't handsome, the intelligent aren't understanding, the beautiful aren't submissive, the prayerful aren't exactly miss universe and so on and so forth...

So what happens? You either lower you standards or grow a white moustache (or hit menopause) waiting. That is, if you were not blessed enough to read this article. In this article I tell you of option number 3.
Okay, I am guilty of creating suspense so let me just cut to the chase. Option 3 is to start creating that girl in your prayers. The Bible says that there is life and death in the power of your tongue and that you shall declare a thing and it shall be established. Job 22:28. So start decreeing!
Here is an example...
"Dear Lord I know that you have created a special person for me. I also know that there is no one who is perfect. I know I have a lot of junk to work on and that special someone probably does too. I ask you for grace to work on my own shortcomings. I also ask that you will create in him/her an understanding heart. I pray that you will cause the fear of you to come upon him/her..." and so on and so forth
Hold out that list and begin to create that person out in prayer attribute after the other as you work out the same qualities in your own life. For crying out loud, there is no requirement to close your eyes as you pray! So, hold the list and read as you pray for God to create each virtue in that wreck of a man/woman who will eventually become your spouse. In your own six days (that it took God to create) you will come up with that desirable man/woman.
You want a patient man/ woman? Create one. You want a faithful husband? He is in your tongue! You want a submissive wife? She is in Your Tongue!

Practice this and give me your feedback.
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Minister Felix Joe,