God Shall Provide Rest for His Followers

 

God will provide rest for His faithful followers who are troubled, those who are being persecuted, and for us also when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven. He will come with His mighty angels, in flaming fire, bringing judgment on those who don’t know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord and His glorious power. When Jesus comes on that day, He will receive glory from His holy people, and praise from all who believe. This fellowship includes everyone who must have given their life to Jesus, for they have believed what the scriptures and the prophets of God have told them about Jesus, the Saviour of all mankind.

This is why SCOAN, led by its Bishop, Prophet TB Joshua, keep on praying for you, asking God to enable you to live a life worthy of Jesus' calling. May He give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. Then the name of our Lord Jesus will be honoured because of the way you live, and you will be honoured along with Him. This is all made possible because of the grace of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ, (1 Thessalonians 1:7-12).

Specifically, our love and prayers continually go to those who unfortunately lost their lives on September 14, 2014, within SCOAN guest house premises. The Almighty and all-knowing Sovereign God, from whom nothing is hidden, shall reveal the truth at His time. Meanwhile, we warn every Christian to expect some persecution, especially these perilous times. Such persecution may take different forms such as discrimination, religious bias, killing, and every other systematic mistreatment either on basis of an individual or a group of individuals, because of their faith in Jesus Christ. 

Every follower of Jesus ought to remain focused on our ordination and calling that we should go and bring forth fruit and that our fruit should remain. In accomplishing this glorious commission Jesus commands that we should also love one another, working for Him in one accord. Peradventure the world hates us in the process that we need to remember that it hated Jesus also and nailed Him on the cross. Secondly, if we were of the world, the world would love his own. Since we are not of the world, but followers of Jesus, therefore the world hates every true Christian. Jesus said, "The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept My saying, they will keep yours also", (John 15:16-20).

Therefore as we continue to pay tribute to those who lost their lives on that fateful day, Christians who had clung to their faith to their deaths. Our condolences go to their families, their loved ones, SCOAN families, Emmanuel partners and Prophet TB Joshua. Unfortunately, there is a growing Christian martyr now. Stephen was the first Christian martyr in the New Testament. The blood of these martyrs, (witnesses for Jesus), and all those who continue to give their lives for Christ, represent a powerful and attractive witness for Christianity and a curse for the adversary Satan. We pray that their souls rest in perfect peace. Finally, brethren, we should always remember the word of Jesus to His disciples when He said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God and believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am”, (John 1:1-3). Emmanuel!

Professor. R. A. Ipinyomi

Jesus Paid a Sabbath Visit at the Pool of Bethesda

 

There was a feast of the Jews and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, (please read John chapter 5). The Pool of Bethesda was in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate (John 5:2), surrounded by five covered colonnades. The Sheep Gate was doubtless the gate through which the sheep travelled on their way to be sacrificed in the temple. During Jesus’ time, the Pool of Bethesda lay outside Jerusalem city walls. The name of the pool, “Bethesda,” is Aramaic. It means “House of Mercy”, "House of Grace", or "House of Love”, and it is also a place where “a great number of disabled people used to lay; the blind, the lame, the paralyzed” (John 5:3).  The Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) in Lagos Nigeria is called by many as "Arena of Liberty", also having this same dual meaning, being regarded by some as a place where the infirm, the sick, the invalids, come seeking from Jesus. SCOAN is also a place of Grace where many receive healing, deliverance, the new life and freedom.

In the case of Bethesda legend had it that an angel would come down into the pool and “stir up the water.” According to the legend, the first person into the pool after the stirring of the water “was made well from whatever disease with which he or she was afflicted” (John 5:4). The Bible does not teach that this actually happened; rather, the superstitious belief probably arose because of the pool’s association with the nearby temple.

On the day that Jesus visited this public pool of Bethesda, there was a man there, possibly amongst scores of others, and he “had been an invalid for thirty-eight years” (John 5:5). Jesus interacted with him twice, before his physical healing at the public pool and afterwards in the temple. Jesus asked the man “Do you want to be healed?” Jesus knew that not every sick person would want to be healed, and that some could be so discouraged that they put away all hope. Jesus was dealing with a man who might have his heart withered as well as his legs. Hence Jesus started by building up the faith of this man. The man replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred, (verse 7). He was probably saying to himself, “if only I was able enough, fast enough, strong enough, have someone else to help me then I could have been healed”. Or he was basically saying, "Yes, I want to be made well, but I don't see how this can happen”. The paralytic was in need of saving but there beside him was the Saviour of all mankind. When Jesus spoke to him, he heard the word of a mere man whilst he kept gazing at Bethesda for superstitious healing, expecting healing by work and not by faith or by grace.

Jesus swept aside all superstition and bypassed altogether the need for magic water with one command: “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk” (verse 8). The man was instantly cured, and “he picked up his mat and walked” (verse 9). The sick man limited God's help to his own ideas and did not dare promise himself more than he conceived in his mind. We create a small God in our heads, a God who is limited by whatever box we try to put Him into, a God we limit by what we have heard, out thoughts, or what we read in the newspapers.

Amazingly, not everyone was happy about the man’s miraculous healing. The day Jesus healed the man at the poolside happened to be a Sabbath. As the man left Bethesda, the Jewish leaders saw him only carrying his mat and didn’t see him walking and healed. They stopped him. “It is the Sabbath,” they said. “The law forbids you to carry your mat” (verse 10). The man told them that he was simply obeying orders. The man who made me well said to me, "Pick up your mat and walk” (verse 11). The Jews inquired who would so brazenly promote Law-breaking, but the man who was healed had no idea who He was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd, (verse 13). The contrary men of the world see only criticism and not the healing, or the changed life, or the restored sanity. The reaction of the Jewish leaders shows that, no matter how much proof God provides, there will be some people who refuse to see the truth. Jesus was an awesome Miracle Worker, but the religious leaders couldn’t see the miracle. All they could see was that someone had violated a rule. The issue was not the breaking of God’s command, for Jesus fulfilled all the Law and was completely subject to it (Matthew 5:17). The only thing being broken was a pharisaical interpretation of one of God’s laws. Therefore, a blessing meant to increase faith only increased the blindness of those who refused to acknowledge the blessing.

Jesus knew that the man who was physically healed still needed some spiritual healing. In fact, the religious leaders would have created more confusion, doubts and more unbelief in him. Just like in our days sponsored oppositions keep discouraging many not to visit SCOAN and be healed or to come and know more about Jesus. Hence Jesus traced him to the temple and said to him, "See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you” (verse 14). Jesus’ words are a rebuke of unnamed sin. The man was probably living contrary to God’s will somehow and he received a warning of “something worse.” What could be worse than thirty-eight years of paralysis? May be an eternity in hell (see Mark 9:47). Thus Jesus healed him both physically and spiritually.

The Bible listed a few of the people fortunate to have this same direct encounter with the Lord Jesus for our benefit. Jesus healed people and told them, “Your faith has made you well”. He healed 10 lepers (Luke 1:11-19), the woman with the issue of blood (Matthew 9:20-22), a blind man (Mark10: 46-52). In this particular case, it was at Jesus’ compassion. Other cases of people who encountered Jesus include the twelve apostles, Nicodemus (John 3), the woman at Jacob's well in the town of Samaria called Sychar (John 4), Mary and Martha (John 11), the Apostle Paul on his way to Damascus, and many others. An encounter with Jesus would often not be exactly what we expect but it will bring out our true needs, revealing who we truly are, get to the true heart of the issues and sending us out to the field to tell others all about Jesus. Jesus will be known for Whom He truly is, The Son of God, The Messiah of the world, the Prophet of the world, the Spring of Living Water. This is how SCOAN is changing lives and changing nations by leading people to have an encounter with Jesus so that we are both physically and spiritually healed. Emmanuel

Prof R. A. Ipinyomi, University of Ilorin, Nigeria

Encounter of Prophet Elijah the Tishbite and the Widow of Zarephath

 

The word of the LORD came unto Elijah, the Tishbite from Gilead, that he should go and hide by the brook Cherith, (please read 1 Kings 17). God instructed Elijah this way to protect the prophet from the wrath of King Ahab. God also told him that he would drink of the brook and that ravens had been commanded to feed him there. Prophet Elijah went and did according to the word of the LORD. There at the brook, the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening and he drank of the brook. After a while, the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land according to the word of the prophet before King Ahab. Elijah had said unto King Ahab, "As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word".

Then the word of the LORD came unto Elijah again to go to Zarephath a region of Sidon. Sidon was an ancient and wealthy city of Phoenicia, on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, about twenty English miles to the north of Tyre in Lebanon and some fifty equal miles from Nazareth. This time God had provided a widow there to sustain Prophet Elijah with water and food. This was the woman we will refer to as "the Widow of Zarephath". Elijah obeyed; he arose and went to Zarephath. When he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow was there gathering sticks. Elijah called to her, and said, "Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink". As she was going to fetch it, Elijah called to her, and said, "Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thy hand".

At this point, the woman confessed her circumstance and limitations saying, "As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but a handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die". She wasn't a wealthy widow but her first miracle had just begun when Elijah said unto her, "Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me and after make for thee and thy son. For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth". She went and did according to the saying of Elijah. Then this widow, her house, and Prophet Elijah were sustained for many days because "the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah". This encounter signalled the beginning of many more miracles to come her way, revealing the Almighty God’s awesome power and love for everyone who would obey Him.

A tragic event happened to this widow over time, "that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in him". Her son died. She said unto Elijah, "What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? Art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son?"

This widow recognized that sin would kill families sin would kill communities.  She might not have known that we could turn away at any time from our sin and that Jesus would die to give us freedom. Now we know that God always provides us with a way to escape. Prophet Elijah said unto her, "Give me thy son". Elijah took her son, carried him up into a loft where he abode, and laid him upon his bed, and cried unto the LORD. Elijah said, "O LORD my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son?" Elijah stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the LORD, and said, "O LORD my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again". The Sovereign and Mighty LORD heard the voice of Elijah and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived. Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother. Elijah said, "See, thy son liveth". The joyful widow also said to Elijah, "Now by this, I know that thou art a man of God and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is Truth".

Some Bible commentaries suggested that the woman's use of sarcasm was designed to shame the prophet as being the cause of her son's death. Wrongly too, many go to SCOAN with problems but praying in the mind, "If he is a man of God he should locate me", or telling Jesus on the cross "If You are the Son of God, jump down".  Nevertheless, Elijah did not try and rationalise with the grieving woman but took the son up and prayed to God asking for His help. The Lord heard the voice of Elijah and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived. Elijah, therefore, regained his honour and his status. Other commentators related that the son raised by Elijah was none other than the Prophet Jonah, most notably associated with the incident involving a giant fish. Similarly, the one raised by Elisha became Prophet Habakkuk.

Prophet Elijah walked with God in obedience and he didn't let the different or the difficult circumstances he was passing through affect his faith or his relationship with God. Prophet Elijah had a mark of God visible to a widow from a distant land which she saw and confessed with her mouth. Beyond the sustained food that prophetically came her way, after her son was revived she said, "Now by this, I know that thou art a man of God and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is Truth". Jesus told His disciples in (Mark 16:17-18) that "These signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues. They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover". By this, the men of the world would know that we have the mark of Christ, even by the outcomes of our prayers, by our unconditional love and compassion. The disciples were called Christians first in Antioch, (Acts 11:26) because the people saw Jesus Christ in the spoken words of His disciples, in their deeds and acts. The disciples taught and did exactly like their Master Jesus. The widow of Zarephath was similarly able to recognize Prophet Elijah because of the excellent spirit of God living in him.

Jesus referred to the story in (Luke 4:23-28) when His native people wouldn't believe Him. Jesus said unto them, "Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country". Jesus also said, "Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country. But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias (Elijah), when the heaven was shut up three years and six months when great famine was throughout all the land; But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow".

There are a lot of similarities between Prophets Elijah and TB Joshua on one hand, and also between this widow and Prophet TB Joshua in another level. The widow opened her door for the man of God just as Prophet TB Joshua of SCOAN keeps opening his door receiving and sustaining many people under his roof. In another way today many Nigerians are filled with wrath, envy, jealousy, doubt, unbelief about the works of Prophet TB Joshua, the Bishop of the Synagogue Church of All Nations, SCOAN, in Lagos Nigeria because he is one of them in Nigeria. Elijah has remained a major Bible  Prophet and we assure the public that after Prophet TB Joshua has completed his mission and is gone, Nigerians will know that TB Joshua has been a major Prophet of God and SCOAN will become a Christian Pilgrim Centre for Nigeria, where all nations will be coming to worship and to receive healing. Nevertheless, Prophet TB Joshua shall accomplish the task he is ordained and appointed by God to do because Jesus said He will be with His disciples to the very end.

The general message is that whether it be a TB Joshua of SCOAN, or any other persons professing to be men or women of God, Gamaliel’s counsel in Acts chapter 5 seems most appropriate for cases where any group is in any doubt. Gamaliel, a Pharisees and a doctor of the law, who had a good reputation among his people said, "Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel, or this work, be of men, it will come to nought. But if it is of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God". We advise that it is better to be found praying for the entire Church of Christ and all classes of God's Apostles, Prophets, Pastors, this end-time, rather than wrongly fighting against God thinking that you are fighting for God. The anti-Christ might have been around but carnal minds wouldn't recognize him or her. We should be vigilant and watchful. In any case, how could a Zarephath widow have accepted Elijah into her house and fed the Prophet but King Ahab of Israel, or Queen Jezebel the wife of King Ahab, would not believe? How could God have chosen a poor widow from a distant land to sustain His anointed servants and billionaires in the land would not even be recorded in history books at the end of life? Unless an individual has a personal encounter with Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world, the end may be very sad indeed. Emmanuel

Prof. R. A. Ipinyomi, University of Ilorin, Nigeria.