Remember the Cross that Jesus Bore on Our Behalf

 

In the time of Jesus Christ, when He appeared in flesh and blood living amongst us, the cross symbolized painful execution and punishment for wrong. The Roman government of that day used it for capital punishment. Jesus accepted to bear this painful cross on our behalf. "He bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by His wounds, you have been healed,” (1 Peter 2:14).

In the world today the cross is a symbol of Christianity. People wear a miniature cross around the neck or display it in a place of worship as can be found in the Synagogue Church of All Nations in Lagos Nigeria. The cross that used to be a symbol of torture, execution, repulsiveness Jesus Christ has turned it into a symbol of victory, triumph and salvation for everyone who would believe in Him. This is why believers throughout the ages have chosen this as a sign of their faith. In fact, without the cross in our teaching the theology will be incomplete, empty, and Christianity a powerless religion. According to Scripture, there can be no forgiveness without the shedding of blood (Heb. 9:22). Christ had to bear the punishment for our sin for God to grant us forgiveness.

If you don’t know Jesus as a personal Lord and Saviour please look to the cross. You may hear Him knocking at the door of your heart. Also by watching Prophet TB Joshua on Emmanuel TV or listening to SCOAN messages, people's testimonies should encourage you to experience Jesus first hand. The purpose is to help you know Jesus better and believe His words in your heart for your salvation. Then the transformation begins. Then the cross that seems heavy and unbearable will become a symbol of victory and celebration for our life. Emmanuel.

 

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

Jesus Has to Rise Within You

 

In one of his short, but very deep teachings, Prophet TB Joshua of SCOAN, Lagos Nigeria said, "What you give may attract people but the manner you give it may attract God". In other words, if our giving only attracts people, making the world our friends then we are enemies of God (James 4:4) but if it attracts God we are children of God. So our daily ordinary giving is a test of being dead or alive in Christ, a test of whether Jesus is still dead in us or has risen. Jesus is about all the possibilities within us, all the peace and godly living, and all the eternal life. We also read in Daniel chapter 1 how the King of Babylon tried to change everything about Daniel and his friends, including their names, their food, their devotion to their God. But Daniel knew how to follow his guide Jesus whose Spirit was living in him. Jesus has to rise in each of us before we can stop going astray and live right.

Apostle Paul in Romans Chapter 8 emphasizes being alive in Christ Jesus. He says, "Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit", (kindly read verses 5-6). The mind of the flesh is death but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace. We are controlled by the Spirit if we have the Spirit of Christ living in us. Furthermore, the Spirit of God who raised Jesus from the dead, that is living in us, will also give life to our mortal bodies. The whole essence is that Jesus, existing in every mortal soul, has to rise in each soul to give life, otherwise that body is dead. It's not about being a good man or a good woman. Have you risen with Christ?

The existing world situation is evil, corrupt, unjust, uneven, fearful, but Jesus in you should rise and join His army to fight this evil. It's not about being a good person. Jesus has not been considered a good man but He is the Righteousness and the Integrity of God. He comes to oppose the existing darkness, to eradicate the establishment of injustice and evil world. He comes to show the Way, the Truth, the Life. He is the Way, the Life and the Truth. One of Pilate's many insights questions posed to Jesus is, "What is Truth?", (John 18:38). Yet He was still crucified. We need to know the Truth to be set free from sin power over us. Therefore Jesus has to rise within you so that whether you turn to the right or the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it", (Isaiah 30:21).  Emmanuel

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

What Will You Do With Jesus?

 

This Lent and Easter period most congregations will recount over again how Jesus was delivered to Pilate for a trial. It was the feast of the Passover and the custom of the Jews was to release a prisoner of whomsoever they desired. Here Pilate was faced with a decision that would change the course of all Biblical history. Would he release Barabbas or Jesus? In our daily actions or inactions are we releasing the Barabbas in the society but chaining and hanging the Messiah? The people demanded the release of Barabbas and the death of Jesus. But note that Pilate was a man trained and commissioned by Rome to act as an impartial judge. If there were a dispute and a decision was to be made, he was the man. In cases like these, he was the judge, prosecutor, and defence attorney. And as such, he was trained to ask the appropriate questions that would find the truth. During this trial

Pilate asked an eternal question, "Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?" (Matthew 27:21).

Concerning Jesus that was brought before him, Pilate knew it was out of envy that they had handed Jesus over to him, (Matthew 27:18). Pilate announced to the chief priests and the crowd, "I find no basis for a charge against this man", (Luke 23:4). Pilate was well trained and his great questions were sufficient to support the claim that he was well trained. His best question that day was “What shall I do with Jesus?” It seemed that not even Pilate had an adequate answer. He knew that Jesus was innocent yet he abdicated his responsibility. Hence Pilate asked an excellent question but refused to answer it himself. He simply washed his hands of the matter possibly saying to himself, "I’ll make sure He’s crucified to please the mob crowd but it’s not my fault. I don’t want to do anything with this Jesus." Unfortunately, nobody can be neutral on the decision of accepting or rejecting Jesus. But your response has eternal consequences.

Therefore this Easter season offers a great opportunity to decide for Jesus and not with the crowd or the Jewish leaders urging the people to ask for the release of "a base criminal named Barabbas". The religious leaders were only after self-righteousness, desiring to keep their offices and remaining celebrities. Hence although the crowd heard Pilate’s question they only became an irrational mob scene crying, “Crucify Him, crucify Him.”

 

We thank God for His calling and anointing on Prophet TB Joshua of SCOAN, Lagos Nigeria. Many of the cases we see daily on Emmanuel TV are similar to the beggar that held on to Peter and John at Solomon's Colonnade.  All the people were astonished and came running to Peter and John after the man was healed. When Peter saw this, he said to them: "Men of Israel, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our power or godliness we had made this man walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus". These apostles took a positive decision on Jesus and hence they were able to do great exploits in the name of Jesus. Peter said, "By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see" (Acts 3:11-16).

We urge you to respond positively with complete obedience to the question of "What Shall I Do with Jesus, Who is also called the Messiah?" Whilst Pilate’s response was inadequate the Jewish leaders, people who had the Old Testament as reference and record concerning the prophesied Messiah were irresponsible to have rejected Jesus. Also, the mob’s response, urged by the same religious leaders, was cruel and irrational. The whole business of Prophet TB Joshua, the SCOAN, Emmanuel TV, all his other ministries, is to build our faith on this Jesus also called the Messiah, to save our souls from eternal damnation. Jesus died in the place of Barabbas, and Barabbas we all are. The biggest decision everyone will ever make in their life is whether or not they will accept Jesus as their Saviour. Emmanuel

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

Emmanuel TV Moving Forward to the Promise Land

 

The story of the encounter of the Israelites and the Egyptians recorded in Exodus Chapter 14 is very illuminating. Certainly as Emmanuel.TV, the SCOAN family and her Bishop, Prophet TB Joshua, consider moving forward to accomplishing God's commands, it would be encouraging for them to see what Moses went through at the Red Sea; the multiple obstacles arrayed against him, his faith and his audacity. Pharaoh, the king of Egypt (representing the pursuing unnumbered adversaries) would have concluded in their calculations that the children of Israel (God's people all over the world) would be entangled in the land, that the wilderness and the Red Sea would have shut them in. Naturally, Moses faced a landslide humiliating defeat but spiritually Moses' faith and his walking with God, and depending on God grew.

Pharaoh's heart was hardened, he pursued his perceived enemies to the bottom of the deep Red Sea; he took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, and captains over every one of them with him. In the end, the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground and the waters became a protecting wall unto them on their right hand and their left. They went through in the company of the angel of God (verse 19) and kept by God's high hand.  On the other hand, the host of the pursuing Egyptians was troubled, the sea returned to its full strength when the morning appeared and the Egyptians fled against it; and the LORD overthrew the Egyptians amid the sea. There was a brief moment whilst in the middle of the sea when it appeared that the enemies recognized their mistakes and offering belated repentance. In (verse 25) the Egyptians said, "Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the LORD fighteth for them against the Egyptians". Several others made belated repentance in the Bible but repentance had no effect. Notable are the five virgins representing Christians without oil, no faith, just some pleasant characteristics; by the time they realize they needed oil in their lamps, it might be too late. Today is the day of salvation.  Or Haman in the days of Queen Esther, (Esther 6:12-13). Eventually, Haman hasted to his house mourning and having his head covered because he was opposing the people of God. Even Haman's wife had to warn him saying, "If Mordecai be of the seed of the Jews, before whom thou hast begun to fall, thou shalt not prevail against him, but shalt surely fall before him". Anyone fighting against God's anointed may find himself directly fighting against God. When John the Baptist said in (Matthew 3:8) that we should, "Produce fruit in keeping with repentance", our repentance should be evident by our continuous living and immediately.

As Emmanuel TV advances in years, increasing its services to all mankind, building peoples' faith and trust in God, we ought to be praying and working along for its optimal service. We are delighted to report even at this stage that a large proportion of the entire global population of about 8 billion people has heard about Jesus either through Prophet TB Joshua crusades, SCOAN, or Emmanuel TV; many of them are turning to Jesus Christ for salvation. For now, the one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their hard work, (1 Corinthians 3:8). Emmanuel.

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