KEY SCRIPTURE: Joh 18:14 KJV” Now Caiaphas was he, which gave counsel to the Jews, that it was expedient that one man should die for the people.”

God our heavenly Father rules in the affairs of men. On many occasions, men may plan mischief but God can turn it to achieve His purposes, especially, if it has to do with his children. In the book of Genesis, the sons of Jacob hated Joseph and even sold him into slavery thinking, that would end all the amazing dreams that Joseph has been talking about. God used their evil wish to bring Joseph into God’s perfect will for His life. No man can change God’s intention and plans for the man, who walks in constant obedience to God.

In our key scripture, the high priest counseled the house of elders that one person should die for the people, and that was to be Jesus. John 11:51 KJV” And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation;” This man and his group  of elders were seeking to satisfy their fury against the Lord Jesus, yet the Holy Spirit was the one who inspired the high priest to make that prophecy which was to save the whole of mankind.1Co 2:8 KJV” Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.”

Dear child of God, never be afraid of the threats and the animosity of men. In their anger and desire to harm and eliminate you, God will be working out a program of glory for you. All you have to do is to maintain your love for God and keep doing the will of God for your life. The Lord will make all things work out for your good. 1 Cor 2:9 KJV” But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”

THOUGHT: THE LOVER OF GOD CANNOT, BE DISADVANTAGED.

FURTHER STUDIES

Rom 8:28 KJV” And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

Gen 50:20 KJV” But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.”

KEY SCRIPTURE:  John 18:12 KJV” Then the band and the captain and officers of the Jews took Jesus, and bound him,”

The bible speaks of two different moments that come upon men, that limit their ability to freely do what they may want to do. These moments are talked about in the following verses of scripture. John 9:4 KJV ” I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh when no man can work.” The second one is Eph 6:13 KJV ” Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” Jesus’ arrest was either a day of evil or a night-hour event Now to understand which of the moments among the two, that happened to Jesus, let us describe the two occasions in the light of their meanings in the scriptures.

The night hour is the moment a man cannot operate and go about normal activities because of age. He has come to the period of rest, and so cannot go about working. This is a moment that will befall any man who grows old enough to be limited by age. The advice is to do all that you can do when you are young enough to serve the master. The evil day can happen to any man. It is called the hour of the evil one. This is a moment of trial in which the devil comes over to take advantage of a man. This is what happened to the Lord. God’s advice to face that evil day is to invest ourselves in the word of God, such that, we would be able to apply it in every aspect of our lives. Using God’s word effectively is called the armour of God. The Lord Jesus was very ready for the devil, nothing took Him by surprise.

How prepared are you for that evil day? The Lord prepared Himself prayerfully and also placed His faith in the Father. The Lord’s advice to his disciples and to all of us; is to pray that we may not enter into temptation. Luke 22:42. Temptation in this context is a challenge that over whelms you such that you are not able to stand and overcome it. The next thing to do to overcome an evil day, is to learn to trust the Lord always. Rom 10:11 KJV” For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.”  You must also   know how to apply the scriptures properly to various situations.

THOUGHT: A PREPARED MAN IS A WINNER ALWAYS

FURTHER STUDIES

Jer 17:8 KJV ” For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.”

Psalms 1:3 KJV” And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: John 18:11 KJV “Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?”

When Peter cut off the high priest servant’s ear, the Lord asked Him to put His sword back into its sheath. He asked Peter, should I not drink the cup that the father has given me? Peter was indirectly fighting the will of God. Remember that in Mathew 16:21 this same Peter rebuked the Lord Jesus for saying He would go to the cross and die for all men. The Lord addressed him as Satan, telling him, that he is an offense to the course of God. At this hour, too, Peter took a sword to stop the process of His crucifixion.

In life, one can fight the will of God for his or her life. There are many people who are fighting God over their call into the ministry. There are certain financial sacrifices that the Lord may ask you to make towards the work of God and you may resist it violently. There are certain relationships, that the Holy Spirit may ask one to break. These instructions become a tug of war between those people and the Holy Ghost. There could be certain individuals whom God allows into our lives as instruments of building longsuffering into us. We quickly attack them as Satan or pray all kinds of dangerous prayers against them. All these examples are cases of fighting the will of God.

It is very wrong to see every difficulty as an act of Satan. The scriptures are very clear on issues that Satan raises against you. Anything that opposes our Lord’s atoning sacrifice is satanic and must be opposed. Sin is one of it. Sicknesses are certainly   another, and every form of satanic bondage. There may be certain disappointing events or occasions, which turn out to be God’s way of saving his children. During the September, 11, bombing of the world trade centers, certain brethren, were delayed by events they could not explain, but later realised, God’s hand in saving them from the eminent calamity that took other’s lives. Do not be hasty to attack everything that looks bad, you may directly opposing God, which may cause you a great loss if you do not repent and allow the will of God to prevail.

THOUGHT: STOP ATTACKING EVERYTHING THAT LOOKS BAD, IT MAY BE GOD’S INSTRUMENT TO BLESSING YOU.

FURTHER STUDIES

Rom 8:28 KJV “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

James 1:2 KJV ” My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;”

KEY SCRIPTURE: John 18:10 KJV” Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus”.

Our key scripture reveals an incident that has been the view of some Christians. They believe in some cases we must take arms and fight for our faith. Simon Peter was also nicknamed Zelotes in Luke 6:15 because he belonged to the political wing called the Zealots, who were the radical Jewish sect, that opposed the rule of the pagan Roman government. They even opposed their fellow Jews who sounded conciliatory seeking peace. It was this sentiment in Peter that made him aggressive and offensive to the point of striking the ear of one of the assailants of the Lord. Should the church take such a tangent when occasion demands?

Church history recorded periods when Islamic Jihadists attacked certain communities, forcing them to convert to Islam. This led to the uprise of the Crusaders which was a Christian military body that fought to defend the Christians. Was it scriptural for the Christians to take weapons to fight and defend their territories? The weapons of our warfare are not carnal. A few years ago, the church in Nigeria found themselves in a similar web, where Islamic Fulanis attacked churches and murdered Christians in cold blood. The church was torn between forming armed Defense groups to fight and protect their brethren or trusting the power of God to protect them.

I believe Christians should strengthen their faith to trust in God for His protection. History teaches us that, the early Church was persecuted without any retaliation, yet the strength and expansion of the church grew because they did not fight back. They trusted God and held to their faith in the midst of the persecution. Our Lord Jesus who is the Lord of the church is able to fight for His glory. The church must get to know the Lord and stand stronger for Him, and He will turn the situation to His glory.

THOUGHT: MAY THE CHURCH LEARN TO SEEK THE SPIRIT’S COUNSEL IN ALL SITUATIONS

FURTHER STUDIES

2 Sam 22:31 KJV “As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him.”

Psalms 4:5 KJV” Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD.”

KEY SCRIPTURE Joh 18:9 KJV” That the saying might be fulfilled, which he spake, Of them, which thou gavest me have I lost none.”

In our previous study, we learned that leaders must be very responsible to keep their followers and lose none. The welfare of the followers should be of great concern to the leader. Every one of the followers is very important and must be protected as much as possible. God does not want any soul to be lost and everything must be done to preserve them. As Christian leaders, whether we are pastors or any responsible role, our concern is to make sure none of the brethren loses his faith or commitment to the Lord. It is the agenda of Satan and his demons to keep the children of God out of the faith.

In Philippians 2 :15, Apostle Paul says he desires all the brethren of Philippi be blameless and harmless, the sons of God without rebuke. He added the following words in the next verse. Phi 2:16 KJV “Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.” He says he does not want to run in vain, that is in the day of Christ He finds that those he won for Christ fail to get to the presence of the Lord. The sad truth is that many pastors and church workers do not feel anything wrong altogether when a brother or sister falls off concerning his or her faith in Christ. Jesus was to lose none, and we must do everything not to lose any.

What can we do to keep the souls?

1. The first thing is to take heed to yourself, so you would be strong enough to help others stand. Acts 20:28

2. Agonize in intercession for the brethren Col 4:12 KJV” Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.”

3. Take care of the souls by teaching them the word and every other assistance that would help them get along.

4. When they seem to fall or to be overtaken by wrong teaching, or a life condition that threatens their faith, make time to know what is making them fall and seek a solution to make them stand one more time.

5. Get in touch as often as you can. That is what Jesus did, he was constantly in touch with His disciples and apostles.

THOUGHT: THE SUCCESS OF SOUL WINNING, IS TO SEE THEM IN HEAVEN.

FURTHER STUDIES

Acts 20:28 KJV “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.”

Phil 4:1 KJV “Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: John 18:8 KJV” Jesus answered, I have told you that I am he: if therefore ye seek me, let these go their way”:

Leadership is all about being able to influence your followers to go a particular way. One of the strongest means of giving a positive influence is to lead the way with a good example. Such examples are often seen in his selfless acts or loving deeds that show great care for his followers. Any leader who lacks selflessness is a poor leader and cannot be called a leader because he has nothing in him to stir his followers to follow.

After Judas and his men fell to the ground in their mission to arrest the Lord Jesus, He told them, I have told you, I am Jesus that you have come to arrest, then do no harm to my men with me. The Lord did not hide his identity, nor attempt to use any of his men as bait so he could escape. He readily gave up himself. He made sure His men would be left out. The Lord bore His own responsibility.

Every human being is a leader in a particular way. Everybody has a level of responsibility and therefore some level of influence. You therefore need to be selfless to sustain your sphere of influence. The market woman who is not disciplined with the use of her business earnings, but reckless with money, would soon realise her business is dead or has left her. My father Opanin Kofi Somuah of blessed memory said, ‘Be a servant to your business, and it will ever be there for you’. Nothing would stay with you if you were not responsible, disciplined, and selfless. Unfortunately, most African leaders find themselves as the worst culprits. Every leader should never allow a desire for personal comfort to be his longing, but rather the comfort of his followers. It is in securing their comfort, that you would receive the comfort that your followers would willingly bring to you.

THOUGHT: LEADERSHIP IS SACRIFICE THAT CHALLENGES FOLLOWERS TO GIVE THEIR BEST.

FURTHER STUDIES

2 Corinth 5:14 KJV” For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:”

1Corinth 4:9 KJV “For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men.””

KEY SCRIPTURE: Joh 18:6 KJV” As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward and fell to the ground.”

Words always carry a level of impact. The way a word may be spoken also determines the effect of those words. Each occasion demands a particular approach to what is to be said,  and how it is said. When Judas and these men enquired about who Jesus was? The Lord responded boldly; I am He. The whole gang that was coming for Him was pushed back by a power and they fell down. What pushed them down? I believe it was the power of the Holy Spirit who also spoke forth the words through Jesus.

The Holy Spirit is simply fearless. We must always speak out fearlessly. That does not mean we should not be gentle and polite when the occasion demands that. The scripture cautions us to let our words be seasoned with salt Col 4:6 KJV” Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.”

When do we speak boldly and maybe more firmly?

1. When warning the unruly.1 Thess 5: 14

2. When speaking to a demon in a person.

3. When the Holy Spirit leads you to speak that way under any condition, He deems fit.

4. When sharing God’s with an audience. Titus 2:15 KJV” These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.”

5. When answering an evil opposition, An example is when people under the influence of Satan say negative demeaning words to you. Do not keep quiet over such words, speak back, and say it boldly.

THOUGHT: WORDS ARE INSTRUMENTS TO BUILD UP AND WEAPONS TO DESTROY, USE THEM WELL

FURTHER STUDIES

Acts 14:3 KJV Long time, therefore, abode they speaking boldly in the Lord, which gave testimony unto the word of his grace, and granted signs and wonders to be done by their hands.

Eph 6:20 KJV “For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: John 18:5 ISV ” They answered him, “Jesus from Nazareth.” Jesus told them, “I AM.” Judas, the man who betrayed him, was standing with them.”

Judas has always stood with Jesus, throughout the period of Jesus’ ministry in the region. This time the bible said he was standing with the wicked. How come a holy man could end up standing among evildoers? Dear readers, evil never occurred only on that occasion. He had carried the seed of iniquity in him all the while. It only matured at that very hour. What would have happened, if the betrayal of Jesus had not occurred, yet he died with his greedy lifestyle? He would have ended up in hell but would say to the Lord, I was one of your trusted disciples, why am I here? Please note, it is not the so-called one big sin, but the little secret sins; they are the real Waterloo. Always remember this statement, small sins grow and when they grow, they kill.

Where are you standing today? What do you do when no one is looking? Please note, that the man who is tempted to commit a particular sin, but does not yield to it, should not feel guilty concerning this line of study. I am talking about the man, who secretly practices error or sin, yet presents himself to all as a genuine person. Dear one, if you are living this way, then you are standing with the devil. Psalm 1:1 says, blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of wicked, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of the scornful, but his delight, is in the law of the Lord” You do not belong to the way of the wicked, refuse to walk that way.

You can leave that wrong location of your life. The story of the prodigal son, says, he came to himself and started asking himself questions. Ask yourself, where and who am I standing with? If your answer says you are in the wrong location, then ask the Lord for forgiveness and leave that secret life of sin. Break that wrong association too. Go to your master and build a better relationship with Him. Please do not postpone your decision or corresponding actions. Do not walk in the path of the wicked. If you do not stop today, you may miss the ultimate destination, which is heaven.

THOUGHT: DO NOT WAIT FOR ANOTHER MOMENT, TO REPENT FROM A SINFUL LIFE, IT MAY BE TOO LATE.

FURTHER STUDIES

Matt 7:21 KJV” Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.”

Gal 6:7 KJV” Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: Joh 18:4 ISV “Then Jesus, knowing everything that was going to happen, went forward and asked them, “Who are you looking for?”

Judas and his accomplices came to take Jesus captive, yet He did not move the least about the threat they posed. He fearlessly confronted them and asked, who are you looking for? The Lord knew they were looking for Him, yet He asked, who are you looking for? The Lord Jesus would always expect men to say what they really want. He took charge of the situation. Anything you take charge of in faith, cannot unleash what Satan may intend for you to do. It is always one thing, what the devil may do and there is also how you respond, whether in faith or in fear.

What made the master so fearless? Jesus knew His father, and so was very strong. Dan 11:32 ISV’ Through flattery he’ll corrupt those who act wickedly toward the covenant, but people who know their God will be strong and take action.” The Lord was deeply rooted in His Father and His mighty power that surpassed whatever these carnal earthlings were. Such fearlessness is not worked out at such critical moments, but an already existing confidence in God. He had built this confidence over a lifetime of association with the Father. He said, I know my Father.

Dear child of God, take time to build your confidence in God. Know Him through His word, through the practice of the word, through meditation on the word, and finally through the abstinence from sin. One of the strongest blockers of faith and confidence in God is sin. The Lord Jesus has always walked in the Spirit throughout His ministry period. On the day of trial, He still functioned in the Spirit.

THOUGHT: A LIFE IN THE SPIRIT WOULD ALWAYS RESPOND FROM THE SPIRIT.

FURTHER STUDIES

Deut 3:22 ISV “You are not to fear them because the LORD your God will fight for you.”

Psalms 27:3 ISV” If an army encamps against me, my heart will not fear.   If a war is launched against me, I will even trust in that situation.”

KEY SCRIPTURE:” John 18:4 KJV “Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye?”

This verse says the Lord Jesus knew all things that would be happening to him, and so was always ready for whatever was ahead of Him.

He was never taken by surprise by any situation that concerned Him. There were also certain occasions when He expressed that certain matters were in the domain or control of the Father in Acts 1:6, His disciples asked Him, When are you going to give the kingdom back to Israel? The Lord answered as follows: ” It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.” This was a matter He expressed ignorance about.

What does the Lord’s admittance of ignorance about certain matters suggest? It shows that by taking on the nature of a man, He had left His glory as God. This meant He had to trust the Holy Spirit to tell Him all things. It also meant He had to work very hard to be always in tune to the Holy Spirit The issue of the crucifixion, was a matter that concerned Himself, and so He had to be on top of it.

One of the biggest challenges of most people of God is that they are always taken unawares about many things, including spiritual matters., relationships, social, and even dangers that may befall them.

How can one develop his or her spiritual senses to know these things? This is done by growing in our fellowship with the Spirit. As one grows in fellowship with the Spirit, his spirit nature also grows. Our spirit nature has eyes and ears as our natural man. It grows through spiritual exercises.

What to do:

1. Decide to be very serious about spiritual matters.

2. Study the bible diligently.

3. Pray much in the Holy Ghost, as you maintain a very calm heart to hear from the Lord.

4. Spend some moments each day, meditating on the word of God.

5. Be prompt at doing whatever the Spirit instructs in the word.

As you do the above steps, you would grow to know through your developed spiritual senses all that you must know.

THOUGHT: GROW YOUR SPIRITUAL SENSES INTO SPIRITUAL ADULTHOOD.

FURTHER STUDIES

Heb 5:14 KJV ” But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”

1Corinth 14:4 ISV “The person who speaks in a foreign language builds himself up, but the person who prophesies builds up the church.”