PROVOKED

By Rev.Michael Benson Ajayi 
Heb 10:24-25 KJV “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”
    Followers of Jesus Christ are called to be symbols and dispensers of God’s unconditional love. He gave us a new commandment (John13:34) haven fulfilled the Old Testament; this commandment is centered on love for one’s neighbor as yourself(Gal.5:14) .This is contrary to what religion preaches, Matt 5:38-46  NKJV Says "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.'   But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.  If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also.  And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.  Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.  "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'  But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,   that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.   For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? In summary , do not take offence when undue advantage is taken of you. 
         This is impossible with human strength but when God gives a commandment he also gives the enablement to fulfill it, therefore, we should depend on Him always in our love walk.  The above instructions are a demonstration of true love in action: greater than any act of benevolence. It is an example of” provoking to love” .  Violence increases in proportion to resistance. We are stirred up to love when those we hurt do the unexpected,especially when instead of hate they love and pray for us . This is a demonstration of spiritual maturity and a confirmation of one’s salvation.
     Jesus prayed for the soldiers who crucified Him leading to the salvation of some of them , likewise  Stephen ; Acts 7:57-60 NKJV says “Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.  And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."  Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice,"Lord, do not charge them with this sin." And when he had said this, he fell asleep.”  This act by Stephen was instrumental to the salvation of Saul who supervised his execution.It inspired him to becoming the most effective of all the disciples. There had been many testimonies of ISIS terrorists who encountered the lord while executing Christians who were praying for them in fellowship many are actively in missionary fields in dangerous terrains seeking to save others.
          Whenever we gather in fellowship , the testimonies  from those  who were able to make a headway in the face of strong  persecution in their jobs, businesses and relationships  stirs up our love for the lord  and reinforces our faith in His word. Habitual absence from fellowships deprives us of the opportunity of hearing victorious testimonies.This results in doubt for God’s word,compromise of our faith, lack of devotion to duty and hardness of the heart.We should always pray that our schedule be arranged to enable us partake in the fellowship of the brethren . As you receive Jesus Christ as lord and savior and read this now receive grace to walk in unconditional love in Jesus name.
Free prayer/counseling +2348098536911, +2348035536911 email:michaelbensonajayi@gmail.com 
Pics credit :Redtri. com/ pixabay    

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

BREAK EVIL FAMILY PATTERNS

Image
 By Rev.Michael Benson Ajayi  Titus 1:12 -14 "One of themselves,   even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians   are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies.  This  witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply,  that they may be sound in the faith;  Not giving  heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of  men, that turn from the truth."       The church in Crete was in disarray and the apostle assigned Titus to go and put things in order . On investigation it was discovered the church suffered from a vicious cycle of evil family  patterns. They were not enjoying the fruits of the salvation experience . An example of evil family patterns is that of King David who defiled Uriah's wife ,murdered him and his son Absalom murdered his brother Amnon (2Sam13) dethroned him and defiled his concubines openly (2Samuel16). His son Amnon defiled his sister Tamar (2Sam.13) and so on yet David was the anointed of the Lord....
Read more

COMMON CAUSES OF DISUNITY.

Image
 By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi "Even some men from your own group will rise up and distort the truth in order to draw a following."Acts 20:30 NLT   "An angry person starts fights; a hot-tempered person commits all kinds of sin." Proverbs 29:22 NLTBible        Disunity is defined as : disagreement and conflict within a group. It is the greatest hindrance to the promotion of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Disunity creates an avenue for Satan to promote sin.       The causes of disunity are not farfetched ,they include : Unhealthy Crave for power or self- promotion. Whenever there is an unhealthy pursuit of influence in a family or group it results in resistance. Self-promotion gives birth to unfair practices and injustices. In Numbers 12: 1-15  Moses' sister Miriam and Aaron rebelled against him desiring to rule by force and in Numbers 16 :1-35 Korah led an insurrection against Moses desiring to be part of leadership. In both cases ,God wa...
Read more

CONSEQUENCES OF LACK OF FAITH

Image
By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi " Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God." Hebrews 3:12 NLTBible  ' Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!”John 20:27 NLTBible     Faith is the guarantee of the manifestation an unseen reality . It is the reason behind the hope we have in God and the fulfilment of his promises. It is the substance ( title deed) of things hoped for ,the evidence of things not seen (Hebrew 11:1) .The Bible warns against not having faith in God. Lack of faith is equal to calling God a liar and untrustworthy. This type of reasoning turns us into enemy's of God.    The gospel is so much under attack by the activities of faithless religionists . They plan to replace the holy scripture with humanistic dogma. The danger in this is the relative...
Read more