When Thou Art Converted

From Our Pastor's Desk

Luke 22:31-34 – “And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. 

And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death. And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me”. 

If anyone should have been disqualified from ministry, it was Peter. Paul did some pretty awful things to the name of Christ as well, but Peter? 

He walked with Christ and ate with Christ and followed Christ and left his family for Christ. He told his Lord that he'd be with him till the end.  

And we all know what happened afterwards. And he was pretty good right up until the end shortly after seizing the ear from a guard showing his undying loyalty to the King of Kings. 

That is, until he was asked if he knew this Jesus character. And to that he replied, "I do not know or understand what you are talking about." Not once. Not twice. But three times. Jesus looked back at him as He was led away; the third crow of the rooster was heard and Peter saw Jesus, remembered his chest-beating vow, broke down and wept. 

But Jesus already knew Peter would be weak at that point, and Jesus prayed for him, encouraged and forgave him. And in the final saying, Jesus says, “when thou art converted”, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers”  

Be encouraged, Brethren, be strengthened, regardless of how many times the adversary tries to sift you as wheat, remember Jesus has forgiven you, and prayed for you. Go forth and strengthen others, in Jesus mighty Name. Amen. 

You will have good success this 2022. 

Remain blessed.  

Shalom. 

Forgive One Another

By Sis. Lisa Eziokwu 

The theme of our Sold-Out Teens week is “Vessels of Mercy”, we are recipients of God’s mercy and have become people of God - 1 Peter 2:10 “who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy”  

Having obtained God’s mercy, let us also be merciful and extend mercy to others. 

Some synonyms of mercy are; clemency, leniency, forgiveness, etc. the focus for today is “Forgiveness”. 

Psychologists define forgiveness as “a conscious and deliberate decision to release feelings of resentment or vengeance toward a person or group who has harmed you, regardless of whether they actually deserve your forgiveness. 

As Christians, we are expected to forgive one an-other because Christ paid the ultimate price for our forgiveness. Jesus when He was on earth taught us the Lord’s prayer in Matthew 6: 9-13, verse 12 says and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors”. 

He added in verse 14: “for if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. In order to really forgive someone, we must wipe their slate completely clean in the same way God completely forgives us when we pray for his forgiveness. 

A good reason to forgive others is so God will forgive you- Matthew 6:15. Two(2) keys that will make it easier for us to forgive one another are LOVE and PATIENCE. 

In 1 Peter 4:8, the bible says “above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins.” When we love someone, we forgive them easily. It is because of God’s love for us that He sent Jesus to die for us (John 3:16). 

Patience also is very important, let us be patient with one another as we strive for perfection in Christ. Colossians 3:13 admonishes us to “bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. 

Forgive as the Lord forgave you”. We pray that we all will be Vessels of God’s Mercy, in Jesus mighty Name. Amen. 

You will have good success this 2022. 

Remain blessed.  

Shalom

Lest Any Root of Bitterness

From Our Pastor's Desk

Hebrews 12:14-15 – “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled” 

Have you ever been wronged by someone, and then found yourself seething with anger and bitterness? One of the hardest things to do in life is to let go of bitter feelings towards others, ourselves, and God.  

Maybe a friend has betrayed your trust and left you feeling wounded. Maybe someone misunderstood your words and assumed the worst, slandering your reputation. 

Bitterness is defined as an attitude of ex-tended and intense anger and hostility. It is often joined by resentment and a desire to “get even." 

It is the result of not forgiving someone and letting hurt and anger grow until the pain and resentment hurt the per-son’s view of life. It is like a slow poison, one negative thought leads to another, and soon we’re tossing and turning at night, replaying hurtful interactions and making a new plan to get even. 

We are commanded to not seek revenge, but to let go and let God. Romans 12:17-21 – “Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. 

Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good” 

From today, we renounce all ungodly anger and bitterness, and we give no place to the devil anymore, in Jesus mighty Name. Amen. 

You will have good success this 2022. 

Remain blessed.  Shalom.

August 2022 - Month of His Forgiveness on Earth

From Our Pastor's Desk

Welcome to this our new Month of His Forgiveness on Earth in Jesus name.  Matthew 6:12, 14-15 – “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors…

For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” 

God so much loves to forgive that He instructs His children to always forgive too. 

Jesus told Peter how many times to forgive his brother in Matthew 18:21 – “Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven” 

Forgiveness means absolution, granting pardon, mercy, and exoneration. 

The release of the resentment caused by an offense.  Brethren, have you been hurt? Abused, molested, shamed, embarrassed, scorned, made fun of, rejected, abused or persecuted?  

We know it’s hard to forgive some wrongs sometimes. But only God and the Godly can forgive. God wants us to forgive, as He has forgiven us.  

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. So, Mercy Seatizens, welcome to August, Our Month of His Forgiveness on Earth. 

We will offend people, and people WILL offend us, but we must learn to for-give them, forgive ourselves, and accept God’s forgiveness. 

This month & beyond, God will arise & daily renew His mercies upon us , in Jesus Name. Amen.