You, Mark, Paul and I – it’s All by Grace

From Our Pastor’s Desk

The mercy and grace of God helps us to serve Him effectively and powerfully. We are unworthy in our own strength and abilities. 

But when we receive the grace of God we are enabled to serve Him. 

The Apostle Paul felt he was not even worthy to be called an Apostle because he persecuted the church of God. 

But the Grace of God transformed him and enabled him to labour more than anybody else. 

We need to receive the grace of God to overcome our weaknesses and limitations and serve God effectively.

 The Lord wants us to come boldly before the throne of Grace to receive grace and mercy to help in time of need. In his dying days Paul still said – Philippians 3:7-10 – “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.  Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;” 

May we all grow more in His grace, in Jesus Name.  

You will have good success this 2023.  Remain blessed.   

Shalom.

John Mark, the Late Bloomer

From Our Pastor's Desk

Acts 15:36-41 - After some time Paul said to Barnabas, “Let’s go back and visit each city where we previously preached the word of the Lord, to see how the new believers are doing.” 

37 Barnabas agreed and wanted to take along John Mark.
38 But Paul disagreed strongly, since John Mark had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in their work.
39 Their disagreement was so sharp that they separated. Barnabas took John Mark with him and sailed for Cyprus.
40 Paul chose Silas, and as he left, the believers entrusted him to the Lord’s gracious care.
41 Then he traveled throughout Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches there. 

When did this happen? When did Mark abandon them? For that answer we go back to Acts 13:13, “Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphyl-ia. And John (Mark) left them and returned to Jerusalem.” 

Why Mark left, we were not told. Over ten years after Paul and Barnabas had a fight over Mark, Paul writes to his own disciple Timothy: “Only Luke is here with me. Get Mark, and bring him with you because he is profitable to me in my ministry.” - 2nd Timothy 4:11 

Though it took Mark some time to get to being profitable to Paul in ministry, but he got there, blooming later in life. Some of us are like him, and we should not give up. 

The Lord give us the tenacity to rise up after we may have fallen, in Jesus Name.  You will have good success this 2023.  

Remain blessed.   

Shalom.

August 2023 - Month of John Mark

From Our Pastor's Desk

Welcome to this our new Month of John Mark, in Jesus name.  

John Mark, the writer of the famous Book/Gospel of Mark, was a drop-out, he ran away from a mission journey with Paul. 

Believe it or not, he fell when he was a young youth. He was Barnabas’ cousin, so, he caused a split between Paul and Barnabas when there was another opportunity for a missionary journey – Acts 15:36-40. 

Paul didn’t want Mark because of previous experiences, but Barnabas, always the encourager of others, persuaded Paul to allow the young man to come with them in order to toughen his faith and to give him experience in planting churches.  

Over ten years after Paul and Barnabas had a fight over Mark, Paul writes to his own disciple Timothy: “Only Luke is here with me. Get Mark, and bring him with you because he is profitable to me in my ministry.” – 2nd Timothy 4:11 

Mercy Seatizens, welcome to August, “Our Month of John Mark”. As we celebrate our  SouledOut Teenagers, the lesson from young Mark is that we should not give up on the youth as they navigate the terrain of life. 

Paul first counted him unreliable, as we would any young teenager, but later said "young Mark is useful to the Kingdom of God", profitable for Paul in ministry 

The Lord will make all our Teenagers to be profitable for God’s Kingdom, in Jesus Name. 

Amen.

Wait: Samuel is Coming

 From Our Pastor's Desk

Things may seem to be a total chaotic state in your life, you may be troubled on every side, but know this – your “Samuel” (agent of change) is Coming because troubles don’t always last. 

Psalms 126:1-2 – “When the LORD turned again the  captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. Then  was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them” 

The song-writer & singer Ron Kenoly turned Psalms 30:11 into a beautiful song—”Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing…” 

When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, until it seems as though you cannot hang on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn. 

The tide turned for Joseph, turned for Hannah, turned for Job, turned for you, yes “you!!!”, in the past, turned for countless others. 

This tide will turn too. Know that just as there are forces fighting against you. Yes that’s true. But there are more forces fighting in your favor. Jesus said in Luke 10:18 that He “saw satan fall like lightning from heaven”. 

And satan took a third of the angels with him. But do you realize that left two-thirds of the angels in our favor? They’re outnumbered. 

Satan is already defeated. The war has already been won. We may have to fight some few life battles. But don’t you ever give up. 

Don’t you ever lose hope. Don’t lose your joy. Be of good cheer. God’s power is greater in us than he that’s in the world. He will turn this tide for our favor, in Jesus Name.  

You will have good success this 2023.  

Remain blessed.  

Shalom. 

Dwelling in Your Wealthy Place

By Sis. Oby Linda Eziokwu

Simply put, wealth is an abundance of valuable possessions or money. I believe we all want abundance of valuable possessions and money and it is not wrong for Christians to desire wealth, the good news is that God also wants us to have wealth.

3 John 1:2 -“Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” 

However, as Christians, we should be careful not to run after money or material possessions as the world does or be envious of them. 

In Luke 12:15 Jesus warned; “Take heed and beware of covetousness for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” 

This is because money never satisfies - Ecclesiastes 5:10; “he that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity”.  

There are two (2) biblical principle that will help us dwell in our wealthy place: 

1. PATIENCE: because of lack of patience, many people including Christians have lost money to many get rich quick scams and Ponzi schemes or on the flip side defrauded people. 

Psalm 37:7 cautions us - “rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.” 

2. CONTENTMENT: this proves we are people of faith for  “godliness with contentment is great gain” - 1Tim 6:6, for a little that a righteous man has is better than the riches of many wicked - Psalm 37:16.

Being patient and content does not mean we should become lazy, but rather we should praise God in whatever state we are in while we strive for greater heights according to our abilities and in the fear of the Lord.  

May the Lord take us all to our dwelling of wealth, in Jesus Name.  

You will have good success this 2023. 

Remain blessed.  

Shalom.

Small But Mighty

By Sis. Temilola Agboola 

Isaiah 60:22 - A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the LORD will hasten it in his time 

The Power of Small: God Empowers the Young to Achieve the Incredible 

As Inside Out children celebrate another Children’s week, there’s a lot we can learn from our theme this year "Small but Mighty." 

Stories such as that of Josiah, who became a king at just eight years old, and David, a young shepherd who conquered the giant Goliath, show how our size or age doesn't define our ability or strength. 

These stories, found in 2 Kings 22:1 and 1 Samuel 17:45, demonstrate that with faith and trust in God, we can accomplish great things, no matter how young or small we may be. 

We also have the miraculous story from John 6:9, where a boy's small lunch of five loaves and two fish was used by Jesus to feed over five thousand people. 

We learn that when we give what we have to God, even if it seems tiny, He can use it to do amazing things. Our offerings, no matter how small, can have a massive impact. 

The story of Daniel in Daniel 6:23 also shows how our faith in God can provide us protection. Even when thrown in to a den of lions, Daniel's trust in God kept him safe. 

To sum it all up, these stories from the Bible teach us that regardless of our age or size, with faith and trust in God, we can all be "Small but Mighty." 

May the Lord glorify all our Children, and they shall not remain small, in Jesus Name.  

You will have good success this 2023. 

Remain blessed.  

Shalom. 

Set Apart for the Master's Use

By Min. Daniel Sangoleye  

In a world filled with distractions and competing priorities, the concept of being set apart for our Master's use holds great significance for believers. 

Throughout the pages of the scriptures, we are provided with timeless lessons and powerful examples of individuals who embraced their divine calling and surrendered themselves to God's purposes.  

From the Old Testament, the story of Joseph in Genesis serves as a remarkable testament to God's faithfulness and the transformative power of being set apart.  

The life of Daniel in the book of Daniel exemplifies the importance of being set apart for God's purposes, even in the face of opposition. When confronted with pressure to compromise his faith, Daniel resolved not to defile himself (Daniel 1:8). 

Josiah, a remarkable young king is also another great example of surrendering to God's will, seeking after holiness, and bearing fruit for God's Kingdom. From a young age, Josiah exhibited a heart that was tender toward God. 

At the age of 8, he became king & inherited a nation deeply entrenched in idolatry and sin. However, instead of succumbing to the prevailing culture, Josiah chose a different path. He resolved to seek God, obey His commands, and restore true worship in Judah. 

Also from the New Testament, Apostle Paul's transformation from a persecutor of Christians to a passionate follower of Christ is a powerful testament to the grace of God. 

In Acts 9:15-16, we see how God chose Paul and appointed him to be a vessel for proclaiming the Gospel. Paul's life demonstrates that being set apart begins with surrendering ourselves to God's calling, even if it involves suffering. 

His tireless ministry and unwavering commitment to Christ inspire us to embrace our own calling and be set apart for God's use. As we examine these lessons from Scripture, we are reminded of the profound calling we have as believers to be set apart for our Master's use.  

May we draw inspiration from these biblical examples and allow the Holy Spirit to transform us into vessels of honor, reflecting God's glory in all we do, in Jesus Name.  

You will have good success this 2023. 

Remain blessed.  

Shalom.