LIVING A SOLD-OUT LIFE FOR CHRIST
Understanding Christian Commitment and Service
BY The Ven. Stephen Wolemonwu
Rector, Ibru International Ecumenical Centre,
Agbarha-Otor
“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain”. Philippians 1:21
Success and victory in Christian life, Leadership and pilgrimage is never accidental. Everyone desires to live; in Christ living and dying are intermingled. A man who gives his life to Christ is dead to sin and alive in Christ, and anyone who is alive in Christ has crucified the flesh and the lust thereof.
This topic in Summary is to help the Modern day average Church-man to know the solution to Christian Commitment and service as living for Christ and dying to sin. Furthermore, it is aimed at equipping the church to overcome the menace of nominal Christianity.
Living a sold-out life for Christ brings us to the biblical concept of spiritual death experience. During Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem amidst the celebration and the desire of some elites of Jesus’ day to see him, he diverted the attention of the disciples to something very striking: “verily, verily I say to you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abides alone; but if it die, it brings forth much fruit” (John 12:24); this he said concerning His death and resurrection, and theologically laying foundation for the disciples; that until a man dies through the spiritual process of divine encounter with the Holy Ghost such a person will only abide alone- it further depicts a life without the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit; but if a man surrenders his all to Christ and is crucified with Christ; Christ dwells in him through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit which will enable him to bear fruit.
The bearing of fruits are in two ways:
- Having the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:22) and
- Being Fruitful in every area of life (Gen 1:26)
To gain deeper insight to the discussion there is need to consider the following words:
‘Commitment’, and ‘Service’.
WHAT IS COMMITMENT? The state or quality of being dedicated to a cause, activity etc
It also means an engagement or obligation that restricts freedom of action. (Online Dictionary from Oxford). The King James Version of the Bible does not have the word commitment in it but the scriptures contains vast portions that talks about commitment and dedication to God and His purpose. Rather you will get the words like: commit, committed, committest, and committing. In moving forward to grasp the illumination of the word, commitment must be seen in the context of dedication and totally sold out to God.
WHAT IS SERVICE? It is defined as “The action of helping or doing work for someone”. The word ‘service’ appears about 132 times in the bible in about 116 verses. Other words that can help enrich our minds includes; Duty, serve, assistance, help, it could also relate to business, involvement, etc. However, the words servant, service and serve in its various forms occur well over 1,100 times in the new international version.
God does not play with service and heaven rewards it. The Hebrew word for servant in the Old Testament is ebed and it has two key ingredients: action and obedient. God referred to our patriarchs as servants; Gen 26:24-Abraham, Gen32:4-Jacob, Joshua 24:29-Joshua; and others.
Our coming to God must be total, absolute and with a deep sense of resolve. Looking at the topic and the above meaning you will agree with me on the need for everyone coming to God to see himself as a bond servant
WHO IS A SERVANT? This means a person male or female that attends another for the purpose of performing menial offices for him, or who is employed by another for such offices or for other labour and is subject to his command. The word is correlative to master.
Servant may differ from slave, as the servant’s subjection to a master is voluntary, the slave is not. One can say that every slave is a servant but every servant is not a slave. (Cf Eph 6:5;)
When we come to Christ through the new birth experience we are no longer our own but His (1Corinth 6:19) we are bought with a price (1Corinth 6:20) This sounds more like a servant who is owned by a master- maybe a Slave. One can boldly say that every true Child of is God’s Servant as well as His slave. This sounds hard but it is the truth. This slave is a slave with great liberty who shares with the heir the master’s inheritance and estate. (Romans 8:17, Gal 3:29;)
A slave when bought by the master is dead to freedom and his previous identity. He takes up a new identity as owned by his master. Whatever he does from then must be for the interest, command and satisfaction of the owner. When we come to Christ we become new creatures (2Corinth. 5:17). As new creatures in Christ we are supposed to be dead to sin and self Eph 2:1, Rom 6:7-11. And alive through Christ and in Christ (Rom 6:11-13). This can be done through yielding ourselves to God (Gal. 5:16, Eph 4:22-32, Col 3:8-10).
We are therefore raised to live Christ’s life (Col 3:1). When we have given ourselves wholly to God it will be no big deal to work for God and walk in obedient to His will.
God call us to a life of separation. A life fully sold out to God and unreservedly dedicated to his purpose. The problem of today’s Church is that many profess to be Christ’s yet they are not dead. Some who profess to have dead only entered into spiritual coma.
Are you still alive to sin and self, or have you crucified the old man and the evil desires thereof?
THE NEED FOR GOD TO REVIVE US AGAIN
Wilt Thou not thyself revive us again that Thy people may rejoice in Thee.’ – Psalm 85:6.
Psalm 85 was written immediately after the children of Israel returned from exile. This Psalm was a plea to God to revive His people. To stop being angry with them and to prevent them from returning to their folly. This prayer could be said to have received a great answer at Pentecost, fifty days after the resurrection of our Lord Jesus from the dead (Acts 2:4).
WHAT IS REVIVAL?
Another word for revival is a great spiritual awakening, a bringing back to alive, to make to be active again, to stop being lukewarm, cold and carnal.
SIGNS OF A BELIEVER WHO NEEDS REVIVAL
- When you begin to love and appreciate the things that you once dislike
- You are entertained by the things that once grieved you
- You no longer speak against the ungodly things you once spoke against
- You no longer have zeal and hunger for evangelism
- You lack interest for reading and study of the bible
- You prayer becomes more ceremonial than a communion
- You become more critic to godly messages than contemplate on them
- You have excuses to sin and evil habits
- You lack interest I doing God’s work
THINGS THAT KILLS CHURCH GROWTH AND REVIVAL
- Lack of team work
- Poor teaching. Jesus said “Teaching them to obey all that I have commanded” – Matthew 28:20).
- Immorality and inordinate affection
- Ignorance
- Carelessness and laziness
- Nominal Christianity without spirituality
- Lack of commitment
- Prosperity without the spirit of giving
- Membership without conversion
- Spiritual birth without spiritual growth
- Doing God’s work without love
THE INGREDIENTS BEFORE REVIVAL
- Understanding your spiritual state
- There must be a true hunger for God
- Recognize the Desperate Need for Truth
- Hunger for holiness and righteous living
- Readiness to turn away from sin to righteousness
- Hunger for prayer and God’s glory
- Understanding that man is nothing without Christ
WHEN REVIVAL COMES
- Sinners will be penitent
- There will be an atmosphere of God’s glory
- The joy of the LORD will be the strength of the believers
- Zeal for the things of God
- Lively word, lively worship and sound doctrinal messages
- Believers will no longer be complacent in their sins
THE VESSEL GOD USES FOR REVIVAL
- A vessel that recognizes God’s sovereignty
- A vessel that believes that God’s mercy
- A vessel that hungers and revere God’s glory
- A vessel that is broken
- A vessel that wills for the repentance of sinful man
- A vessel with a positive attitude to godliness
- A vessel with deep affection for God
- A vessel that is ready to take actions even when it requires sacrifice.
- A vessel that believes in change.
Conclusion: God is counting on you today. If you have never come to the Lord, he is calling you to him. If you are already in the Lord, God is calling you today to use you. What is stopping God’s glory in your life? Change our ways, that you may become an agent of change in God’s hand.
TEARFUND empowers men of God, church workers
TEARFUND Nigeria recently organised a two-day training for the clerics and other church workers from 21st to 24th March, 2023.
The meeting was Held at the Ibru Ecumenical Centre, Agbarha-otor, Delta State, with the theme: “Church And Community Transformation,” the event aimed at enlightening people on how to be free from poverty, live a transformed life and achieve their purpose in Christ Jesus, among others.
Thirty participants made up of bishops, canons, venerable, reverends, pastors and church workers from different denominations across the country were in attendance.
AVAILABLE VESSEL
“But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purges himself from these, he shall be a vessel to honour, sanctified and meet for the Master’s use, and prepared to every good work. 2 Timothy 2:20, 21.
God delights in human vessels. Nothing happens until man partners with God. It is one thing to be blessed and endowed by God; it is another to be available. God’s call is only relevant to response, acceptability and availability.
Through the ages of man’s existence, God’s delight has been in human instrument.
Man is God’s container in actualizing His plan and purpose in life. Running away from God’s purpose for you is cowardice; When God’s people step down in the face of challenges, God seeks for another, and until He finds a worthy vessel, He may never show His Almightiness.
When there is no man available for the demonstration of God’s ability there may be a rise in evil over good.
Hear me!
When there is no one to prove God’s omnipotence, evil and evil men celebrate. Darkness is darker in the absence of light. The devil rejoices when we refuse to be a channel of good work, to this therefore, the devil will do everything and anything possible to stop you from being available and qualified for the Master’s use.
The challenges of the now are preparations and schooling for greater heights and post. Whatever you are seeing now are only steering the heaven vessel for glory and glow; for when we make ourselves available, heaven will launch us.
Sometimes it may look like heaven is silent or locked. No heaven is truly locked or closed; it is the man under the heaven that actually determines the state of his heaven. Most heaven seems silent because most men under such heaven have refused to speak and act. Is your marital heaven, academic heaven, spiritual heaven seems locked?
That which you seek is right within you. Until you step out, you may never step up. In 1 Kings 18:20-40, we discovered that Israel was in a state of apostasy, every man went after his own god and will. Baalism took over the worship of Jehovah. At this stage in Israel’s history great men went into oblivion. The men who were supposed to challenge the negative change ran away and went into hiding. God kept quiet and watched, until one fearless prophet stepped out; until then heaven could not step down. Heaven is waiting for us to step out so that He can step down.
When God steps down, changes take place, peace flows afresh. In this world of the reign of terror and fear, we need the Lord to step down. However, God waits for men to call down fire, men to divide the Red Sea, men to do the seemingly human impossible cases, can you become that man heaven is relying upon? But thank God, He can never leave Himself without a witness today. As you step out for the Lord, may He step down for you and turn your sorrows to joy.
Pray with me
-Lord, May the hidden power within me flourish through your mercies.
-Let the force against my step up, be shut down by your grace.
-May the blood of Jesus speak for me and increase me through the merit of His grace.
-Every past holding me back from fulfilling Divine mandate let them expire by fire in Jesus Christ name, Amen.
-LORD, arise on my behalf; every evil verdict stopping your plan and programme, may your finger reverse it NOW! In Jesus Christ name.
-Every evil instrument against my divine mandate, melt like wax before the fire in the name of Jesus Christ Amen, Amen and Amen
By Ven. Stephen Wolemonwu
Rector, Ibru Ecumenical Centre, Agbarha-Otor
08035413812
Senior Clergy Advanced Management Course Begins
The Senior Clergy Advanced Management Course organized by Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) at Ibru International Ecuminical Centre, Agbarha-Otor, Delta State kicked off on Monday 18th January 2021.
The Training course started with an opening service led by the Rector of the Ibru Centre, Ven. Dr. Princewill Ireoba.
The Director of Studies, Rt. Rev. Dr. Samuel Sowale (Bishop of Ilesa Diocese) delivered a welcome speech to welcome this year’s participants of the Advanced Clergy Management Course.
In his welcome speech, he encouraged the participants to be focused, disciplined and orderly in order to grasp the teachings and knowledge that will be passed to them by the resource persons who are carefully chosen to handle the different topics.
The Registrar of the training course, Rt. Rev. Dr. Blessing Enyindah (Bishop of Ikwere Diocese) also welcomed the participants and encouraged them to follow the rules, guidelines and schedules of the training course.
On Friday 23rd January 2021, the Primate of the Church of Nigeria, His Grace, the Most Rev. Henry Ndukuba via Zoom app welcomed the participants to this year’s training course.
In his speech, the Primate made it clear that the Church of Nigeria is focused on raising competent and effective ministers that will be relevant and versatile in their ministry and effectively fulfill their ministry in the decade of the reign of God.
The Senior Clergy Advanced Management Course is a training course of the Church of Nigeria for her senior clergy where several relevant topics are taught to equip and strengthen the clergy to be competent ministers of God in the 21st century in this part of the world.
Topics like Conflict Resolution, Administration, Communication, ICT, Financial Management, clergy as a CEO, Health, Goal Setting, Human Resource Management, etc are taught in this two weeks long training course.
We thank our Church Fathers who have seen the need to train and retrain our clergy in the management and administrative cadre of our Church with a view to improving their effectiveness and productivity.
