THE CHRISTIAN LIFE (ALMSGIVING, PRAYING & FASTING)

PASTOR OLUSOLA OGIDAN

[biblegateway passage=”Acts 9:1-3″ display=”Acts 9:1-3″]

The Eternal Testimony of Jesus is that He is risen above all things both as Lord and Christ. This is the testimony that makes us saved. The Holy Ghost has come to abide with us forever and his duty is to secure the presence of the Father and bring the Father and the Son to dwell in us. The Holy Spirit is here with us. He lives in us and we carry His presence everywhere we go.

God has given us the Holy Spirit and He is here to stay. In the Old Testament, Holy Ghost do leave people, but not in the New. Sometimes, we can also grieve the Holy Spirit and cause a break in transmission. The Holy Ghost is not even here on his own term and he Holy Spirit cannot even say things of Himself.

The essence of the Holy Ghost is to make known and establish the realities of what Christ has provided for us. It is to our own good to cooperate with the Holy Spirit.

[biblegateway passage=”Matthew 6:1-21″ display=”Matthew 6:1-21″]; [biblegateway passage=”Luke 12:32-34″ display=”Luke 12:32-34″]

From Jesus’ teaching, we discover that we cannot manage two robust accounts. We cannot have a robust heavenly account and a robust earthly account. Jesus instructs that we sell our earthly treasures to acquire heavenly treasures.

[biblegateway passage=”Matthew 5:1″ display=”Matthew 5:1″]; [biblegateway passage=”Matthew 8:1″ display=”Matthew 8:1″];

Matthew 5,6,7 cover the Sermon on the Mount. Those teachings look so simple but they are very profound and they are critical for our eternity with God.

Jesus did not introduce alms giving as a new concept to the Jews, it was already an enshrined culture. Glory seeking was discouraged by Jesus when we give alms. Certain things are meant to characterize our private lives, e.g. Alms, Prayers and Fasting. Jesus attached the word ‘secret’ to those three practices.

Alms giving is an offshoot and demonstration of mercy. In this generation when people are becoming hardened and insensitive. Sometimes God takes decisions based on seemingly unimportant things that we do – not necessarily the big things we do. We must be careful not to become hardened and insensitive to the needs of others.

Moreover, the poor has a special place in the heart of God and we must be concerned about what concerns God. Paul, in His ministry, was eager and passionate about helping the poor. Many evils thrive in our nation because many people’s have been hardened.

People in the times of Jesus’ days actually blew trumpets when they wanted to give their alms, and they did this to get the praise of men. God doesn’t value the monetary cost of our giving, rather He values the heart that is giving.

The heathens even understands the importance of these three things that Jesus mentioned. There is a principle of God that “blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy”.

[biblegateway passage=”Galatians 2:9-10″ display=”Galatians 2:9-10″];

It is interesting that Jesus had to put this inside His teachings on the mount. We must be a people that can be sensitive to the sufferings and needs of people around us. It begins with the heart before the act.

[biblegateway passage=”Proverbs 19:17″ display=”Proverbs 19:17″];

It is high time we started to take the scriptures as they are if we want to enjoy the benefits of God’s word. Giving alms is a way to demonstrate the mercies of God towards others. We need to begin to consciously do these. Even in our poverty, we need to give like the Church in Macedonia.

[biblegateway passage=”1 Timothy 6:17-19″ display=”1 Timothy 6:17-19″]

To gain eternal life that is truly life and not a life of vanity, we need to have a heart that give.

Mathew 6:6

“But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.”

Prayer is an expression of our dependence on God. So when we pray, we not only get answers to prayer, we also get rewarded. Answer to prayers is not a reward to our prayer. Our praying becomes more focused and not we are not distracted when we close our eyes and this is a way to shut our eyes. Entering into our closet means we should eliminate distractions.

Praying is an expression of our dependency on God. Staying in this disposition, makes me to be rewarded for showing my incapacity as a man.

Fasting is very uncommon in our generation. It cannot be put away. Jesus even said “this kind cannot be put away except without Fasting and Prayer.” Jesus did not say that “if you fast”. He said that “they will fast”.

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