SCHOOL OF DIORTHORSIS
25TH OCTOBER 2022
Minister: Pastor Bola Bello
Text: Revelation 22:1-7
There are riches in God’s word meant for our profit. All that we need is to spend time with and steward it. The Scripture contains God’s laid down principles for anyone to walk in them and be blessed. Thus, when we follow the principle appropriately, the blessing therein is accrued to us. While we dogmatically follow the Scripture, we should be careful not to run into errors. This is because a particular scriptural passage can be tailored for more than one use. The word of God is new every morning. When we dogmatically follow the revealed truth that comes our way, we will prosper.
1 Corinthians 10:5-11
The Scripture is written for us to receive guidance. However, we must be careful of distractions. It takes a great level of discipline to steward God’s word in this generation. The Israelites while in the wilderness did not pay attention to the Word as revealed to them; so, they became idolaters. While the Scripture is a pattern for us to work with, we should be careful not to run into the same error these people ran into.
The words of God are true and reliable although they are most times communicated in parables. No prophecy, at any point, has ever fulfilled itself. Some require the efforts of men in the place of prayer before they can manifest while some others will be manifested without any intervention. We must be discerning enough to know when to engage with prophecies so that they can come into manifestation. Despite being God, there were times Jesus needed to engage the Father concerning His ministry. If we walk in the same truth that Jesus walked in, we would come into the same riches He manifested.
According to Isaiah 55:10-11, angels are the custodians of God’s messages. Every word of God (prophecy) is heralded by an angel. When God wants to engage the physical realm, He sends His angels. They are God’s messengers and not ours. We are fellow servants as contained in Revelation 19:10. Hebrews 1:14 further buttresses this stating how angels communicate the exact mind of God to the heirs of salvation, that is, the Church. They do not speak presumptuously but rather speak pure words as they are given by God. They minister to us through dreams, revelations, and the word to mention but a few. They also minister as teachers of God’s word to us.
When angels bring teachings to us, they are God’s wishes. These wishes of God become His will when we yield to Him. Men like Abraham, Barnabas, and Titus among others enjoyed these riches because they yielded to God’s principles. Abraham, for instance, leveraged the principle of giving. He was a blind giver. He gave a tithe to Melchizedek as an expression of thanksgiving to the Lord when he came back from a battle with spoils. God, in turn, blessed him abundantly. When you acknowledge God’s goodness and mercy, your bread will not cease. At the same time, you cannot enjoy true riches if you are not a giver. God blesses only those He trusts will re-distribute whatever He gives to them.
1 Corinthians 4:7
The issue of giving is not only limited to material resources. It is also applicable to spiritual things. There are words God sends to us that He expects us to share with others. When we keep such words to ourselves, we will be surprised that He will give them to other people who will share them. That is how God works. Even the gospel deserves to be shared. This is also an act of giving. Take the gospel to the marketplace and be rich in it.
What is it that you have not received from God? If you have received from God, why do you hoard? The issue of sacrifice cannot be taken away from the principles of riches. Hence, whatever you give that does not cost you anything, is not worth it. We must cultivate the attitude of giving even with the little we have. Faithfulness in little will bring you more.
God can choose to withdraw His riches from you if He knows you will not be faithful when He gives you more. Riches can be very burdensome. If you cannot bear the burden that comes with riches, you may not be able to preserve riches. God will rather keep you at bay if you have not learned to bear other people’s burdens with your riches.
Finally, while you make up your mind to bless others, do not reject other people’s kindness too no matter how little. Do not be an obstacle to their blessing. As we follow and engage these ordinances of God, we are sure to reap bountiful rewards from them