PASTOR OLUWASEYI OSANYINBI
JOHN 15:15: “ I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.“; [biblegateway passage=”EPHESIANS 3:1-6″ display=”EPHESIANS 3:1-6″]; [biblegateway passage=”MATTHEW 24:1-11″ display=”MATTHEW 24:1-11″]
The disciples of Jesus always had the habit of going back to Him to understand his parables and teachings. Many others heard without bothering to find out what those parables and teachings were all about. Friends of God always know His plans. We can’t call ourselves disciples when we don’t know the plans of God. God elevates us to the status of friends so that He can let us into His plans. Jesus wants disciples that will not be ignorant. He wants people that will always be acquainted with His agenda. Many prophets of old stood the chance of fulfilling the promise of the Messiah but the Devil was all out to prevent them by introducing sins into their lives. However, Jesus came and fulfilled the promise because he was blameless. Jesus talked about a time when people will be persecuted for His sake. People will be hated and even killed for His sake. As such, many people will be offended, they will betray one another and hate one another. One of the biggest threats to our faith is how we handle offences. We need to be longsuffering in order to stay the course of our faith. Each offence that comes is an opportunity to practice patience. Offences will surely come and we will always be pained but we must endeavour not to be offended.
HEBREWS 12:1-3:” Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”; HEBREWS 10:25: “ not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”
We have a cloud of witnesses that have been through a lot. They went ahead as examples for us. They were men of like passion with us. Looking at their examples, we have to lay aside everything that will slow us down in our race. Crosses are to be endured. Jesus set an example by enduring the cross and despising the shame. He was scourged and stripped yet he resurrected and went back to show himself to the disciples. Satan is permitted to use everything he can get to fight us but we are only allowed to fight back with the Fruits of the Spirit. As the evils days are fast catching up with us, we have to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together. We need likeminded people to encourage us and to sharpen us even as iron sharpens iron. We need to march not breaking ranks so that we will not make a shipwreck of our faith. As disciples, we need to constantly know the father’s mind and endure hardness so that we can make our election sure.