Sunday 19/January/2014

By Pastor Nahimana Dieudonne

HOW TO PREPARE FOR BATTLE 

On Wednesday we looked at Joshua chapter 2 and saw that Joshua secretly sent 2 spies to investigate and find out as much information as possible about the land they were going to conquer. They stayed with Rahab and she became their source of information. And we concluded that we as well, must be determined to look for our "Rahab" (it could be a person who is already performing well in the area that God is calling you to, google,a book, etc.), the one who will give us information and enable to inspect the territory that we are going to conquer.

Today we are looking at how to prepare for battle 

Joshua chapter 3:5-12 is our scripture reference (kindly read the passage to understand the rest of the sermon). The people who are able to take over the land and be conquerors are those who are sanctified and don't do things contradictory to the will of God. That's why Joshua told the Israelite to consecrate themselves. Hence because of the ark of the covenant, the Israelite were required to believe in God and do what the word says. 

 This also applies to us as children of God: each time we want to see victory, we need to obey what the Holy Spirit tells us to do. 

Ephesians 6: 10-18 (kindly check it out) talks about the full armor of God that we must put on at all times to resist the attacks of the enemy. It's not God who will dress us up with this armor, but we must put it on at all times. So we required to put on:

• Truth as a belt around our waist: Walking in sincerity and not hypocrisy. When we hide our weaknesses and try to act righteous and yet we are struggling with sin or weaknesses, we are giving a way to the enemy. It is good that we acknowledge that we need the Grace of God, that we are able to win and do all things through Christ who strengthens us.
•   The breastplate of righteousness:  Walking in the righteousness that we have received from Christ. That is, our behavior manifesting who we are. What we are spiritually must be manifested physically.
• Our feet sandaled with readiness for the Gospel of Peace: Being ready to testify of Christ at all times, so that other people can be saved
• The shield of Faith: Faith is our shield. There is always a word from the bible that we have to believe/ stand upon and confess when we are going through tough times. This is what will defeat the enemy
• The Helmet of Salvation:  being assured that we are saved  and not doubting our salvation because of one thing or another
• The Sword of the Spirit: The word enables us to attack the enemy and cause us to chase him away from a given territory. 

Whatever your Goliath is today, you need to make a step of faith like David and throw the stone at him. It is not the small stone that David threw at Goliath that killed him because he fell on his face and not on his back. Goliath was killed by the power of God that worked through the faith of David. The battle is the Lord. Make a decision not to allow the enemy to use his malice in your life again.

  First Sunday of the Year
5/01/ 2014

Enlarge your tents...what does it mean?

Last year, our theme as a church was centered around the book of John chapter 1, where we are told that: "And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ" (John 1: 16-17).

2013 was the year of Grace upon Grace and we witnessed tremendous transformation as a church in many ways, as testified by many brethren during our overnight prayer session on  New year's eve. This year we are moving on to greater heights and to another theme found in Isaiah 54:2 where it says:

"Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes."

This is our theme as a church for this year. So, what does it mean to enlarge your tent? It means many things. For instance:

• Getting to another level of faith and believing what you never dared to believe before. What you always thought was impossible...
• Thinking and conceiving ideas that you never conceived before                                                          We also mean that:
• This is the year of going to places that you've never been before
• The year of seeing what you had never seen before
• The year of accomplishing what you had never accomplished before
• The year of overcoming the battles that you had never overcome before
• The year of Conquering souls for Christ like you had never done in the past

And the list goes on...

 However, here is what you have to remember- this is not just our desires for this year or our wishes for 2014, this is what God desires for us as His children to experience this year.

In Joshua 1:2-3, God said: " Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. ."

As believers in the new covenant, God has given us the privilege to reign in His Kingdom. Jesus said: "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom" (Luke 12:32). 

In 2014, God is saying that it is time for us to stand up and enlarge our tents. It is not time for us to wait for manna from heaven but it is time for us to do something.  It is time for us to embrace our identity in Christ and reign for Him on this earth. It is time for us to conquer territories- It is time to expand. 

As His children, God has given us the power to dominate on this earth (Genesis 1:27-28), Christ Jesus has given us the right and authority to use His name. He has made us Kings and Priests and more than conquerors (Romans 8:37). He was pleased to give us the Kingdom so that we can represent Him.

So, don't wait for this year to turn out to be like last year. But confess and declare with your mouth, what you are expecting to see this year. The bible says that : "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits" (Proverbs 18:21).

This shall be your year of Greater Victory and Breakthrough... the first among many others to come.

Have a blessed 2014!

From the Sermon preached by Pastor Dieudonne Nahimana

Picture retrieved from byheartbysoul.wordpress.com

Thanking God for making us His children and giving us His Spirit

Romans 8:4-17: To be read

Before his crucifixion, Jesus Christ told his disciples that He will not leave them as orphan but will send them the Holy Spirit. When we were sinners, we were like nice phones with no sim card. They cannot be used for communication, even if they are expensive and look nice. They are of no use to the owner. The moment we got born again, a new spirit was placed in us and this is what enables us to communicate with God. The new spirit is what we can compare here to a new sim card in a phone. It is a new identity.

We became Children of God and heirs of God.

In the past, We grew up thinking that there are people who are more acceptable before God than others. That there are mediators between us and God that we must go through in order to get to Him. This is false because just like my children cannot send an outsider to speak to me on their behalf or to ask me something for them, so it is the same with our heavenly father, we go to him directly because we are His children and we have access before Him.



Remember  that God has blessed you like He blessed Jesus so that you can do what He has called you to do. Rejoice Child of God!

                                          1 John 1:12
"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name"

THANKING GOD FOR CHRIST WHOM HE SENT TO SAVE US

Scripture Reference: John 3:16

This month of December, we have dedicated it to thanking God at Oasis Christian Center. Praising God and thanking Him, should not be done not as a habit but with a reason. We thank Him for His love for us.  This is the love that we see from Genesis where God created us (mankind) in love and gave us His nature so that we would fulfill His will for our lives.

In John 3:16, we see this love magnified. Jesus Christ said that: "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." 

It is sad to see how someone from childhood can live life struggling to find happiness and they end up never finding it.

This eternal life that Christ offers to us is not just unending life, but a different type of life called Zoe life, abundant life. 

Why do We need Christ? 

We need him because all of us have been separated from God because of our sinful nature inherited from Adam and Eve, whose disobedience attracted a curse on all their descendants.

Ephesians 2:3 says: "Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others." 

The nature of our flesh brings us to do things contrary to the will of God and it is what brings condemnation in our lives. We were looking for peace and seeking temporary joy but it brought instead negative consequences into our lives. The separation that Adam and Eve had in the Garden of Eden also brought spiritual death to us their descendants.

This is what caused God to send His one and only son to die for us so that whosoever will believe in Him would have eternal life.

So, even as we prepare ourselves for Christmas, it is good to remember that Jesus Christ's birth alone would not have saved people. You can believe that Jesus was a great man, but that will not save you. What brought salvation to the nations is the fact that He died and rose again.  So the question today is are you one of those who only believe that he existed or was a great man? or are you living out His life, the one that He gave you?

If you are this point in your life where you are ready to make a personal commitment to follow Christ, you can use this words as guide to your prayer and say: "Dear God in heaven, I come to you in the name of Jesus. I acknowledge to You that I am a sinner, and I am sorry for my sins and the life that I have lived; I need your forgiveness.

I believe that your only begotten Son Jesus Christ shed His precious blood on the cross at Calvary and died for my sins, and I am now willing to turn from my sin.

You said in Your Holy Word, Romans 10:9 that if we confess the Lord our God and believe in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead, we shall be saved.

Right now I confess Jesus as the Lord of my soul. With my heart, I believe that God raised Jesus from the dead. This very moment I accept Jesus Christ as my own personal Savior and according to His Word, right now I am saved.

Thank you Jesus for your unlimited grace which has saved me from my sins. I thank you Jesus that your grace never leads to license, but rather it always leads to repentance. Therefore Lord Jesus transform my life so that I may bring glory and honor to you alone and not to myself.

Thank you Jesus for dying for me and giving me eternal life.

Amen.

We wish you all a fantastic month of thanksgiving!!

The blood of Jesus Christ has set us apart 

Scripture Reference: Leviticus 8:24

The fact that we are today kings and priests is not a coincidence. God set us apart to be kings and priests and all this happened through the work of redemption and the blood that Christ shed for us. We have seen that life is in the blood. Today, we are going to see how the blood of Jesus Christ has set us apart to be kings and priests to God.

Leviticus 8: 23-24 says: "And he slew it; and Moses took of the blood of it, and put it upon the tip of Aaron's right ear, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot.And he brought Aaron's sons, and Moses put of the blood upon the tip of their right ear, and upon the thumbs of their right hands, and upon the great toes of their right feet: and Moses sprinkled the blood upon the altar round about."

Aaron and his sons were being set apart in order to be priests to God. God couldn't allow a sinner to enter into his presence.  It was for this purpose that an animal had to be punished in their place. Three things that Moses did that had significance: He applied the blood of the ram on the tip of Aaron and His son's right ear, upon the thumb of their right hand and the great toe of their right feet.

 First, He applied the blood on the right ear because from the fall of Adam, mankind seized to have a spiritual relationship with God. For this reason, it was impossible for a human being to hear the voice of God in his heart. People could only hear it with their physical ears and this mainly through prophets.

Today, because of the blood of Jesus Christ shed for us, we have access to revelations from God. It's good to note that the first miracle that Christ Jesus did while redeeming us, was to put back the ear of the soldier (that had been cut off by Peter). The blood of Jesus Christ was shed so that we can be removed from condemnation, so that we can discern and know the will of God. The bible says in the book of Hebrews 8:10 that : "This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people."

God wrote His laws in our hearts.

Secondly, as Moses applied the blood upon the thumb of the right hand so was Christ pierced in His hands, and blood came out- this was to give you the right to serve God. To be a priest and stand before God pure and raise your hands to Him. This also means that as a Christ believer and disciple, you should never fear laying your hands on people.

Thirdly, just like Moses applied the blood on the great toe of the right foot, so was Jesus Christ pierced on the feet and blood came out: This was so that you will stand firm and so that the gates of Hell will not prevail against you. In the past, as we see it in the book Judges 1:6 that if they wanted someone not to run away, they would cut off his big toes and this would hinder this person from standing firm. Ephesians 6:13 says that: " You must take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand."

Yes, the devil will come to seek a way to destroy your life. And you have no power of your own to overcome His plans. A life full of fear, challenges and tears is not what God prepared for you. Each time you are going through tough times, believe in the blood of Christ shed for you to stand in those tough times. It is because of the blood of Christ that you have victory over all things!

The blood of Jesus Christ speaks

Blood speaks. The story of Cain and Abel displays this fact, as we see it in Genesis 4:9-10: "And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper? And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground."

The blood of Jesus Christ speaks. The word says in Hebrews 12:24 "And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel."

If you are born again, the blood that is flowing in you speaks of the value of the blood that has redeemed you. 1 Peter 1:18-19 says " Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot" (Also read 1 John 1:1-7, 1 Peter 1:1-2).

The blood of Jesus Christ enables us to walk in the victory that we have received. 

1. The blood of Jesus Christ gives us victory over rebellion and sin. Let's look at Luke 22: 40-44: 

"And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation.And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and knelt down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground."

There was blood that was shed because of the obedience of Jesus Christ to go to Calvary. Jesus Christ overcame the temptation of disobedience by being obedient and He shed His blood for that. Because of His blood, you can stand before all temptations and say: "I will not fall into this temptation but pass over it because of the blood that the Saviour shed in the Garden of Gethsemane for me, because He overcame all temptation."

2. The blood of Jesus Christ has redeemed us from the curse of sin

Matthew 27: 29 says: "And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!"

Jesus Christ wore a crown of thorns and was mocked and disgraced so that you can be clothed with His Glory- so that He can remove all disgrace and mockery in your life.Just like a husband is honored and pleased when his wife looks good, the beauty and glory of the church causes Christ to be honored. 

The Lord endured poverty for us. The chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we have been healed. Jesus Christ endured it all so that you can be prosperous.

Today, just like Haman paraded Mordecai through the city square, crying out before him, “This is what is done for the man the king wants to honor." so does the blood of Jesus Christ speak blessings upon your life saying "this is what is done to the man that the King has been good to."

Thank Him for His blood!!

The Victory that is found in the Blood of Jesus Christ

In your blood, there is life. When a person dies, the blood stops. And in his blood, that‘s where his identity is. Adam is the only human being that did not receive blood from another human. All of us have inherited blood from our parents.

Our Blood can also carry blessings and curses. In life, you can find people or families who never progress, never get married or always get divorced, others are prone to particular types of disease... all these are some of the ties created through blood. Many pray asking God to help them but not knowing what He has already done through the blood of Jesus Christ- which is His own blood.

Jesus Christ was born in a supernatural way, with no earthly father, but a heavenly father and hence carrying the blood of God and His DNA. He became the second Adam- with no curse in His blood, He was fully qualified to redeem us from our sin’s nature and all the curses that came as a result of the fall of Adam.

Because of His blood, we have been saved, redeemed and removed from the dominion of Satan (Ephesians 1:7-12).Jesus Christ shed His blood at various points of the crucifixion: when He was sweating in the Garden of Gethsemane, when he was wearing a crown of thorns,  as he was being beaten up, pierced - and many other times. Each and every drop of blood that He shed was for our full redemption which required that a ransom and sacrifice be paid.

After His death on the cross, He descended to the lower parts of the earth and Satan found that He had no right to keep him there. Jesus Christ commanded that now, every captive who had been held by Satan be set free.

Today, as a believer, you need to know that the blood of Jesus Christ gave you a spiritual DNA- God’s DNA. When you were born for the first time, you had the DNA of your father. Being born again gave you a new identity in Christ, that’s why curses cannot catch you. Today, you don’t need to go through people, saints, angels, Mary,  to get to God. Jesus Christ qualified you to enter into the Holy of Holies and He paid a ransom for that. His blood continuously cleanses you.

Believe what the blood has already done for you and Thank God for that!

By Nahimana Dieudonne