Ijambo ry'Imana ni Rizima

Mu baheburayo 4:12 turabona ko Ijambo ari rizima kandi rifise ubukuba. Tuje gusenga ntituba tuje nkuko mw'isezerano rya kera baza mw'isinagogi, tuba tuje guhura n'ububasha bw'Imana biciye mw'ijambo ryayo.

Igihe Yesu yaza mw'isi, yaje nka jambo w'Imana kugira tumenye ivy'Imana n'ukugomba kuva kuri Data, kugira kandi tumenye ubwami bw'Imana.

Yesu ntiyari yazanywe no kuvuga ukugomba kw'Imana kugira abantu bagutahure hama bakumenye gusa, hama bace babandanya babaho ubuzima basanzwemwo. Ariko gukwiye kuzana impinduka mu buzima bwacu

Turavye muri Yohana 6:62-63 na Yohana 6:47-58 turabona ko Ijambo ry'Imana ntirigira ububasha kuko twaritahuye m'ubwenge bwacu, ariko rigira ububasha m'ubuzima bwacu kuko turitahujwe na Mpwemu yera biciye m'uguhishurirwa.

Iyo tudahishuriwe Ijambo tuguma turindiriye Imana nkuko vyari mw'isezerano rya kera.
Iyo tumaze guhishurirwa no kwizera Ijambo ry'Imana bituma ico twatura kigira ububasha kurusha ic' isi itwereka.

Ubwami bw'umwana w'Imana buri hejuru cane y'ubundi bwami bwose bubaho. Uwuburimwo ntashobora kuba musi y'ububasha bw'ubundi bwami.
Kuba mw'Ijambo, kuririmburako, kuryatura niho tuba mukurengera ibidukikuje n'ibigerageza kutuganza.

Kubw'ivyo iyo haje ikintu canke ijambo ridahuye n'ico Ijambo ry'Imana rivuga, uhagarare kukuri wizere ico Ijambo ry'Imana rivuga.

Pasteur Nahimana Dieudonné
5/10/2015

Why you need to ask for wisdom

Last month, we had been talking about wisdom from God and why it is important to ask for it. 

James 1:5 says that those who do not have wisdom should request it from God, who gives all things generously and He will grant it to them.  If you read proverbs 4:1, you see that wisdom can protect you. 

Salomon was a king, he could have asked God for many other things but he asked for wisdom.

What do you ask God to give you? What do you think is the solution to your problems?  How can you live a prosperous life in spite of where you are?

Well, the answer to these questions is that we need the wisdom of God. Remember, God gave wisdom to Salomon. He can do the same for you today.

Before I understood the importance of asking God for wisdom, I would ask God for money and I would get it. However, I realized with time that what I needed the most was not money but wisdom that will enable me to get this money because money follows what you know.

When you ask God for Wisdom, he changes you into a solution to problems and that causes you to get many other things. Pray to God to change you into a solution for other people’s problems. Remember, people came from all over the world to seek Salomon’s wisdom. They will also come to you for help and receive answers to their problems.

Today, change the way you pray and ask God for wisdom. You will sleep and get ideas which look simple but because they come from God, they will be extraordinary. God will also give you the provision you need because he is the one who will give you those ideas.

Sermon preached by Pastor Dieudonne Nahimana

Sunday, 19 April 2015

Picture retrieved  from www.pininterest.com

Prayers that require a certain sacrifice in our lives

For this special month of February, we are going to be studying on prayer.  Today, we will talk about prayers that require a certain sacrifice in our lives.

Matthew 4:2 says: “Then when he had fasted forty day and forty nights, he afterward hungered”

Jesus Christ the Son of God, He who had no sin chose to take 40 days in an uncomfortable place fasting and praying. He chose to weaken the flesh so that His Spirit could be strengthened.  The work that He was going to do required him to be sensitive to what the Father said.  He had to be connected to heaven so that the spiritual person could be sensitive to the Holy Spirit.

The same applies to Moses who grew up in house of Pharaoh and went to the best schools in Egypt. However, when his preparation time came, He made a mistake that caused him to flee from Egypt to the wilderness. This is where He was prepared by God so that at the right time He could lead the children of Israel out of Egypt.

2015 is our year to shine. We shine when we bring solutions to our families, communities and nations. This does not happen by coincidence. It requires that we accept to move from the comfort zone of our lives, to a special place to pray. It may mean waking up at odd hours to pray, fasting or doing what we feel lead by the 

Holy Spirit to do even when we do not feel like it. Each time Jesus Christ wanted to perform miracles or make hard decisions, He woke up early to pray or withdrew to a mountain to pray.

This year, make a commitment to do the same. Accept to leave the comfort zone of your life and to seek God wholeheartedly without reservation.

HOW DO WE PREPARE OURSELVES TO SHINE THIS YEAR

We have said that 2015 is going to be a year to shine the Lord’s light so that when people see us, they notice the glory of God.

All of us know how gold looks good when worn. However, gold is not found in the mud shining. There is a process that it has to go through so that it can be purified from dirt and impurities.

1 Thessalonians 5:15-18: "Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else. Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."

When we live joyfully, praying at all times (not to ask God for things but to commune with him) and always giving thanks, we manifest the glory of God to others (we shine).

On the other hand, there are other factors that can hinder a person from shining.

The first is having a sinful nature. The Glory of God cannot be reflected by everyone. Romans 3:23 says "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"

It is only those who have received the gift of salvation, who are born again that can shine the light of the Lord.

The second factor that can hinder one not to shine, is walking in sin. This concern born again believers who have not stripped themselves of sin and put on Christ as we are told in Romans 13:11

" And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already comefor you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh."

Just as the gold is removed from the mud, in order for it to shine, so must you also be willing to be clean so that you can shine His light.

Lastly, another factor that can stop one from shining is found in Revelations 2: 2-5. This concerns believers whose whose zeal and love for the Lord and His kingdom has gone. They feel that they are mature and know it all. They are also very judgmental. These believers cannot shine the glory of God as well.

Therefore, if you have not received the Lord Jesus in your life, purpose to do it today so that you can shine His light this year. 

If you are in the second category, you have received the Lord Jesus in your life but you are living in sin, repent and turn from those ways.

Let 2015 be a year to shine and don’t let anything hinder your light from being seen.

Extract of the sermon preached by Nahimana Dieudonne

Sunday 18^th, January, 2015

2015, YOUR TIME TO SHINE!

We wish all you friends and members of Oasis Christian Center a Happy New Year. Last year, our theme was found in the book of Isaiah 54.  We said that last year was a year of enlarging tents and for all those who believed it, you saw it happen in your life.

At the beginning of this New Year, God gave us a new theme to build our lives and activities upon as a church.  The theme is that, 2015 is going to be:

The Year of Shining

This is found in the book of Isaiah 60:1 -5

It says:

“Arise, shine, for your light has come,
 and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.
² See, darkness covers the earth
    and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the Lord rises upon you
    and his glory appears over you.
³ Nations will come to your light,
    and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

⁴ “Lift up your eyes and look about you:
    All assemble and come to you;
your sons come from afar,
    and your daughters are carried on the hip.
⁵ Then you will look and be radiant,
    your heart will throb and swell with joy;
the wealth on the seas will be brought to you,
    to you the riches of the nations will come.”

If you go back and look at Isaiah 59, God describes the sins of the people and how they separated him from them. He says “Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear.
² But your iniquities have separated you from your God”

When people walk far way from God, they cannot see His glory (Romans 3:23) and this also stops them from discovering their purpose.

The word “arise” is for those who are sitting, not for those who are standing up. This is not the year for you to sit down and complain but the year for you to arise- to stand. I don’t know the things telling you that it is not possible, it may be news on radio, circumstances in your life, but know that if you disobey and remain in that position, these things will harm you.

However, if you obey and arise, your family, your neighbors, the people around you will be amazed as they see shining not with your own glory. The Glory of God shall come upon you and you shall be a mirror reflecting it.

Your shining will cause nations (those who are from far or don’t know the Lord) to desire to know you because they have seen the glory of the Most High God upon your life.

There are things that are kept on the inside of you. Treasures that people around you do not know of. In you there is life as Jesus said in John 7:38: “Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them."

This is the life that must be manifested this year. How can that happen?

 Matthew 5: 13-16 explains:

  “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

In order to let your light shine, you have to hear the word of God, meditate on it and do what it says. 

Another secret that will cause you to shine this year is to tarry (dwell) in the presence of God. This is where revelations will come from. 

Looking at 2 cor3:7-18, we see that as we contemplate the glory of God, we are transformed as well.

Glory is not beauty. The Glory of God means the presence of God. We are saying that this year, people will know that God exists by referring to you and seeing your God.

However, if we look back at Isaiah 60, you will notice that it says “See, darkness covers the earth
and thick darkness is over the people”. You may think that because of this word, everything is going to be easy, but no, this is not what we are saying. Times are going to get harder. Fear will surround the world, and people will find it hard to cope with life. This is why it is during these dark times that indeed your light shall be needed.

Let your light shine!

This is your year of Shining! 

Sermon preached on  Sunday, 4 january 2015

By Pastor Nahimana Dieudonne

God, the father who provides for us and prosper us

Genesis 22:13-14, it says :" Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. ¹⁴ So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”

As we continue to look at the topic of God being our father, today, we are going to focus on one of the most important aspects of God; found in his word. Most of us know the story of Abraham, the father of our faith. He lived in a culture and place where it was not possible for him to receive a blessing from God. We see in the word of God that he was instructed to move to another country and he obeyed. We also see that He had another problem; he and his wife could not conceive. God promised to give him a child and after many years, his wife conceived a son, Isaac. 

In Genesis 22: 2, We see that God tested Abraham  and said "take your son, your only son, whom you love-Isaac- and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you." Abraham obeyed God, as hard as this command was. He took the promise that he had waited for, for so long, to the alter. When he was about to pierce and kill his son, when he had died to self, in that very moment, he saw the provision of God... He looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns, the offering provided by God, the provision.

When we receive Christ, we come out of judgement and enter into abundant life. We live to glorify God and He provides for us. We don't do things to provide for ourselves... we learn to depend on him for provision even as we do his will on a daily basis. Serving God does not only take place at the altar but everywhere we go.As his children, God takes care of us. Just like earthly fathers provide for their children, so does our heavenly father. Jesus told us in Matthew 6:31 that we should not worry about what "we will eat or drink for the pagans run after all these things and your heavenly father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

Today, I have good news for you- your father God is a provider. He is able to cater for all your needs. Stop depending on yourself and your works, but learn to trust in him as a father who cares for you, this will activate the promise of God in your life.

Extract of the sermon preached, By Pasteur Dieudonne Nahimana,

On Sunday the 20th July 2014

WE RECEIVED A NEW FATHER WHEN WE GOT BORN AGAIN

JOHN 1:12 says “But as many as received him, to them gave the power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name”

We were given the right to become children of God when we got born again. We were adopted by God into his family. God the father became our father.  If we look at the Old Testament- Moses, Daniel and other great servants of God could not call God their father. They knew God as a Great God but never as their father. It is only a privilege that was given to us who have come to receive Christ in our lives as Lord and Savior. 

Some of us, because of our childhood, culture and many other factors, when we hear the word Daddy, we associate it with negative things. We think of a person who is strict, scary, distant, and all that we probably might have experienced (or still experience) with our earthly daddies.  So when we talk about God being our Daddy, we tend to think of him in that perspective. However, for others, it’s just the contrary. We might compare him to our good earthly fathers and when they are no longer alive and we have no reference to compare God with, it becomes particularly hard to continue relating with him on that basis.

Therefore, it is important for us not to compare God with any Human Being. Let God’s reference as your daddy be based on His Word. Don’t compare him with your earthly daddy or anyone else because He surpasses it all.

If we look at the story of the prodigal son in the bible, we see the mentality that the son went home with. He had decided to go back home as a slave because of the many mistakes that He had made. But He was amazed at the way His father welcomed him- full of mercies and kindness. This can also be said of our God. He is not like man and does not behave like mankind, nor does He think like us. Let us always remember that our God is neither Burundian nor white. He does not see you the way people see you.

As a father protects his children, our God also protects us. Psalm 91:1 says that: “He that dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” When you believe in the simple fact that God protects you not based on what you do, but on the fact that He is your father- it brings the protection of God in your life. This causes you to live a life of rest. You stop fighting for yourself and looking out for yourself and instead you trust in God.

You may be one of those people who like to say: “If my daddy was around, this would not have happened to me”. Well, you need to stop saying that now, because your Daddy God is there. He is not limited and He is able to do all things. Get to know your Daddy God- He is a Daddy that protects you. 

Sermon preached by Nahimana Dieudonne on

Sunday, the 6th of July 2014