Goodwill service attracts God’s reward
A SermonDelivered on Wednesday Evening, August 6th 2025, byEvangelist PAUL ACQUAH,Live on MZ Radio London, London UK. Have you ever wondered what truly matters in the service we offer? Is it just about what we do, or is there something deeper God sees? In a world where actions are often measured by outward results and recognition, God calls us to something deeper. He looks beyond what we do – and focuses on the why behind our service. The Bible tells us in Colossians that when we work, we should do it “heartily, as for the Lord and not for men. ” You see, God looks past the surface and sees the motive behind each action. In today’s message titled “Goodwill service attracts God’s reward,” Evangelist Paul Acquah explores how serving God with a sincere heart – not out of duty, pride, or pressure, but with goodwill – opens the door to God’s divine favour and eternal reward. Get ready to be encouraged, challenged, and inspired to serve not just with your hands, but with your heart. Be blessed as you listen! There are rewards that come from serving God wholeheartedly. The Bible talks about God’s promise to reward those who serve Him with good will and makes us understand that serving with a right heart and attitude is crucial for receiving God’s blessings. The word of God teaches the importance of serving others and doing good deeds as unto the Lord. This means serving with a sincere desire to please God, not for personal gain or recognition. “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Colossians 3:23-24). This text of scripture is telling us that our work should be done with the same dedication and effort as if we were serving Christ directly. “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters”. God looks at the heart and motives behind our actions. While outward actions are important, God also considers the motives behind our actions. Serving with a genuine desire to please God, rather than for selfish reasons, is seen as a way to honour God and align with His will. We are to serve with good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: The Bible says don’t serve with eyeservice as men pleasers but as the servants of Christ doing the will of God from the heart with good will. You may say I’m working in a hostile environment; how can I serve with good will. I can assure you that God can get you beyond that, God can open doors for you. God can do things that no man would do. If you do good will and you do it as to the Lord and not unto man, God will promote you. God rewards and promotes those who serve with good will. Those who serve others as unto the Lord with good will from the heart will shine like the sun. “Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear” (Matthew 13:43). Serving with good will brings joy and fulfilment, as it aligns our actions with God’s purposes and reflects His character. The Lord said to serve with good will. That means we are to serve our employers without grumbling and complaining. “Employees, be obedient to them that are your employers according to the flesh with fear and trembling in singleness of your heart as onto Christ. Not with eyeservice as men pleasers but as the servants of Christ doing the will of God from the heart with good will. Doing service as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that whatsoever good thing any man does the same shall he receive of the Lord whether he be bond or free” (Ephesians 6:5- 8). Examine your heart attitude as you serve in any capacity. “Good will” implies a genuine, heartfelt attitude. Our service should be sincere, reflecting our love for God. It’s not enough to just do a good job; the attitude with which we do it is important. God has called us to serve with genuine kindness and sincerity, not merely out of obligation or fear. Someone might say, “I can’t have a good attitude when my manager isn’t a good person.” The bible didn’t say serving with good will as long as our bosses or managers are wonderful. It is implied that this is supposed to be our conduct even toward those managers who are less than perfect. How can that be? It’s because our attitude is not determined by others. This is a total shock to most people today, but it’s true. Others influence us and present us with opportunities, but how we feel and act is our choice. Feelings and emotions are choices; you don’t feel them naturally. You can choose them. Most people don’t realise these are choices. Believers have the capacity to serve with “good will” because it’s associated with the fruit of the Spirit, which includes kindness and goodness. “ But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23). We can choose to serve with good will because of the fruit of the spirit which is in us as born again Christians. This fruit is the product of the Holy Spirit, not our efforts . The “fruit” is not produced by the believer but by the Holy Spirit, as believers live in union with Him. The Spirit produces all nine of these things simultaneously and constantly. “But the Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, and self-control”. Our part is to yield and trust; God’s part is to produce the fruit. However,
A message of comfort for everyone
A message of comfort for everyone Jesus promised He would send the Holy Spirit as a comforter and advocate in His absence. “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever” (John 14:16). “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” (John 14:26). As promised, the full manifestation of the Holy Spirit’s power occurred at Pentecost after Jesus’s resurrection and ascension to heaven. The Holy Spirit is with us on this earth and He dwells with believers forever. He has the ability to comfort and the work of comforting will be well done since He is the mighty God, and He has made it His duty to do so. Are you in sad bereavement or facing great fall in circumstances? The comforter is here to strengthen you and lift you up and get you out of distress. Have you been overcome by the power of sin resulting in depression of spirit which distresses you? Here again the Comforter has undertaken to be your advocate, who will plead your cause. Are you a believer spreading the gospel of Christ? As an advocate, the Holy spirit provides you with the power to witness (Acts 1:8) and will abide with you forever (John 14:16). Do you need wisdom? Here again the Comforter has undertaken to be your counselor. He will give you wise counsel and guidance. He is telling you that If you lack wisdom, ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to you (James 1:5). A message of comfort for everyone We all need wisdom because we don’t know everything. Friend don’t lean on your own understanding (Pro. 3:5-6). Trust God wholeheartedly; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Seek His direction in everything you do. He’s the one who will keep you on track. Don’t assume that you know it all. Sure, we need wisdom, how can we guide our own way? How can we direct and instruct others? Let’s take the comforter and the counselor’s advice and ask accordingly. Let’s ask for Godly wisdom today and even forevermore because we may make mistakes and do stupid things even in both complicated and simple matters and unless we seek His wisdom, we will walk our way into problems. All we need to do is just ask. But ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind and will receive nothing from the Lord (James 1:6). Our part is just to ask in faith, and He will give us wisdom. He will guide us with His counsel so that every action we take will bring glory to His holy name. Are you battling in prayer? Here again the Comforter has undertaken to help you. He is your helper. He will assist you. He will intercede on your behalf. 26 “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Rom 8:26). Do you need spiritual understanding? The comforter will teach you all truth. He will inspire the scriptures, thus providing guidance and direction to you. Here again the Comforter has undertaken to be your teacher. He will teach you free of charge. He will not charge you tuition fees. Above all He’s not an angry tutor but an awesome tutor who will teach you all truth. He teaches all who lack wisdom and understanding without a fee. Are you broken hearted? Then listen to the Holy Spirit our comforter, who magnifies Jesus. You need His word of grace. Christ heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds. It is His character, His habit, His promise, His delight to heal the broken hearted. The work of Jesus on the cross, His sacrificial death nailed our sicknesses and diseases on the cross and there is provision for our healing. My Lord, heal the broken hearted, heal the sick for your name’s sake. Some are so broken hearted that only Jesus can mend their hearts and loose them from their affliction, but He can, and He will do it. He can move you to a new dimension, to health, to hope, to joy. He has often done so for multitudes of people under previous trials and tribulations, and He will do it for you because Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever and His steadfast love never ceases. You who are today broken hearted and in distress shall yet be moved to a new dimension and set on high, and those who now mock you and mistreat you shall be greatly ashamed. What an honour to experience his divine power and to restore more than what I have lost. Only almighty God can do this. Glory be to His name. Is it a day of trouble with you? Then the Lord almighty is saying: “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me” (Ps. 50:15). Expect to see the Lord glorified in your deliverance. Are you in fervent prayer? Do you cry day and night unto Him? Then the set time for your deliverance is near. God will answer you. He will deliver you to display of His glory. We wish for His glory more than we long for our own deliverance. Let the Lord be glorified. Therefore, The Lord says, “Call upon me in the day of trouble. I’m the one who delivers, rescues, and redeems. And I will do it.” Are you an unbeliever? The Holy Spirit is convicting you of sin and coming judgement. Receive Christ today and have a seat and a mansion in heaven. The greatest deliverance is from sin, death, and hell. Jesus
How do you stand in the record books of God?
books of God “11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books” (Rev. 20: 11-12). Life is not a practice round for another life sometime where you don’t keep score. It’s serious business, the score is being kept. The accountant in Heaven is working and looking at what you do with your life, so that everyone will give account of his life (Rom 14:12). God keeps the score. How do you stand on the score card of the Lord? All unbelievers who have ever lived will stand before a great white throne and they will be judged. Indeed, it’s a “great white throne”, representing God’s power, purity and authority. All unbelievers, great and small, all people through all ages who rejected God’s gift of salvation through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, will be made to stand before Him and receive judgement. Charges will be read to each and every unbeliever before sentencing. God knows every minute detail of what each of us has done and how we have lived. Nothing in our lives escapes God searching eye (Ps. 139:1-4). Never think that at the Great White Throne Judgment, you will be able to complain and give excuses to God. There will be no debate over your guilt or innocence. God sits on the throne as Holy judge in the person of Jesus Christ. You will stand before Him as guilty and condemned prisoner. Thankfully, we who believe in Jesus Christ and have received Him as our Lord and Saviour have our names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life and have absolutely no reason to fear. Our punishment has already been taken by Jesus on the cross. We are assured that we will enjoy heaven with Him forever. In order for your name to be recorded in the Book of life, you must reject the notion that your own righteousness will be sufficient. “16 knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified” ( Gal 2:16). Christians whose names are written in the Book of Life are never judged by their deeds and will not be present at the great white throne judgement. As part of the proceedings, a set of books will be opened in addition to the Book of Life. So what information is in this set of books? Revelation 20:12 tells us that another set of books records the good and bad deeds of every person. At the end of the age, everybody will be judged by the contents of either the Book of Life or the set of books recording their deeds. All of us have the option to reject the Book of Life and have our lives judged by the deeds recorded in the other books. Everyone is judged according to whether or not they’ve accepted Christ as their Saviour and their name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Those who have been redeemed are welcomed into heaven. Those who refuse to believe in Christ must bear the penalty of their sin and are cast into the lake of fire (John 3:18; Rom. 6:23). There is no board of appeals in heaven. Once we appear before Christ, our character and eternal destination are fixed. If anyone has only good deeds recorded there, with no sins whatsoever, that person will be worthy of heaven. However, God’s standard is complete moral perfection. If He finds just one sin recorded there, no matter how small, the sentence will be an eternity of suffering in the lake of fire. No one except Jesus Christ has ever lived without sinning (2 Cor. 5:21). The trouble is, nobody can keep God’s perfect moral standard. You haven’t loved the Lord with all your soul and all your mind, which is the first commandment and the greatest of all the commandments. We all haven’t, we’ve come short of God’s requirement. We’ve fallen short of what God says we have to do to go to heaven. It has to be provided for us and that’s what Christ did for us through His death and resurrection. He has given us His righteousness that we don’t deserve ( 2 Cor. 5:21). We deserved Hell but believers will go to Heaven because of what Christ did and what He offers (Eph. 2:8-9). We must not trust anything else, but many want to throw away the rule book, which is the Bible. The good news is that you have the opportunity today to choose which record will be used at the end of the age. However, when you die, it will be too late. In order to have your name permanently written in the Book of Life, you have to accept God’s gift of salvation simply by placing your faith in Christ alone for the forgiveness of your sins. There is a reward in heaven. I know I’m going to heaven because of what Christ did on the cross. God took my sins and laid on Him to die a terrible and shameful death. He loves you, He is willing to save you and change your life. Open your heart to Jesus in a new way for Him to transform you to a new creature (2 Cor. 5:17). “And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire” (Rev 20:15). All judgment has been committed to Jesus Christ (John 5:22) because He knows us
Here today Gone tomorrow And here’s why
“What is your life? It is even a vapour that appears for a little time and then vanishes away” (James 4:14). “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” (Heb. 9:27). These verses of scripture apply to every human being. The word of God declares that everyone who has breath today, will not live forever. The world is changing, no question about that. But one thing that isn’t changing and will never change is the word of God and His commitment to bring His word to pass. So here it is, in black and white, if you are living today, it doesn’t mean you can still have life tomorrow. Do Not Boast About Tomorrow. 13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; 14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” 16 But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil (James 4:13-16). You need to be aware of the inevitability of death so that you don’t live your life anyhow or as if you will live forever. What are you living for? Knowing the shortness of life gives you the opportunity and motivation to live a purposeful life – a life that fulfils God’s purpose on this earth and brings glory to His name. And if you have not received Christ as your Lord and personal saviour, now is the time to do so. It isn’t the desire of the Lord that you die in your sin. Don’t die in your sin because after death there is judgment (Heb. 9:27) For the believer in Christ, when death does happen, it will be for the better. Christ’s promise is by no means all He is doing. The message of Christ provides eternal life and abolishes death which seems like impossible venture, but with God all things are possible. “The appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Tim 1:10). According to the Bible, the believer in Christ cannot die because Jesus is alive. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26). A Christian is immortal until his work on earth is done. Even though he dies he will live again. If you have lost a loved one, and that person was a believer, then they are better off than they have ever been. That’s what the word of God says. That may not be what it looks like. That may not be how your unbelieving friends or even your believing friends are saying, but that’s true according to the Bible. For all believers in Christ, physical death just means absent from the body and their spirits find themselves present with the Lord. “We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord” (2 Cor. 5:8). There is a special seat in heaven for the believer. “They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God” (Luke 13:29). Jesus, God’s sinless son, was born as a human. He died on the cross in our place and rose from the dead. We can choose life with God or death separated from Him. We are assured of our seat in heaven when we make a decision to accept Jesus as our Lord and saviour. If a born-again person dies, then you have no reason to be devastated by their death because that person is alive and having a great time with the Lord in heaven. You can rejoice and praise God. Maybe you will miss them, but they are not missing you. They are complete for the first time in their whole life. And even if they didn’t know the Lord, you can be rest assured that God gave them every opportunity to accept Him. God is merciful than you ever thought. He doesn’t desire that sinners will die in their sin (Eze. 18:23). Even if they go to Hell it will provide you with the motivation to start telling other people so that they wouldn’t go to hell. All true Christians will be carried to heaven, a golden city housing many mansions built by Almighty God, the creator of heaven and earth. Jesus said: “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you, And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14: 2-3). If you are a believer, you are going to live forever in heaven. You have a mansion prepared for you. It took only 6 days for the Lord to create the heavens and the earth, He’s been working on our mansions for more than 2000 years. Imagine how the mansions are going to be like. We are not talking about death wish, because we have got a job to do on this earth. Just like the apostle Paul, I have a desire to depart but It’s needful for you that I stay here, and so for that reason we are going to stay here until our appointed time to depart. We have got a purpose; we have got somethings that God wants us to do here on earth. But we cannot resist death when it’s our time to go. You will live and not die until you have fulfilled your God given purpose. Let’s say with the apostle Paul: “For
Don’t worry, Seek first the kingdom of God
God knows your needs and He is sufficient in all circumstances to meet your needs. Believers can trust God to meet every need so find reason to relax. Why do some Christians worry and fret and get upset and lose their balance about somethings so simple? “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Mat 6:31-33). Kingdom of God God says, don’t worry about what you shall eat, or what you shall drink, or What you shall wear. Is God so careless that He will not care for you? “For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things”. God knows that you need money, He knows that you need a house, He knows that you need victory over evil habits, He knows you need holiness, He knows we must not live without them, but don’t make them your focus. Instead, “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you”. All of us have needs and we have always had needs. And God is committed to meeting our needs. Has Jesus Christ ever proven to fail you at any given point? God is the source of every good thing that comes your way. Every good and perfect gift comes from Him (James 1:17). He has given us access to all truth, and boldness to come to His throne of grace. If we have not received His good things, then we need to examine ourselves and not to think that God is unwilling to give us. All the things you are seeking will be given to you, but note well that we must seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. “Seek first, not second, not third. God cannot give us what we need if we don’t seek His kingdom first. Our God is more than adequate to meet our needs. Jesus Christ is our personal saviour, our shepherd, our Lord, our life, and our all. He is the omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent one. And therefore, the truth is, we can’t think of any problem, we can’t bring anything to Him that He is not more than able to deal with properly, sufficiently, completely, adequately and to provide exactly what we need. When we seek first the kingdom of God, our faith grows, and we can make our request known to Him. Without faith we cannot please God, and nothing can happen with your prayers. Prayer and faith go together. Prayer without faith can’t take you anywhere. He may not always give you everything that you ask for. But remember that He is the best judge for what is good and perfect for us. If we ask for anything which is good for us, He will assuredly grant our request. The Lord Himself has said that He will not withhold any good thing from His children (Ps. 84:11). He might not always have kept your schedule and your time sequence. But Has Jesus Christ ever failed you? Have you ever presented Him anything and His response was, you’ve got me on this one? Has He ever said to you, I don’t think I can handle that? Has He ever said to you, this is too much for me? Or has He ever said to you in prayer, this is one of the problems that I don’t have a solution to? 14 “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him” (1 John 5:14-15). Ask anything that is compatible with the teachings of Jesus. There are people who will ask things which are totally out of the will of God for their lives. You have to ask for things that fit the life of Jesus and also things that fit your life as a follower of Jesus. People ask for things which have nothing to do with what God has planned for their lives. Most often, people say I have been praying for a new car, I have been praying for a new house, and many more things, but are you asking for what you need? When we pray, God sifts. You can ask anything you like, but because God loves you, and knows what’s best, because He wants the best for you, He is going to choose the best. He may give you what you ask for, but He may not give you when you asked for it. It may not be the shape or the size of whatever it might be. God is going to answer our prayer according to the wisdom of God. According to the love of God, according to His care for us. He loves to answer our prayer because of who He is, He is God full of love and mercy and He delights to give us the desires of our hearts. Putting God first is the way to acquire divine wealth so large to include all the things that you are seeking. What a promise to request in prayer. It’s time to pray for the zeal of His house to consume us. PrayerMy first prayer is for others who as yet are seeking other things first. May the Holy Spirit draw them to seek God’s kingdom first. You may pray this prayer:God almighty, help me to realise that you deserve first place in my life and that all my help comes from you. Help me, father, to seek you first and to keep all my priorities in line with yours. By the power of the Holy Spirit, I stir up my Spirit that I may become energetic
The Value Of Believers In Christ
There is a passage of scripture describing the kind of persons we are, as believers in Christ. Mathew chapter 5, verses 13-16 describes believers as salt and light 13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. 14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Christ’s portrayal of the believer is a declaration of our worth and importance in this world. The above text of scripture makes this clearer. What’s your worth to your fellow human being? God uses believers to bring about change in society, change that will last for eternity. That means your actions and attitude are very important. Evaluate your behaviour and ensure you are of value to people around you. Your life is of great value as you can see from Mathew 5:13-16. Your life must make a real difference in someone else’s life. Your life has worth and value not only to God but also to someone else. “You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the earth”. Christ uses these two terms to describe the believer’s powerful potential for influencing the world for good and righteousness. To the people who heard Him over 2000 years ago use these two terms to describe believers, for that society, He paid them a tremendous complement because salt was of great value. But even today we put salt in food to change the taste of it. Salt changes the flavour and helps in the seasoning process. Jesus is saying that we must season and change the atmosphere in which we live. It’s a great complement to believers. Let me ask you this question: whose life are you seasoning? How are many people’s lives flavoured because they know you? Whose life has been changed because that person met you. Every single one of us is flavouring somebody either for good or evil. We are the salt of this world, and when you add salt you change something. Whose life is your life changing. He also said you are the light of the world. Christ is the light of this world who lives in us and therefore, shines through us. Light is to be seen because a city set on a hill cannot be hidden. It can be seen from a very far distance. The light is also used as a guide. We use flashlight as a guide for walking, camping, searching etc. You are the light of the world, so you are guiding somebody. Sure enough, somebody is following you. The question we must ask is, are we walking in such a way that whoever is following us is going to follow in a direction toward the goal that’s going to be healthy for them and helpful in their Christian experience? It is certain that somebody is following you, so don’t lead them in the wrong direction. We are lights that are dispelling darkness. We shine so that it’s safer to walk because somebody is following us. I wonder who is following your life, watching where you go, listening to what you are saying. I wonder whose life your life is guiding. Don’t think society is ignoring you and that you are not influencing anybody. “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marvelled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13). Don’t hide your light. Rather, set it where it can be seen by everybody in the house. Our presence in this world beautifies it. The countenance of Jesus Christ shines through us to beautify wherever we are. Illuminating from within us is the person of Jesus Christ. His life overflows abundantly out of our lives so that whoever sees us is seeing the person of Christ Jesus. “17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world” (1 John 4:17). Light beautifies but it also reveals or exposes (John 3:19). “See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant” (Jer.1:10). This says a lot about our Christian testimony. Light dispels and drives out darkness. Our very presence at where we live, work, and play ought to be pushing against, dispelling and driving out the darkness. The light of the gospel of Christ abiding in us exposes error. It reveals it for what it is. It shows the truth of it, and manifests what it is. That’s why the world doesn’t want us around because the presence of light in your life makes them extremely uncomfortable. Your presence reminds them of what they ought to be. Your unbelieving friends are more comfortable without you. That’s why God wants us to expose the darkness and to reveal the truth. You are the salt – seasoning, flavouring and preserving. You are the light – guiding people and then exposing and expelling darkness. Christ portrays us as salt and light and emphasises on our potential to change society. 15 “Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Mat. 5:15-16). Sometimes we shy away from our duty, but our light is to be seen. There is no place for private Christianity. The Christian is to be thrown into society
Life Begins In The Womb
Some countries have legalised abortion, and where abortion is banned, abortion support groups are saying it is a devastating and cruel law, so they are opposing the ban vigorously through the courts or any possible means. That reminds me of what the Bible says about where life begins, and that’s exactly one of the main points I want to get across about abortion—it’s about where the journey of life begins. God has a plan for humanity, and we need to protect that. The best place to start is in the mother’s womb where life’s journey begins. Our journey started in our mother’s womb; therefore, we should protect the lives of unborn babies. It’s so strange that protecting unborn babies is not what a lot of people are praying for or planning to do or desiring and not even a goal with most Christians. But that shouldn’t be the case. Let’s see what the word of God has to say about the unborn baby. Every journey has a beginning. Our journey started in our mother’s womb. God had already predetermined what our future should be, when we had not yet come out of our mother’s womb. Let me start with Psalm 139:13-16. “For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. 14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them”. This text of scripture is talking about the fact that God knew everything about us when we were still in our mother’s womb. He possessed us and made us in secret. We are His treasure, He possessed us before we came to know Him. All our members, every single part of our body, every detail, our hair colour, our eye colour, our characteristics, our personalities, our talents, our abilities were all established in our mother’s womb. Our most hidden and vital parts were all formed by Him in the hidden place while we were in our mother’s womb. This gives an answer to the popular question: “Is abortion permitted or not?” And the answer is, not permitted. I know that anti-abortion is not a popular thing in our society today. It’s important to recognise that God’s kingdom operates on different systems from what this world’s system operates on. It’s important leaders of the body of Christ say these things and to counter this culture. If the body of Christ doesn’t stand up and speak against abortion, then people by default would be influenced by the pro-abortion propaganda. Our society today operates in a lot of pride, a lot of selfishness, a lot of arrogance, promoting abortion and doing things completely contrary to what the word of God teaches. The Bible says, you were possessed by God in your mother’s womb, your days were written down, including all the things that He wanted you to do while you were still in your mother’s womb. Not only are you God’s handiwork, but God has a special plan for your life that even covers all the number of your days. We need to protect the future of unborn babies. Abortion for any Christian ought to be not an issue. This is so necessary for us today. Currently, the things of God are under the gun, especially in the western world and developed countries. There’s a tremendous surge of ungodliness. You are not going to hear godly things on the news. You are always going to hear about the bad side of everything. There are wonderful things happening today, God is doing awesome things, but you are not going to hear about it. People growing up in this culture are being bombarded with internet and movies and magazines and the other things. The news media and the politics have been taken over by the ungodly and today, there’s a spirit of anti-christ in most developed nations. There’s a rejection of Christianity and Christian values. They are trying to make Christianity be within the four walls of the church, and if you have any public expression of your faith, they come against you furiously. But the bible makes it clear that we are supposed to stand publicly and proclaim our faith in the Lord. Jesus said, 27 “What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. 28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Mat. 10:27-28 NIV). We are the light of the world, a city set on the hill cannot be hidden. Christ portrays us as salt and light and emphasises on our potential to change society. We need to stand up and protect unborn babies by speaking against abortion. “You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. 8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord (Jer. 1:7-8 NIV). We must be bold and declare the word of God. We must tell them that, once you decide to take the life of an innocent child from the womb of a mother, you have committed murder. I’m preaching the word of God. The word of God says an unborn child is a living human being inside the mother’s womb, and it’s wrong to commit abortion. God wants us all to share the gospel with unbelievers as well as believers about the healing power of God, about His plan, His forgiveness, authority, and love. Christians have an incredible opportunity to rescue mothers and babies from abortion. We can save lives through the word of God. God
Healing Through The Power Of The Holy Spirit
We need to find out everything God says about His healing power and put into practice. The church isn’t representing God accurately in this area. If some people will go to a normal church today and say they’ve got some sickness or disease, church members will say, ‘go to the doctor’. ‘Have you tried this treatment or that?’ But that’s not what the Bible teaches. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven’ (James 5:14 -15). Jesus expects us to heal the sick. “ And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover” (Mark 16: 17-18). In Mathew 17, when the man with a lunatic son went to the disciples for help and they couldn’t cast out the demons and Jesus came down from the mount of transfiguration, what happened? The man said ‘I brought my son to be delivered by the demon, they couldn’t cast him out but if you could do something have mercy on me’. How did Jesus respond? Jesus rebuked them, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me” (Mat. 17:17). He didn’t say this is beyond your capability or this is not your job. He said ‘you faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you?’ He was speaking directly to the disciples who were unable to meet the needs of the people. He said, ‘bring him to me’. They were unable to meet the people’s needs so He said ‘you faithless and preserved generation’. He was making a point that this is not what I want my representatives to do. They don’t have to go elsewhere to get healed. Most Christians will exhaust the medical field and only when the medical field can’t handle before they look to God. That’s not what the Lord wants us to do. Also, when it comes to emotional problems, they will say have you been to the doctor? Have you been to the psychiatric? Have you had this or that treatment? Maybe you are to take this drug. The first thing they do is to look elsewhere for help. Jesus said “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Jesus said this to them because the disciples had power and ability that they didn’t recognise. We as believers and as a church are the answer to the world’s problems. God has put His power in our hands to bring about changes and transformation in peoples’ lives. We are to help all sorts of people including those whose minds are troubled as well as those with medical problems. How many times have people come to you with their spiritual, material and emotional problems? Let them know that you share God’s kind of life because you have God’s power in you so you can help them. God is ever ready to work through you to provide solution to other peoples’ problems. Some years ago, a colleague’s husband was diagnosed with cancer, so she (the wife) sent me an email asking me to pray for him. I prayed for him via email. I didn’t go to the hospital, and he was miraculously healed. We have a miracle working God. How did God do it? I don’t know, but what I know is that our God is good, and the gospel is a miracle message. I have been to many meetings where all sorts of things have happened. I have seen God’s power at work in most of my open-air crusades and during preaching, teaching and healing services at various places. He is a miracle working God, but He works through kingdom citizens because we are His ambassadors on earth. We have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us (2 Cor. 4:7). The man was healed because God alerted the wife to contact me as His vessel to pray for the husband’s healing. Christ has inspired every believer by telling us to do greater works than He did during His time on this earth. “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father” (John 14:12). He said all authority has been given to us to do greater works in His name. We must take this power to our generation and do exploits. We have a wonderful heavenly father, and we need to tell the world about the love of God and His healing power. Many believers are failing to use the power available to us. Some have been asking so many questions about whether today’s believer has the power to replicate what Christ’s disciples did in the past. We’ve been empowered to do the miraculous, and that happened on the day we received Chris as our Lord and personal saviour. We must learn from this scripture (Mark 16: 17-18) that Christ wants us to move in the Holy Spirit’s power. “And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover” (Mark 16: 17-18). You have been assigned to your community to do them good for the benefit of the Kingdom. Heal the sick, cast out demons, raise the dead, and preach the gospel,
After Salvation, What’s Next For The Believer?
Most Christians believe that the main purpose of salvation is to avoid hell and go to heaven. They therefore, spend their time on earth waiting to be taken to heaven. But that’s not the truth of the gospel concerning salvation. If that’s the case, then those who receive Christ as their saviour would be translated straight to heaven, because heaven is a far better place than this earth. After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent”. (John 17:1-3). Salvation is God rescuing humanity from our sinful condition. It’s about how we live – a way of life and the early disciples followed the way. Salvation is about receiving eternal life; it’s about having a relationship with God. God’s main reason for sending Jesus was to give us eternal life and restore fellowship. It just so happens that the salvation package includes receipt of eternal life, restoration of our relationship with God, avoid hell and gain heaven. But while on this earth, there’s a kingdom way to walk. He invites you to follow Him and it’s not static but dynamic. You’ve been admitted into God’s wonderful kingdom, and you are told to take an active role in it. God is looking forward to working together with you in His kingdom. Jesus wants us to increase our knowledge of Him, and so, He has commissioned us to go and make disciples of all nations, teaching them to observe all that He has commanded us. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Mat, 28:18-20). People have misunderstood the central message of the great commission. They think all they need to do is just be born again and discipleship is for the mature Christian. But the Bible says: “Go and make disciples.” The emphasis here is that the Lord commanded us to make disciples, not just new converts. Somewhere along the way, the body of Christ has changed the emphasis of this message from making disciples to getting people born again, leaving discipleship as optional. What we ought to be preaching is that God calls us into discipleship, and it begins with making a commitment to the Lord. Discipleship is not optional. That is not what Jesus commanded. Our focus must not be just leading people to Christ, but to continue with the process of discipling them into mature Christians. Jesus said, “Go and make disciples.” That means teach people to be followers of Christ. We actually follow Jesus and focus on Him and that’s salvation. Jesus said: “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). God created us to follow Him. He said, “follow me and I will make you or turn you into something else”. You’ve been invited into a whole new way of life which is different from the way the world lives. Our focus must shift immediately to living for God. Therefore, when we present the gospel to people, and ask them to accept Jesus as their Lord and personal Saviour, we need to teach them that this is a total commitment of their lives to the Lord. It means becoming a disciple of Jesus. It means growing in the knowledge of God. Growing in the knowledge of God doesn’t happen immediately, it’s a process. It’s directly linked to submitting to God and His word. “And teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you”. If I’m growing in the Lord, then I want to know what He says about everything. I want to know what He says about my relationships with others, I want to know what He says about the church, I want to know what He says about finances, I want to know what He says about love, I want to know what He says about anger. I want to know what God says about everything I possibly can. When a person is growing in their spiritual life, they have the desire to know what’s the truth of God’s word. If that’s true of your life, you will spend far less time watching the television than being in the word of God. So, let’s become people who are eager to know God. Evangelist Paul AcquahPaul Acquah is the founder of Christ Is All Ministries (CIAM), an evangelical ministry meeting the spiritual, emotional, and physical needs of people. He is passionate about seeing people transformed by the Word of God and making heaven more crowded! Read More