This Gospel of the Kingdom ( Foundation of the Gospel 4)

[Speaker 1] [Music/Singing in Yoruba] [Speaker 2] Church and fellowships cannot be more spiritual than the individuals and families that constitute them. God greatly desires a godly home for him. These are words of restoration and instruction in righteousness from Family Tent Ministry. May you be blessed as you listen. [Speaker 1] [Praying in English and tongues, background noise of congregational prayer] That we are not dead physically why we are even still alive. We say thank you Lord, we say thank you Jesus. Glory and honor be unto your name. Glory and honor be unto your name. Glory and honor be unto your name. Glory and honor be unto your name. Let’s commit today’s program into God’s hand that he will take perfect control. That today it will be another dimension, that God Almighty will show himself in a different form today that we have another glimpse of his glory in the name of Jesus. That today, oh Lord Almighty, you will use your son powerfully for us oh Lord, that it will be an impartation time oh Lord in the name of Jesus. That you will reveal new things oh Lord, new things unto us oh Lord in the name of Jesus. [Singing in Yoruba] Wa wa wa emi mimo Wa wa wa lagbara Wa o, wa o, wa o Emi mimo Wa wa wa emi mimo Emi olore o Wa wa wa lagbara Alagbara wa o Wa o, wa o Emi mimo Wa wa wa emi mimo Emi olore o Wa wa wa lagbara Alagbara wa o Wa o, wa o Wa o Emi mimo [Speaker 1] Lord, this our cry this evening that indeed you would come. Come Holy Ghost, come. Come Holy Spirit, come. Come work in our midst. We that are here physically, our brethren joining us online. Lord, we say come and do again your work, your strange work. Perform in our midst your acts, your strange acts in the name of Jesus Christ. Lord, we pray this evening that by the working of your mighty power, there will be seed for the sower. There will be bread for the eaters in the name of Jesus. Thank you Eternal Father. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. Amen. Wow. We thank our God again for this evening as we gather unto him. We trust the Lord that it will be a time in his presence again as we try to consider the matter from where we left it last week. This matter of the Gospel of the Kingdom. And we are looking at the foundation of the Gospel. We succeeded in making us see that it is by this Gospel that God intend to abolish death. It is by this Gospel that God intend to take man out of a selfish life. It is by this Gospel that God intend to bring man to where God will be his God. It is by this Gospel that God intend to shepherd man. It is by this Gospel that God intend that man will be able to come to a point that he will no more live on his own understanding, but be able to trust God with all his heart. It is by this Gospel that God intend to destroy unrighteousness, unholiness, the sinfulness and the wickedness that is in man. All is meant to be destroyed by this Gospel. The Gospel is to abolish death. The Gospel is meant to change the character of man, to change man to become like God. That which is born of God should be God. Man is to become like God. Man is to act like God, talk like God, think like God. Man should be able to stamp the very image of God, the truth is that when God created man, he created him in his image. So the intention of God is that anywhere man is, anywhere man is truly man, then the presence of God must be present in that place. Man is to carry the image and the likeness of God everywhere he goes. Everywhere you find man, we are supposed to see the image of God and the likeness of God. Now, but when you look at man today, man is not like that because man is dead. So it is by this Gospel God intend to abolish death and bring life, life and immortality to light. And we have been looking intently into understanding the basis of this Gospel. And we succeeded in making us see that it appears as foolishness. Yet by that foolish thing God intend to save those who will believe. Again, we saw that another thing about the Gospel is that the Gospel, God intended that through the Gospel, in his wisdom, God in his wisdom intended that man will not find God by human wisdom. So that no matter how much man want to reason and think and critically evaluate, he will never find God. But God intend that if man will simply believe the Gospel, then he will find God. And we said the logic of the Gospel will be experienced when you believe the Gospel. You will now discover that the Gospel is not nonsense, the Gospel is logical. But when you are outside the Gospel, it looks like something that is completely a nonsense. Those were the things we were discussing last week. Those were the things we got into last week and we were able to come to a point where we drew the conclusion last week. So I want to try and pick it up from there today. Except if anybody have any comment they want to make. Any comment? Okay. So let us pick it. Let’s pick it from where we left it last week. Now, we are looking at 1 Corinthians chapter 1. We stopped at where we were looking at, "For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;" (1 Corinthians 1:22-23) That was where I stopped last week. For the Jews require a sign. And I took time to explain the matter of signs last week. Believers that need something, they need they cannot just rest on that which is written. They need sign. They need something else. For example, when we gather like this, some people don’t believe that God is here until somebody will come and say, "Hmm, hmm, hmm, my son, my son, my son, my son, I am here." Some don’t believe. They cannot just trust the scripture that wherever two or three are gathered, I am there. They seek sign. Then we said we should be careful not to be like Jews because people who are like Jews, the Gospel will not profit them. Then the Greeks seek wisdom. What is the wisdom? They seek to make the Gospel logical. People that find it difficult to rest on the Gospel because it does not sound logical to them. It does not just connect. It looks like does this thing connect? And so because it is not connecting, they cannot believe it. So the Bible says we preach Christ to the Jews a stumblingblock. It means for anybody who is seeking sign, the Gospel will be a stumblingblock. For anybody who is seeking wisdom, the Gospel will be foolishness. But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and Christ the wisdom of God. And I said something about that last week. We said the Gospel that looks foolish is both the power of God and also the wisdom of God. That is, when you act upon the Gospel, you are acting on God’s wisdom. That was where I closed the meeting last week because of time. When you act on the Gospel, where you rely on the Gospel, you are acting on divine wisdom. You may look stupid to your contemporaries. I can still think back. Hallelujah. I just remember when I gave my life to Christ and I went back to my contemporaries then, Kassim and Godwin. We were contemporaries growing up to become criminals. We were growing up to become we were getting hardened and hardened every day, beginning from small theft here and there to extortion, to small-small burglaries and of course eventually the two of them become full armed robbers. Eventually. And of course both of them were killed in operation. They died in the course of operation, in the course of robbing and they were caught and they were both burnt, they were burnt to death in different occasion, on different occasions. But I remember when I believed the Gospel and I went back to them, and you know what they said is that, "Oye, so you go dey carry Bible now abi? You go dey carry Bible? You go dey carry Bible everywhere you go? Hey! Your own don finish." That was what they said. But I wonder whose own has finished now. Are you understanding me what I mean by that? Many years after. What I am trying to say is this, when I was acting on the wisdom of God then, when I was acting on the Gospel, I appeared to them as foolish. But because I was acting on divine wisdom, I was acting on a wisdom that cannot be broken. That’s why I want to pick it up from you today. You see, I want to tell you something about godly wisdom, the foundation of this Gospel. Understand the nature of this wisdom. This Gospel that abolish death. We are saying that this Gospel, this thing we are preaching about Jesus, this thing we preach about Jesus—and don’t forget when we say we preach Christ, what are we preaching in Christ? What are we preaching? His suffering, his death, and his resurrection. That’s what we are preaching. His suffering, his death, his resurrection. That all of these things they were designed for the redemption of man. Now, this thing that we are preaching and everything that became available by that suffering, death, and his resurrection, we concluded last week that it is the power of God. That is, if you want to experience God’s power, if you want to experience the you say God is the Almighty. If you want to experience the Almightiness of God, you will experience it when you act on the Gospel. The Gospel connects you. God designed the Gospel to connect you with the Almightiness of God. Let me give you a simple example. I’ll first use biblical example then I will use contemporary example. The woman with the issue of blood. She has spent all she had with physicians and there was no solution. But she heard about Jesus. And then what did she do? She believed that Gospel she heard. And what did she do? She acted on that Gospel. And what happened? Instanter, something that she that has been used to describe her. Do you understand me what I mean by that? Do you know that we don’t know that woman’s name? But we name her as the woman with the issue of blood. If her name was Madeleine, her problem has swallowed her name. We don’t know her as Madeleine. We know her as the woman with the issue of blood. Now, a situation that was, you know, that have taken over the destiny of an individual. Without any running here and there, without moving from one prophet to another prophetess—the stupidity of today—without running from one person to another person, somebody just agreed with that Gospel and what happened? It connected her with the Almightiness of God. Why did I say that? Because it was her healing that we knew that Jesus said, "Your faith has..." Jesus didn't say, "I have healed you." No. Jesus didn't say that. And you will notice that pattern consistently with Jesus. Look at the Centurion whose servant was ill. And Jesus was coming to the house of that man. And the man said, "You don’t need to come. You don’t need to. Look, I understand this Gospel very well. I know who you are. I’m a man under authority. If I tell this one go, he go. This one come, he come. And I know that that kind of authority is in you. You don’t need to come, just speak the word." And what did Jesus say? Jesus say not in the whole Israel. The Bible says Jesus marveled at the faith of that person. And it was to him according to his word. The servant instantly connected with the Almightiness of God. I am trying to make you see something. If you don’t give your whole heart to the Gospel, you will not connect yourself with the Almightiness of God. Many times we are waiting for God to do some things, whereas God is asking us to express our faith. Are you understanding me at all? The Gospel, the Bible says the Gospel—please look at that word. That’s where I closed the meeting last week because of time. I am picking it from there today. The Gospel is not like the power of God. Are you understanding me at all? Maybe I should use some things that we can easily connect with. There was this story. It was not something that I was present in that assembly, but it was something that was reported by another minister. He said there is this minister, the founder of the church. Anytime he comes on stage and just raise his hand like this, people will fall under the anointing. This way, under the anointing. That way. And then healing, miraculous things will be happening. Now, there was one day the secretary to the minister was cleaning the office. And then there was this particular bottle she found. Somehow whether curiosity or whatever, or maybe because sometimes God want to reveal the secret of somebody—you get the point I’m making—somehow the secretary opened the bottle and anyway, part of what was in the bottle touched his hand. And then he just thought it was usual anointing oil anyway, closed it back, left the place. But you know what happened? When the secretary came back to his office and anybody comes, he just raise his hand like this, the person will fall down. Yes. So he was afraid. Came out of the office, entered the auditorium and did like this, church members fell down. At that instant, the pastor noticed what happened. He said, "Nicole, come here. Did you touch that bottle in the drawer? You touch that bottle? You touch that bottle?" I’m trying to explain something to you. Where is the power of his Gospel? It was in the bottle. So any bottle anyone who touches that bottle, if you happen to carry away that bottle, you carry away his power. Are you understanding me? Now, the Bible says, "But to those who are called, both of the Jews and the Greek, Christ..." That is this preaching, because the Gospel is about Christ. Do you understand me? This thing that we are preaching, Jesus died, he rose again, believe in him, the grace of God available in him, reality of the new creature, that thing that we are preaching, listen to me brethren, it is not like the power of God. It is—what? The power of God. When you lay hold on it, what are you laying hold on? The power of God. So you can now understand why the world cannot find God outside the Gospel. Because until you lay holds on the Gospel, you cannot see the reality of the power. And so what do you say about it? Whatsoever you cannot touch or feel does not exist. Is that not your science? What are you saying in your science? So it is not real. Now, not only is it the power of God. That is, see, what I’m saying is that, please look at something in Romans chapter 10. I’m trying to bring something home. I’m praying God that this thing it should actually come home to you and you get what I’m trying to say. I’m looking for how best to explain this matter. Romans chapter 10. The righteousness which is according to the law—I’m reading from verse 5: "For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them." But look at the other one, verse 6: "But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise..." (Romans 10:5-6) Please note it. On this wise. This, singular pronoun, demonstrative pronoun singular. But the righteousness of faith speaks in this wise. What are you not to say? Do not say where in your heart, "Who will ascend into heaven?" that is, to bring Christ down from heaven. Oh go and bring Jesus down from heaven. The other one, "Who will descend into the abyss?" that is, to bring Christ up from the dead. But what does it say? Verse 8, can we read verse 8 together? "The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach" (Romans 10:8) What is the word of faith? That’s Christ. Are you seeing it? It is near you. The power of God is not far away. The wisdom of God is not far away. How do we go to heaven to bring it? You see some believers instead of acting on the word of God, they start acting on some stuff. God, God, God, oh God just I wish God would show me what to do. God would show me what to do. There are certain things that the word of God is clear about. There are things that when you act on the word of God, you are acting on the power of God. You are acting on the wisdom of God. You don’t need to say who will go to heaven. You don’t need to try to bring it down. You don’t need to try to raise it up. It is near you. It is in your mouth. This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth, but meditate on it day and night, so that you may observe to do according to all that is written therein. It is near you. It is in your mouth. It is in your heart. The power of God, the wisdom of God is where? Is near you. That is the reality of it. It is near you. Many times because we don’t want to agree with—you see our challenge. Look at this incident. It happened to a particular individual. He said, "Sam, I’m so confused about life now. I don’t even know what to do. I need the Lord to give me direction." I said sister, you don’t want to agree with scriptures. What was the issue? It was challenge about a matter whether to continue in it or not to continue in it. And it is very clear. The scripture says, "A good name is rather to be desired than silver and gold." (Proverbs 22:1) And I said sister, there is no confusion in this matter. This way forward is near you. I said but what is giving you confusion is that you prefer silver and gold to a good name. That is why you are confused. There is no confusion in this matter. The wisdom of God is near you. You don’t need to go and pray. The word of God is clear about the matter of unrighteous mammon. It’s clear. Your name is at stake in this matter. So a good name is to be preferred. A good name is to be preferred to silver and gold. I said so there is no need parambulating about this matter. There is a wisdom that is near you. There is a wisdom that is in your mouth. It is in your heart. But your heart is not single. Your heart is not single. Your heart is doubled. Your heart is not focused on things that are heavenly. Your heart is focused on things that are earthly. I said that is why you are having this confusion. There is no confusion in this matter. What am I trying to make you understand? So many things that looks to us today as confusion, it is because we are not appreciating the foundation of the Gospel. The Bible says that, see, if you want the power of God to be in operation in your life, what do you do? Act on the Gospel. If you want to touch God’s wisdom, if you want to know what it means to operate the wisdom of God, what is the wisdom of God? The Gospel. How do I bring God’s wisdom into academics? Follow the Gospel. How do I bring God’s wisdom into my career? What do you do? Follow the Gospel. How do I bring God’s wisdom into—just mention it—into my health, into my marriage, just mention them. How do I bring the wisdom of God? All you need to do is to act on the Gospel. And look at how Jesus put it in another look at how it is put in another way. Look at Matthew chapter 7. Look at how the Lord put it in Matthew 7. Are you there? Matthew 7, that popular scripture from verse 24. The Gospel the power of God, the Gospel the wisdom of God. This is a very popular scripture. It was the Lord that was speaking. "Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine..." (Matthew 7:24) Is that not the sayings of mine? What did Jesus command the disciples? "Go into the world, teaching them to observe what I have taught you." So what he taught them was the Gospel. Am I correct? "The sayings of mine... whosoever hear the sayings of mine and does them, I will liken him unto a wise man." So what makes a man wise? Period. Period. God give me wisdom, God give me wisdom. All these prayer people pray, I just keep wondering. God give me wisdom from heaven. Where is the wisdom from heaven already? It doesn’t need to come down. Nobody is going up to bring him. It is where? It is near you. It is in your mouth. It is in your heart. The Gospel is the wisdom of God. The Gospel is what? Is the power of God. There is nothing that we are bringing. He said he who hears the sayings of mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain descended, the flood came, the wind blew, it beat against the house, it did not fall because it was founded on the rock. What did you call God? Eternal rock of ages. Eternal rock of ages, we worship you, we adore you. Or if it is the hymn, "Rock of Ages, cleft for me." How will the rock cleft? How will it open for you? How? By doing what he says. God is our rock. A rock that is not like any other rock. But look at how these things are connected. He said he who hear and then do it. Simple. You hear it, you do it. And that I tell people there’s difference between believing and having faith. You know they are the same thing. But they are two side of the same coin. One is the head, one is the tail. You can’t remove them from each other. I hope you know a coin. A coin will have the head like Nigerian coin—let me see if you can still remember. How many of you saw Nigerian coin? Which one is the head? What is on the side of the head? You are speaking because you are in that generation. Let this younger generation talk. If we have all these children, they will tell you that you have football on this side and maybe Messi on the other side. Am I correct? Or you have on this side WhatsApp, on the other side you have Facebook. Of course on this side of it you have the coat of arm, that is the both horses on this side and then the coat and then the—and the other side you have the naira kobo sign and then the cocoa representing the Nigerian economy of then. Maybe now they will change it to crude oil, I don’t know. But cocoa was the—so that cocoa thing behind it. Now, you know if you remove the tail, what you have will not be a coin. If you remove the head, what you have too will not be a coin. The two of them combined to be a coin. That’s the same thing between faith and believe. But the head is not the tail and the tail is not the head. So if you don’t believe, there can be no faith. Because faith is acting on that which is believed. So believe is passive. Believe is like air. Faith is like wind. You know there is air in this place. But we are not feeling the movement. When the air moves, we say wind is blowing. It is that same air that changed to wind. When it moves a little faster, you say a strong wind. When it moves very, very fast, you say a wild wind. When it becomes carrying houses and everything, you say hurricane. Just depending on the intensity of the movement. Now, what am I trying to say? Believing—you notice the word of Jesus—is not just that you believe, you act. He said he who do. So you are bringing faith into it. You are acting on what you believe, that is faith. So he says that what we are coming from, "the word of faith" is where? "Near you, in your mouth, in your heart." You are acting on that thing. And the Lord himself said, "He who acts on what I say is the person that is wise." And look at the corollary. Verse 26, "But everyone who hears these sayings of mine and does not do them, will be likened to a foolish man." So who is a foolish man as far as heaven is concerned? Who is a foolish man? So if you take that is why if you go back to where we started from. He said where does this leave the philosophers? Where does this leave the scholars? You understand it now. Where does this leave the scribe? The brilliant scholars of this world. You know what he’s trying to say. Let’s take a brilliant scholar, a first class graduate that does not act on the word of Jesus. What is he? He’s a fool. Foolishness and wisdom is about what? Acting or not acting on the word of God. That’s the summary. So anybody regardless of the capacity of the person, anytime you don’t act on the word of God, you are acting outside the power of God, you are acting outside the wisdom of God. Anytime your life contradicts scripture, you are acting outside God’s power, outside God’s wisdom. As a result, I tell people every time you act contrary to the Gospel, you are dying instrumentally. It’s an instrumental death because you are acting outside the Bible says, "Be strong where? In the Lord and where? In the power of his might." Outside the Lord, nobody is strong. Our strength is where? Is in the Lord. And how do we come in contact with that strength? It is by what? Acting on the Gospel. It’s as simple as that. I remember one time when a student was discussing with me. A student was discussing with me. He said, "Sir, my fiancé—do I say fiancé or boyfriend? I don’t know. But they are both in the fellowship. But I told her that this can’t be a fiancé, this must be a boyfriend. And I was asking her what circle do you share? She said they he’s planning to break the relationship and I’m confused. I don’t even know what to do. I need the Lord to give me direction." I said sister, you don’t want to agree with scriptures. What was the issue? It was challenge about a matter whether to continue in it or not to continue in it. And it is very clear. The scripture says, "A good name is rather to be desired than silver and gold." (Proverbs 22:1) And I said sister, there is no confusion in this matter. This way forward is near you. I said but what is giving you confusion is that you prefer silver and gold to a good name. That is why you are confused. There is no confusion in this matter. The wisdom of God is near you. You don’t need to go and pray. The word of God is clear about the matter of unrighteous mammon. It’s clear. Your name is at stake in this matter. So a good name is to be preferred. A good name is to be preferred to silver and gold. I said so there is no need parambulating about this matter. There is a wisdom that is near you. There is a wisdom that is in your mouth. It is in your heart. But your heart is not single. Your heart is not single. Your heart is doubled. Your heart is not focused on things that are heavenly. Your heart is focused on things that are earthly. I said that is why you are having this confusion. There is no confusion in this matter. What am I trying to make you understand? So many things that looks to us today as confusion, it is because we are not appreciating the foundation of the Gospel. The Bible says that, see, if you want the power of God to be in operation in your life, what do you do? Act on the Gospel. If you want to touch God’s wisdom, if you want to know what it means to operate the wisdom of God, what is the wisdom of God? The Gospel. How do I bring God’s wisdom into academics? Follow the Gospel. How do I bring God’s wisdom into my career? What do you do? Follow the Gospel. How do I bring God’s wisdom into—just mention it—into my health, into my marriage, just mention them. How do I bring the wisdom of God? All you need to do is to act on the Gospel. And look at how Jesus put it in another way. Look at Matthew chapter 7. Look at how the Lord put it in Matthew 7. Are you there? Matthew 7, that popular scripture from verse 24. The Gospel the power of God, the Gospel the wisdom of God. This is a very popular scripture. It was the Lord that was speaking. "Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine..." (Matthew 7:24) Is that not the sayings of mine? What did Jesus command the disciples? "Go into the world, teaching them to observe what I have taught you." So what he taught them was the Gospel. Am I correct? "The sayings of mine... whosoever hear the sayings of mine and does them, I will liken him unto a wise man." So what makes a man wise? Period. Period. God give me wisdom, God give me wisdom. All these prayer people pray, I just keep wondering. God give me wisdom from heaven. Where is the wisdom from heaven already? It doesn’t need to come down. Nobody is going up to bring him. It is where? It is near you. It is in your mouth. It is in your heart. The Gospel is the wisdom of God. The Gospel is what? Is the power of God. There is nothing that we are bringing. He said he who hears the sayings of mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain descended, the flood came, the wind blew, it beat against the house, it did not fall because it was founded on the rock. What did you call God? Eternal rock of ages. Eternal rock of ages, we worship you, we adore you. Or if it is the hymn, "Rock of Ages, cleft for me." How will the rock cleft? How will it open for you? How? By doing what he says. God is our rock. A rock that is not like any other rock. But look at how these things are connected. He said he who hear and then do it. Simple. You hear it, you do it. And that I tell people there’s difference between believing and having faith. You know they are the same thing. But they are two side of the same coin. One is the head, one is the tail. You can’t remove them from each other. I hope you know a coin. A coin will have the head like Nigerian coin. Let me see if you can still remember. How many of you saw Nigerian coin? Which one is the head? What is on the side of the head? [Audience response] You are speaking because you are in that generation. Let this younger generation talk. If we have all these children, they will tell you that you have football on this side and maybe Messi on the other side. Am I correct? Or you have on this side WhatsApp, on the other side you have Facebook. [Laughter] Of course on this side of it you have the coat of arm, that is the both horses on this side and then the coat and then the—and the other side you have the naira kobo sign and then the cocoa representing the Nigerian economy of then. Maybe now they will change it to crude oil, I don’t know. But cocoa was the—so that cocoa thing behind it. Now, you know if you remove the tail, what you have will not be a coin. If you remove the head, what you have too will not be a coin. The two of them combined to be a coin. That’s the same thing between faith and believe. But the head is not the tail and the tail is not the head. So if you don’t believe, there can be no faith. Because faith is acting on that which is believed. So believe is passive. Believe is like air. Faith is like wind. You know there is air in this place. But we are not feeling the movement. When the air moves, we say wind is blowing. It is that same air that changed to wind. When it moves a little faster, you say a strong wind. When it moves very, very fast, you say a wild wind. When it becomes carrying houses and everything, you say hurricane. Just depending on the intensity of the movement. Now, what am I trying to say? Believing—you notice the word of Jesus—is not just that you believe, you act. He said he who do. So you are bringing faith into it. You are acting on what you believe, that is faith. So he says that what we are coming from, "the word of faith" is where? "Near you, in your mouth, in your heart." You are acting on that thing. And the Lord himself said, "He who acts on what I say is the person that is wise." And look at the corollary. Verse 26, "But everyone who hears these sayings of mine and does not do them, will be likened to a foolish man." So who is a foolish man as far as heaven is concerned? Who is a foolish man? So if you take that is why if you go back to where we started from. He said where does this leave the philosophers? Where does this leave the scholars? You understand it now. Where does this leave the scribe? The brilliant scholars of this world. You know what he’s trying to say. Let’s take a brilliant scholar, a first class graduate that does not act on the word of Jesus. What is he? He’s a fool. Foolishness and wisdom is about what? Acting or not acting on the word of God. That’s the summary. So anybody regardless of the capacity of the person, anytime you don’t act on the word of God, you are acting outside the power of God, you are acting outside the wisdom of God. Anytime your life contradicts scripture, you are acting outside God’s power, outside God’s wisdom. As a result, I tell people every time you act contrary to the Gospel, you are dying instrumentally. It’s an instrumental death because you are acting outside the Bible says, "Be strong where? In the Lord and where? In the power of his might." Outside the Lord, nobody is strong. Our strength is where? Is in the Lord. And how do we come in contact with that strength? It is by what? Acting on the Gospel. It’s as simple as that. I remember one time when a student was discussing with me. A student was discussing with me. He said, "Sir, my fiancé—do I say fiancé or boyfriend? I don’t know. But they are both in the fellowship. But I told her that this can’t be a fiancé, this must be a boyfriend. And I was asking her what circle do you share? She said they he’s planning to break the relationship and I’m confused. I don’t even know what to do. I need the Lord to give me direction." I said sister, you don’t want to agree with scriptures. What was the issue? It was challenge about a matter whether to continue in it or not to continue in it. And it is very clear. The scripture says, "A good name is rather to be desired than silver and gold." (Proverbs 22:1) And I said sister, there is no confusion in this matter. This way forward is near you. I said but what is giving you confusion is that you prefer silver and gold to a good name. That is why you are confused. There is no confusion in this matter. The wisdom of God is near you. You don’t need to go and pray. The word of God is clear about the matter of unrighteous mammon. It’s clear. Your name is at stake in this matter. So a good name is to be preferred. A good name is to be preferred to silver and gold. I said so there is no need parambulating about this matter. There is a wisdom that is near you. There is a wisdom that is in your mouth. It is in your heart. But your heart is not single. Your heart is not single. Your heart is doubled. Your heart is not focused on things that are heavenly. Your heart is focused on things that are earthly. I said that is why you are having this confusion. There is no confusion in this matter. What am I trying to make you understand? So many things that looks to us today as confusion, it is because we are not appreciating the foundation of the Gospel. The Bible says that, see, if you want the power of God to be in operation in your life, what do you do? Act on the Gospel. If you want to touch God’s wisdom, if you want to know what it means to operate the wisdom of God, what is the wisdom of God? The Gospel. How do I bring God’s wisdom into academics? Follow the Gospel. How do I bring God’s wisdom into my career? What do you do? Follow the Gospel. How do I bring God’s wisdom into—just mention it—into my health, into my marriage, just mention them. How do I bring the wisdom of God? All you need to do is to act on the Gospel. And look at how Jesus put it in another way. Look at Matthew chapter 7. Look at how the Lord put it in Matthew 7. Are you there? Matthew 7, that popular scripture from verse 24. The Gospel the power of God, the Gospel the wisdom of God. This is a very popular scripture. It was the Lord that was speaking. "Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine..." (Matthew 7:24) Is that not the sayings of mine? What did Jesus command the disciples? "Go into the world, teaching them to observe what I have taught you." So what he taught them was the Gospel. Am I correct? "The sayings of mine... whosoever hear the sayings of mine and does them, I will liken him unto a wise man." So what makes a man wise? Period. Period. God give me wisdom, God give me wisdom. All these prayer people pray, I just keep wondering. God give me wisdom from heaven. Where is the wisdom from heaven already? It doesn’t need to come down. Nobody is going up to bring him. It is where? It is near you. It is in your mouth. It is in your heart. The Gospel is the wisdom of God. The Gospel is what? Is the power of God. There is nothing that we are bringing. He said he who hears the sayings of mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain descended, the flood came, the wind blew, it beat against the house, it did not fall because it was founded on the rock. What did you call God? Eternal rock of ages. Eternal rock of ages, we worship you, we adore you. Or if it is the hymn, "Rock of Ages, cleft for me." How will the rock cleft? How will it open for you? How? By doing what he says. God is our rock. A rock that is not like any other rock. But look at how these things are connected. He said he who hear and then do it. Simple. You hear it, you do it. And that I tell people there’s difference between believing and having faith. You know they are the same thing. But they are two side of the same coin. One is the head, one is the tail. You can’t remove them from each other. I hope you know a coin. A coin will have the head like Nigerian coin. Let me see if you can still remember. How many of you saw Nigerian coin? Which one is the head? What is on the side of the head? You are speaking because you are in that generation. Let this younger generation talk. If we have all these children, they will tell you that you have football on this side and maybe Messi on the other side. Am I correct? Or you have on this side WhatsApp, on the other side you have Facebook. Of course on this side of it you have the coat of arm, that is the both horses on this side and then the coat and then the—and the other side you have the naira kobo sign and then the cocoa representing the Nigerian economy of then. Maybe now they will change it to crude oil, I don’t know. But cocoa was the—so that cocoa thing behind it. Now, you know if you remove the tail, what you have will not be a coin. If you remove the head, what you have too will not be a coin. The two of them combined to be a coin. That’s the same thing between faith and believe. But the head is not the tail and the tail is not the head. So if you don’t believe, there can be no faith. Because faith is acting on that which is believed. So believe is passive. Believe is like air. Faith is like wind. You know there is air in this place. But we are not feeling the movement. When the air moves, we say wind is blowing. It is that same air that changed to wind. When it moves a little faster, you say a strong wind. When it moves very, very fast, you say a wild wind. When it becomes carrying houses and everything, you say hurricane. Just depending on the intensity of the movement. Now, what am I trying to say? Believing—you notice the word of Jesus—is not just that you believe, you act. He said he who do. So you are bringing faith into it. You are acting on what you believe, that is faith. So he says that what we are coming from, "the word of faith" is where? "Near you, in your mouth, in your heart." You are acting on that thing. And the Lord himself said, "He who acts on what I say is the person that is wise." And look at the corollary. Verse 26, "But everyone who hears these sayings of mine and does not do them, will be likened to a foolish man." So who is a foolish man as far as heaven is concerned? Who is a foolish man? So if you take that is why if you go back to where we started from. He said where does this leave the philosophers? Where does this leave the scholars? You understand it now. Where does this leave the scribe? The brilliant scholars of this world. You know what he’s trying to say. Let’s take a brilliant scholar, a first class graduate that does not act on the word of Jesus. What is he? He’s a fool. Foolishness and wisdom is about what? Acting or not acting on the word of God. That’s the summary. So anybody regardless of the capacity of the person, anytime you don’t act on the word of God, you are acting outside the power of God, you are acting outside the wisdom of God. Anytime your life contradicts scripture, you are acting outside God’s power, outside God’s wisdom. As a result, I tell people every time you act contrary to the Gospel, you are dying instrumentally. It’s an instrumental death because you are acting outside the Bible says, "Be strong where? In the Lord and where? In the power of his might." Outside the Lord, nobody is strong. Our strength is where? Is in the Lord. And how do we come in contact with that strength? It is by what? Acting on the Gospel. It’s as simple as that. I remember one time when a doctor friend was discussing with me. A brother, we both finished from University of Benin. And he was working in he was working somewhere in Delta state with a particular organization. And the appointment letter was one month notice. If he must disengage, he should give them one month notice. That he should not disengage without that notice. And he signed the agreement and he was working, he was doing well. After some time, a company established in Delta state, Warri to be precise. And he went for the interview of that company as a medical doctor. He was offered the appointment, the salary was about three times, if not more, than what he was earning right now. It’s like earning a hundred thousand, somebody is giving you 350,000 for the same one month. What do you call that? What do you call that? It’s a blessing, fantastic offer. You go waste time before you take that kind job? I no go waste time now. Quickly you want to take that kind of a job. And honestly the brother was, "Thank you Jesus!" Brother Polycarp was rejoicing. It’s Polycarp. He was honestly really glad, he was happy. So to take up the job, they now set up a condition. They said he must resume immediately. And he now said they should please just give me just four weeks. That where he is right now, he has the contract nature of the contract that he should give them one month notice before he leaves the job and he has agreed to that. That he won't leave them abruptly. He won't leave them suddenly, that they should please just give him just, you know, he’ll be doing some kind of showing up there. You get the point I’m making? While you are working here, maybe when you close here, you still show up at least skeletally until you now resume fully. They refused. They refused total that it’s either now or never. The brother went, considered it back and front, it was confusion for Brother Polycarp. It was confusion. Should I, should I not, should I, should I not, should I, should I not. But you know as he was pondering on the thing, you know the scripture that came to him? Psalm 15. Not what’s in Psalm 15? Towards the last verse. Who know what is there? Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? Yes. He who swore to his own. Please, young men look at that scripture. I’m talking about building to last. The Gospel help you to build to last. If you want to last, build on the Gospel. You will last. Look at it. He said in the verse in the in the verse 4, "In whose eyes a vile person is despised; but he honoureth them that fear the Lord. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not." (Psalm 15:4) Can we see another translation for that? Another translation? "Who keeps his oath no matter the cost." "He keeps his oath even when it hurts." Do you know as the brother was confusing, presenting the presentation presenting the matter before the Lord, that was what came. "Who who will ascend the hill of the Lord? Who will dwell in the place?" He now began to talk about the kind of people. And the brother remember that scripture, that if I’m to be a man that will ascend God’s hill, and a man that will dwell in his holy place, if I make a promise, I must keep it even when it hurts. So he went to those people and he said he’s sorry, can’t take the job. If he must resume now, then he can’t take the job. He said because where he’s coming from, he has made a promise that he will give them one month notice. You know how the brother was described? "Foolish boy." That’s what he was described. "Foolish boy. Is it your father’s company? Is it your father’s company? For this Naija? Even the people you promise to, they may not keep their they may just show you away anyhow. The people you promise, they can throw you out anyhow. You are believing Nigerians." Anyway, that is the word of God. The man who must ascend the hill of the Lord, who must dwell there, is a man who keep to his promise, even when it hurts. And Jesus said, "Let your 'ye' be 'ye'." You don’t even even need a written undertaking. If you say yes to something, if they ask you 20 year, it’s yes I said yes. That is integrity. To say what you mean and to do what you mean what you say. So he didn’t take off the job. It looks like the brother was not wise. But I’m talking about the Gospel is the wisdom of God and it’s the power of God. I’m talking about that if you want to build to last, if you want to last, you don’t want to just build anyhow. Wishy-washy. You want to build a sustainable development. What is sustainable? Sustainable income. Sustainable academics. Sustainable career. Sustainable marriage. Just mention them. If you want to build what is sustainable. Sustainability of our life. Do you know that the brother said no that he’s not taking up that job? But do you also know that that thing happened early the year? I think between whether the first or the second quarter, I can’t remember too well. But do you know that by the last quarter, or before the last quarter of that same year, that establishment that gave him that offer folded up? You say the brother knows the future? See, let me tell you one thing. Life is full of uncertainties. But the certainty of our life is the Gospel. Life is full of uncertainties. We don’t know when you will die. Who can tell me when you will die here? We don’t know. You don’t know how your how life will hold. You are trusting God for opportunities, you don't know how they will come. You are believing God for breakthrough, you don't know how they will come. Life is full with uncertainties. So many things are uncertain. So I tell people, why should I then act outside the wisdom of a God who know the end from the beginning? Am I not stupid? Life is full of uncertainties. Please understand me. Life is full of uncertainties. My wife and myself were discussing with a professor recently. That was some I think four weeks ago, I can't remember too well. We were discussing, she wanted us to, you know, just to interact. She said she wants to know that in our that in our own time when we were younger, what was more emphasized about making choice in marriage is divine direction. But it seems to her that what is more emphasized, it seems to her that what is more emphasized today is relationship and all of that, that she wants she just wanted us to interact about it. I now said, anyway, Ma, I’m privileged to minister here and there and this is what we tell young people. That there’s nothing wrong because the truth is this, as you pursue purpose, everything God will need to settle your life, you will find them along purpose. That is the truth. That is the truth. As you pursue purpose. It is purpose that you are pursuing. But all your allotments in life, they will be placed around purpose. Who you will marry, you will find him as you—you find her or him as you are pursuing purpose. The job, the circle you are supposed to be, you will be in that circle as you are pursuing purpose. Are you understanding me? Everything about your life is within purpose. And I said, but the truth that we have found is that nothing can compromise, nothing can take the place of God in I now said not only in the matter of marriage. Because the Bible did not say trust in the Lord with all your heart, except in the matter—the Bible will not say in some of your ways acknowledge him. The Bible says what? "In all your ways." So I said marriage is just one of those many things. I said let's de-emphasize the word marriage. I said in everything we are supposed to we are supposed to have divine leading. Man don't man cannot take charge of his life. I said so Ma, anywhere I go I still insist with young people that a lot of things may look flashy to them today, but the truth remains that nothing can compromise the place of God in decision making. She now said wow. That that’s true, that’s really, really true. There’s no joy in—she said she just want to thank me that that’s because she has been hearing a lot of things these days from young people and that that reminds her again that that she just remind her. She now told us the case of her friend when they were both on campus. The person I’m speaking with now is now a professor. But when they were on campus as students. She say her friend, somebody made a proposal to her. And she said everything about the young man was just correct. A brother, this, everything was correct. But the more the sister prays, the more she’s restrained from giving a yes. It's like the sister wants the thing, everything is— [Speaking in Yoruba] It was just exact. But she was constantly restrained. So she was trying to resolve the restraint. God is restraining me. She said do you know what? I think it was she said was it three weeks or a month later that she said I can’t remember? But either a month or two or some weeks later, that brother died. Then the whole thing would have been if she had started and they’ve introduced themselves and then the young man die. You know Africans. You know Africans now, when I say you know Africans, you know us. Hmm. Ah! And then when another brother want to now propose, [In Yoruba: "Hey! Look at her! Did you see that? Do you see the one that has brought trouble? You see African parents, you know African parents. Hey, hey! Listen to the voice of your parents! We know what we are talking about. There is something mysterious about that sister. Hmm! There may be nothing, it may just be coincidence. Do you agree with me? Do you agree with me? Of course. Some things may look very real, but they may not be true. Do you agree with me? They look very real, but they may not be true. There may not be any connection between the sister's consent, the relationship and the brother's death."] Just like we can see, she never gave any consent and the brother still died. What am I trying to say? I’m talking about see, I want us to leave this place with this understanding that the Gospel, it is not like looking for God’s power. No. It is not like looking for God’s wisdom. Uh-uh. If you want to use God’s wisdom to do something, use the Gospel, you are using God’s wisdom. That’s what I’m saying. The Gospel is the wisdom of God. If you want to bring the wisdom of God into your life, it is by the Gospel. If you want to bring it into anything in your life, it is by the Gospel. We have brought this wisdom, this power of God, this wisdom of God, it I don’t know what we didn’t bring it into. And the more they try to look at us as foolish, the more our life the more our life kept consolidating. It kept consolidating. It kept consolidating. We don’t know where we were going, but we are sure that the wisdom of God cannot fail. We don’t know exactly how it will go, but we were so sure in our heart, we were so sure in our heart that the wisdom of God cannot what? Cannot fail. And so when our life looks so uncertain, as some people thought, they didn’t know that we were building what? What is more certain than the uncertainties of life. What did I say? The Gospel is more certain. Yes. It’s far certain. Life is full of uncertainties. But by the Gospel, you can build with a power and with a wisdom that cannot fail. And that is the reality of it. That’s why the Bible say the Gospel is the wisdom of God, the Gospel is the power of God. And as we close today, thank you. As we close today, look at something in that 1 Corinthians. Please help me bring that paper. Look at something in that 1 Corinthians after the Gospel is the wisdom of God and is the power of God. Look at what the Bible says, verse 25. Can we read together? "Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men." (1 Corinthians 1:25) Hallelujah. That is, even if God is stupid, are you following me? It’s better to follow that stupidity than to follow the wisest wisdom men can offer you. Is it not stupid if they slap you on the right to turn the left? Is it not stupid? Does it not sound stupid? It sounds like that. But the foolishness of God is wiser than what? Than men. And the weakness of God is stronger than men. And that’s where we want to close this evening. That you need to get it clear that those things of God that look weak, that looks like they cannot work, that looks like eh-eh-eh-eh-eh, this way you are taking, you will not make it. As somebody was saying the other day, "If you don’t practice a little-a little-a little bit of deceit, you can’t make it in Nigeria." It’s a so-called believer that was saying that, oh. "Brother Oye, hey, hey, hey. You know the way Nigeria is, so. Without small-small lie, we can’t make it oh. God knows oh." [Laughter] As long as it is not as if you are really deceiving people. So I’m trying to relate to, please, how do you lie without deceiving people? Pastor Godwin, how do we lie without deceiving people? Sister Comfort? He said, "As long as you are not deceiving people." How do we lie without deceiving people? Okay, let’s ask the younger generation. Victor, how do we lie without deceiving people? [Laughter] He said, "Brother Oye, as long as you're not deceiving people, they just you can’t make it in Naija, you can’t make headway." The wisdom of God may look weak. It may look stupid. It may look like it will take you nowhere. But as we conclude this evening, I am telling you that the wisdom of God, that the foolishness of God—the foolishness of God is wiser than what? Than men. And the weakness of God is stronger than men. Let us pray. The Gospel is. Please understand. You don’t need to run from pillar to post. Do you want to bring do you want to bring the Almightiness of God into your life? It’s not by running from pillar to post, it’s by practicing the Gospel. He said, "He who hear these sayings of mine and put them into practice." You want to bring the Almightiness of God into your situation? Practice the Gospel. You want to bring Almighty Almighty formula, the omnibus formula for all situation? It is the wisdom of God. The Gospel is the wisdom. When you touch it, he who touches it touches God's power, touches God's—you need to understand let it sink into you that look, this is the power of God. Men, you don’t understand, you want to see the raw power of God, put the Gospel into practice. That woman said, "If I can just touch the hem of his garment." That sound very foolish and stupid. How can the hem of his garment do the miracle? But she came out in faith. And her faith made her whole. I wish you will come out today in faith to rest on that which the Gospel says. I wish you will stand on what the Gospel says. I wish you will believe the Gospel. I wish you will be resolute to the Gospel. It is the wisdom of God. It is the power of God. For the wisdom of God, the foolishness of God is wiser than men. And the weakness of God is stronger than men. In the Gospel you build to last. In the Gospel you conquer the uncertainties of life. Life is full of uncertainties, but you can face life with certainties when you build on the Gospel. You can face life with certainties. You can rest. You can rest on that which God has spoken. You can rest on that which God has said. You don’t need you don’t need a fortune teller. You don’t need a fortune teller. The word of God have declared your fortune. That’s what I tell people. Your fortunes have been declared by God. Your inheritance has been declared in the scriptures, that inheritance for the saints that are in light. Your fortunes has been declared. Thank you Father. Blessed be your holy name, our God. Thank you Holy Spirit. Please, Godwin come and close the meeting. Thank you Father. Blessed be your name, our God. Our Father and our God, we want to thank you for your word this evening. It’s a word in season. We appreciate you for sending this word to us. Father, we ask one thing we are asking for is that grace to connect our heart to this Gospel so that we can experience the Almightiness of you in the name of Jesus Christ. Grace to go in search of this Gospel, grace to connect our heart and grace to do your saying at all time, in all situation in the name of Jesus Christ. Lord, we pray that as we go, you will help us and by the time we return next week, we will come with testimony of what your Gospel have done in our lives in the name of Jesus Christ. Lord, we pray for your son that you will make this Gospel in his mouth a testimony in the name of Jesus Christ. That the word of God in him will continue to increase in the name of Jesus Christ. You will cause your oil upon him to be fresh, ever fresh in the name of Jesus Christ. For all our brethren online, Lord you will cause the same testimony to be their portion in the name of Jesus Christ. Thank you precious Daddy. We give you glory and praise. In Jesus' mighty name we pray. Amen. Let’s together share the grace. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us now and forever more. Amen. [Speaker 2] This message is coming to you from Family Tent Ministry, a Christian ministry involved in enriching the lives of singles and married through preaching and teaching of God's word, discipleship, family life enrichment, social and community development and mission heat. Our regular activities are: Discipleship class every Monday 5:00 PM; Adolescents and Singles' club, every first Saturday of every month at 10:00 AM; Marriage forum second Saturday of every month at 10:00 AM; family life seminars, regular school out-reaches and every day counseling. For further counsel, you can reach us at our location: Life Camp by the first bridge, Ilere community, opposite Dorejoy filling station along Ije road, Akure, Ondo state Nigeria. You can also reach us through our social media handles: familytent@yahoo.co.uk, familytentministry01@gmail.com, www.familytentministry.org. Our phone numbers are 08033861136, 07033613848. God bless you all.