THE BELIEVER'S KPI

"....None of you are to appear before Me empty-handed"- Exodus 34:20 (AMP)

A story was told of a young man who was about to die after he had been a Christian for only one month. Although, he was grateful to God for the salvation of his soul towards the end of his days on earth, but he was not happy that he never had enough opportunity to share the gospel with others. Before he eventually passed on, he said: “I am not afraid to die; Jesus saved me now, but must I go empty-handed?”

The young man's statement above clearly summarizes the Believer's Key Performance Indicator (KPI). The desire to achieve this KPI must be a top priority for every genuine believer as we gradually approach our departure time on earth. ''I must not go empty-handed'' should be our slogan till we cross the narrow bridge. We must be intentional and passionate about soul-winning at all times.

Unfortunately, unlike that young man, many of us have been saved for years without a handful of converts in the kingdom to our credit. Our heads, pockets, wardrobes, and shoe racks are full but our hands are empty. People are hailing us but God is grieved that we are approaching eternity empty-handed. We have many ministerial, academic, and professional certifications but as far as God is concerned we are a bunch of fruitless Christians occupying space in the kingdom. People even address us with big titles like Choir Leader, Chief Usher, Deacon, Deaconess, Senior Pastor, Apostle, Evangelist, Arch Bishop, etc. but if we should appear before our master today, He would call us "unproductive and useless believers". 

“You didn’t choose me, remember; I chose you, and put you in the world to bear fruit,....". John 15:16 (MSG)

Beloved, please be sincere with yourself. Have you been meeting heaven's expectations or not? Are you heading to Heaven empty-handed or are your hands full? What have you got to show the Lord for all the years He has saved you? What have you done with all the days you have spent on earth? When your sojourn on earth is eventually over, will you show God your many worldly perishable fruits or achievements like ordination certificates, academic qualifications, expensive rings, wristwatches, lovely wears, shoes, posh automobiles, and fat bank accounts? Or will you appear before the Lord with things of eternal worth which is countless souls of men that the Holy Spirit has won into His kingdom through you? The choice is yours and I hope you will choose wisely so you will not end your journey with regret.

This wonderful hymn below re-echoes the need to rekindle the fire and passion for soul-winning in the body of Christ in our generation: 

MUST I GO EMPTY-HANDED? C. C Luther, 1877 

“Must I go, and empty-handed,”

Thus my dear Redeemer meet?

Not one day of service give Him,

Lay no trophy at His feet?

Chorus:

        “Must I go, and empty-handed?”

         Must I meet my Savior so?

         Not one soul with which to greet Him,

         Must I empty-handed go?

Not at death I shrink or falter,

For my Savior saves me now;

But to meet Him empty-handed,

Thought of that now clouds my brow.

O the years in sinning wasted,

Could I but recall them now,

I would give them to my Savior,

To His will I'd gladly bow.

O ye saints, arouse, be earnest,

Up and work while yet 'tis day;

Ere the night of death o'er take thee,

Strive for souls while still you may.

May God unleash upon us an unquenchable passion for souls and a deep burden to share the gospel, so that rather than living a life of vanity, we shall redeem our time now and bear fruit unto eternal life (John 4:36). 

Good day and God bless you.

Maranatha!

Bro. Okanlawon Taiwo

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THE RADAR OF HEAVEN

''Nothing in all the world can be hidden from God. He can clearly see all things and everything is open before him. And to him we must explain the way we have lived'' - Hebrews 4:13 (ERV)

A group of friends gathered, one morning, to help their friend paint his large two-story building. At the end of the day, when they thought they were done with the painting, they realized that a small part of the building was untouched. One of them said, " I guess we don't need to paint that part as no one can see it." Another hurriedly went for a ladder and said, " That's not true. God can see it. "

Many atrocities are committed behind closed doors all around the world, with the notion that it will be invisible to the radar of Heaven. That man can cleverly conceal his misdeeds so that no one else will know about it. Unfortunately, this notion is untrue. Every atrocity perpetuated by man, secretly, will be exposed one day.

For example, in Genesis 3:1-13, when Adam and Eve were eating the forbidden fruit they thought it would forever remain their secret dessert or appetizer in the Garden of Eden. King David plotted the assassination of Uriah - the husband of the woman he impregnated with the notion that no one on earth and in Heaven will ever discover his wicked act (2 Samuel 11:14-17). Judas Iscariot sold his master for 30 pieces of silver (worth $336 today) with the notion that nobody would know about that terrible deal of betrayal (Matthew 26:15-16).

All these cleverly concealed atrocities eventually showed up in the open space somehow. The radar of heaven was too sharp and accurate to miss out on capturing all these atrocities committed behind closed doors on earth. The Holy Spirit was too smart to forget to document the accounts of all atrocities and their immediate consequences in the Holy Bible. 

Friends, you do not need a prophet to tell you again that nothing can be hidden from God. The omnipresent God can see, clearly, everything done behind closed doors even if it is done in the darkest region of the earth. The radar of heaven can pick up what man's radar cannot pick. In fact, God does not need a ladder or a torchlight to see all the atrocities perpetuated by man, be it in the darkest or highest place on earth. Therefore, only a fool will believe that his/her secret misdeeds will forever remain a secret. No way! Those secret sins or misdeeds will eventually, sooner or later, become the town's breaking news.

Finally, please note that secret misdeeds have serious consequences. The seed of secret sin will eventually grow and produce bitter fruits that you will have to harvest (James 1:15). You can not override the law of harvest (Galatians 6:7). Fortunately, you do not have to wait till harvest time to confess, repent, and amend your ways with God. Please do so today as tomorrow might be too late.

The poem below describes some of the consequences of hiding our sins from God: 

HIDDEN SIN By John Boyle O'Reilly, May 21, 2012.

A buried sin is like a covered sore

That spreads and festers 'neath a painted face;

And no man's art can heal it evermore,

But only His—the Surgeon's—promised grace.

Who hides a sin is like the hunter who

Once warmed a frozen adder with his breath,

And when he placed it near his heart it flew

With poisoned fangs and stung that heart to death.

A sin admitted is nigh half atoned;

And while the fault is red and freshly done,

If we but drop our eyes and think,—'tis owned,—

'Tis half forgiven, half the crown is won.

But if we heedless let it reek and rot,

Then pile a mountain on its grave, and turn,

With smiles to all the world,—that tainted spot

Beneath the mound will never cease to burn.

May the Great Surgeon of Heaven pierce our hearts open today to remove every hidden sin before the trumpet sounds in Jesus Name, Amen.

Good day and God bless you.

Maranatha!

Bro. Okanlawon Taiwo

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THE VALID TICKET

"Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" John 3:3 

Basically, there are two types of passengers at the airport: those with valid tickets and those on standby (without tickets). The posture and confidence level of these two types of passengers are not the same. While those with tickets are very calm, those on standby are worried as they stand the chance of missing their flight. 

Everyone on earth are passengers waiting for the last flight to eternity. When the plane arrives, only the passengers with valid tickets will board while others will be turned back at the boarding gate. The boarding process will be very systematic and thorough. It will be practically impossible for anyone without a valid ticket to board. Then, the question is, how can one obtain a valid ticket before the last flight arrives?

In John 3:1-16, Jesus Christ told a prominent Jewish religious leader- Nicodemus that the only way to secure a seat in the plane to eternity is to be born again. Salvation is the ticket to the City of Gold above. There is no other name that can secure a place for man in heaven other than the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12). 

"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is no other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" - Acts  4:12

Beloved, the earth is a transit station (Hebrews 11:13-16). The time for our final departure is gradually approaching. The check-in counter and boarding gate will soon be closed. But what will be your fate on that day? Do you have a valid ticket or are you still on standby? Is your name on the kingdom manifest of Heaven (i.e. the Book of Life)? Do you think being religious like Nicodemus can earn you a valid ticket to heaven? It is too risky to miss the last flight out of this world. Therefore, please secure a seat on the plane to eternity with God today by repenting and surrendering your life to the pilot of our soul. I can assure you that you will never regret you did. 

The hymn below summaries the conversation that Jesus had with the religious leader in John 3 about the valid ticket:

A RULER ONCE CAME TO JESUS  By W. T. Sleeper (1819-1904)

1. A ruler once came to Jesus by night,

To ask Him the way of salvation and light;

The Master made answer in words true and plain,

Refrain:

     “Ye must be born again!”

   “Ye must be born again!”

     “Ye must be born again!”

      “I verily, verily say unto thee,

       Ye must be born again!”

2. Ye children of men, attend to the word

So solemnly uttered by Jesus, the Lord,

And let not this message to you be in vain,

    “Ye must be born again.”

3. Oh, ye who would enter that glorious rest,

And sing with the ransomed the song of the blest;

The life everlasting if ye would obtain,

    “Ye must be born again.”

As the second coming of Christ approaches or draws nearer, may we not tear or throw away our valid tickets before our departure time in Jesus name, Amen. 

Good day and God bless you. 

Maranatha!

Bro. Okanlawon Taiwo

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THE RAIN OF BREAD

"The Lord told Moses, “Just watch! I'm going to rain down bread from heaven for you!... -" Exodus 16:4 (FBV)

In August 2020, residents of Olten, Switzerland, were startled to find that it was snowing chocolate! A malfunction in the ventilation system of the local chocolate factory had caused chocolate particles to be diffused into the air. As a result, a dusting of edible chocolate flakes covered cars and streets and made the whole town smell like a candy store.

God is still in the business of surpassing man's expectations (Ephesians 3:20). He can order the delivery of a timely intervention package to those who are at their wits' end. That was precisely what God did to the children of Israel in the wilderness. The Israelites slept one night very hungry but woke up to see the rain of bread on their houses. And the rain fell in the wilderness for forty years (Exodus 16:36). Like the residents of Olten, the Israelites would have been surprised and elated. This is simply unbelievable!

Beloved, God can surpass our expectations. He can do anything just to meet the needs of his people. The rain of bread is not a fluke (Exodus 16:4). God has the ability to turn the sky into a bread factory and chocolate dispenser for a season. He can make any sophisticated equipment to malfunction for a while just to settle some people's needs in their wilderness. God can tamper with the brain box of anyone on earth just to settle the needs of his children. That was precisely what God did to the Syrian troop that made them abandon all their belongings to the Israelites (2 Kings 7:3-16). Our God is simply amazing! He can even engage the most stingy bird on earth to dispatch food to His people in times of famine (1 Kings 17:2-16). Yes, what God cannot do, does not exist indeed!

This month, God will touch the brain box of someone on your behalf. He will cause something to malfunction in them so that the atmosphere around your home, business, and career shall be filled with the sweet aroma that your destiny requires in Jesus name. However, please note that you must first repent of your sins and accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour before this rain can fall upon you. Please do that today. 

"The Heavenly Manna Falling" is the title of a wonderful hymn that re-echoes God's ability to rain down bread and chocolate of pleasant surprises upon us:

THE HEAVENLY MANNA FALLING 

1. When out from Egypt's bondage

The chosen children fled,

And journeyed through the desert,

They fell in need of bread;

Their cries to heaven ascending.

From famine-stricken earth,

God showered down the manna,

Supplying all their dearth,

REFRAIN: 

    The heavenly manna's falling

    Along the pilgrim's way,

    And angel food's our portion,

    While his word we obey;

    Yes, heavenly manna's falling

    Along the pilgrim's way,

    And angel food's our portion,

    While his word we obey.

2. We too, like them, are pilgrims

AIong the desert way

That leads through earth to heaven.

The laud of endless day;

And as we journey onward,

In answer to our calls,

In rich and full abundance

The manna daily falls.

3. Oh, bread sent down from heaven,

We'll ever feed on thee,

And trust our loving Father

For grace, abounding, free;

Till ends the pilgrim's journey,

And all our needs supplied.

We'll feast our souls in heaven,

With all the sanctified.

This month, God shall surpass your expectations. The rain of bread shall continually fall upon every wilderness situation around you. And Ravens shall release your daily needs until you see Christ in glory. 

On behalf of my esteemed father in the Lord, I will like to invite you to the 71st Annual Convention of the RCCG, with the theme: BEYOND EXPECTATIONS. Date: 7th - 13th August 2023. Venue: Redemption City, Km 46, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.

Happy new month. Good day and God bless you.

Maranatha!

Bro. Okanlawon Taiwo

For more articles, please visit -

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