IS YOUR FIRE OUT?

"God’s kingdom is like ten young virgins who took oil lamps and went out to greet the bridegroom. Five were silly and five were smart. The silly virgins took lamps, but no extra oil. The smart virgins took jars of oil to feed their lamps. The bridegroom didn’t show up when they expected him, and they all fell asleep...." - Matthew 25:1-10 (MSG)

Ten virgins wanted to meet the bridegroom and attend a grand wedding reception. The virgins had their lamps lit and fire burning but five of them were wise enough to take extra oil for their lamps. The bridegroom however delayed his coming and all the virgins fell asleep only to wake up at midnight by the announcement that the bridegroom had finally arrived. The five virgins who had no oil then asked the five who had oil to share with them. But the ones with the oil were afraid that the oil wouldn’t be enough to go round. While the five virgins without the oil ran off to the store to buy, the bridegroom arrived and met the remaining five virgins who had oil in their lamps. The five wise virgins carrying their lit lamps joyously greeted the bridegroom. They went with him to the venue of the wedding reception and then the door was shut against the five foolish virgins.

Beloved, we are in the midnight hour and many virgins are already fast asleep. They have exhausted the oil in their lamps and their fire may soon be put out. They are no longer living daily with the consciousness that any moment from now, our much awaited bridegroom- Jesus Christ will soon arrive. These foolish virgins have succeeded in deceiving everyone around them that their lamps are burning, but it is obvious that the fire upon their altars cannot roast an ordinary fly. They have lost their fervency, passion and zeal for the Lord and His kingdom.

Friends, please be sincere with yourself. Is your lamp still burning the way it used to burn  2, 5 , 10 , 20 or 30 years ago? Is there still oil in your lamp or you are just running on an empty tank? What has happened to the fire of your love for God and passion for lost souls or sinners? Is your oil of sanctification still fresh, full and overflowing as it used to be when you first started this Christian race? If the bridegroom should show up now, where will you be? Will He find you ready for the wedding feast or will you be somewhere roaming about in the shopping malls of life? If your answers to these questions are not in the affirmative,  then, I suggest you do something about your life now before the bridegroom arrives. Please go back to the upper room and refill your lamps with fresh oil from above before its too late. 

The lyrics of this hymn below should be our heart's cry as we trust God to help us finish well and strong.

AS VIRGINS WE MUST BE WISE AND PURE By Howard Higachi

As virgins we must be wise and pure,

So single to You, Lord to grow and mature.

We’re going forth to meet You, our Bridegroom so sweet,

Our touch with You, Jesus, must be intimate.

Chorus

       Lord, I love You above all,

       Watching hourly lest I fall.

       We would buy the oil today.

       Lord, prepare us, oh, get us ready!

Not only my lamp, Lord, but my vessel too,

Redeeming the time to be filled up with You.

I’m going forth to meet You, my Bridegroom so dear.

I know then at midnight You’ll soon, Lord, appear.

Lord, make us ready at any cost

Or else at Your coming we’ll suffer great loss.

We don’t want to say, Lord, our lamp’s going out.

Then it is too late when we hear the great shout.

As virgins we’re loving and enjoying You,

Always responding, You’re fresh and so new.

Our spirits You’re filling and soul saturating.

Our lamps and our vessels we surrender to You.

My prayer is that God will keep us ready at all cost so that we will not suffer a great loss when Christ returns. 

Good day and God bless you.

Maranatha!

Bro. Okanlawon Taiwo

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THE SERMON OF THE NINETY-NINE

"Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home.....”– Luke 15:4–7 (ERV)

Have you ever heard about the sermon of the ninety-nine sheep in the flock below?:-

"We should not put so much emphasis on evangelism and start nurturing the people we already have. Afterall, the Bible say that we ought to teach those who have been baptized. Therefore, we should not be winning souls and planting new churches; rather we ought to give more attention to edifying the ones we have now." 

In Luke 15:1-10, God confirmed that the above sermon is from the pit of hell. The primary assignment of the church is to bring in all lost sheep into the great shepherd's fold (Mark 2:17). God is much more concerned about the lost sheep than those already in the flock. The church that focuses only on feeding its own flock will experience a decline. Christians never grow faster, and are never nurtured more, than when they look out and try to bring somebody else in. 

However, it is important to note that effective evangelism may not be easy. It will require passion, hard work, diligence, power, persistence and perspiration. This is because evangelism involves carrying "sheep" on our shoulders and not "lamb". A lamb is simply a baby sheep from birth to twelve month old. The weight of a sheep is much more that of a lamb. A sheep may weigh between 100 to 250 pounds while a lamb weighs far less than 100 pounds. Therefore, the shepherd will definitely require a tremendous amount of effort to be able to find and then lug the sheep home. This effort can  be described as the shepherd's price or sacrifice.  But the question is, are we really ready to pay the shepherd's price in this generation? 

Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd (John 10:11) and we are the sheep of His pasture (Psalms 95:7). He paid the most expensive price to carry us out of the darkness of this world into His marvelous light (Isaiah 53:6). And whenever we wander away from His flock, the shepherd go into the wilderness to look for us. He does not give up on us when we backslide or go astray from the way. The Good Shepherd does not condemn us. His loving concern for the lost sheep is steadfast and sure. He will seek far and wide to bring us back home to Himself. And when we repent and return to Him, heaven is set agog into lavish celebration and rejoicing (Luke 15:7).

Friends, are you among the ninety-nine (99) laying safely with the good shepherd today? I rejoice with you and  thank God for your life. But I hope you are not preaching the above sermon. If you are, I urge you to please repent now and take evangelism more seriously going forward. 

Beloved, are you among the lost sheep in the flock of Jesus Christ? Has the wolf of riches, ungodly friends etc lured you away from the tender care of the good shepherd? You are trending on a dangerous path and you do not seem to understand. The wicked wolf of this world will destroy you soon if you are not rescued from its evil grip on time. Things may appear to be going on very well for you today but please don't forget that a lost sheep usually end up as a prey in the wolf's den. Please let the good shepherd rescue you today before it will be too late. The good news is that it does not matter how far you have walked away into the wilderness, the good shepherd is eagerly looking forward to bringing you back home. Please repent today and walk into the ever-waiting outstretched arms of the good shepherd. 

This wonderful hymn below summarizes how the Good Shepherd care for lost sheep and go in search of them despite all odds. May God give us the heart of the Good Shepherd and use us mightily to rescue every lost sheep in our communities, villages, cities, and nations in Jesus name. 

THERE WERE NINETY AND NINE THAT SAFELY LAY By Elizabeth C. Clephane. 

1) There were ninety and nine that safely lay

In the shelter of the flock,

But one was out on the hills away,

Far off in the cold and dark;

Away on the mountains wild and bare,

Away from the tender Shepherd’s care.

2) “Lord, Thou hast here Thy ninety and nine;

Are they not enough for Thee?”

But the Shepherd made answer: “This of Mine

Has wandered away from Me;

And although the road be rough and steep,

I go to the desert to find My sheep.”

3) But none of the ransomed ever knew

How deep were the waters crossed;

Nor how dark was the night which the Lord passed through

Ere He found His sheep that was lost.

Out in the bleak desert, He heard its cry—

All bleeding and helpless, and ready to die.

4) “Lord, whence are those blood drops all the way

 That mark out the mountain’s track?”

“They were shed for one who had gone astray

 Ere the Shepherd could bring him back.”

“Lord, whence are Thy hands so rent and torn?”

“They’re pierced tonight by many a thorn.”

5) And all through the mountains, thunder-riven,

And up from the rocky steep,

There arose a cry to the gate of heaven,

“Rejoice! I have found My sheep!”

And the angels echoed around the throne,

“Rejoice, for the Lord brings back His own!”

My prayer for you and my humble self is that we shall not be satisfied with our 99 until we have rescued the missing 1 from the wicked grip of Hell in Jesus name. Amen.

Good day and God bless you.

Maranatha!

Bro. Okanlawon Taiwo

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DON'T HANG YOUR HARP

"By the rivers of Babylon we sat down; there we wept when we remembered Zion. On the willows near by we hung up our harps" - Psalms Psalm 137:1-2 (GNT‬‬)

Few years ago, I met a man who had lost huge possessions and things had been pretty hard for him. The man was practically living in the desert of loneliness as all his trusted friends and close associates had deserted him in his season of pain. He was a shadow of himself, looking so frail, depressed and helpless. His entire life had been submerged completely in the ocean of losses. After he narrated this ordeal, the Lord prompted me to ask him this question: "Sir, hope you have not hung your harps upon the willow tree?". His response was "No, I have not". 

Nobody actually likes to lose anything in life because losses really hurts. Yes, it does. However, there are many examples of people who had lost several things in life but they eventually recovered it all. Some of these people had lost their possessions, health, jobs, marriage, children, businesses, etc.  For example, in Job 1:18-22, when Job lost everything he had, instead of committing suicide, he organised a befitting Banquet of Praise. Does that not sound very crazy? What about Paul and Silas? 

In Acts 16: 22-26, when those two disciples of Jesus Christ lost their freedom, instead of weeping and blaming God, they decided to organise a Praise Party even inside the prison to celebrate the Almighty God.

Like the man mentioned above, Job, Paul and Silas had lost many things but they never lost their faith in the God of All flesh. They did not lose their peace and joy of salvation in the midst of the ocean of losses. Paul and Silas were beaten, yet they couldn't resist the urge to continue to praise their Saviour even in the prison. They knew that the faithful God is still in control even when it appeared that they had reached the very bottom of the ocean of losses. They knew that the worst thing anyone could lose in life is to lose his/her fellowship with God. No wonder they eventually walked out of the ocean of losses with mighty testimonies. Yes, they recovered everything they had lost. Glory be to God. Hallelujah!!

Beloved, have you lost something precious recently? What has the ocean of losses swallowed in your body, home, business, marriage, finances, academics? Why not check and be sure that you have not hung your harp on the willow tree. Please be sure that the joy of your salvation has not been tampered with. If it has, then I urge you to please run back to the feet of the cross today and plunge into the fountain filled with blood drawn from the Saviour's veins. If you do, sincerely, the same God who restored the losses of Job, Paul and Silas will restore your losses and make your life a living testimony of His amazing wonders and faithfulness. And as the Lord God lives, everyone who has mocked and deserted you will come running to pay obeisance to you very soon in Jesus name.

This powerful song below summarises the testimonies of Job, Paul and Silas in the above scriptures:

I HAVE NEVER LOST MY PRAISE by Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir.

"I've lost some good friends along life's way

Some loved ones departed in heaven to stay

But thank God I didn't lost everything

I've lost faith in people who said they cared

In time of my crisis they were never there

But in my disappointment, in my season of pain

One thing never wavered, one thing never changed

I never lost my hope,

I never lost my joy

I never lost my faith

But most of all, I never lost my praise

My praise still here,

My praise still here

I've let some blessings slip away

When I lost my focus and went astray

But thank God I didn't lost everything

I lost possessions that were so dear

I lost some battles walking in fear

But in the midst of my struggles, in my season of pain

One thing never wavered, one thing never changed

I never lost my hope,

I never lost my joy

I never lost my faith

But most of all, I never lost my praise

Praise, Praise, Praise, Praise, Praise

Most of all, I never lost my praise

My praise still here,

My praise still here

But most of all, I never lost my praise!"

My prayer for everyone who has lost any precious thing is that God will halt the season of losses around them and silence their mockers permanently before this week is over in Jesus name. (Amen).

On behalf of my esteemed father in the Lord, Pastor. E. A. Adeboye, I would like to invite you to March 2024 Special Holy Ghost Service. Theme: ON EAGLE'S WINGS. Date:  29th February - 2nd March 2024. Venue: The Redemption City, Mowe, Nigeria. 

Good day, Happy New Month and God bless you.

Maranatha!

Bro. Okanlawon Taiwo

For more articles, please visit -

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