Church and Human Government

1 Peter 2:13-15 AMPC

Be submissive to every human institution and authority for the sake of the Lord, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, Or to governors as sent by him to bring vengeance (punishment, justice) to those who do wrong and to encourage those who do good service. For it is God's will and intention that by doing right your good and honest lives should silence (muzzle, gag) the ignorant charges and ill-informed criticisms of foolish persons.

Lessons from the Prodigal Son

Lessons from the Prodigal Son 

Text: Luke 15:12-13 KJVS "And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living." 

The parable of the prodigal son was told by Jesus in response to the accusation from the Pharisees that he mingles with sinners. The parable shows the failure of sin, the act of repentance and the joy of salvation. We can say that the parable is a type of our relationship with our almighty Father. How sin separates us from God and how genuine repentance can restore us to our position as sons and heirs of the inheritance by faith through grace. 

From this parable, there are lessons to be learnt and in this blog I dwell on five things to learn from the prodigal son and his experiences. 

Lord Order My Steps - Bishop Sam Chidoka

Love - Bishop Sam Chidoka

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life."

The above scripture is perhaps one of the most popular bible verses of all time. In one verse of scripture the whole essence or purpose of Christ's incarnation is explained.

Morning Glory - Balanced Diet

Message preached on Morning Glory Live on City FM 105.1 Lagos on Sunday 5th February 2017. Listen and be blessed.

Storms - Bishop Sam Chidoka

Not every storm is of the devil! Sometimes God uses storms to push us to destiny! If Joseph was not hated and sold by his brothers, he would not have got to Potiphar's house in Egypt, if Potiphar's wife did not lie against him, he won't have ended up in prison, if he didn't go to prison, he won't have met the baker and butler, if he didn't meet the butler no one would have told Pharaoh about Joseph's gift and consequently lead to the fulfillment of his God given purpose of being King over his family and in a strange land. God also uses storms to push us to purpose, so when in a storm, pray and believe God for the manifestation of His will in your life! Shalom

Forgiveness - Bishop Sam Chidoka

Matthew 18:21-35 21

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”

22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.[a]

23 “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold[b] was brought to him.

25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

26 “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’

27 The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.

28 “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins.[c] He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded. 29 “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’ 30 “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt.

31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.

32 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to.

33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’

34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

35 “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

The word translated Forgive in the bible can also mean to let go, give up a debt or neglect a wrong doing. Forgiveness is a conscious or deliberate effort made towards a person who has harmed or hurt you, in obedience to the word of God. It means giving up the right to retaliate. It means to wipe the slate clean, to let go of a debt.

Jesus - My Everything - Bishop Sam Chidoka

Revelation 1:8 "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty." Many know Jesus as the beginning and the end without realizing that Jesus is also the middle of everything! Your dreams, aspirations, visions, family, health, career, yesterday, today, tomorrow, your ALL should be firmly rooted in Christ! Christ is the beginning, the end and everything in-between. No matter the challenge you face in this life, one thing that knowing Christ gives you is assurance of victory in this world and the one to come. With Jesus in your vessel, you will smile at the storm!!! Make Jesus your all in all and you'll never regret it.

Sense of Entitlement - Bishop Sam Chidoka

One of the worst things that can happen to a man is to have a sense of entitlement! Know this my friend, no one owes you anything!!! People will help you, God will move people to help but they don't owe you! Not your parents, siblings, friends or acquaintances, the earlier we take responsibility for our lives and reject the notion of entitlement because of relationship, the better for us. shalom.

Take Responsibility - Bishop Sam Chidoka

The most difficult enemy a man can have in life is himself! The enemy called you is stronger than all the witches and wizards in your village, all the demons of hell and even the chief demon himself combined. It is you that stopped you from doing what you could have done yesterday that could have made your today better! It is you that failed to take the plunge, it is you that failed to make that decision, it is you that failed, yes it is YOU. Take responsibility and stop the blame game. Some pray for their enemies to die by fire, you better look in the mirror before uttering such, as you could be sending fire your own way. Once you deal with the enemy called you, the external enemies become easier to deal with. See you at the top.