Author: Deji Okegbile

Costless Discipleship: GENERATION OF DISTANT CHRISTIANITY.

We are in a generation and age where churches preach about tolerance and inclusivity without providing impactful discipleship teaching on repentance, regeneration, and holiness. Jesus invites us to live out the true cost of discipleship. Jesus, in the conclusion to a teaching about the cost of discipleship, said, “Anyone who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be My disciple” (Lk 14:33). Cross-centred discipleship is a breaking free from the control of material wealth and attachments. As Christians, we are in the world, but we are not of the world, regardless of its emotional bond, fears, and ambitions. We...

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THE 21ST CENTURY COUNCIL OF THE TEN LEPERS (NINE AGAINST ONE): UNITED BY NEED AND SEPARATED BY LACK OF REPENTANCE.

“While Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem, He was passing between Samaria and Galilee. As He entered a village, He was met by ten lepers who stood at a distance; and they raised their voices and called out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” When He saw them, He said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were healed and made clean. One of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, glorifying and praising and honouring God with a loud voice; and he lay face downward at Jesus’...

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FAITH OF A MUSTARD SEED: ONE OF THE GREATEST NEEDS TODAY.

Faith, a powerful tool that predates the creation of the world, remains of missional importance. Faith defies a one-dimensional definition, but Apostle Paul offers a helpful missional statement. He said, “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). The communal plead by the early Apostles 2000 years ago to Jesus to, “Increase our faith” is one of our greatest needs today (Lk. 17:5). To advance God’s kingdom is not the quantity of our faith, but the power of God working in us. There is no formula to increase our faith, but...

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A RICH MAN IN HELL: CALL FOR PERSONAL AND CORPORATE RENEWAL.

The parable of the rich man and Lazarus points to earthly lives as a ‘mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.’ That outward appearance does not match our inward conditions (James 4:14). The parable of the rich man and Lazarus warns us that when death comes knocking, there is only one thing that matters: our relationship with Jesus Christ (Matt 16:26, Mk 8:36). The parable of the rich man and Lazarus reminds us of Jesus’ teaching on the reality of Heaven and hell. Beyond the teaching about universalism, Jesus warned against hell, as did Paul, Peter,...

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PARABLE OF ‘THE UNJUST STEWARD’: MISSION ON SALE, BANE OF CHURCH DECLINE.

The foremost God’s stewards, who became an unjust steward, were Lucifer. Lucifer became an unjust steward, blinded by his own freedom, strength and excellence. He chose to revolt against God, took honour and the mission that belongs to God. Lucifer lost his stewardship and, in his pride and hatred, continued to influence unjust servants to perdition and the decline of the church. Jesus’ parable of the unjust steward, beyond its representation of Lucifer, points to any unfaithful steward in God’s creation, such as unfaithful churchmen, kings, politicians, fathers of families, and so on (Lk 16:1-13).  The ‘creative mission’ of...

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