This Excellent Church - TEC

LFC Part 30 | 1 Cor 16 | Sam Oyeyinka

Pastor Sam concluded the teaching on the Corinthian church by explaining that although the church was gifted, it struggled with pride, disorder, and misunderstanding of God’s sovereignty.

He noted that Paul consistently submitted his plans to God, often saying “if the Lord permits” (1 Cor. 16:7; Acts 18:21), aligning with James 4:13–16. True faith, he said, is trust in God rather than confidence in self, confession, or force of will. Human life is fragile, and planning without humility is delusional.

He reminded us that at the heart of Christian theology, he emphasized, is the sovereignty of God. He explained that although Paul was clear about his purpose yet humble enough to submit his desires to God and openly sought support from the church (1 Cor. 16:6, 9–11). Supporting God’s work, he said, is intentional and necessary and not to be shied away from.

Addressing Apollos, Pastor Sam stated that Apollos likely taught inaccurately but showed humility by staying back to learn. Believers, he said, must be kind to the uninformed while being firm against error, correcting without cruelty or insecurity.

He added that Christians are called to stand firm and fight for the faith like men while also expressing feminine traits like tenderness and unity, symbolized by a contextual holy kiss. Greeting one another affirms mutual value and acknowledgment within the body.

He emphasized that those who serve diligently as Paul asserted, have to be recognized but reminded us that all service must be done in love.

Pastor Sam concluded that truth must not be sacrificed for approval. Though Paul corrected the church firmly, he ended with grace and love, showing that discipline flows from love, not hatred.

We begin the teaching series by looking closely at what true wisdom really is. Pastor Sam explains that wisdom is whatever roots us in the fear of God and the life that flows from that fear. Scripture teaches that wisdom is not abstract. It is seen in the way we live. James says, “Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom” (James 3:13 ESV).

True wisdom is the grace of God applied in every area of our lives. There is no real difference between growing in godly wisdom and growing in sanctification. Both flow from the same work of God in the believer.

It is also important to point out that the kind of wisdom driven by selfish ambition, jealousy and the passions of the flesh is not wisdom from above. James says that such wisdom is earthly, unspiritual and demonic, producing disorder and every vile practice (James 3:14 to 16). Wisdom that is shaped by sin does not bring peace, rest or flourishing. In fact, sin undermines common grace and invites judgment on a people, because God opposes the proud and the wicked.

But those who love the ways of God come to know His peace and His rest. They also become people who make wise decisions, because the more they abide in His will, the more they desire to honour God in their choices and in their conduct.

What our ressurection will be like | LFC Part 29| 1 Cor 15:12-58 | Sam Oyeyinka

Here, Paul’s point is straightforward: if Christ did not rise from the dead, the entire Christian faith collapses. The resurrection is what proves Christianity true. It shows Christ’s authority over death and confirms the truth of everything He said. The prophets spoke of His death for the sins of the world, and Christ Himself declared that He would lay down His life willingly. His resurrection is the final proof that all of this is real.

If Christ has not been raised, then our faith is empty and our sins remain unforgiven. Those who have died have simply perished, and there is no hope beyond the grave. Without the resurrection, life becomes a confusing search for meaning. Do we live like the Epicureans, chasing pleasure because nothing matters? Or like the Stoics, enduring hardship even though the struggle has no purpose? What exactly is the point of life if Christ did not die and rise again?

But Christ did rise. His resurrection is the firstfruit from the dead, the assurance that all who believe in Him will share in that same resurrection by the Spirit of God. The imperishable, glorified life promised in 1 John 3:2 is not symbolic. It is the believer’s future, grounded in the fact that Christ has already conquered the grave.

This truth also reveals something deeper about us. Our desires shape our thinking. Our sins influence how we reason. Volition comes before intellection. People do not primarily seek what is true. They justify what their hearts already want. The resurrection confronts this tendency and calls us to turn from sin, embrace the truth, and anchor our hope in the risen Christ.

Charis Vigil | How to Pray for Something Without Idolising It | Samuel Oyeyinka

Love & Light 08 | Final Exhortation | Seye Maj'

On the Thing of First Importance & the Cure for Pride | LFC Part 28| 1 Cor 15:1-11 | Samuel Oyeyinka

Love & Light (Part 7) | Assured by Love | 1 John 4:7-21

Everyone who loves is born of God and knows God because God is love by nature. This love for others isn't mere natural affection, but a love that flows from our love for God. Thus, our love for God finds its completion in our love for others.

Our love for others should reflect God's display of love, which is

1) Sacrificial, not convenient — God gave up His only Son so that we might live.

2) Proactive, not responsive — God loved us before we loved Him.

When we love one another, we have assurance that we are born again and God's Spirit dwells within us.

Learning From the Corinthians (Part 27) | On Spiritual Short-sightedness | 1 Corinthians 15:1-2

Apostle Paul speaks of salvation in three tenses: past, present, and future. We were saved from the penalty, parentage, and power of sin; we are being saved from the practice of sin; and we will be saved from the presence of sin.

The means by which we were saved is the same means by which we are being saved — the gospel. So, God preserves us to the end by reminding us of the truth of the gospel because we're prone to forget, a condition Apostle Peter calls short-sightedness.

Those who are short-sighted because of suffering and pain must fix their gaze on Christ, looking beyond what is temporal to what is eternal. And those who are short-sighted because of riches and pleasure should put their hope in Christ, who alone can save from the wrath to come.

Love & Light 06 | God's Children Now and Then | Seye Maj' | 1 John 3:1-10

Christ, Our Living Hope | Pastor Adeola Ogundele | 1 Peter 1:1-5

In this sermon, Pastor Adeola highlighted the timeless relevance of Peter’s letter to Gentile churches under Roman persecution, noting its direct application to believers dispersed worldwide today, particularly the church in Nigeria. Peter used Old Testament titles to affirm these Gentile Christians as God’s elect, chosen by divine wisdom for a life in Christ, despite pressures from Judaizers insisting they first become Jews. Amid trials and persecution, which could lead to identity doubts, Peter anchored their confidence in God’s sovereign election, reminding them that obedience to Jesus naturally invites persecution, whether external loss or internal temptation to deny Him.

True faith ends in worship, not mere intellectual assent and winning arguments. Pastor Adeola urged believers to contemplate God’s greatness daily, turning Scripture reading into prayer and humble adoration of the living Christ. He contrasted fleeting worldly hope, tied to uncertain externals, with the certain, living hope rooted in Christ’s resurrection. Jesus bore our sins and through His victory, we inherit an imperishable, undefiled, and unfading reward kept secure in heaven. Earthly trials and persecution, permitted by God, deepen trust in this eternal inheritance, where even a single moment in glory will eclipse all earthly suffering for His sake.

Our perseverance is not self-sustained but guaranteed by God’s keeping power. We cannot resist Satan alone; Christ’s intercession and divine attributes ensure our safe arrival in heaven, even using persecution for our good. Pastor Adeola closed by reminding us that God Himself is our ultimate portion and man’s chief aim is to know and enjoy Him forever. Our prayer should be that the gospel remains precious and love for Christ grows ever deeper.