This Excellent Church - TEC

Brother Sam concludes the teaching series by emphasizing the necessity of prayer in dealing with suffering.

Prayer is a means of grace that God has given us in this world to conform us to the image of the Son and to point us to our blessed hope in heaven.

He highlights 2 things that prayer does

1. In the mercy of God, prayer can alleviate suffering, lighten burdens and turn circumstances around

2. ⁠Prayer can change our perspective when God decides that suffering is necessary to draw us nearer to Him.

Brother Kingsley takes us on a bible study of Temptations and trials and the work they do in us.

Brother Sam starts a new series on how to handle suffering.

In this message, he explains how suffering is expected in our lifes as believers and why there is suffering in this world, but he also talks about the hope we have in the Lord.

The wrath of God has been revealed against all unrighteousness. For the unbeliever, this is a cause for alarm because God is holy and a just judge who will address all iniquity. For the one who is saved and has been justified in Christ, it is a warning to live in repentance, honoring the salvation of the Lord.

The fear of the Lord necessitates holiness. As we delight in our salvation and the magnitude of God’s mercy on our brokenness, we must also respond to God’s pull in our hearts to mirror His righteous state. We must also persuade those in our lives not to fall into the hands of God living in iniquity. For without holiness, no man shall see the Lord.

Are we to love God or fear God? Are these positions contradictory or complimentary? We see injunctions in the scripture to love the Lord with all our heart and then again we are admonished that the fear of the Lord is wisdom. Which is it?

The fear of God is an active awareness of God’s holiness, commandments and judgments in how we conduct our affairs. The scripture prescribes this for all men because this is how we abide in the will of God and honour His covenant.

To love God is to keep in step with His precepts. It is the vigilance to live in obedience knowing that everything God requires leads to our ultimate good. This is why the Psalmists wrote extensively on delighting in the laws of God and testified to the treasure of His precepts.

Sister Ifeanyi teaches on an aspect of God's sovereignty. She helps us carefully navigate the concept of God controlling everything and the role our agency plays.

Raising godly homes, like any other Christian calling, has its roots in the gospel. The more we behold the cross, the clearer we can ascertain God's demands for each member of a household.

This marital union comes with privileges and responsibilities. What is not often emphasized in our culture is the seriousness of a marital oath's responsibilities. For a covenant meant to last a lifetime, it is wisdom not to decide on who to be with based on fleeting attributes—qualities that depreciate as the years go by.

Rather, the man or woman of God, guided by scripture, is expected to decide on a partner who shares a common faith and hope and whose life is ruled by God's love. These are values that are forever appreciated.

God has a vision for fruitfulness and multiplication for every marital union. And it is the will of God for every home to be filled with children as God graces those in covenant.

Godly masculinity at its very core is an election of service. Men are called to serve their families sacrificially in the same way Christ demonstrated His love to the church. Men ought to be imitators of Christ first before anything else. Everything he does as a leader of the home is unto God as one who will be held accountable for the family affairs.

Godly femininity is rooted in an identity in Christ. Ladies are first called to flourish as fervent Christians, offering their lives unto God which is their reasonable worship before they are called to anything else. In the home, God demands that ladies support and build with the one they are betrothed to in fulfilling the commission of God upon the family to be fruitful and multiply.

Godly parenting is a responsibility unto God. Parents are merely stewards of God’s gifts. The love of the father in the home is meant to portray the unconditional love God has for His children, the care and nurture of the mother ought to model the attentiveness and affection of a loving God who is committed to our good at all times, even when we have nothing to offer Him.

Even in how discipline is done in the home, how career paths are chosen, and the way children are instructed to live, all of these must be done in honour of God’s vision for families, which is for each person to thrive in accordance with His will.

Brothers Sam, Seye, Kingsley and Sister Ijeoma answer some questions in the second Q&A session of the family affairs conference.

Sister Ijeoma teaches Christian femininty

Brother Seye teaches on Christian masculinity