This Excellent Church - TEC

Sister Ijeoma continues the bible study on the book of John 8

She spoke about 3 things

Brother Sam ushers us into the second part of this series on Overcoming the World by boldly saying: “Whatever you desire more than you desire, God is an idol.”

Exegeting Colossians 3:5, he describes idolatry as a deep, inordinate longing or affection for anything but God. Whatever we use to answer the question of life’s meaning is our idol. Whatever satiates the void of happiness, meaning and identity in our lives more than God does, is an idol.

He, however, draws our minds to a very strange phenomenon: Our idols need us to lead us. Our idols are not as powerful as we think; they draw their strength from our devotion and desires. We carry our idols; we give them the control that they wield over us. Our idols do not move unless we move them. We have to be co-perpetrators with our idols for them to destroy us. (Isaiah 46:5-7).

And idols do destroy, he emphasizes. There are no neutral idols. Our idols neither leave us the same nor leave us any better. They demand from us more than they could ever promise to give us—they use and abuse us.

What then is the antidote to our idols, one might wonder? He leads us to Colossians 3:1-4 for the answer: It is Christ who is our LIFE. It is in setting our minds on Him, and on those things are above, that the hold our idols have on us is loosed. It is in persuading our hearts to remember, not just the holiness of, but also, the loveliness of our Lord that the potency of our idols is weakened. He calls it “the explosive power of a new affection.”

You will find this sermon equally convicting and encouraging. Be blessed as you listen.

Bro. Maj concludes the teaching series on the book on Hebrews

Brother Sam begins a new teaching series he titles Overcoming The World.

He opens up with Jesus’ address in Matthew 7:21-23, about ‘That Day’ soon to come, when those who have professed the Name of the Lord with their lips—as a tool for the advancement of their agendas—without true regard for, or obedience to, that Name, will receive due compensation for their evil-doing.

He echoes the teachings of scripture about eternal rest as the heritage of the Lord’s people but emphasizes that the “Lord’s people” are those who have known Him as Lord in word, in heart, and deed. These are the ones to whom Jesus will never say, “I do not know you”; the ones He will not deny.

Brother Sam implores us to sober reflection, reminding us that at the end of the day, what truly matters is a person doing the will of the Lord. “Results” and “proofs” might be impressive for a myopic world that cannot see beyond their noses, but before the holy, omniscient God who judges the intent of men’s hearts, those who do His will are those in whom He truly delights. And God’s will is not nebulous or subject to personal interpretation. It is clearly defined in scripture, in Jesus’ answer to the lawyer who asked Him what the greatest command in the Law was: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew‬ ‭22‬:‭37‬-‭39‬)

This is the summary of the matter: to love the Lord with your yearnings, your consciousness, your reason—to love Him with everything you have and are—and from that overflow of affection, to love the people He has made. This is what doing the will of God looks like.

As he brings the sermon to a close, he cautions that a burdensome Christianity is strange and should never be settled for. Sanctification in Christ is delightful, and a person who knows that they have God as their portion has a contentment and joy that can never be taken away regardless of circumstance.

You will find much to ponder and pray about as you listen to this. Be blessed.

David and Goliath. In this sermon, Brother Sam explains the story of David and Goliath and how it describes us as New Testament believers.

We have been told that we are David, striking down our Goliath of poverty and penury, delay in our promotions, limitations, marital difficulties, etc. Like David, we are told that we are to sling our smooth stones of powerful confessions that will bring Goliath down and usher us into our Kingship and priestly offices in any sphere of life on this earth.

Brother Sam shows us that the problem with this narrative is that life doesn’t always answer to our “stones” of faith and Goliath seems to rise each time we “strike” him down.

We are not David. We are weak and sickly. We were swallowed up in our sins. We are more like the people of Israel in the story. Fearful and unable to devise a plan to handle Goliath.

Goliath truly represents our sin and defilement. The defeat of sin came through the true and better David. Our Lord Jesus Christ. Who after defeating the Goliath of our sins screamed at us to pursue and plunder.

For our greatest enemy is not poverty or lack, sickness or pain but Sin that separates us from God.

Jesus our true and better David has conquered sin and drawn us to Himself

Brother Seye continues the series on the Beholding the Son and ushers us into His high Priestly ministry

The teaching begins with a reference to Genesis 14, the only passage the speaks of Melchizedek and the prophecy in Psalms 110:1-4 in which David declares that the Second Person of the Trinity (Our Lord Jesus) is a priest forever after the Order of Melchizedek.

The scriptures say “the order” because Melchizedek’s ministry is not recorded with a reference to his beginning or ending (genealogy) nor a levitical transfer of priesthood as a result of death.

Christ is then shown to be of that order, for His priesthood has no beginning or ending after the order of an endless life.

His priesthood is a perfect one, superior to the inadequacy of the previous priesthood which was useless in impacting life to its hearers but highlighting the sin and death in our members.

The new covenant according to this eternal priesthood after the order of Melchizedek perfects those who place their hope in the finished work of Jesus.

In this concluding part of the “Do You Love Me?” series, Brother Seye exegetes 1 Corinthians 12—the notable chapter on spiritual gifts.

He begins by underscoring the necessity of having the right motives, as we desire and believe God for these things. There is a temptation to dabble into simony where spiritual gifts are concerned—to forget that they are primarily GIFTS, given by the discretion of the Giver—and to garner methods/means by which we think we can come upon these endowments on our own. He keenly warns against this, and urges us to probe the motives of our hearts, as we desire spiritual gifts.

He goes further to say that the work of the Holy Spirit, in exercising spiritual gifts through the saints, is for the exaltation of the Lordship of Jesus and His Body—the Church. It is not for the glorification of any one man. He echoes that the gifts of the Spirit are expressions of God’s goodness to the Churchwe, and that we through whom the gifts are expressed, are merely stewards of the varied grace of God.

He sets forth three attitudes that the Church, as Christ’s Body, should have towards spiritual gifts:

1. WE MUST DESIRE IT. As it has been established that the gifts are given for service and the common good, we must actively desire to see a church community full of cheerful and faithful servants, with the endowments of the Spirit, working for the good of all the brethren. (1 Corinthians 1:4-7, 1 Corinthians 13:8-12)

2. WE MUST MAKE ROOM FOR IT. We must actively seek out opportunities as individuals in the Body to serve, since God has graced us all, in some capacity, to be supplying joints for the good of the whole Body. (1 Peter 4:10)

3. WE MUST FAN TO FLAMES. Spiritual gifts can be neglected and their expressions can wane, thus the instruction to fan to flames; to wittingly apply ourselves in the exercise of the abilities given to us by the Spirit of God. (1 Timothy 4:14, Romans 12:6-8, 2 Timothy 1:6-7)

Be blessed as you listen.

The Son. Our great High Priest

Brother Seye continues the series on the Beholding the Son and ushers us into His high Priestly ministry

The teaching begins with a reference to Genesis 14, the only passage the speaks of Melchizedek and the prophecy in Psalms 110:1-4 in which David declares that the Second Person of the Trinity (Our Lord Jesus) is a priest forever after the Order of Melchizedek.

The scriptures say “the order” because Melchizedek’s ministry is not recorded with a reference to his beginning or ending (genealogy) nor a levitical transfer of priesthood as a result of death.

Christ is then shown to be of that order, for His priesthood has no beginning or ending after the order of an endless life.

His priesthood is perfect, superior to the inadequacy of the previous priesthood which was useless in impacting life to its hearers but highlighting the sin and death in our members.

The new covenant according to this eternal priesthood after the order of Melchizedek perfects those who place their hope in the finished work of Jesus.

Building on the foundation he laid last week as we began the “Do You Love Me?” series, Brother Seye reminds us that love is an intangible virtue made tangible by our actions. However, he emphasized, we cannot forget that even though it is our actions that give verity to our profession of love, the intangible virtue of love in itself is a supply of the Spirit, given in the quickening of regeneration, to the heart that is born anew in Christ.

Therefore, genuine love can only be demonstrated by a heart that has come to genuine faith. For it is the Holy Spirit that causes our hearts, in the New Creation, to comprehend the Father’s love and respond accordingly to it. Love, thus, is the fruit of authentic belief.

Brother Seye also instructs us with the scriptures' command to confirm our love for God by loving one another. One of the ways we have been enjoined to do this is by seeking to serve one another with our spiritual gifts.

Referencing Wayne Grudem (1994), he explains a spiritual gift as any ability that is empowered by the Holy Spirit and used in any ministry of the church. This includes those gifts that correspond with our natural capacities [like the ability to teach, manage, give or lead], and those that are beyond the scope of our natural capacities [like the ability to prophesy, speak with tongues, do miracles or walk in gifts of healing].

He provides three markers for identifying a spiritual gift:

1. It is empowered by the Holy Spirit.

2. It is used in the ministry of the Church.

3. It is for the common good.

He also answers the question of how one can find their spiritual gift and place in the Body of Christ.

As always, you will find this to be an edifying listen. Be blessed.

Brother Seye continues the teaching series on the book of Hebrews and handles the difficult Chapter 6

He first expounds that the knowledge in Hebrews 6, described as foundational doesn’t in any way suggest there’s something esoteric to move on to but rather a progression in the things the Hebrews Christians once received.

Secondly, in the spirit of the warnings of apostasy, Brother Seye shows us that falling away is not a low moment a Christian has, but is a result of a process of consistent hardening by the deceitfulness of sin that compounds in rejecting the truth once had once received.

He concludes by showing us that chapter 6 tells us that good works (7-10) are proof of an active working faith.

We hope this series blesses you