A TALK DELIVERED BY PASTOR UDEME F. AKPAN AT THE AAMC SHEPHERD CONFERENCE 2014 ORGANIZED BY AFRICAN APOSTOLIC MISSION CHURCH FIELD HEADQUARTERS 13 ESA ATAN ROAD –IKOT EKPENE TOPIC: RELIGIOUS PRIDE

INTRODUCTION:

 

 

The theme of this conference, “religious pride” is very timely as there is an urgent need today to re-appraise the stand of the church (the body of Christ), since we live in a multi-religion ridden society.  Hence, “the church has become worldly and the world churchly”.

RELIGIOUS:
The word “religious” can be defined as “the obeying of rules and regulations carefully”. James 1:26 says, “if anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless.” Religious is “connected with religion or with a particular religion”; while “religion” is defined as “the belief in the existence of a god (God) or gods and the activities that are connected with the worship of them”; e.g. The Jewish religion, Islamic religion, Christianity and other world religions. 
Most religions teach that man can be saved and have eternal life by being good and attending religious ceremonies and services.  On the other hand, Christians believe that God has revealed Himself to man that these revelations have been written down and collected together in a book that we call the Bible – the only true source of religion.

The Old Testament defines true religion as “the fear of the Lord”. Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”.  Also, Deuteronomy 10:12 says,“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.”
Note: (The fear of the Lord here is not a feeling of terror, such as a child might feel towards a cruel father, but of reverence, awe and willing obedience which expresses itself in worship and praise).

In the New Testament, religion is a response to the gospel of Christ rather than to the Law of Moses, and which expresses itself in acts of daily repentance, faith, kindness and godliness.  The Bible teaches us that the essence of true religion is based on a relationship with God of which man lives not only in consciousness of his own sinfulness and helplessness but also of God great grace and goodness.  The fruit of this relationship is found in the offering of true and sincere worship, and of good deeds to men prescribed not by man and his ideas but by God and His Word.
THE ORIGIN OF RELIGION
In the early years of the twentieth century, several attempts were made to explain how religion first began and to find a natural explanation for it.

• Witch-doctors: Some thought religion began through cunning and deceitful witch-doctors or priests pretending to have magic powers, who were able to deceive primitive and superstitious people in order to rule them or make money out of them. This explanation is no longer accepted.
• Fetishes:  Others thought it began with the worship of lifeless objects, or with the worship of spirits which were believed to exist either in natural object such as trees or in the unseen spirit-world of departed ancestors.
• Natural Forces: Another theory is that religion originated with man worshipping the life-giving forces of nature, the sun, moon, stars or the seas, rivers, winds and weather. Through his (man) ignorance he attributed a supernatural origin to everything he could not explain.
• Psychological Cause: Some have sought to explain religion in psychological terms saying that man needs to believe in someone or something greater than himself and that this arises in the subconscious soon after birth. 
  
  
• When we were infants, we were totally dependent on our parents for everything.  Belief in God is therefore just a projection of our earliest need for our parents; this remains in our subconscious and expresses itself in a belief in some kind of father-figure.

But none of these theories could or can explain the origin of religion.  The Bible gives us the only reliable account of the origin of religion by informing us of the existence of God, infinite and yet personal, the only object worthy of worship, who revealed Himself to man and created him in His own image. “In the beginning God created the heavens and earth… So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him, male and female He created them”. Genesis 1:1,27.

PRIDE:
Pride can be defined as:

• “A proper and justified self-respect”
• “The most valuable one of its kind”
• “Too high an opinion of one’s importance or superiority”
• “To take pleasure and satisfaction with oneself about something”.

In the light of the conference theme, “religious pride”, we want to consider it in two ways; the positive and negative aspects of “religious pride”.

NEGATIVE:  One of the greatest challenges that face the church today is pride.  The following scriptural passages reveal the mind of God concerning pride:

• God hates the proud: Proverbs 8:13 “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and evil way: And the perverse mouth I hate.”
• God dishonours and brings down the proud: Proverbs 29:23 “A man’s pride will bring him low, but the humble in spirit will retain honour”.
• God knows the proud from afar:  Psalm 138:6 “Though the Lord is on high, yet He regards the lowly; but the proud He knows from afar”.
• God destroys the house of the proud:  Proverbs 15:25 “The Lord will destroy the house of the proud, But He will establish the boundary of the widow”.
• God resists the proud:  1 Peter 5:5 “Likewise you younger people, submit yourself to your elders.  Yes, all of you be submissive to one another and be clothed with humility for God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble”.

POSITIVE: As we consider the positive aspect of the word, “Pride”, we shall be looking at men and women who were proud of their religion (belief):

• Moses: Hebrews 11:24-25 “By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin.”
• Joshua: Joshua 24:15 “And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the amorites, in whose land you dwell.  But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
• The people (Men, Women and Children): Joshua 24:16 “So the people answered and said: “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods.”
• Shedrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego:  Daniel 3:16-18 “Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego answered and said to the king “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.  If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O King.  But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”
• Daniel: Daniel 6:10 “Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home.  And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.”
• Paul: Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.”
• David: Psalms 44:8 “In God we boast all day long, and praise your name forever.” Etc.

CONCLUSION: Galatians 6:14 says, “But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by when the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” I like to conclude that Christianity is not “a religion” but a way of life, a life of faith, and relationship and a life of constant communion and fellowship with God, not by works and keeping of the Law, but by grace.   It is the only religion that God came down by Himself to seek for His worshippers (John 1:11-12; Luke 19:10), while worshippers of other religions are the ones looking for their gods to worship and straining to meet up with their demands.
Therefore, we should not boast of religion (denomination) or title held in church or in the society; but our boast should rather be in the Lord. I declare to us; as we constantly boast in the Lord’s grace and greatness, the Lord will constantly give us a boost for greater exploits in Jesus name, Amen!
Remain blessed!

A TALK DELIVERED BY REVD. S. J. OKARAFOR (JP) DURING A SHEPHERD CONFERENCE OF AFRICAN APOSTOLIC MISSION CHURCH, FIELD HEADQUARTERS, 13 ESA ATAN ROAD – IKOT EKPENE

BIBLE READING:  1 Timothy 4:11-16
TOPIC:  Doctrine Identity Consciousness
INTRODUCTION:  Our topic consists of three distinctive words as mentioned above and it is pertinent to define them one by one as follows:

• DOCTINE:  By doctrine we mean a teaching or set of teachings held and taught by a church especially from the word of God.  The Bible is full of various teachings known as doctrines as to mention but a few.  E.g. the doctrine of creation, the doctrine of marriage, the doctrine of trinity, and so with baptism, giving etc.

Hence Deut. 32:2 says, “My doctrine shall drop as rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, rain drops on the tender herb, and as showers on the grass”.

• IDENTITY: By identity we mean sameness of essential character.  The distinguishing character or personality of an individual. The fact of being the same person or thing as claimed e.g. Cf ID card.

 

• CONSCIOUSNESS: This is the state of being alive.  The state of being able to use yourself and mental powers to understand what is happening. It is a state of being mentally awake or alert, not asleep or unconscious.

Therefore by these definitions, we can now say that doctrine identity consciousness simply means, the state of somebody being lively identified with the doctrine taught. 
It is also defined as a way which the word of God is effected in one’s life e.g. James 1:22 “Be ye doers of the word, WHICH WORD?Theword of God, the word you preach, the word you are taught, the word you read, the word you meditate.  Put to practice.  Let it identify you. Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine 1 Tim. 4:13. 

• Are you taught about love? Then be loving
• Are you taught about humility? Then be humble
• Are you taught about forgiveness? Then forgive
• Are you taught about holiness? Then be holy
• Are you taught about giving? Then be liberal
• Are you taught about reverence? Then reverence God and man
• Are you taught about punctuality? Then be punctual.

If you are conscious of the Word of God because it is life, In John 6:63 and it is powerful Heb. 4:12.  It can then create something out of you. It can create love out of you, it can create mercy out of you to others, it can create humility out of you, it can create the spirit of faithfulness out of you.
AVENUES TO DISPLAY DOCTRINE IDENTITY CONSCIOUSNESS

• FAMILY: CfEph 5:22
• WIVES:  Submit to your own husbands as to the Lord.  How does this word reflect in your lives as wives? How do you submit to your husband in answering questions, in food preparation, in sex concern, in transparency – cf Gen. 2:25.
• HUSBANDS:Cf Eph. 5:25 Husbands love your wives.  Husbands, how do we love our wives in showing concern for them, in caring for their welfare.
• CHILDREN:Cf Eph. 6:1 Children how do you obey your parents?

• IN THE CHURCH AND OUTSIDE THE CHURCH
• How are you serving in the church? Are you loyal, humble, obedient, careful, cf Col. 3:22-25, Psalm 100:1b
• How do you pay your tithe? Malachi 3:10-12
• How do you care for your Minister? 1 Cor. 9:7-14, Gal. 6:6
• How do you care for the poor? Cf Ps. 41:1-3
• How do you love your fellow member? 1Jn. 4:20-21, Matt.22:27
• How do you behave outside the church 1Tim. 3:7

After a keen survey of our lives through these questions, can we now consciously say that these words can identify us positively as children of God, ranging from our families, the church and the outside world? If not, then why not?

• To be consciously identify with the doctrines, the work must be carried on, on the following ways:
• Purely for God and the salvation of souls
• Diligently and labouriously
• Prudently and orderly – Milk must go before strong meat.
• With plainness and simplicity
• With humility – This is the broad way of accommodation
• With the mixture of severity and mildness
• With seriousness, earnestness and zeal
• With tender love to people
• With patient – Bear abuses and injuries from those you seek to do good
• With reverence
• With earnest desires and expectation of success
• With deep sense of insufficiency and our dependence on Christ.

In Conclusion:  I am using the text of 1 Tim. 4:16 thus: Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine.  Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you – Amen.

 

WELCOME ADDRESS PRESENTED BY FIELD TRUSTEE IME J. AKPANEBU DURING THE SHEPHERDS CONFERENCE 2014, HELD ON 31ST OF MAY, 2014.

In every conference (the gathering of the saints) there is always an encounter for those that believe for He daily loaded us with benefit.  Where we are today is as a result of our yesterday’s decision via information at our disposal. If we know better will have gone beyond where we are today, therefore, for attending this Shepherds Conference 2014 it is the greatest decision you have every made and you will for ever remain grateful to God for taking this quality decision. 

For whenever God wants to bless, He sends a leader (shepherd) to the people.
Whatever we need is in the hands of someone, therefore all we need in this life is a shepherd.  The question is who is a shepherd? Psalm 23:1 and 1 define it all and it says “The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want. 

He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.”  This means with your shepherd you cannot lack or want any good thing and He will order your step to righteousness glory where everything is sufficient without sorrow.  He will guide, instruct and direct you to enable you get the best out of life, for He is the author and the finisher of our faith.  Before we are created he knows us and sanctified and ordained us. Jeremiah 1:5.
Leadership starts from followership to servant-hood to enable the person grows and develop capacity in maturity for proper leading of His people.  Before David became a King, he was a shepherd to his father’s flock and he also used that as testimony when he wanted to fight goliath and the Philistines. 

Before you can attain the position of shepherd-hood (leader) the place of spiritual, physical, mental and emotional training must be appreciated. 

Even God will never raise a shepherd (leader) without proper and effective training that is why Dr Myles Munroe says “ Whatever you are passing through today is as a result of where God is taking you to call training”.

This is the major reason why we call for this Shepherd Conference 2014, for leaders and to edify church leaders toward the need to harmonize and aspire to achieve development in UNITY.
Am quite sure at the end of the day, the spirit of harmony, unity, development, togetherness, happiness will be in us to live the life of oneness in order to achieve our glorious target for God. 

This will lead us where leaders will lead their people with love, harmony and unity and the subordinate will adhere to instructions as obedient servant of God.
Until you are trained you cannot be empowered. 

Likewise you can only give what you have also whom much is given much is expected.  For this with honour conferred on me I humbly welcome every individual (the participants) to the auditorium of the Field Headquarters of African Apostolic Mission church at #13 EsaAtan Road, IkotEkpene, where remarkable conference is holding. 

  Our mouth will be filled of testimonies as we depart by participating in full (spirit, soul and body).   Therefore, you will not be left out of the blessing and I also wish all of you a fruitful and successful session in Jesus Name – Amen.