Speak Life And Live!

Acts 4:31; 6: 1-8; 8:5-8; JAMES 5: 17-18

Today's exhortation is both challenging and motivational. It is designed to challenge and motivate us to arise and step out from the position or status of ordinary men and women to men and women of renown or consequence, spiritually speaking. It is

intended to arouse us to arise and step put from being ordinary, normal or peripheral believers/Christians to becoming "extra-ordinary", super believers/Christians and mighty vessels or instruments in God's hands, which thing is His earnest will, desire and expectation.

The following shall be our guides: (i) Step Out And Seek Life; (ii) Speak Life And Live (iii) God’s Counsel To Us.

i). Step Out And Seek Life (Joshua 24:15; Proverbs 1:29)

Deuteronomy 30:19, “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live”.

The primary problem of man is how to live. Real living is beyond eating, drinking and fulfilling desires. Because, many did not know how to live, they passed through the world in sorrow. Some people though physically alive, are dead spiritually. And to be physically alive and be spiritually dead is not real living.

When Adam and Eve were created, they were physically and spiritually alive. But, when they disobeyed the commandment of God, they sinned. Immediately they died spiritually. God gave them everything in the Garden to serve as food to them except one, "But of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat it; for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt SURELY die" (Genesis 2:17). They broke this command of God by eating the fruit of the tree, "And the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat". And the eyes of then both were opened and they knew that they are naked and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons" (Genesis 3:6-7).

Before they died spiritually, it was the glory of God that clothed them. They were not conscious of their nakedness. They could see God face to face and have fellowship with Him. But when they sinned they are separated totally from God.

Since Adam was the origin of man; then every man that is born is automatically dead spiritually. Unfortunately, spiritual death (Fallen Nature) is characterized by, natural inclination to sin, and all manners of wickedness. Genesis 6:5: "And God saw that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually". But, the consequences of sin are: Sorrow, Sickness, Fear, Insecurity, Hardship, Anxiety, Worry and Final Judgment. Ezekiel 18:4 says, "Behold all souls are mine: as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: The soul that sinneth it shall die”. Also, Psalm 9:17 says, "The wicked shall be turned into Hell and all the nations that forget God".

For any man to have a real life, he must be alive spiritually. This can only be possible, if the man is able to pay the penalty for his sin - that is death. Then if every man should die, no man will be left on earth. That was the reason why God had compassion upon the whole world, by sending His only begotten son to pay the penalty for every man. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life”. Also II Corinthians 5:21 says, "For He (God) hath made him (Jesus) to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him (Jesus)”.

Since Jesus had paid the price, every man is then given the equal opportunity to turn from death to life. Jesus said in John 6:47-48, "Verily, Verily I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. I am that bread of life”. This is the sure life. Anyone that has it will have RIGHT STANDING (Righteousness) before God, and it is a life that is characterized by Joy, Happiness, Peace, Hope, Blissful Future, Divine Protection, Ability to live Holy and Eternal Life with God in Paradise.

Jesus is urging you at the moment to turn from death to life. He says in Revelation 3:20, "Behold I stand at the door (your heart) and knock, if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come to him and will sup with him and he with me”.

Anyone that dies in his sins will end up in Hell. This is characterized with everlasting sorrow. Today is the day of salvation tomorrow may be too late. And my brothers and sisters, Jesus is calling you and at the same time urging you to seek life and live. He wants you to confess your sins to the Lord Jesus and He will forgive you.

After this, we are reminded in passage we read about the early Church or disciples of Jesus, where seven (7} believers, ordinary members of the Church, not "apostles", were chosen and appointed as deacons or ushers to help or assist in the day-to-day distribution of  food and other things among the people. They were to assist in arrangement of things of, and people, minor administrative or organizational works in the Church. These ordinary believers or members of the Church included Stephen, Philip, Prochorus, etc (Acts 6:3, 5).

To start with, there were many ordinary members in that Church then, apart from the apostles. But these seven (7) distinguished themselves by going deeper and higher to acquire some virtues or qualifications that gave them some edge over other ordinary members or believers and made them to be appointed into the office or position of  deacons or ushers (Acts 6:3, 5). These seven did not remain ordinary believers or members of the Church with the ordinary, normal or peripheral virtues and, experiences. They made some personal efforts to dig deeper and press higher to some "extra-ordinary" spiritual virtues, qualities and experiences (Acts 6:3, 5).

Others made do with being ordinary, normal believers/Christians with ordinary, normal or peripheral measure of grace or repentance from sins and salvation of their souls. They did not bother about going deeper and higher spiritually for higher virtues and experiences and did not bother about working for the Lord or being used mightily by Him. Another striking thing to note is what later happened among the seven (7) deacons or ushers. While others, five (5) in the team appeared to become satisfied with appointment or position of ordinary deacons or ushers, two, Stephen and Philip decided to step out from remaining and ending up as ordinary deacons or ushers into "extra-ordinary" and "super" believers or disciples, and became mighty evangelists, teachers and miracle workers in the hand of God (Acts 6:8-10; 8:5-8, 26-40; 21:8). They did not want to end up as "ordinary believers" or ordinary ushers or deacons.

While serving as deacons or ushers, they decided to dig deeper and press higher for more knowledge of the Lord and His ways; more spirituality; more faith; more knowledge of the Word of God; and power of God. They also desired to be of greater use in the hand of God for the work of the kingdom. And the Lord, seeing their desires and personal efforts, energized them and made mighty use of them, while others remained there as ordinary believers, members of the Church and deacons/ushers. It is observed that nothing was heard or read about the rest of the deacons/ushers after their appointment, but great things are said and recorded about Stephen and Philip in the history of the early Church or believers. They stepped into "extra-ordinary" or super disciples, believers, Christians and mighty vessels/instruments in God's hand. Time will fail us to talk of Elijah, "a man subject to like passion" like other ordinary/normal men, yet he stepped out from the ordinary into an extra-ordinary man who shut up heavens and there was no drop of rain on the earth for three and a half (3^1/2) years, until he prayed again (James 5:17-18). What of Daniel and three other Hebrew children who refused to remain ordinary captives in Babylon and worked themselves into "extra-ordinary captives"? They became greater and popular than even the sons of the soil.

It is unfortunate that many in the Church today, rather than taking the challenge that Stephen and others left for us and following their foot steps, they choose to adopt the mediocritic example of the others in the early Church.

Very many people in Church today appear to make do with the status of "ordinary" believer, Christian or member of the Church. They do not want to get committed and consecrated to become useful in the hand of God. They do not want to dig deeper or go higher for more spiritual knowledge and maturity; for more virtues and experiences; for more measure of faith, wisdom, Spirit and power of God; for deeper knowledge or understanding of God's Word to be able to teach or preach to others without being gainsaid. They choose to remain coming and going without commitment. Some who make little efforts to get some qualifications that make them to be appointed into some positions appear to be satisfied with such and wanting to end up in same.

They do not bother about stepping into extra-ordinary or super believers or Christians, believers of consequence or renown, like Stephen and Philip. They want to end up unknown or unheard of in the Church history .They do not know that if one is not working with and for God the devil will find some work for such in the Church. The one can be doing the work of causing discouragement to the Pastor, the "apostles" or the few that endeavour to step out of the ordinary in the Church (see Acts 6:1-2). They may constitute themselves into faultfinders and complainers, as in the early Church. It is always the case when people fail to get higher or develop and become spiritually busy. They become "devil's workshop".